In My Mailbox #52

2 Weeks of Awesome

IMM#52

IMM is a meme hosted by The Story Siren, anyone can participate telling about what they bought, borrowed or received for the week.

For Review

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

I think I got this from a Newsletter, I'm super excited to read this since I will be meeting her for the Fierce Reads Tour. Thanks to the publisher and newsletter

For Review

eARC

Velveteen by Daniel Marks

I have been really good at staying away from Netgalley but I had to get this book since he is local to me so I can review and go to his signing.

Received

The Immortal Rules by Julia Kagawa 

I got this from Rachel @Fiktshun, so excited, thanks again Rachel

She also included her little Moo card and a signed Sweet Evil bookmark

Sharing the ARC Love

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
Mindy @Magical Urban Fantasy Reads  passed this along to a few bloggers. I have read it already and will be writing up my review for it soon. It was a fantastic read! Thanks Mindy for letting me read it.

Box of Awesome

From the wonderful Mindy @Magical Urban Fantasy Reads

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

I have an ARC of this and I'm so excited to have a finished copy! my review

Wing of the Wicked by Courtney Alison Moulton ARC signed

Her friend accidentally got this one signed under her name Cristina, since it is so close to my name, I joked about getting a blue sharpie and just adding a l to make it look like a funny K my review

Incarnate by Jodie Meadows ARC

Balthazar by Claudia Gray ARC

The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff ARC

She included these ARCs of books that are on my to buy/read list

The Mortal Bone by Marjorie M Liu

An unsolicited book she got part of a series that I have and Mindy passed it along to me

Magic on the Line by Devon Monk

Same thing as above

I wasn't expecting all these books from Mindy, I knew I was getting The Mortal Bones and Magic on the Line, but tall the rest I had no idea, she kept telling me she was adding another book to the box. I was so surprised when I got this, made my day.

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Weekly Recap

My Reviews

Glimmer

Destined

White Horse

Bookography

Hourglass

Apple of Discord

Reading Pile(s)

 I have two different reading piles that I plan to pick from the actually order will most likely be

1) Night Veil (currently reading)

2) The Immortal Rules

3) Struck or Under the Never Sky

4)....Depends on what I feel like Oh The Last Echo will get thrown in there when I get it

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

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White Horse Review

White Horse

By Alex Adams

Summary

Thirty-year-old Zoe leads an ordinary life until the end of the world arrives. She is cleaning cages and floors at Pope Pharmaceuticals when the President of the United States announces that human beings are no longer a viable species. When Zoe realizes that everyone she loves is disappearing, she starts running. Scared and alone in a shockingly changed world, she embarks on a remarkable journey of survival and redemption. Along the way, Zoe comes to see that humans are not defined by their genetic code, but rather by their actions and choices. White Horse offers hope for a broken world, where love can lead to the most unexpected places.

What I Loved

Intense

Many parts during the book had me sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. The book is filled with survival, killings, lots death and a race against time.

Character

Zoe: What an amazing character. She has survived against all the odds and has even conceived while 90% of the worlds population is dead. Zoe has lost everything and everyone she has ever cared about and to go in search of her lover that may even be dead is risky and brave. Traveling from America to Europe while pregnant is a huge task.
Post-Apocalyptic
The world has ended by a disease that has wiped out 90% of the worlds population. The other 10% is immune or has been transformed by the disease making them to be something not so human. I wonder what percent I would fall into? The dead, immune or mutated?
Trilogy
Even though this is being planned as a trilogy the ending was summed up really well. I still want to know what is going to happen in the next book, but I wasn't left with a lot of loose ends.
Now & Then
The book goes back and forth between pre-disease/outbreak/after effects to now and her traveling through Europe. The time span of the book is only 18 months (I think). Going back and forth in the timelines is both aggravating and awesome. A part will be really intense and something new is being revealed and then it will got to the Then timeline, but that part will be just as good and it will cut back again. We go back and forth between two times that are both intense and intriguing and I want to be in-taking it all at once. 

