In My Mailbox #54

Two Weeks of Goodies

IMM #54

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

Night Seeker by Yasmine Galenorn

I can't wait to read this one, I love her books. Book 3 in the series.

Received

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

I got this from Mindy @Magical Urban Fantasy Reads, thanks Mindy

Received

I got a signed Gayle Forman bookmark, a fellow local book event enthusiast picked this up for me since I didn't attend the event. Thanks Jorge for getting this for me.

Signed postcard from Courtney Alison Moulton and bookmark, she sent this to me since I participated in an ARC tour for Wings of the Wicked. Thanks Courtney. I actually got this a few weeks ago, but I kept forgetting to add it.

Bought

for event

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

1 is for me the other is for my cousin

Bought

at University  of Washington Bookstore

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

found a good condition used copy

Inheritance by Christoper Paolini

There was signed copies at the store and I just had to pick it up since I didn't go to the event when he was here.

Bought

at Third Place Books

 Ganymede by Cherie Priest signed

She is moving out of Seattle so I won't be able to get anymore of her books signed

Bought

at Half Price Books

The YA Books

Whisper by Pheobe Kitandis

a local author and I'm waiting for her to announce some events

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

I had no idea this one was rereleased in hardback, when I saw it I had to have it

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

another local author that I plan on seeing soon

Never Cry Werewolf by Heather Davis

yet another local author that I plan on eventually getting signed, plus it was only $2

The Adult Books

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

I have always wanted to read this one. I found this copy and it is a 1st edition with the cool edged pages

Enchantment by Orson Scott Card

I love this one and I want to reread it eventually

Bought

 Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

I bought this a few weeks ago and had it shipped to a fellow local blogger that got them signed for me. 1 is mine the other one is for another person. Thanks Grace for getting them signed for me.

I added a lot of books to my shelves this week, oops, but they are all going to be awesome reads once I can get to them.

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Weekly Recap

My Reviews

The Hunt 

The Immortal Rules 

The Last Echo 

Under the Never Sky

Bookography

Third Place Books

Smoke 

Event Recaps

The Last Echo Launch Party 

Women of the Otherworld

Mini Challenge
Show all of my Kelley Armstrong books I own
hosted by Lucy@Moonlight Gleams Bookshelf

Reading Pile

1) Sweet Evil currently reading
2) Struck
3) Of Poseidon
4) Dime Store Magic

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

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Under the Never Sky Review

Under the Never Sky

By Veronica Rossi

Summary

Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

What I Loved

Overall Review

What an awesome book, an all around amazing storyline with fantastic characters as well. The story was fast paced and never slowed down, something was always going on and happening. I'm so glad I finally got to read it, I wish I would have read it earlier it was just that awesome. I'm looking forward to the next book, I want more!!

Characters

Aria: For starters, I love her name, I have always been a fan of A names, to me they sound really pretty. Her actual character personality I freaking loved! I was surprised by how strong she was, I was expecting her to be this whiny and weak character, but nope not a peep out of her. I love her ability to adapt and her will to survive.

Peregrine aka Perry: He is my favorite character type, the dark brooding bad boy that has many issues and just needs the right girl to love him. Loved his cool exterior, but his soft interior that he slowly revealed to Aria.

Romance

Not the typical love at first sight, thankfully, but the more realistic falling for them over time. The romance is on the side, but not the main storyline. Just the right amount of romance to add to the story, but not overwhelm it with straight romance.

Dystopian

Aria gets the best of both worlds, she got to do the whole virtual reality stuff but then she gets to know the real life outside excitements. Adding the increased senses to the human evolution is just genius and made this book even better.

A New Trilogy

Aria discovers a lot of things both good and bad about the pods and herself and I'm looking forward to seeing what grand adventures and issues Aria and Perry are going to come across in the next book.

Didn't Like

Nothing, besides that the book had to come to an end and I can't have the next one in my hands now

Recommendation

Got to read this book NOW!

Information 

Under the Never Sky Trilogy 

Under the Never Sky

Through the Ever Night winter 2013

Book 3

If you could have a heightened sense which would you want?

I would want sight

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Bookography (38)

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.

