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 In my Mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.

As you guys know, I'm currently not buying books. So, I didn't buy any of these.

Received:

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (Goodreads - Amazon)

The Predicteds by Christine Seifert (Goodreads - Amazon)

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin (Goodreads - Amazon)

Various signed swag. :)

Signed Fever by Lauren DeStefano jacket (ZOMG, GUYS.)

Thanks to Shannon, Brooke, Kreag, and Lauren. 

What'd you get in your mailbox?

Review - Without Tess by Marcella Pixley

Without Tess by Marcella Pixley


Amazon Link
Goodreads Link

Page Number: 224 Pages
Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars

Tess and Lizzie are sisters, sisters as close as can be, who share a secret world filled with selkies, flying horses, and a girl who can transform into a wolf  in the middle of the night. But when Lizzie is ready to grow up, Tess clings to their fantasies. As Tess sinks deeper and deeper into her delusions, she decides that she can’t live in the real world any longer and leaves Lizzie and her family forever. Now, years later, Lizzie is in high school and struggling to understand what happened to her sister. With the help of a school psychologist and Tess’s battered journal, Lizzie searches for a way to finally let Tess go.

I wanted to read this book for two reasons:

One, being that I wanted to read a book that was focused on an emotional situation. Every book has emotions, obviously, but I haven't read one that was based on something like this.

And two, being that I'm not the biggest fan of fantasy mixed into reality. This is obviously different, but the way it's described is very visual. I figured that if I couldn't like it in something like this, it probably just wasn't for me.

    But I did really enjoy this book. It's an interesting idea and I'm fairly sure that there's not anything else out there even remotely like it. The mythical elements of this book are pretend, which, in the end, is probably why it didn't feel confusing to me. I knew that, for the most part, it was a game.
    I absolutely devoured the strangeness of all of it. How serious Tess took her delusions. How far Lizzie was willing to go to please her sister. How their parents never seemed to notice it before it was too late. It was all  so odd and so different.
    I do really enjoy the writing style of this. It's honest with its descriptions. It knows when to be simple and when to use prose to its advantage. There are points when the descriptiveness of it nearly makes me wonder if Tess really does have some sort of magic powers.
    The potency of the last few chapters had my eyes misty and a lump rising in my throat. They were beautifully heartbreaking. It felt like Tess's spell had broken and her magic was seeping away, never to be seen again. And, even though Tess was very intense and a little frightening, I missed her. She added a lot to the book.
    Something that I both loved and hated was the extreme honesty of the situation. It was a little refreshing, but, at the same time, certain parts felt overly dramatic and a little crazy. Some of the roughness didn't feel natural  and it distracted me.
    But there is one thing that I did love, that others might not: Tess is certainly crazy. There was no sugarcoating it. She's completely delusional. There was no forced ending where the mother holds Tess above her head and screams, "She's cured! She's sane!" It's a sad story, with a sad ending and a light at the end of the tunnel. It went where the story was bound to go, and I respect that.
    This book has shown me that it's not impossible for me to enjoy some fantasy mixed into reality, even if it's only a child's imagination. I'm glad for that. I don't want to have to cross off a group of books that seem to be gaining in numbers if I don't really, really feel I can't enjoy them.

    I hope you'll give this book a chance. It's weird. It's quirky. But I love it. And, chances are, if you like this blog and it's writer, you might not be so afraid of something strange. ;)

Songs I listened to while reading:

Review - Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Amazon Link
Goodreads Link

Page Number: 308 Pages
Overall Rating: 5 Stars

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure-bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.
Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:
Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.
Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

