Contest Reminder!!!

Just wanted to let everyone know that although my contest officially ended today, you can still enter if you'd like through tomorrow. I'm in new teacher meetings, so I won't have a chance to choose a winner until Saturday sometime, so enter away if you'd like to win The Hate List and Beautiful Creatures. These books are completely made of awesome!!!

Enter Here!!

Intertwined by Gena Showalter

Release Date: September 1, 2009 from Harlequin Teen

Synopsis:

Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:

One can time-travel.

One can raise the dead.

One can tell the future.

And one can possess another human.

With no other family and a life spent in and out of institutions, Aden and the souls have become friends. But now they're causing him all kinds of trouble. Like, he'll blink and suddenly he's a younger Aden, reliving the past. One wrong move, and he'll change the future. Or he'll walk past a total stranger and know how and when she's going to die.

He's so over it. All he wants is peace.

And then he meets a girl who quiets the voices. Well, as long as he's near her. Why? Mary Ann Gray is his total opposite. He's a loner; she has friends. He doesn't care what anyone thinks; she tries to make everyone happy. And while he attracts the paranormal, she repels it. For her sake, he should stay away. But it's too late....

Somehow, they share an inexplicable bond of friendship. A bond about to be tested by a werewolf shape-shifter who wants Mary Ann for his own, and a vampire princess Aden can't resist.

Two romances, both forbidden. Still, the four will enter a dark underworld of intrigue and danger but not everyone will come out alive....

This is the second release from the new Harlequin Teen line, of which, I am a bit of a fan. They're seriously sending me into fangirlland with these first releases. This will, I believe, be the first hardcover release.

First of all, let me just say that Aden is a dreamboat. I totally have a new YA leading man crush and it's with a guy who just so happens to have 4 souls, other than his own, who are sharing his body. That's okay though....we all have issues. Aden happens to handle his quite well. When not fighting off reanimated corpses or traveling through time, he's just your average high school student.

I appreciate that with Aden, Showalter has given us a character who has had to struggle in his life. He's been in and out of foster homes and mental institutions, but he still takes control over his life and his actions. It makes for a fascinating character and a compelling read.

All of the characters are great. I especially like the chemistry and sparks between Mary Ann and Riley, but then again, I have always preferred guys who howl at the moon. This is a great read. All of our favorite supernatural beings are present and accounted for including some classic vampires from history.

It's just a really easy read and the dialogue is great. At times it feels like your just talking to one of your friends, or eavesdropping on a juicy conversation. I definitely recommend this one and I look forward to the next book in the series, because from the ending I'm assuming and hoping that there will be more. I look forward to visiting Aden and his crazy world again and again.

Waiting on Wednesday (26)--Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

The only photo I could find is from Rachel Hawkins' blog and it's of the ARC, which I assume is not the final cover.

Release Date: March 2, 2010 from Hyperion

Synopsis:

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father-an elusive European warlock-only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

I think this book sounds amazing and I believe it's the first book in a series, which, of course, I love. It doesn't come out for a realllllly long time, but I will be eagerly awaiting its release. Can't wait to see what everyone else is waiting on this week.

Waiting on Wednesday is brought to you by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

My Soul To Take Trailer

I really, really liked My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent, and I just saw this trailer on another blog, so I thought I would plug it in here and let y'all take a look. I think it captures the book perfectly and there are some supercool and creepy images. I especially like the swirly eye thing, since that's a big part of the story. Check it out!!

Dead Is So Last Year by Marlene Perez

Release Date: Available Now from Graphia

Synopsis:

Something very strange starts happening in Nightshade the summer that the eldest Giordano sister, Rose, gets a job working at Dr. Franken's research laboratory. People are starting to see double. Doppelgängers of Nightshade residents are popping up all over town. Daisy, Rose and Poppy think it's a coincidence, until the rumors start that their father, who disappeared several years ago, has been spotted in town. Meanwhile, Daisy's beau, Ryan is spending all of his time training for football, and like the other guys on the team, he's grown enormous almost overnight. Samantha Devereux's boyfriend's neck has doubled in size since school ended. Could the football players be resorting to extreme measures to win? Between summer jobs, sugar rushes, and beach parties, the Giordano girls get to the bottom of these mysteries and more.