Inspired by Looking For Alaska by John Green

I got a book last week that explained how to do smoke photography and I had a lot of fun playing with it for an hour or so. The smoke is created using incense, a black background and an off camera flash set diagonally behind the smoke at the highest power. The camera has to be in the manual setting with a shutter speed of 1/200-1/250, aperture at f/8- f/16, low ISO 100-200 and also switching the focus to manual focus. 

When I was going through the photos I came across this one and I thought of the Looking For Alaska cover.

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 

<Bookography

The Last Echo Launch Party

Kimberly Derting's 

The Last Echo Launch Party

April 28th 2012

Third Place Book in Ravenna 

Kim started off by talking about the book for a little bit, then she moved on to a Q&A and finished with a reading from The Last Echo. She decided to read from the killers POV when she usually doesn't.  
(All has been summarized from my memory)

Talking a little about the cover

 The cover flower was original going to be for another book, Wings by Aprilynne Pike, but when they were doing the cover shoot they weren't liking how it was turning out so they scraped the idea. Kim's cover designers were trying to come up with a cover that would off set the gruesome title The Body Finder and they ended up recycling the flower and using it for the cover. The flower has been on each cover, it also isn't a real flower it was made. The cover for the next book has already been made and Kim says it is her favorite one. 

Kim told us a story about how she knows she is working too much when her daughter came up to her crying and sobbing "You don't love us anymore". She ended up starting to call her daughter Violet, but stopped herself before she finished. Yep Kim is working a lot and we love her for it!

How do you name your character?
Kim names her characters after people she knows. A lot of dead girls are her neighbor's kids and she will call them up asking for permission to use their name as a dead girl. Most have said yes, but a few have said no, when they said no she ended up turning them into the bitchy girl at school. The lesson for today, never say no to Kim when she wants to kill you. The neighborhood boy begged Kim to make him a murderer, so the next murderer is named after him.

Violet was a name that if she had another child she would have named her Violet, but since she isn't having anymore kids she named her character Violet instead, a different child of sorts. Her husband insists Jay is named after him since his name is Josh and it could be shorted to Jay.

How did you come up with the killers?

The killers mostly have been themed/inspired by real life killers, expect for the first one. Kim stated that real life is scarier than anything created in fiction. Kim knew she wanted the killer to be a pair of people working together to kill the girls in The Body Finders. Gary Ridgway inspired The Lost Echo killer, Charles Manson inspired the next book's killer.

When Kim was first writing from the killer's point of view and how they snagged the girls she was concerned with how the publisher would take it since her books are YA. They actually really liked it and she has added more with each book. Their was a scene in The Last Echo when Kim was done writing it she felt gross and dirty.

Why Rafe's character?
Rafe and Sara were created because Violet needed a way to access other killers and bodies. Kim didn't want to have that many dead bodies being found in Buckley, since she lives near there and the area doesn't actually have that many dead bodies and killers.

I made Kim a bit nervous with all the photos I was taking, she was afraid I would have all of these bad ones of her, but I assured her that bad ones get deleted.

 She also had some prizes to give out, everyone got a lilac nail polish, bookmarks of all the books, a stick of The Last Echo and Last Echo wrist band. If you pulled a bookmark with a red heart you got to choose an extra prize, either a bag or a tee shirt. I was lucky enough to get the bag, along with all the rest of the swag.

 Kim and I

This is the 3rd time I have seen her but the only time I have taken pictures

Kim and Anna @ Peace, Love, Teen Fiction

Kim and Jorge

 he doesn't have a blog, but he a local book/event fan that I have meet and chatted with on Facebook

The event was awesome and Kim is so much fun. I really enjoy going to her events and I can't wait to see her again this Saturday for Spring Into Future event. I love how many local authors Washington has, we are pretty lucky to be the perfect place to write and read with all the crappy weather and rain we have.

Have you meet the lovely Kimberly Derting?

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The Last Echo Review

The Last Echo

By Kimberly Derting

Summary

In the end, all that's left is an echo...
Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet's talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it's Violet's job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by "the girlfriend collector" she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new "relationship" and Violet may have caught his eye...

What I Loved

Intense

Kim has done it again, she has made my heart pound and sit on the edge of my chair wondering how the heck Violet is going to make it out of this situation this time.

