In My Mailbox (23)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme inspired by Alea and hosted by Kristi. Check out Kristi's blog to see what other bloggers got in terms of books this week!

Over the last two weeks, I received...

For review:

Merlin's Harp by Anne Crompton
(Sourcebooks Fire / March 1, 2010)

Among the towering trees of magical Avalon, where humans dare not tread, lives Niviene, daughter of the Lady of the Lake and apprentice to Merlin the mage. Her people, the Fey, are folk of the wood and avoid the violence and avarice of man. But the strife of King Arthur's realm threatens even Avalon's peace, and Merlin needs his apprentice to thwart the chaos devouring Camelot. And so Niviene must use her special talents to help save a kingdom and discover the treachery of men and the beauty of love. A mystical love story, now back in print, sure to become a modern teen classic.

The Clone Codes by the McKissacks
(Scholastic / Feb. 1, 2010)

The Cyborg Wars are over and Earth has peacefully prospered for more than one hundred years. Yet sometimes history must repeat itself until humanity learns from its mistakes. In the year 2170, despite technological and political advances, cyborgs and clones are treated no better than slaves, and an underground abolitionist movement is fighting for freedom. Thirteen-year-old Leanna's entire life is thrown into chaos when The World Federation of Nations discovers her mom is part of the radical Liberty Bell Movement.


After her mother's arrest for treason, Leanna must escape as she is chased by a ruthless bounty hunter. Soon Leanna finds herself living among the Firsts, and nothing will ever be the same again. But what does The World Federation want with the daughter of a traitor? So much is uncertain. Danger hides everywhere. Fear takes over. With help from unlikely sources, Leanna learns the origin of The Liberty Bell Movement and how its members may have answers about her past-and her new reality.


As family secrets are revealed, Leanna must face startling truths about self-identity and freedom. Through time travel, advanced technologies, and artificial intelligence, this exhilarating adventure asks what it means to be human and explores the sacrifices an entire society will make to find out.


Acclaimed authors Patricia C. McKissack and Frederick L. McKissack have collaborated with their son, John to deliver a novel that is as suspenseful as it is searing.

Airhead, Book 3: Runaway by Meg Cabot
(Scholastic / May 1, 2010)

Emerson Watts is on the run: from school, from work, from her family, from her friends, from herself.


With everyone she loves furious with her for something she can't explain, and nothing but the live Stark Angel fashion show on New Year's Eve to look forward to, Em's reached the end of her rope. . .what's the point of even going on?


But when she discovers the truth about Nikki's secret, she knows there's only one person she can turn to.


Will Christopher be able to put aside his personal feelings and help her expose her employer to the world? Is it even fair to get Christopher involved--since if he agrees, there's every chance that Stark Enterprises will try to have them both killed--this time, permanently?


Maybe it would be better for Em to just keep on running.

I've read the first two books in the series and thought it was okay, but with the whole conspiracy mystery, I just HAVE to find out how it ends.

The Keys to the Kingdom, Book 1: Mister Monday by Garth Nix
(Scholastic / June 2003)

Seven days. Seven keys. Seven virtues. Seven sins. One mysterious house is the doorway to a very mysterious world -- where one boy is about to venture and unlock a number of fantastical secrets. This is another thrilling, triumphantly imaginative series from Garth Nix, the best-selling author of THE SEVENTH TOWER, SABRIEL, and LIRAEL.

The Keys to the Kingdom, Book 7: Lord Sunday by Garth Nix
(Scholastic / March 1, 2010)

Seven days. Seven keys. Seven virtues. Seven sins.


In this thrilling conclusion to Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series, Arthur Penhaligon must complete his quest to save the Kingdom he is heir to...and Arthur's world.

I think I was a bit too old by the time I started this series: I had already read Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen and loved them all.

Seven Deadly Sins, Book 1: Original Sin by Allison Brennan
(Ballantine / Jan. 26, 2010)

Haunted by chilling memories of demonic possession and murder, Moira O’Donnell has spent seven years hunting down her mother, Fiona, whose command of black magic has granted her unprecedented control of the underworld. Now Moira’s global search has led her to a small California town that’s about to become hell on earth.


Tormented by his own terrifying past and driven by powers he can’t explain, ex-seminarian Rafe Cooper joins Moira’s dangerous quest. But Fiona is one devilish step ahead. Hungry for greater power, eternal youth, and stunning beauty, the sorceress is unleashing upon the mortal world the living incarnations of the Seven Deadly Sins.


Together with a demonologist, a tough female sheriff, and a pair of star-crossed teenagers, Moira and Rafe are humanity’s last chance to snatch salvation from the howling jaws of damnation.

The Wish Stealers by Tracy Trivas
(Aladdin / Jan. 26, 2010)

Griffin Penshine is always making wishes. But when a sinister old woman tricks her into accepting a box of eleven shiny Indian Head pennies from 1897, Griffin soon learns these are no ordinary pennies, but stolen wishes.


This box of labeled pennies comes with a horrible curse: People in possession of the stolen coins are Wish Stealers, who will never have their wishes granted.... In fact, the opposite of what they've wished for will happen. Griffin must find a way to return these stolen wishes and undo the curse if her own wishes are to come true.


But how can Griffin return wishes to strangers who might not even be alive? Her journey leads her to ancient alchemists, Macbeth's witches, and a chance to help people in ways she never imagined, but the temptation of the Wish Stealers' dark and compelling power is growing stronger. Can Griffin reverse the curse in time to save herself and the people she loves?


Tracy Trivas's rich and imaginative début novel introduces a talent as bright and sparkling as Griffin's pennies.

I've been wanting to read this for a long time! Yay!

From One Arc Tours:

Swoon at Your Own Risk by Sidney Salter
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - Graphia / Apr. 5, 2010)

You’d think Polly Martin would have all the answers when it comes to love—after all, her grandmother is the famous syndicated advice columnist Miss Swoon. But after a junior year full of dating disasters, Polly has sworn off boys. This summer, she’s going to focus on herself for once. So Polly is happy when she finds out Grandma is moving in—think of all the great advice she’ll get.


But Miss Swoon turns out to be a man-crazy sexagenarian! How can Polly stop herself from falling for Xander Cooper, the suddenly-hot skateboarder who keeps showing up while she’s working at Wild Waves water park, when Grandma is picking up guys at the bookstore and flirting with the dishwasher repairman?


No advice column can prepare Polly for what happens when she goes on a group camping trip with three too many ex-boyfriends and the tempting Xander. Polly is forced to face her feelings and figure out if she can be in love—and still be herself.

The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell
(EgmontUSA / May 11, 2010)

Damien Locke knows his destiny--attending the university for supervillains and becoming Golden City's next professional evil genius. But when Damien discovers he's the product of his supervillain mother's one-night stand with--of all people--a superhero, his best-laid plans are ruined as he's forced to live with his superhero family.


Going to extreme lengths (and heights), The Rise of Renegade X chronicles one boy's struggles with the villainous and heroic pitfalls of growing up.

I started this last night. I'm about 100 pages in, and it's great! Who would've thought that a supervillain-wannabe teenage boy would be so interesting to read about?

Bought:
Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
The Looking Glass Wars, Book 3: ArchEnemy by Frank Beddor
Sookie Sackhouse, Book 8: From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
Z for Zachariah by Robert O'Brien
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link

Borrowed from a friend:
Mad Kestrel by Misty Massey
Deadline by Chris Crutcher
Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

Swapped:
Flash Burnout by L. K. Madigan
Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley
The Dark Mirror by Juliet Marillier
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede
Stray by Rachel Vincent
The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peteron Cameron

All of these books sound great and I can't wait to get to them!