The Mountains of Instead

Championing fiction as an escape from pandemics, politics and bad TV.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a meme created and hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren with inspiration from Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.  It basically give book bloggers everywhere the opportunity to share what books they have received/bought/librarised (yes, I just made up that word and I don't care) over the last week.  It's also responsible for my personal wish list and TBR piles growing by several dozen titles each week as I get inspired by what everyone else gets in their mailbox...


All book descriptions are courtesy of the fabulous Goodreads


Bought:


Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins


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'm in the middle of reading this right now and I am sure that many of you will understand when I say that it had me at "BAD DOG!". Complete awesomeness.


Blue Bloods - Melissa De La Cruz


When the Mayflower set sail in 1620, it carried on board the men and women who would shape America: Miles Standish; John Alden; Constance Hopkins. But some among the Pilgrims were not pure of heart; they were not escaping religious persecution. Indeed, they were not even human. They were vampires.The vampires assimilated quickly into the New World. Rising to levels of enormous power, wealth, and influence, they were the celebrated blue bloods of American society. 
The Blue Bloods vowed that their immortal status would remain a closely guarded secret. And they kept that secret for centuries. But now, in New York City, the secret is seeping out. Schuyler Van Alen is a sophomore at a prestigious private school. Suddenly, when she turns fifteen, there is a visible mosaic of blue veins on her arm. She starts to crave raw food and she is having flashbacks to ancient times. Then a girl from her school is found dead... drained of all her blood. Schuyler doesn't know what to think. 
Could those vampire legends really be true? Steeped in vampire lore and set against the heady backdrop of the rich, young, and powerful in the heart of New York City, Blue Bloods will be devoured by Melissa de la Cruz's legion fans.


Been interested in this for a while but just never got round to buying it, so snapped it up when I saw it in a sale section the other day. Really looking forward to getting my teeth into it (did you see what I did there? I crack myself up).


Librarised (yes, it's my own word and I am sticking with it):


The Society of S - Susan Hubbard


If you ever want to hide from the world, live in a small city, where everyone seems anonymous." 
That's the advice of twelve-year-old Ariella Montero, who lives with her father in Saratoga Springs, New York, in a house haunted more by secrets than by memories. The Society of S traces her journey south, to Asheville and Savannah, and on to Florida, as she learns that everything she knows about her family is a lie. 
When she finds her mother, she learns the truth: Ariella is a fledgling member of the Society of S.S stands for Sanguinists: a sect of environmentalists concerned with ethics and human rights -- although they happen to be vampires. S also stands for synesthete: a person able to see words and letters in colors. The letter S is lucky for Sara, Ariella's mother, who gravitates to cities such as Savannah and Sarasota. But will it be lucky for Ariella? Susan Hubbard's novel is an intricate literary mystery that raises provocative questions about the way we live now. Ariella's voice will lure you into a world where you'll meet the others among us: vampires who cope with their special nature and need for blood in a variety of ways, ranging from the savage to the mundane to the scientific.


Finished this a few days ago and have to admit that I was more than a little disappointed. Review to follow soon. Once I get over being disappointed.


The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness


Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown. 
But Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in a constant, overwhelming, never-ending Noise. There is no privacy. There are no secrets. 
Or are there? Just one month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd unexpectedly stumbles upon a spot of complete silence. 
Which is impossible. 
Prentisstown has been lying to him. 
And now he's going to have to run...




I have heard so many amazing things about this book - should have read it ages ago and am keen to get on to it now.


