In My Mailbox

IMM is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Slide by Jill Hathaway

A Breath of Eyre Eve Marie Mont

Never to Sleep by Rachel Vincent

Book: Never to Sleep (Soul Screamers #5.5)
Author: Rachel Vincent
# of Pages: 56 (ebook)
Challenge: 2012 Ebook Challenge
Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads Summary
Sophie Cavanaugh is not going to let her freak of a cousin's strange psychiatric condition ruin high school for them both. Not after all the work she's put into cultivating the right look, and friends, and reputation. But then, Sophie sees something so frightening she lets out a blood-curdling scream—and finds herself stuck in a bizarre parallel world where nothing is safe and deadly creatures lurk just out of sight, waiting for her to close her eyes and sleep...forever.

Could this world be real? Or does insanity run in the family...?(

My Thoughts: This is the story of Sophie's brief experience in the Netherworld. She must find a way out of the strange world she has fallen into. She handled the situation better than I expected. She did panic at some points, but she never let her fear take over. Though Sophie is not my favorite character, it was interesting getting to see things from her point of view.

If I Die by Rachel Vincent

Book: If I Die (Soul Screamers #5)

Author: Rachel Vincent

# of Pages: 268 (ebook)

Challenge: 2012 Ebook Challenge

Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary

The entire school's talking about the gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck. Everyone except Kaylee Cavanaugh. After all, Kaylee's no ordinary high-school junior. She's a banshee—she screams when someone dies. 

But the next scream might be for Kaylee. 

Yeah—it's a shock to her, too. So to distract herself, Kaylee's going to save every girl in school. Because that hot new teacher is really an incubus who feeds on the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend's needy ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren't quite human, either. 

But Kaylee's borrowed lifeline is nearing its end. And those who care about her will do anything to save her life. 

Anything.

MyThoughts: Kaylee finds out that she is going to die within a week. To add to the stress, the true identity of her new math teacher is revealed and she is determined to disposeof him before her time is up. Kaylee teams up with Sabine to bring him down. I do wonder if Kaylee and Sabine would be friends if it weren't for Nash. 

If I Die was amazing. I liked how Kaylee stands up for herself. I also like that she is more concerned for the safety of her fellow female classmates than for her own imminent death. I don't want to reveal too much, but I will say, Tod fans, there are some awesome Tod scenes.

This series is absolutely addictive. Each book gets better and better.  I know I've said this before in previous reviews for this series, but if you have not yet looked into this series you really, really should.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

Book: Ashen Winter (Ashfall #2)

Author: Mike Mullin

Release Date: October 8

Goodreads Summary

It’s been over six months since the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. Alex and Darla have been staying with Alex’s relatives, trying to cope with the new reality of the primitive world so vividly portrayed in Ashfall, the first book in this series. It’s also been six months of waiting for Alex’s parents to return from Iowa. Alex and Darla decide they can wait no longer and must retrace their journey into Iowa to find and bring back Alex’s parents to the tenuous safety of Illinois. But the landscape they cross is even more perilous than before, with life-and-death battles for food and power between the remaining communities. When the unthinkable happens, Alex must find new reserves of strength and determination to survive.

Whar are you waiting on this Wednesday?

In My Mailbox

IMM is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Grave Mercy by Robin LeFevers

BZRK by Michael Grant

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent

Book: My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers #4)
Author: Rachel Vincent
# of Pages: 264 (ebook)
Challenge: 2012 Ebook Challenge
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary
Trying to work things out with Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can't just pretend nothing happened. But "complicated" doesn't even begin to describe their relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to take Nash back.

See, Sabine isn't just an ordinary girl. She's a mara, the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people's fears—and craft them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she survives.

And Sabine isn't above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.(

My Thoughts: Kaylee does not know what to do about Nash. She wants to get back together with him, but she is having a hard time trusting him. While she is pondering, a new girl, Sabine, comes to their school. She is Nash's ex and a mara, a literal walking nightmare who feeds off fear. Since the first day Sabine appeared, bad things have been happening at the school and worst of all she wants Nash back.

As always, Tod is hilarious, but we also see a serious, wiser side to him in this book. I like Sabine. She is catty, determined, and a bit intimidating.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

1. Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers

2. Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

3. The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting

4. Unravelng by Elizabeth Norris

5. Insurgent by Veronica Roth

6; The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

7. The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

8. Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

9. Eve of Destruction (Dark Eden #2) by Patrick Carman

10. Slide by Jill Hathaway

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Book: Desires of the Dead (The Body Finder #2)
Author: Kimberly Derting
# of Pages: 355 (Hardcover)
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary
Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

My Thoughts: There never seems to be a dull moment in Violet's life. A new family moves to town, someone starts threatening her, and someone has discovered that she has a secret talent. To top it all off, she is keeping everything from her boyfriend, Jay.

