In My Mailbox #48

Welcome to  In My Mailbox, a meme run by The Story Siren where each week over 200 bloggers post on their blogs the books they have bought, received to review or won in the past week.

To find out more information, get involved yourself or see what's in other bloggers mailboxes this week head over to The Story Siren or to find out what is in my mailbox this week, keep reading.

Don't forget to comment and post your IMM link or just let me know what's in your mail box this week.

So got right back in to my reading this week, getting through a couple of books this week.  Not as much blogging as I would have liked.  Unfortunately my computer is in the hottest room of the house and with the extra hot weather this week, I didn't spend too much time there.  Hoping to get a pile of posts: reviews/memes and blasts finished and scheduled over the next couple of days.  Great week in books though.

To Review:

So So excited for this one.  It is on my top 10 books I am looking forward to in 2013, so when my Netgalley request was approved yesterday, I started jumping round the house for joy and promptly started downloading then reading it!

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) by Richelle Mead

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.


Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood.

Pre-Order: Book Depository

Library: 

Some Girls Bite (Chicagoland Vampires #1) by Chloe Neill

I enjoyed Chloe Neill's Dark Elite series and have good things about the Chicagoland Vampires series so reserved the first three at my local library. This is the first one.



Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn't exactly glamorous, but it was Merit's. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker-and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.

Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she's traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan "Lord o' the Manor" Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred- year-old vampire, he has centuries' worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects her gratitude- and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan's attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone's still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago's nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war-and there will be blood.

Purchase: Book Depository

Brighid's Quest by P.C. Cast

I have a feeling i have read this before but i saw it at the library and the blurb didn't sound all that familiar so borrowed it anyway.



Torn between the possibilities . . .
Fleeing her centaur clan's increasingly militant beliefs, Brighid Dhianna has begun to find peace and acceptance among the humans of Clan MacCallan. Still, she agrees to leave her newly formed friendships to guide her clan chieftain's grieving brother home.

As she journeys, Brighid discovers that the long-dormant Shaman blood that runs so thickly in her veins will no longer be silenced. As seductive new powers begin to beckon, Brighid glimpses a future that is more impossible -- and more magical -- than any she could have dared to imagine.

But when tragedy summons her back to the Centaur Plains, Brighid must make a decision that will affect not only her friendship with the humans, but the centaur herd and indeed the world. For the Great Goddess Epona has set her on a new path that demands everything she has to give.

When the whole world is turning to her for help, healing the heart of a warrior doesn't sound so daunting . . .


Purchase: Book Depository

The Secret Circle #1 (The Initiation & The Captive Part 1) by L. J. Smith

I saw the pilot of the tv series made from this book series and didn't mind it so thought I would give it a go.



THE CIRCLE'S POWER HAS LURED HER HOME...

Forced to move from sunny California to gloomy New England, Cassie longs for her old life. Even so, she feels a strange kinship to a terrifying group of teens who seem to rule her school. Initiated into the coven of witched that's controlled New Salem for hundreds of years, she's drawn into the Secret Circle, a thrill that's both intoxicating and deadly. But when she falls for the mysterious and intriguing Adam, Cassie must choose whether to resist temptation or risk dark forces to get what she wants - even if it means that one wrong move could ultimately destroy her.

Purchase: Book Depository

The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George

This is a little different from my usual fare but it sounded interesting so I thought I would give it a go.



The first young adult book by a #1 New York Times bestselling author

Whidbey Island may be only a ferry ride from Seattle, but it's a world apart. When Becca King arrives there, she doesn't suspect the island will become her home for the next four years. Put at risk by her ability to hear "whispers"--the thoughts of others--Becca is on the run from her stepfather, whose criminal activities she has discovered. Stranded and alone, Becca is soon befriended by Derric, a Ugandon orphan adopted by a local family; Seth, a kindhearted musician and high school dropout; Debbie, a recovering alcoholic who takes her in; and Diana, with whom Becca shares a mysterious psychic connection.

This compelling coming-of-age story, the first of an ongoing sequence of books set on Whidbey Island, has elements of mystery, the paranormal, and romance. Elizabeth George, bestselling author of the Inspector Lynley crime novels, brings her elegant style, intricate plotting, incisive characterization, and top-notch storytelling to her first book for teens.