Characters 

Violet: I still enjoyed her character. Her faithfulness to Jay is wonderful, but her confusion about Rafe makes her a normal teenage girl and adds entertainment. I have to say, it would suck to be her, she always draws the murders attention and that is not a good thing.

Rafe: If I didn't love and miss Jay so much in this book I would love Rafe even more. I'm conflicted with Rafe, I really do love the dark brooding boys and he fits this so well and this connection that him and Violet has is both intriguing and concerning. I don't know what to fully make of him, but I really do like him and I want to know more about him.

Murder's POV
This always freaking creeps me out to no end, but I do think it is a good thing and it brings me back down to Earth and reminds me to not judge people by their looks. The good looking ones can be even more dangerous because you can let your guard down around them since they don't "look" the part of psycho.

Didn't Like

I'm a such a wuss and this book scares me! Really make you think about knowing a person before you trust them, looks can be deceiving. I'm still waiting for Violet to finally learn self defense, just reading the books makes me want to learn. 

Recommendation 

A must read series

Information 

The Body Finder Series

The Body Finder

Desires of the Dead

The Last Echo

Book 4 2013

The Pledge Trilogy

The Pledge

The Essence Jan 1st 2013

Book 3

Could you handle finding dead bodies?

The bodies I could handle, it's the murder that I couldn't

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The Immortal Rules Review

The Immortal Rules

By Julia Kagawa

Summary

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

What I Liked

Future of Vampires
Vampires are the dominate species in the world and many humans have been killed off by disease. This book stays with the traditional vampire and adds I guess you could call them zombie vampires aka "rabids", now those things are scary, even the animals aren't safe from this.
Action
Allie learns how to fight with a katana, how cool is that! There is a decent amount of fighting and action throughout the entire book. It isn't filled with action, but a good amount. 

Character

Allison aka Allie: She is awesome! She is almost as bad ass as Rose, but not quite. I enjoyed her internal struggle that she has with herself, she doesn't ever want to fully give into the monster she has become. Allie wants to keep her humanity, even though it is a continuous struggle and not going to be easy ever. I like her perseverance, strength, will and stubbornness. 

Romance

This book has very little romance, for me I enjoy having a break from lots of romance especially in the YA genre.

Didn't Like

It slowed down a little in the middle of the book while she was traveling looking for Eden, but that didn't last very long and it soon picked up.

Recommendation 

Must read for all vampire lovers

Information

Blood of Eden Series

The Immortal Rules

unknown how long series will be

Iron Fey Series

The Iron King

Winter's Passage

The Iron Daughter

The Iron Queen

Summer's Crossing

The Iron Knight

Would you choose to become a monster?

Now I wish this would have been the cover! This is awesome!!

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Mini Challenge

Women of the Otherworld

Mini Challenge

The Challenge
Showcase ALL of Kelley Armstrong's books

My

Kelley Armstrong

Collection

These are all of her books I own

From the Women of the Otherworld Series

Used Mass Market Paperbacks (to be replaced)

I started collecting the series when I found many of these on the $1 shelf, I had been eying them for a while. I want to eventually replace them all with hardback copies.

Bitten, Stolen, Dime Store Magic, Industrial Magic, Haunted, Broken No Humans Involved

Hardbacks

Personal Demon, Living with the Dead,Waking the Witch and Men of the Otherworld

ARC (to be replaced)

Spell Bound

Signed and YA set

Adult Signed

Counterfeit Magic

YA Signed

The Gathering, The Awakening, The Reckoning, The Summoning, Enthralled (ARC) and Enthralled (hardback)

When I went to her signing there was a limit on number of books you could get signed in the Smart Chicks Event and since I already had A LOT of books with me I didn't want to add the adult series as well. I hope one day I can get all her books signed.

Counterfeit Magic

signed and personalized

Enthralled 
hardback signed on the story, ARC signed in the front

There you have it my Kelley Armstrong Collection

Are you participating in The Women of the Otherworld Series Challenge?

I am, I need to get reading too! If you aren't you really should, the 1st 2 books in the series are pretty awesome and I can't wait to read the rest of the books.

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