The Luxe - Anna Godbersen


A big, sumptuous tale of catty girls, dark secrets and windswept romance unfurls in this compulsively readable novel of late-19th-century New York City socialites. Godbersen weaves a tenuous web of deceit, backstabbing and pretense that follows four teens: Elizabeth Holland, a prim and proper lady of old-money society, is betrothed to one man, though furtively loves another; Henry Schoonmaker, a debauched playboy who must marry Elizabeth or be disinherited; Diana Holland, Elizabeth’s younger sister who is in love with her fiancĂ©; and Penelope Hayes, a member of the nouveau riche who will stop at nothing to win Henry’s affections. As Elizabeth and Henry’s wedding approaches, the spectacle unfolds in a wondrously grandiose scene, making for a fun, though not entirely unexpected dĂ©nouement. A delicious new twist along the Gossip Girl vein, readers will clamor for this sharp, smart drama of friends, lovers, lies and betrayal.


What can I say, the cover caught my eye and my guilty pleasure is Gossip Girl so hopefully this will be good.


Uglies - Scott Westerfeld


Playing on every teen’s passionate desire to look as good as everybody else, Scott Westerfeld (Midnighters) projects a future world in which a compulsory operation at sixteen wipes out physical differences and makes everyone pretty by conforming to an ideal standard of beauty. The "New Pretties" are then free to play and party, while the younger "Uglies" look on enviously and spend the time before their own transformations in plotting mischievous tricks against their elders. Tally Youngblood is one of the most daring of the Uglies, and her imaginative tricks have gotten her in trouble with the menacing department of Special Circumstances. She has yearned to be pretty, but since her best friend Shay ran away to the rumored rebel settlement of recalcitrant Uglies called The Smoke, Tally has been troubled. The authorities give her an impossible choice: either she follows Shay’s cryptic directions to The Smoke with the purpose of betraying the rebels, or she will never be allowed to become pretty. Hoping to rescue Shay, Tally sets off on the dangerous journey as a spy. But after finally reaching The Smoke she has a change of heart when her new lover David reveals to her the sinister secret behind becoming pretty. The fast-moving story is enlivened by many action sequences in the style of videogames, using intriguing inventions like hoverboards that use the rider’s skateboard skills to skim through the air, and bungee jackets that make wild downward plunges survivable -- and fun. Behind all the commotion is the disturbing vision of our own society -- the Rusties -- visible only in rusting ruins after a virus destroyed all petroleum. Teens will be entranced, and the cliffhanger ending will leave them gasping for the sequel. 


I find the whole premise of this book really interesting and it doesn't sound like anything I've read before.


All in all a good week for me and books!

Comments

Nice week :) Hex Hall looks really good!
Splendibird said…
It really is excellent - I have laughed out loud repeatedly and am totally intrigued by the story line. My only complaint is that I would like it to be longer!
Carla said…
I totally agree on the whole keeping the Hex Hall longer, Sophie is such an amazing character, her voice makes me giggle. BAD DOG, I just spat some of my drink out *laughs*

Wow, you have some amazing taste in books my friend! Blue Bloods is a good start to the series, and I have heard nothing but good things about Patrick Ness. I can't beleive how amazingly stocked your library is, the only good YA in mine are the ones i donated ha

Happy Reading, and your blog is looking amazing
I hope you enjoy The Knife of Letting Go. I just ordered the third book in the series and I can't wait to get started!
prophecygirl said…
Hex Hall and Blue Bloods are so good. I really hope you enjoy them! :)
deltay said…
Looks like a great week - & the UK covers are cool :)
PolishOutlander said…
The Society of S is one of those books that I've been meaning to read for a while. The Blue Bloods is one of the few vampire books I really enjoy. It's got a great storyline. Happy reading!
D Swizzle said…
Sup? Just found your blog and I am seriously LOVING your layout. Please do let me know where you got it!

The Knife of Never Letting Go was, for lack of a better word, bitchin. Can't wait to hear your thoughts.
Splendibird said…
Thanks for all comments! My blog layout came from Smitten Designs (I've added a button at the bottom of the page that links to them). They have a selection of really cool layouts, some free and some to buy. This one only cost a few pounds (five dollars) and I am so happy with it!
Robby said…
I can't wait to hear what you think of The Luxe. :]
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