Confusion

Now & Then
With the alternating timelines it does get confusing. The information about how civilization ends really isn't explained in the beginning, bit by bit gets revealed as Zoe either finds out the information or reveals it. A few times with the Then timeline hops between being later in the after effects and then goes back to pre-disease. Just paying attention to the story and reading it makes everything understandable. 

Recommendation

Adult post-apocalyptic thriller trilogy that is a must read.

Releases

April 17, 2012

Amazon / B&N / Book Depository

Information 

White Horse Trilogy 
White Horse

Red Horse ?

Pale Horse ?

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Bookography (35)

Bookography

Bookography is a fun new way to share the beauty of books with photography. Take a picture with the book being the focus or inspiration and share the picture(s) you have created for the week.

Book

Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn

Apple of Discord

This is taken with my new 50mm lens, I love this little lens already. What makes it so wonderful is it had a very shallow depth of field so things behind it get very fuzzy.

The inspiration for this photo is actually a challenge topic for a dpreview.com contest. They are friendly challenges for photographers to enter pictures and vote on fellow entries. This challenge is "Apple" contestants are able to interpret how they wish, I of course found a book with apple and I interpreted it this way. I hope it does well, I do have another book entry entered in another challenge, I'll show that picture next week.

Initially I didn't add the little tag on this picture and I wasn't loving the original version. I figured out I need to add this tag, because the apple did have a tag when it was thrown in the crowd of goddesses. The tag finished the photo for me and I'm so glad I retook this photo and didn't settle.

Post processing was simple. I just added a little dark vignette to the corners and did some fill and brightening to the photo.

Check Out Alba's Bookography#7@---BookPics---

f you would like to participate please do. I will post my Bookography post each week on Wednesdays. I would love if you would link back to my blog and share your own link in the comments.

To see my previous weeks pictures check out my Bookography tab 

<3Bookography

Destined Review

Destined 

By Aprilynne Pike

Summary

Laurel now knows the truth: Yuki is a rare Winter faerie, the most powerful—and deadly—of all, and she is working with Klea to conquer and destroy Avalon. With Tamani, David, and Chelsea by her side, Laurel prepares for a fight she never thought she would have to face.

Filled with heart-pounding action, sweeping romance, and higher stakes at every turn, Destined is the series conclusion that readers have been clamoring for—with a twist that will leave them breathless.

Tamani looked at her gravely, and reached up to touch her hair behind her ear. He hesitated for an instant, then his hands found the sides of her face, pulling her to him. He didn't kiss her, just held her face to his, their foreheads resting together, their noses almost touching.

She hated how much it felt like good-bye.

What I Loved

Conclusion 

I love it when I finally get to read the last concluding book of the series. However this is also a bittersweet ending, with both happiness and sadness for our beloved characters. I personally would love for Aprilynne to revisit this world years later and possibly from Yasmine's POV, that would be so cool.

Excitement
There is never ending excitement in this book, from beginning to end the book does not slow down in the least. Avalon must be protected at all costs and that is what they will do. Excalibur joins the fight and guess who gets the infamous sword! Constant battle and a race against time, what is not to love.
Team Boy
By Illusions I finally decided Team Tamini and I suck with my decisions throughout this book. I will always love David and he really shined in Destined, but I adore Tamini even more.
Avalon
Most of the book takes place in Avalon and I really liked that about Destined. I really enjoyed Aprilynne's take on Avalon and the fae and I'm glad we got to spend more time in this land even though it was the battle ground.

Almost Tears

At the end there is a letter that was so sad and wonderful and I came so close to tears. I will miss this series and I hate to say goodbye, good thing I own them all and I can go back to them one day.

Recommendation 

If you haven't picked up this series yet you really should. I loved it and will be getting a finished copy of the book.

Releases

May 1, 2012

Amazon / B&N / Book Depository

Information 

Wings Series

Wings my review

Spells my review

Illusions my review

Destined

Have you read the Wings series yet?