This book was gripping and it gave me chills. I really liked the mystery and the suspense. I also liked Rafe. He's quiet and mysterious and I want to know more about him.

I absolutely loved this book, and I am very excited for The Last Echo.

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Book: Fever (The Chemical Garden #2)
Author: Lauren DeStefano
# of Pages: 341 (Hardcover)
Challenge: 2012 Sophomore Reading Challenge
Rating: 3.5-4 stars

Goodreads Summary
Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.

My Thoughts: One of the things that I really liked about this book, besides the beautiful writing, was that it picked up almost exactly where Wither ended. New characters are introduced, the most fascinating one being Maddie. And Vaughn remains to be the perfect creepy villian. The ending was a semi-cliffhanger, and I'm very curious about what is going to happen in the final book in the series.

On the other hand, there were a couple things that were a bit predictable. And, we do not learn too much more about Gabriel, which was disappointing. Overall, I did not like this book as much as Wither, but it was still a good read.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

Book: Survive

Author: Alex Morel

Release Date: August 2

Goodreads Summary

Jane runs away from Life House, a facility for kids with mental health disorders and addictions. She boards a plane to Montclair, New Jersey, though her destination does not matter—she doesn’t plan to be alive when the plane lands. Jane has planned the perfect suicide: she’ll fall asleep on the plane and never wake up. As she’s reaching for her pills in the cabin’s bathroom, the plane hits turbulence. Another jolt, and the engine’s down. The plane crashes into the mountains of Montana, and Jane and a boy named Paul are the only two survivors.

What starts out as a death mission quickly becomes a fight for life.

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Reaper by Rachel Vincent

Book: Reaper (Soul Screamers #3.5)
Author: Rachel Vincent
# of Pages: 51 (Ebook)
Challenge: 2012 Ebook Challenge
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary
Tod Hudson was a typical teenager. He liked girls, sports, food and tolerated his younger brother, Nash. In fact, he had his whole life in front of him--and due to his bean sidhe heritage, it was going to be a very long life indeed. And then the car accident occurred. 
                                                                                               Suddenly Tod's future wasn't so sure, and he had to make a choice. Life... Death... or something Between..
                                                                                                                             My Thoughts: I loved this novella! It is told completely from Tod's POV. It is the story behind his becoming a reaper. His sarcastic humor is entertaining and enjoyable. Though it is short, Vincent crams a lot of Tod info into this story. We also learn a little more about Nash.

My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent

Book: My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers #3)
Book: Rachel Vincent
# of Pages: 246 (ebook)
Challenge: 2012 Ebook Challenge
Rating: 4.5 stars

Goodreads Summary
Kaylee and Nash discover that one of his football teammates is addicted to Demon's Breath, a dangerous Netherworld substance that shouldn't even be available in the human world. Now they must somehow dispose of it and cut off the supply--without socially alienating themselves.

My Thoughts: This contains a couple spoilers. This is my favorite book of the series so far.  We do see a different side of Nash. He is a total jerk to Kaylee. Weirdly enough, I liked seeing this side of Nash. I liked seeing that he isn't flawlessly perfect. It makes him more likable, more relatable. I like how Tod plays a big role in this book helping Kaylee in her time of need. And I like how both Tod and Kaylee stand up to Nash.

This really was a great book. If you have not read this series yet, you really should do so!

Hunger by Michael Grant

Book: Hunger (Gone #2)
Author: Michael Grant
# of Pages: 590 (Paperback)
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary
It's been three months since everyone under the age of fifteen became trapped in the bubble known as the FAYZ.

Three months since all the adults disappeared. GONE.

Food ran out weeks ago. Everyone is starving, but no one wants to figure out a solution. And each day, more and more kids are evolving, developing supernatural abilities that set them apart from the kids without powers. Tension rises and chaos is descending upon the town. It's the normal kids against the mutants. Each kid is out for himself, and even the good ones turn murderous.

But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to them, guiding them, manipulating them.

The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.

My Thoughts: I almost like this book better than Gone. In this book, food is scarce and the kids in the FAYZ are starting to get power hungry and jealous of those who have powers. More kids are developing powers and more animals are mutating. We learn more about some of the characters, and new ones are introduced. Poor Sam is under major stress trying to deal with the complaints and problems of the kids, and he never has any time for himself.

This book is darker than the first. There is betrayal, secrets, and ominous revelations. I wish there had been more Sam and Astrid moments. And I hope that more about Little Pete is revealed in Lies.

March Reads

This month I'm hoping to read seven books. 

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Lies by Michael Grant

Plague by Michael Grant

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Two Truths and a Lie by Sara Shepard

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

What are you planning to read this month?