In My Mailbox (12)

As always In My Mailbox is the creation of the lovely Story Siren and inspired by the awesome Alea (see the alliteration there?).

Pay attention for this one, because I'm including links to alternate covers because... well, just because. So it's more than just "Look at the pretty books I got!" Inspired partly by Lexi at anotherpageisused... and partly by boredom and Google.

I haven't gotten anything in the mail bookwise for two or three weeks now. So I went to the library and got five books. Then a few days later, I was in a Walmart with my aunt and cousin and there was a 30% off table. I grabbed six books and after putting them in the cart, I made this noise, sort of a squeak, you know, a happy noise, and my cousin looks at me and goes, "What was that?" Then my aunt says "It's like a kid in a candy store."

Anyways, here are the books I got this week.

Bought:

Night World No. 1: Secret Vampire, Daughters of Darkness & Spellbinder by L. J. Smith - Paperback

Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

In Secret Vampire, Poppy thought the summer would last forever. Then she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now Poppy's only hope for survival is James, her friend and secret love. A vampire in the Night World, James can make Poppy immortal. But first they both must risk everything to go against the laws of Night World.

Fugitives from Night World, three vampire sisters leave their isolated home to live among humans in Daughters of Darkness. Their brother, Ash, is sent to bring the girls back, but he falls in love with their beautiful friend.

Two witch cousins fight over their high school crush. It's a battle between black magic and white magic in Spellbinder.

Summary from amazon.

I love L. J. Smith. I've been reading her stuff since... forever. I own original copies of two of her books and would own more if they were easier to come by.

Night World No. 2: Dark Angel, The Chosen, & Soulmate by L. J. Smith - Paperback

In Dark Angel, Gillian is saved from drowning by her guardian angel. Only visible to Gillian, Angel will fulfill her heart's every desire. But when Angel starts making strange and sinister requests, Gillian must question who he truly is and where he came from.

Armed with a wooden stake, martial arts, and the will to resist a vampire's mind control, Rashel struggles to avenge her mother's death in The Chosen. Then she meets Quinn, her soulmate, who is part of the world she has vowed to destroy.

Hannah receives notes warning her of incredible danger in Soulmate. But if death is her destiny, is the Lord of the Night World's love strong enough to save her?

Summary from amazon.

I've actually read Dark Angel by itself. It was one of the few Night World books my library had. It was good, too. Oh, alternative cover. I much like the blue writing better. Although they should have made her eyes blue to match, and made the eyes of the girl on the first cover purple, and the girl on the third cover's eyes green. But that's just me. I'm insane. Oh, looky at what I found on amazon, another cover.

Night World No. 3: Huntress, Black Dawn, & Witchlight by L. J. Smith - Paperback

The apocalypse is drawing near. But four Wild Powers can save the world from the impending doom. Circle Daybreak, an underground organization with both Night World and human members, is searching for the four who can stop the darkness.

A vampire hunter -- who is half vampire -- stalks her own kind to protect humans in Huntress.

In Black Dawn, Maggie stumbles upon an old Night World kingdom where the ruling vampire prince is both an enemy and an ally.

And Circle Daybreak hires Keller, a shapeshifting panther, to guard a new Wild Power in Witchlight. But when Keller falls in love with the Wild Power's soulmate, her love could destroy everything....

Summary from amazon.

I've read Witchlight, too, but I have a feeling it'll make more sense in context. And the alternative cover. Wonder why they put out covers with red writing for each? Odd.

Need by Carrie Jones - Hardcover

Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane... but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.

She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right - not human - in this sleepy town, and all signs point to Zara.

Summary from the inside of the dust jacket.

This one was a little more expensive than I expected. I think it ended up being like thirteen dollars. But the sticker inside says $18.50, so I'm not complaining much. Hardcover books are expensive here!

Oh! And look at what I found while I was looking around on Carrie Jone's website. Captivate's cover!! Isn't it pretty? Although it does remind me of something. This maybe? I don't know.

Evermore by Alyson Noel - Paperback

After a horrible accident claims the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom can see people's auras, hear their thoughts, and know someone's entire life story by touching them. Going out of her way to avoid human contact and suppress her abilities, she has been branded a freak at her new high school - but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste.

Damen is gorgeous, exotic, and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head - wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can peer straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. And she has no idea just who he really is - or what he really is. The only thing she knows to be true is that she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him

Summary from the back of the book.

If you want to see something cool, click on the picture of Evermore or Blue Moon. They're huge pictures. Oh, and check this out. Somehow or another, I found an amazon link with Evermore's new UK cover. Isn't the font pretty?