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Bookography (34)

Bookography

Bookography is a fun new way to share the beauty of books with photography. Take a picture with the book being the focus or inspiration and share the picture(s) you have created for the week.

Book

Hourglass by Claudia Gray

Hourglass

I had attempted this concept a few months ago, but I wasn't liking how it was coming out. This concept I like much more, originally I had the book standing up with the hourglass in front. This works much better. The hourglass I happened across while shopping at Ross, when I saw it I just had to have it for this specific picture.

Post processing was basic, I just brightened the photo a little and saturated the yellow of the table to really draw your eyes to the hourglass.

If you would like to participate please do. I will post my Bookography post each week on Wednesdays. I would love if you would link back to my blog and share your own link in the comments.

To see my previous weeks pictures check out my Bookography tab 

<3Bookography

Glimmer Review

Glimmer

By Phoebe Kitandis

Summary

What if you forgot your identity and had to rely on other people to tell you who you were?

And what if to discover your true self, you first had to unravel a mystery so big and terrifying you were not sure you’d survive solving it?

When Marshall and Elyse wake up in each other’s arms with zero memory of how they got there or who they are, it’s the start of a long journey through their separate pasts and shared future.

Terrified by their amnesia, the two make a pact to work together to find the answers that could jog their missing memories. As they piece together clues, they discover they’re in the idyllic mountain resort town of Summer Falls, where everyone seems mysteriously happy, but as Marshall and Elyse quickly learn, darkness lurks beneath the town’s perfect facade. Not only is the town haunted by sinister ghosts, but none of its living inhabitants retain bad memories of anything—not the death of Marshall’s mom, not the hidden shame in Elyse’s family, not even the day-to-day anguish of high school.

Lonely in this world of happy zombies, Marsh and Elyse fall into an intense relationship...but the secrets they uncover could be the death of this growing love—and the death of everyone, and everything, they love in Summer Falls.

What I Liked

The World

Perfection does come at a cost for the little happy town, but the townies don't really know what that cost is. This concept is so crazy and awesome, but I am so glad I don't live in it. Give me the pain of my memories any day over these lies. Also the ghost and magic just add to the appeal of the world that Phoebe has created for her characters.

Characters

Elyse: She is a very "human" character, she has her flaws and she knows what they are, but she just wants to escape her life. I give her a lot of credit for fighting in her own way and taking initiative to do something about it all. Elyse was a bit of a surprise for me, I was expecting weakness as she finds out about her life, but what was revealed was strength. 

Marshall: I'm glad we get to learn about new Marshall, not the original old Marshall, I don't think I would have liked him that much. Who he is becoming and who he was are two different type of people, it goes to show that people can change given the circumstances and opportunity.

A Little Confusion

Following two characters with amnesia was a little confusing at first. Not only are the characters trying to puzzle out who they are, but as the reader you are also trying to figure what type of rules their world has as well. I personally like to understand the parameters of a created fantasy world early on in the book. As this world got unraveled I quickly forgot about it and become very intrigued with everything.

Recommendation

Definitely worth the read

Releases 

April 17th 2012

Amazon / B&N / Book Depository

Information 

Novels

Whisper

Glimmer

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Top 10 Tuesdays (15)

Top 10 Tuesday

Topic: Top Ten Books To Read I Have Read In A Day

This meme is created by The Broke and the Bookish, anyone can participle telling about their top 10 topic items are.

List

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand 

Eve by Anna Carey

Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic 

Emotionally Charged by Selina Fenech

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

 Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli

Afterglow by Cherry Adair

All these books were started on my day off when I could dedicate the day to reading. 

I know I'm forgetting something, I just can't remember the other books I have read in a day. There are many books that should have been read in a day, but since I had started them on a day that I couldn't dedicate to reading and I had to put them down and finish them the next day.

What book have you read, would like to read or should have read in a day?

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