In My Mailbox 64

This meme was started by the fabulous Kristi who was inspired by Alea. Check out their blogs for more information. All summaries are from the book jackets.

For review:

Nicholas Dane - Melvin Burgess

‘We take care of boys that no one else will…’

When Nicholas’s num overdoses on heroin, the fourteen-year-old is suddenly lost, grieving and alone. Sent away to a boys’ home, Nick finds order is kept by intimidation and violence.

After countless fights and punishments, Nick thinks life can’t get any worse. But the deputy head, Mr Tony Creal, has other ideas.

The shame Nick experiences at the hands of Mr Creal can never quite be forgotten and, when Nick discovers he wasn’t the only one to suffer, the old hatred later resurfaces.

Can revenge lay Nick’s ghosts to rest - or will he never be free of them?

The books of Melvyn Burgess’ that I’ve read blew me away so I’m very excited to read this.

Passing Strange - Daniel Waters

Karen DeSonne always passed as a normal teenager - and now that she’s dead, she’s still passing - this time, as alive.

But when her dead friends are accused of a high profile murder and forced into hiding, it’s up to Karen to prove their innocence. Which means doing the unthinkable and becoming the girlfriend of bionist zealot Peter Martinsburg, who she suspects of framing them. But if Peter finds out who Karen really is, the consequences for her will be worse than death…

I love this series! Thanks, S&S!

The Demon’s Covenant - Sarah Rees Brennan

Mae’s life has spun out of control.

She’s just learned that her brother Jamie is a magician and Nick, the boy she’d set her heart on, has an even darker secret.

Jamie has been meeting with the new leader of the Obsidian Circle, who is hell-bent on persuading Jamie to join the magicians. When Mae calls on Nick and Alan to save her brother, the Circle sets in motion a plot to bring Nick down - by convincing his own brother to spring a deadly trap.

With brother set against brother and everyone’s loyalties divided, Mae sees a chance to save them all - but it means approaching the mysterious and dangerous Goblin Market alone…

Thanks, S&S!

Secrets at St Jude’s: Rebel Girl - Carmen Reid

At St Jude's School for Girls, four friends are facing very different problems...

Can Gina still be happy with her boyfriend when there's such an exciting new guy on the scene?

How will Amy survive when her rich dad's money disappears?

What can tomboy Niffy do to make herself gorgeous?

And why is Min spending so much time in the study and missing all the fun?

Sounds like all the girls need to get in touch with their inner rebel this term!

Thanks to Random House for this.

Dark Secrets: No Time to Die & The Deep End of Fear - Elizabeth Chandler

Secrets taken to the grave don’t always stay buried.

In No Time to Die, Jenny is devastated by the recent death of her sister, Liza. Looking for a sense of closure, she secretly signs up for the drama camp where Liza died. Jenny knows that someone here holds the key to what really happened to Liza that night and she‘s sure that the truth will come out. But what follows is even more twisted than she thought.

In The Deep End of Fear, Kate thought she was done with daring adventures for good after her best friend, Ashley, tragically drowned in an icy pond. But now she has to return to her childhood home and it all come flooding back. Kate still feels Ashley‘s presence there, and even more terrifying is the boy next door who claims he can see her. Can Kate face up to her childhood fears and stop history from repeating itself?

Thanks, S&S!

The Forbidden Game - LJ Smith

Mystery. Danger. Seduction…

When Jenny buys a game for her boyfriend, Tom, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the guy who sells it to her. There is something mysteriously alluring about Julian’s pale eyes and bleached-blond hair. And when he places the Game into her hands, she knows their connection is something much deeper.

But as Jenny and her friends begin to play tge game, an evening of friendship and fun quickly turns into a night of terror and obsessive love. Because the Game isn’t just a game - it’s their new reality, where Julian reigns as Prince of the Shadows.

One by one Jenny and her friends must confront their deepest fears and win the game. Because to lose the Game is to lose their lives. And that is only the beginning…

Thanks, S&S!

Wicked: Resurrection - Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

The Cahors witches thought all their troubles were over, but it turns out they are only just beginning. A threat more powerful and more frightening than anything they have faced before has just been watching and waiting. Holly and the Cahors witches must come together to try and find Jer and Eli as both the Deveraux and the Cahors family lines face eradication.

All the secrets of the Cahors will be revealed, forcing them to overcome their greatest weaknesses in order to achieve their most powerful strengths. Only united do they have any chance at victory, but before the end, sacrifices will be made, alliances forged, and old friends lost forever. This time for waiting is over.

Thanks, S&S!

Stormbreaker - Anthony Horowitz

Mission 1: Stormbreaker

“When the doorbell rings at three in the morning, it’s never good news.”

