Me on In My Mailbox (25)

In My Mailbox is a bunch of weekly fun hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren. :)

BEA is over. Sometimes I wish I'd gone and grabbed ARCs and met authors and bloggers and wandered through New York and had sore feet and enjoyed myself, but other times I think of the giant crowds and huge lines and really sore feet and the possibly getting lost and I'm so glad I didn't go. Especially with my foot being the way it is. I would've been all limpy and slow, but I so would've milked it to get ARCs and to the front of lines. ;) Like Shatter Me. That book sounds so awesome.

Thanks to Emma for grabbing me ARCs of, according to her, Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Trinity Faegen's The Mephisto Covenant. You're so awesome. :) I'm going to have lots of fun reading them when they arrive (whenever that is, Emma sounds so tired on Twitter). :)

Bought:
Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
Divergent by Veronica Roth (already reviewed :D)

Received in the mail:
Illusions by Aprilynne Pike (ARC) (Nicole over at Word for Teens sent this to me after seeing my Waiting on Wednesday post about it. thanks, Nicole)

Borrowed from the library:
Eleventh Grade Burns by Heather Brewer (e-book)
The Lying Game by Sara Shepard (e-book) (i haven't read any of the Pretty Little Liars series, so hopefully i can get away with reading this first)

Me on Divergent

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Release Date: May 3, 2011
Publisher: Katherine Tegen (HarperCollins imprint)

Divergent feels like the 86th dystopian YA book I've read in the past year & a half (it's actually the 12th) and I feel like I'm starting to get tired of it, like I need to circle back around to contemporary or paranormal, or try middle grade books for a little while. That being said, this was still a really good book. I also think it wasn't a good idea to read this and Blood Red Road in the same day. Too much bleak.

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five different factions: Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), Abnegation (the selfless), and Erudite (the intelligent). On a certain day, all sixteen-year-olds must decide which faction they will devote the rest of their lives to. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is. The choice she makes surprises everyone, including herself. And so starts the highly competitive initiation process where she renames herself Tris.

But, she also has a secret, one she has to keep hidden because it could mean death.

I don't want to be boring and say how the idea for this segmented dystopian society is really interesting, but it is. You can see bits of it in society now, the sections and jobs that certain types of people always take.

Tris is rather interesting as well. She doesn't completely back down, even when she's beaten and bruised and sore, even when she tired and scared and alone.

There's a trend I've been noticing in YA novels on the inner strength of characters, their immense courage and perseverance, they way they somehow fight back against whatever's beating them down. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It's just something I've been noticing, how characters get dragged down into the deepest, darkest pit and find a way to claw back up the side.

A unique and daring debut from a young author, Veronica Roth's Divergent will leave you gasping through the book's fast pace, the complex characters, and the hidden truths we find in ourselves in what looks to be our darkest hours.

Me on Waiting on Wednesday (27)

Waiting on Wednesday is a bunch of weekly fun hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. :)

Title: The Mephisto Covenant
Author: Trinity Faegen
Release Date: September 27, 2011
Publisher: EgmontUSA

From Goodreads:

Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—Sasha is Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx’s biggest threat.


A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God’s promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he’s finally found the girl he’s been searching for: Sasha. 

With the threat of Eryx looming, Jax has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?

What is it about some of these books that make me want to read them?? This just sounds awesome, like a YA book mixed with the paranormal romance stories I enjoy.

Me on Unearthly

Title: Unearthly
Author: Cynthia Hand
Release Date: January
Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins imprint)
Pages: 435 (Hardcover)

I bought this on a whim about a month ago when I spotted it in a bookstore. It was another case of books that come out in the US but don't really end up in Canadian bookstores for another month. *sigh*

Unearthly was one of the sweeter YA angel books I've read in the past while. It didn't feel overly dark and mysterious like Hush, Hush or Crescendo, it wasn't full of action and fight scenes like Angelfire. It was more relaxed, more journey of an angel to a new place so she could help people kind of book. Which I didn't mind. Not every book has to be like a Buffy episode.

Clara was sweet as the heroine. Not overly strong or powerful, perhaps a little meek and curious, but that's how I found her character and enjoyed her. She wasn't one to totally run in and beat everyone up, but she isn't supposed to be. She's an angel blood, a quarter angel, and after learning what she does from her mother, sees angels as benevolent and helpful, going out into the world to protect people. It wasn't until further into the book that the hint of danger comes into play.

Now, when I say sweet, I don't mean sugary and syrupy and overwhelmingly girly. It was such an easy-going book, such a quick read. I felt eased into the story, almost like I was gliding through it, coming across the twists and surprises like I was riding rapids down a river before hitting another calm spot.

The Wyoming setting was really nice. Not urban and with so much natural beauty highlighted by the author in her descriptions of the setting.

The vague love triangle, while getting tired and overdone in YA, didn't totally bother me. Clara is drawn to Christian, of course, but then there's Tucker. And even with the connection to Christian, there's no chemistry there like there is with Tucker. The second he became one of those needling getting on her nerves rubbing her the wrong way kind of guys, I just knew there was going to be something between him and Clara. It was obvious.

This book was almost devoid of pressure, apart from Clara's task to determine what her vision means and who she has to save, and so I enjoyed reading it. So peaceful to read, so gentle and easy. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Me on In My Mailbox (24)

IMM is a bunch of weekly fun hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren. :)

I was in a weird sad and grouchy 'I hate everyone who's going to BEA because I'm not and it's possible I might've if I hadn't broken my ankle but I did so all my money goes to that right now and it's a good thing I have some insurance cause I have to pay for is my air cast boot thing and physio and renting crutches but not for any of the surgery/hospital stuff' phase during the week. Thankfully someone wonderful and lovely (Emma over at Booking Through 365) has offered to grab me an ARC or two when she goes. I was talking to someone on Twitter the other day about how much we'd totally freak out if there were Lola and the Boy Next Door ARCs. I'd honestly faint if I got an ARC of Lola. Like totally spaz and lose my mind. (No pressure, Emma. ;) I promise.)

And if you are also going to BEA this week and you don't mind grabbing an extra ARC or two for me, I'll pay for shipping and a box. Seriously. Shipping is on me.

Found in the S&S Galley Grab newsletter:
Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt
Love Story by Jennifer Echols
Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Borrowed from the library:
Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci (eds.) (e-book)

And it's got all the comics in it, too. :D I love Bryan Lee O'Malley & Hope Larson's work.