    I'm going to start of by warning you: DO NOT bring this to places where other book nerds are. They will hurt you and you will probably get locked out of a room (*cough, cough* RILEY. *cough*) Not that it totally isn't worth stealing, because, in the opposite place, I would be locking people out of rooms, too.
    It's an awesome book. The entire story is deep and thought-out and amazing. It's a book full of jokes, don't get me wrong, but it was emotional, too. Honestly, that's probably the best quality of this book. It's balanced.
    Alex is hilarious and extremely relatable. I re-read things that she said a couple of times, because I say those things and didn't think anyone else did. Which was creepy, but very cool. And Alex is brave beyond belief. She says things, does things, even thinks things I would never have the heart to do. But that doesn't always mean that she doesn't regret her actions. She's a good person. That's more than I can say about a lot of people I know in real life. She isn't self-absorbed or spoiled. Ultimately, she's real. It wouldn't be the same book without her personality.
    Caleb might've been one of my favorite characters in the book. He was loyal and made me laugh. And, in the end, I think he really proved himself a good friend to Alex. Even though Alex is an only child, I kept picturing her and Caleb as siblings.
    Aiden. My gosh, Aiden. Talk about a swoon worthy character. And that may or may not have happened several times. That is for me to know and for Alex to not find out. Because, you know, I don't want to find out what titanium tastes like any time soon. But really, really swoon worthy. Did I mention that I'm Team Aiden? That is all.
    Seth had his moments. He was mainly annoying, in a sibling rivalry sort of way, which is why, as of now, Team Seth scares me. Maybe in Pure, but I hope not. Once again, Team Aiden. *coughs awkwardly* Nobody try to kill me. (Tiffany...)
    I fell in love with the entire world. That may have something to do with my love for Greek Mythology, but maybe not. Either way, I really, really love the setting of the novel.
    Also, please excuse me while I go sob over Alex's mom. I won't go into detail, since it's fairly spoilery, but oh my gosh. Alex has gained tons of respect from me there, because that would be SUCH a hard thing to go through.
 
    Also, Jen, I'm starting a fanclub. You've found your first intense fangirl. Just saying. But seriously, I have a feeling that Half-Blood is gonna be HUGE. And I know other people do, too. If it wasn't, would you have people locking other people out of rooms so they could read it? Exactly. You see my point, right? So, continue writing kickbutt stuff and people will continue spazzing in cars and scaring their aunts. :)

Songs I listened to while reading:

Daily Dose (22)

Daily Dose is hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly.

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BBM - Camille: Ten Sequels I Can’t Wait To Read

So, everyone. This is my friend Camille. I personally think she's hilarious, but she does use all-caps a lot, so if that bothers you, I'm sorry. She also curses once in this post, just so you all know. Don't know if that bothers any of my readers. If it does, I can assure you, we both apologize.

Now, without further ado, here's Camille!

These are the top ten sequels I can’t wait to read! I really wanna have these books, like, now.

1. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

With the way Delirium ended, I’ve been dying to get the sequel! It comes out in March of next year, I believe. IT’S TOO LONG. :(

2. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Even though I was satisfied with Divergent’s ending, I really wanna see what happens next. Hopefully we’ll get more background on the factions in the sequel!

3. Fever by Lauren DeStefano
Wither’s ending killed me. I didn’t see it coming AT ALL. Well, I did. In a way. I didn’t expect it to end as soon as it did. So, all in all, I’m dying for this book!

4. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
Before I tell you the very obvious reasons why I can’t wait for this book, let me just say that this is an amazing title. It’s my favorite one out of the whole series. These titles are AWESOME. Anyway, I can’t wait for this book because I know it’ll break my heart. Cassie is a great writer, but she’ll probably end it in a cliffhanger, and someone we love will probably die. I can’t wait!

5. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Some very lucky people have already read this book and ADORED it, saying it’s Cassie’s best book. Personally, I like her TMI books better, but I cannot WAIT until I read CP because I just KNOW someone I REALLY DO NOT LIKE FOR TESSA will die. So yay! Can’t wait!


6. The Calling by Kelley Armstrong
I have an ARC of this, but I don’t wanna read it! If I read it now, I’ll have to wait a year and a half until the next one comes out. The way The Gathering ended made me wanna dive into this book ASAP.

7. Last Breath by Rachel Caine
These books also have kickass names. Just saying. I love this series! Cannot wait for this one, and the one after. Also, THERE WILL BE THREE MORE BOOKS OMG I AM SO EXCITED AND I AM FANGIRLING JUST LIKE I DID WHEN I FIRST FOUND OUT BUT I DO NOT CAREEEEE.
Uhm. *clears throat* I am very excited.

8. A Million Suns by Beth Revis
The sequel to Across The Universe, and one I REALLY want to read! Also, the cover is GORGEOUS.

9. Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins
The Hex Hall series is HILARIOUS and AMAZING and I LOVE IT SO MUCH! I can’t wait until this book comes out, because Demonglass ended in an awful cliffhanger.


10. Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh
Nevermore was absolutely confusing, mostly at the very end. It was still a really good book, and I can’t wait for the sequel!

So, that’s my list. What’s yours?

Great list, Camille! Leave a comment and tell us what sequel you're dying for!