When his guardian dies in suspicious circumstances, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider finds his world turned upside down.

Within days he’s gone from schoolboy to super spy. Forcibly recruited to MI6, Alex has to take part in gruelling SAS training exercises; then, armed with his own special set of secret gadgets, he’s off on his first mission. But Alex soon finds himself in mortal danger, it looks as if his first assignment may be his last…

Thanks, Justin!

Theodore Boone, Young Lawyer - John Grisham

In the small city of Strattenburg, there are many lawyers, and though he’s only thirteen years old. Theo Boone thinks he’s one of them. Theo knows every judge, policeman, count clerk - and a lot about the law. He dreams of being a great trial lawyer, of a life in the courtroom.

But Theo finds himself in court much sooner than expected. Because he knows so much - maybe too much - he is suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth.

The stakes are high, but Theo won’t stop until justice is served.

Thanks, Justin!

The Red Pyramid - Rick Riordan

One curse. Two heroes. And an evil that won’t stay buried.

'I guess it started the night our dad blew up the British Museum…’

Carter and Sadie Kane’s dad is a brilliant Egyptologist with a secret plan that goes horribly wrong. An explosion shatters the ancient Rosetta Stone and unleashes Set, the evil god of choas.

Set imprisons Dr Kane in a golden coffin, and Carter and Sadie are forced to run for their lives. To save their dad, they must embark on a terrifying quest from Cairo and Paris to the American South-west and discover the truth about their family’s connection to the House of Life: an Egyptian temple of magic that has existed for thousands of years.

The pharaohs of Ancient Egypt are far from dead and buried. And so, unfortunately, are their gods…

Thanks again to Justin!

Fortune - Megan Cole (ARC)

From Goodreads: HarperCollins is ready to set the publishing world alight with the acquisition of the world's first 'snogbuster', a new teen genre that is set to grace poolsides everywhere this summer. Written by hot new talent Megan Cole – the pseudonym of a journalist and writer steeped in celebrity culture – FORTUNE combines the allure of the super-rich with the thrill of first romance, all in a glossy, blockbusting format.

Fortune tells the story of three very different girls – Madison from New York, Simonetta from Rome and Sapphire from London – who all receive mysterious invitations to the 50th birthday of Brad Masters, billionaire record executive. But what could the girls possibly have in common? The truth shocks them all, and turns three strangers into something much closer and more dangerous – after all, family make for the deadliest enemies...

Most of all, though, Fortune is something totally new in the booming teen romance market. So it's time to wet our lips and unashamedly embrace the glitz and glamour of the snogbuster.

A surprise from Harper Collins.

Double copies: Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld
                      Girl, 15: Five-Star Fiasco - Sue Limb

Gift:

The Summer of Skinny Dipping - Amanda Howells (ARC)

After getting dumped by her boyfriend, sixteen-year-old Mia Gordon os looking forward to spending a relaxing, boy-free summer in the Hamptons with Corrine, her gorgeous and popular cousin. But Corrine has better things to do - like ditch Mia at a party.

That’s where Mia meets boy-next-door Simon Ross. After devising a secret signalling system, Mia and Simon meet up nightly to swim in the cool, dark ocean and lie on the beach, talking and looking at the stars. Neither feels like they belong in the exclusive resort community.

Mia isn’t looking for love that summer, but she finds it. She finds a funny, artistic boy who lives boldly. She finds someone who understands her. And she finds herself.

I love the sound of this book. Thanks, Luisa!

Bought:

Spirit Bound: A Vampire Academy Novel - Richelle Mead

Rose’s life will never be her own.

Rose Hathaway has been outrunning death ever since she swore to be the protector of her best friend, Lissa, no matter what.

She’s finally made it back to the haven of St Vladimir’s but with Dimitri, the boy she once loved, stalking her, Rose can only run so far.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won’t join him, he won’t rest until he has silenced her…forever.

I know I got a UK copy last week, but I had to have one to fit the rest of the series too!

Beautiful Dead: Summer - Eden Maguire

Not alive. Not dead. Somewhere in between lie the Beautiful Dead.

Six months have passed since the last mysterious teenage death, but Darina is still traumatised by the murders of Summer Madison and her own beloved Phoenix. She searches constantly for the Beautiful Dead, longing for their return.

Springtime sees Darina once more in Phoenix’s arms. But spring is also a reminder of the hail of bullets that killed Summer in a random shopping mall shooting almost a year ago.

Can Darina and the Beautiful Dead catch Summer’s crazed killer? Will Darina’s love for Phoenix survive the task? One thing is clear - it’s not finished yet, not by a long shot…

I really enjoy this series and this was only £2.99 on The Book Depository. I couldn’t not, really.

Sophie