This is the third book in "Dead" series by Marlene Perez. I reviewed the first book, Dead is the New Black ,here and the second, Dead is a State of Mind, here. I really enjoy this series and this third book certainly did not disappoint.

The Giordano sisters are fantastic and it is a joy to enter their wacky world yet again. This time, each of the girls is working a summer job and dealing with their own dramas, while trying to solve the mystery of their fathers return. What's the mystery? Is the weird stranger actually dear old dad.

And while they're at it, might as well add in the mystery of the rapidly growing football team. Suddenly the guys are sprouting new muscles and nasty attitudes and it's up to, you guessed it, the ladies Giordano to crack the case.

These books are so much fun. They're always quick reads and are full of colorful characters and snappy dialogue. According to Marlene's website, there are two more Dead novels headed our way. Dead is Just a Rumor coming in Fall 2010 and Dead is Not an Option coming in Spring of 2011. It's so nice to actually be caught up on a series and know that there is more on the way. These days I always seems to be at least one book behind.

I highly recommend this series. They're just good ol'fashioned supernatural fun.

By the way, I just noticed that this is my 201st post. I can't believe it. They've gone by so quickly. Thanks to everyone for reading and here's to 201 more.

In My Mailbox (23)

As always, In My Mailbox is brought to you by Kristi, AKA The Story Siren. Seeing what she got in her mailbox is one of the highlights of my week, so go check it out.

I got a few books in the mail this week, so let's get started:

For review:

Rough Magic by Caryl Cude Mullin

Release Date: Oct. 1, 2009 from Second Story Press

Synopsis:

Follow the interwoven stories of two girls and one woman, their lives all tied to the enigmatic figure of Caliban, the character first introduced by Shakespeare in The Tempest, his famous play of love, loyalty, and magic. Caliban is the strange, half-wild man Prospero and Miranda discovered on an island after being shipwrecked. Rough Magic forms both prequel and sequel, telling the stories of the sorceress Sycorax, Caliban's mother; Miranda's daughter Chiara, who becomes like a daughter to Caliban; and Calypso, a magical young woman with ties to them all. All three must fight against a world that sees magic as evil and uses women as political pawns. Finally, it is the island and its power that draws them all back, demanding amends from the humans who have exploited its natural wonders. A spellbinding story that combines an old-fashioned tale of dragons, shipwrecks, adventure, and sacrifice, with an inspiring message of the earth's power and our environmental responsibility.

From Contest:

Airhead by Meg Cabot
I won this from Willowe at Readings of a Teenage Tree. Thanks Willowe!!!

Purchased from Amazon:

Faery Rebels by R.J. Anderson
and
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yay!! I got my copy of Shiver!! I am sooooo completely excited for this one and it's so shiny and new and pretty. I must shout YAY repeatedly.

So, that's it for me this week. Yet another relatively slow week, but that's a-okay, because I am super busy getting ready for my new job and I have a ton of books to read already.

Can't wait to see what everyone else got this week.

My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent

Release Date: August 1, 2009 from Harlequin Teen, although it's already on the shelves at my local B&N and is available from Amazon.

Synopsis:

She doesn't see dead people, but…
She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next…

This is the first release from Harlequin Teen's new line and if it is any indication of what they have coming up, I will be doing a lot of Harlequin reading in the future. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced, exciting, and put a new spin on the supernatural thriller.

Kaylee is a great character. She's an average girl, very likable and interesting, with one great big secret. I don't want to give anything away, but Kaylee is a supernatural creature that we don't hear a lot about in YA. Vincent perfectly shows Kaylee's struggle as she discovers her own powers and this new world that has been opened up before her eyes. I love the fact that Vincent has given me a whole new creature to read about. I love vampires and werewolves as much as the next girl, but sometimes I need a little change.

I just really enjoyed this book. It had a little bit of everything I was looking for. There's a little romance, a little mystery, and it's ripe for a sequel. I will be eagerly awaiting the second book in the series, My Soul To Save, which comes out early next year. Great new book, great new series, beautiful cover, and an amazing addition to anyone's bookshelf. Check it out!!