Blue Moon by Alyson Noel - Paperback

Just as Ever is learning everything she can about her new abilities as an immortal, initiated into the dark, seductive world by her beloved Damen, something terrible is happening to him. As Ever’s powers are increasing, Damen’s are fading—stricken by a mysterious illness that threatens his memory, his identity, his life.

Desperate to save him, Ever travels to the mystical dimension of Summerland, uncovering not only the secrets of Damen’s past—the brutal, tortured history he hoped to keep hidden—but also an ancient text revealing the workings of time. With the approaching blue moon heralding her only window for travel, Ever is forced to decide between turning back the clock and saving her family from the accident that claimed them—or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows weaker each day...

Summary from the back of the book.

This one I actually grabbed just as we were walking away from the 30% off table. I didn't see it right away because more of them were gone than the others. I grabbed it and said to my aunt, "I spotted a sequel." She just looked at me funny.

Okay, now onto the borrowed books. Aka library books.

Lucas by Kevin Brooks - Hardcover, and the dumb thing has been poking me for the last ten minutes.

Was there ever a moment that changed your life forever?

There was for Caitlin...

One unforgettable summer afternoon, she meets a boy named Lucas, and her world turns upside down. Lucas is everything Caitlin longs to be: Brave. Honest. Free. But Lucas is everything that other people fear. As Caitlin grapples to find her true self amidst the unforgiving ways of her small town, she is inexplicably drawn to Lucas's mystery and strange power. But there are consequences. When the town suddenly turns on Lucas, Caitlin must make the most difficult choice of her life.

Summary from the inside of the dust jacket.

Random choice. Our YA section isn't exactly large. I should take a picture for you guys the next time I go. Anyways, other covers: this one which I think is the audiobook, this one, this one which is the German cover I believe, and this one that you can barely see because it's so small.

Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird by Vivian Vande Velde - Paperback

How to fracture a fairy tale:
1. Make the villain a hero.
2. Make the hero a villain.
3. Tell what really happened.
4. All of the above.

Welcome to a fairy-tale world where Hansel and Gretel are horrible children who deserve to be bakes, where Beauty is dismayed when her beloved Beast turns human, and where the princess with a pea under her mattress keeps everyone in the palace up all night with her incessant whining.

Summary from the back of the book.

Vivian Vande Velde is one of my favourite authors and I have to admit a certain fondess for books for this age group. I'm cool like that. :P Also, alternative cover. Isn't that creepy?

Three Songs for Courage by Maxine Trottier - Paperback

Summer, 1956. Life is cool in lakeside Erie View. The town's veterans of the two great wars struggle to shelve their memories and pick of where they left off, women with newfound independence work to rekindle their marriages, and teenagers with too much freedom live the secret lives of youth.

For sixteen-year-old Gordon Westly, this is the summer of first love, fast cars, the best buddies on earth and the heartrending tragedy; the summer he will explore the sweetest side of human nature and come to fear the darkest; the summer he must learn his third song for courage.

Summary from the back of the book.

This is Canadian, I think, which I like. Hold on...Yep, it's a Tundra book. Hey, weird, the first stamped due date is December 13th, 2008. My birthday.

Ricky by Eric Walters - Paperback

Ricky has always loved animals. After all, he shares his house with 29 weird and wonderful creatures. So when vandals break into his school and destroy many of his beloved science teacher's animals, including Ricky's favourite, Bogart the boa constrictor, Ricky is shocked. Now it's up to Ricky and his best friend, Augie, to devise a plan to raise money to replace Bogart - and to surprise Mr. Johnston, the science teacher, at the same time. Raising the money is easy: what's tough is getting the rather large new reptile - who happens to be smart and slithery - safely to the school.

Summary from the back of the book.

What can I say, it looks cute. Although the cover doesn't really seem to suit it, does it? This one does better, although not perfectly.

Luna by Julie Anne Peters - Paperback

Regan's brother, Liam, can't stand the person he is during the day. Like the moon from who Liam has chosen his female namesake, his true self, Luna, reveals herself only at night. For years, Liam has transformed himself into the beautiful girl who he longs to be with the help from his sister's clothes and makeup in the secrecy of their basement bedrooms. Now, everything is about to change - Luna is preparing to emerge from her cocoon. But are Liam's family and friends ready to welcome Luna into their lives?

Summary from the back of the book.

Isn't this a subtle cover? (Sarcasm.) I like it, though. The copy I have is actually even brighter than this, and the little butterfly isn't foil or anything, it's a keyhole. Pretty cute, actually. Other covers are this, and this which is really pretty. When I was googling, I saw one and it looked familiar, and I couldn't figure out why at first. Then it hit me. It was a lookalike. And this is the third time I've linked to Alea in one post. I feel stalkerish now.

Okay, so that's everything for this week's book intake!
Peace and cookies,
Laina