Review - Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither by Lauren DeStefano


Amazon Link
Goodreads Link


Page Count: 358
Overall Rating: 5 Stars

Obviously, something went terribly wrong. Genetic mutations have festered, reducing human longevity to twenty-five, even less for most women. To prevent extinction, young girls are kidnapped, mated in polygamous marriages with men eager to procreate. Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery, a recent victim of this breeding farm mentality, has vowed to break loose from its fetters; but finding allies and a safe way out is a challenge she can only hope she will survive. A dystopian fantasy series starter with wings. Editor's recommendation.

 *Review may contain some spoilers*


This one has been on my TBR pile for a while now. It was almost the same thing as Divergent, where I was vaguely scared of reading it for fear of peoples' reactions to me not liking it. Luckily, I didn't have to worry about that.


Something about this one was poignantly beautiful while being dark and, somehow, almost frightening. The ideas of being snatched from the streets, taken from my home, lured into traps all scare me enough, but being forced into a marriage certainly doesn't help that, either. I briefly thought of how I can't get flu shots (neither can my dad.) because they make me sick. Obviously, that won't kill me, but it's what I thought about.


Linden. Poor, sad Linden. I honestly can't say I've ever hated him in the book. I'll admit that certain things did creep me out, quite a bit. But, at the beginning of the book, I was almost positive that I'd like Linden more than Gabriel. I almost wanted Rhine to pick him in the end, however unpredictable that was. I liked Linden. And I still feel sorry for him.


Oh, Gabriel. What can I say about him? More than anything, he was sweet and nice. DeStefano's characters always have such deep layers that it's hard to describe them, I think. It feels strange to describe someone who honestly feels like a real person.


And Vaughn. Vaughn makes my skin crawl. He's that old man you pass on the street with the wandering eyes, the one you always walk a little faster to pass. He's the man who's not afraid to kill someone to ruin someone else's life. I despise him. I absolutely positively despise him.


Lauren DeStefano's writing is so gorgeous. I simply adore it. I've taken to tabbing paragraphs that I love in books as of late, but I didn't do that with this one. I'd run out of tabs. And I'm not saying this out of flattery.


I won a Fever jacket recently. I entered to win it on whim, because I love the cover. And now, I'm proud to own it. I liked it when I got it and I was happy. But I do feel lucky to have one now that I know how amazing Wither actually is.


I think this is the first book in a while that I've actually made sure that I read, at the very least, three chapters every night. I haven't done that in a while now. I miss wanting to do that.


Wither did something kind of amazing, as well. It didn't end on a huge flipping cliffhanger. It left ends open, things to expand upon in the next book, but it didn't leave me wanting to smash something because I had to wait a year for the next one, either. Don't get me wrong. I want Fever. I want it right now, so I can read it. But, at the same time, I have such respect for Lauren for being able to end her book that way. It was really, really refreshing to be able to sleep after staying up into the wee hours of the night to finish it.


In the morning, I was trying to grab a book, that way I'd have something to do in boring situations at school. But I found myself not wanting to pick something else up, because I doubted that I would be able to come off the reading-a-great-book high that I was on. I go through this sometimes, when I read such an awesome book that I don't want to read anything else for a bit, period.


And, quite honestly, I keep trying to think of something that I didn't like, but I'm drawing a blank. Usually there's at least one thing, but I can't think of a single one. I know I sound like a fangirl, just raving and singing the praises of this book, but it really was just what I wanted to read at the time.


Obviously, Wither earns five stars.

Amazing Quote:

Eventually I realize that I am holding on to him just as tightly as he holds on to me. And here we are: two small dying things, as the world ends around us like falling autumn leaves.

Songs I listened to while reading:

BBM: Angela - Literary Addiction or Healthy Obsession?

Today, we have Angela! She’ll be talking about her obsession with keeping books, even the ones she didn’t like. Hope you enjoy her post! :)
~Brielle
 
I don't know about any of you ~ Hi, by the way :). My name is Angela ~ but reading and writing YA are not only hobbies to me, they're obsessions. I have over 1000 in my collection. For some reason, even if I didn't REALLY enjoy it, I tend to place it on my shelf with those that left me breathless and sadly sighing because the story was over.
To my friends I am their own personal librarian. One of them always asks, “Is this any good?” and if I answer “No” or “Not really” they always laugh and ask me why I keep it. The honest answer is always, ALWAYS “I have no idea”
The proof is in the pictures...

(The sad part is that I have 5 more bookshelves that were too incredibly messy to take pictures of… FULL. )
Maybe I keep them in hopes that reading it the second go-round will be better????
Am I the only OCD, crazy person that does this or do any of you guys develop a weird attachment to the books you read, even if you didn’t really like them? I’d like to hear your thoughts… do I need professional help for literary addiction?
Nice to meet y’all — Angela