Purchase: Book Depository

Above by Leah Bobet

I have been hearing good things above this book so finally need to get around to seeing for myself


Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above—like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.

But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe’s history and the shadows’ attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home—not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before.

Purchase: Book Depository

So what was in your mailbox this week?

WWW Wednesdays #1

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

Hourglass by Myra McEntire
So far I am about 108 pages in and I am really enjoying it so far. I am looking forward to hopefully having some quality reading time this afternoon so I can hopefully finish it and start on time piece. I love books about time travel and this seems to have a great twist on it so this right up my alley :-)

What did you recently finish reading?

Lover Revealed by J R Ward

So technically I haven't actually finished reading this as it was due back at the library yesterday and I had already renewed it once. Then when I went to reborrow it half an hour later. It was already gone :-( so I have rereserved it and will get to finish it as I was really enjoying it and also because I want to continue reading the awesome black dagger brotherhood series!

Other books read this week:

Dark Visions by L J Smith
Lover Eternal by J R Ward
Lover Awakened by J R Ward

What do you think you’ll read next?

 
Timepiece by Myra McEntire
The second book in the Hourglass series

So what are you reading this week?

Review: Dark Visions by L J Smith

Title: Dark Visions
Author: L J Smith
Publish Date: 3 September 2009 by Simon & Schuster
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository | Galaxy Bookshop
Sapphired Dragon Rating: ***

Synopsis: Kaitlyn Fairchild has always felt like an outsider. Her haunting eyes and prophetic drawings have earned her a reputation as a witch. But Kait's not a witch: she's psychic. Tired of being shunned, Kait accepts an invitation to attend the Zetes Institute, where she can study with other psychic teens and have a fresh start.

As Kaitlyn learns to hone her abilities with four other gifted students, she starts to discover the intensity of her power - and the joy of having true friends. But those friendships quickly become complicated when Kait finds herself torn between two irresistible guys. 

Rob is a healer - kind and gentle, he's surrounded by good energy, while Gabriel is aggressive and mysterious - a telepath concealing his true nature.

Together, Rob and Gabriel's opposing forces start to threaten the group's stability, and when an experiment traps the five teens in a psychic link - a link that threatens their sanity and their lives - Kaitlyn must decide who to trust and who to love...

Review: This book is  a hard one to review. I mostly liked it, enough to give it 3 stars,  but there was nothing particularly memorable about it.  The plot line seemed unoriginal and I sure I have read similar plot lines before.  The characters, 2 dimensional and somewhat stereotypical. There was the 'golden boy', the 'bad boy', the girl trying to choose between them along with peripheral characters whom in some cases I cared so little about, I kept forgetting whether they were male or female. 

And yet I have given this book, which actually contains a trilogy: the strange power, the possessed and the passion, three stars so it must have some redeeming qualities right?

Let's see...

Firstly I managed to finish it so that's a start. The first story I flew through, the second and third took a wee bit of prodding but I persisted and got through them. The ending was a little bit predictable but I think still did enough to satisfy and complete the story. Even though the plot line has been done before, there were some things I liked. I liked the idea of psychic vampires as opposed to the run of the mill ones. I actually like the whole psychic angle and in general like stories about psychic powers so this definitely counted in its favour. 

So would I recommend it? If you are an L J Smith fan or a fan of this genre then it's probably worth a read. In terms of L J Smith's books, it probably sits about half way between the night world series and vampire diaries however the story line does lean more to the vampire diaries. 

Lastly, is it just me or does the girl on the front cover at first glance look like Elena from the vampire diaries tv series? Up close I think she actually has blond hair but when glancing quickly...

Anyhew I give this book 3 stars (just) on the Sapphired Dragon rating scale. 

Sapphired Dragon xx

Teaser Tuesday #26

Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays.


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:


1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too muchaway! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My current read is Dark Visions by L J Smith and my two lines are from page 115:

"You can do that?" Kait asked, looking at Lewis in surprise. "With your mind?"

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository | Galaxy Bookshop


PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!