In My Mailbox #2

In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Story Siren, and it is a great way to share the books you’ve recently received with other book bloggers. I was very excited to find this book in my mailbox a couple of days ago:

Starters by Lissa Price. Received an ARC from the publisher. Release date 3/12/12.  I entered a bunch of contests to win this book, and I finally got lucky! It’s been piling up really good reviews from the blog community, and I’m dying to read it! Here’s the description from Goodreads:

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie’s only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie’s head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator’s grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations’ plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . .

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver. Released 2/28/12. Purchased.  Here’s another book that’s received stellar reviews, and I’m afraid to say I’m behind the curve, because I still haven’t had time to read Delirium. So it may be awhile before I get to it, but I’m very happy it’s now sitting on the shelves. Here’s Goodreads description:

I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

Vampire Empire Book Two: The Rift Walker by Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith. Released 9/20/11. Purchased.  Once again, I have bought another sequel in a series when I haven’t yet read the first book.  I suppose “In My Mailbox” is not only a way to organize new books that I receive, but a reminder of how far behind I am with my TBR pile! I’m so excited to read this series. Here’s what it’s about:

Princess Adele struggles with a life of marriage and obligation as her Equatorian Empire and their American Republic allies stand on the brink of war against the vampire clans of the north. However, the alliance’s horrific strategy for total victory drives Adele to abandon her duty and embark on a desperate quest to keep her nation from staining its hands with genocide. Reunited with her great love, the mysterious adventurer known to the world as the Greyfriar, Adele is pursued by her own people as well as her vengeful husband, senator Clark. With the human alliance in disarrray, Prince Cesare, lord of the British vampire clan, seizes the initiative and strikes at the very heart of Equatoria.

As Adele labors to bring order to her world, she learns more about the strange powers she exhibited in the north. Her teacher, Mamoru, leads a secret cabal of geomancers who believe Adele is the one who can touch the vast power of the Earth that surges through ley lines and wells up at the rifts where the lines meet. These energies are the key to defeating the enemy of mankind, and if Princess Adele could ever bring this power under her command, she could be death to vampires. But such a victory will also cost the life of Adele’s beloved Greyfriar.

The Rift Walkeris the second book in a trilogy of high adventure and alternative history. Combining rousing pulp action with steampunk style, the Vampire Empire series brings epic politcal themes to life within a story of heartbreaking romance, sacrifice, and heroism.

The Urban Fantasy Anthology edited by Peter S. Beagle & Joe R. Lansdale. August 2011.  Purchased.  My friend Steve Boyett has a story in this anthology. That alone was enough to get me to purchase this collection, which is loaded with big-name fantasy writers, such as Neil Gaiman, Tim Powers, and Charles De Lint. Here’s what Goodreads has to say:

Star-studded and comprehensive, this imaginative anthology brings a myriad of modern fantasy voices under one roof. Previously difficult for readers to discover in its new modes, urban fantasy is represented here in all three of its distinct styles—playful new mythologies, sexy paranormal romances, and gritty urban noir. Whether they feature tattooed demon-hunters, angst-ridden vampires, supernatural gumshoes, or pixelated pixies, these authors—including Patricia Briggs, Neil Gaiman, and Charles de Lint—mash-up traditional fare with pop culture, creating iconic characters, conflicted moralities, and complex settings. The result is starkly original fiction that has broad-based appeal and is immensely entertaining.

Exiled by M. R. Merrick. August 2011.  Purchased.  I can’t remember where I came across this book.  It sounded intriguing, and it’s garnered lots of great reviews on Goodreads, so I decided to try it.  Turns out it’s self-published, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but the story feels all-too-familiar, and the writing is just so-so.  At least the cover’s pretty! Here’s the story description:

Chase Williams is a demon hunter in the Circle, or at least he was supposed to be. On his fifteenth birthday, Chase stepped up to the altar to claim his elemental power, but it never came. Elemental magic is passed down to a hunter through the bloodline, but on Chase’s birthday, the bloodline stopped.

Exiled without the Circle’s protection, Chase has spent two years trying to survive a world riddled with half-demons and magic. When he has a run in with a frightened and seemingly innocent demon, he learns the Circle’s agenda has changed: the Circle plans to unlock a portal and unleash pure-blood demons into the world. Vowing to stop them, and knowing he can’t do it alone, Chase forms a reluctant alliance with Rayna — a sexy witch with an attitude and a secret.

In their attempt to stop them, Chase and Rayna find themselves in the middle of the Circle’s plan, leaving one of them to decide what their friendship is worth, and the other’s life depending on it.

Auraria by Tim Westover. Release date July 2012.  I received a review request from the publisher, QW Publishers, and I was especially intrigued because Westover is also the author of a book of short stories written in the International language of Esperanto. I had to look that up, since I’ve never heard of it. Turns out Esperanto was created as “an easy-to-learn and politically neutral language that transcends nationality and would foster peace and international understanding between people with different regional and/or national languages.” (from Wikipedia) Wow, who knew? Am I the only one who’s never heard of this?? Luckily for me, Auraria is written in English.  Here’s what Goodreads says:

Water spirits, moon maidens, haunted pianos, headless revenants, and an invincible terrapin that lives under the mountains. None of these distract James Holtzclaw from his employer’s mission: to turn the fading gold-rush town of Auraria, GA, into a first-class resort and drown its fortunes below a man-made lake. But when Auraria’s peculiar people and problematic ghosts collide with his own rival ambitions, Holtzclaw must decide what he will save and what will be washed away.

Taking its inspiration from a real Georgia ghost town, Auraria is steeped in the folklore of the Southern Appalachians, where the tensions of natural, supernatural and artificial are still alive.

What have you received in your mailbox this week?