In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a post where I tell you the books that I received this week either by buying them from the bookstore, going to the library or from my mailbox. In My Mailbox was inspired by Alea and turned into a meme by Kristi.

I was going to make a video, but my friend ended up staying over so I didn't have time. Next week though!

Hourglass by Claudia Gray

Bianca will risk everything to be with Lucas.

After escaping from Evernight, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas seek refuge with Black Cross, an elite group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at its hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend—the vampire Balthazar—all her secrets threaten to come out.

Soon, Bianca and Lucas are on the run, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful vampires of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they run, Bianca can't escape her destiny. Bianca and Lucas have always believed their love could survive anything—but can it survive what's to come?

Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin

It’s been over six months since the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. Alex and Darla have been staying with Alex’s relatives, trying to cope with the new reality of the primitive world so vividly portrayed in Ashfall, the first book in this series. It’s also been six months of waiting for Alex’s parents to return from Iowa. Alex and Darla decide they can wait no longer and must retrace their journey into Iowa to find and bring back Alex’s parents to the tenuous safety of Illinois. But the landscape they cross is even more perilous than before, with life-and-death battles for food and power between the remaining communities. When the unthinkable happens, Alex must find new reserves of strength and determination to survive.

Contest Saturday

Here are some contests that are currently going on right now in the blogosphere that are book related. Click the links to enter them. I will try to hold my own contest each month.

Win a copy of The Savage Grace HERE. Ends 4/13

Win a copy of Pure HERE. Ends 4/13

Win a copy of I Hunt Killers HERE. Ends 4/13

Win a Mirror Mirror Prize Pack HERE. Ends 4/13

Win a copy of Of Poseidon HERE. Ends 4/13

Win a copy of The Savage Grace HERE. Ends 4/15

Win a copy of Forgiven HERE. Ends 4/16

Win a copy of Chopsticks HERE. Ends 4/20

Win a copy of The Immortal Rules HERE. Ends 4/24

Read a copy of Dear Dylan HERE. Ends 4/30

April TBR List

This is my first video! I only have a camera on my computer, so I just recorded it with my webcam on YouTube. It kind of messed up in the middle, but oh well! Plus I filmed this yesterday, so when I say "tomorrow" it's actually today...and "today" is actually yesterday...

These are the books that I would like to read in the month of April!

Books:
Save the Pearls Part One: Revealing Eden- Victoria Foyt
What Do You Want to Do Before You Die?- The Buried Life
Girl Unmoored- Jennifer Gooch Hummer
The Stone Girl- Alyssa B. Sheinmel
Tomorrow Land- Mari Mancusi
Belles- Jen Calonita
I Hunt Killers- Barry Lyga
172 Hours on the Moon- Johan Harstad
Yesterday- C.K. Kelly Martin
The Van Alen Legacy- Melissa de la Cruz
Fear- Michael Grant

Blogs/People Mentioned:
www.readingangel.com

Ship of Souls by Zetta Elliott

Title: Ship of Souls
Author: Zetta Elliott
Publisher: AmazonEncore
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult
Grade: 73% or C-
Buy It: Amazon

When 11-year-old Dmitri (“D”) loses his mother to breast cancer, he finds himself taken in by an elderly white woman, Mrs. Martin. D loves to watch birds and, while in the park, is amazed to find an injured bird that can talk. He takes it home and soon learns there are malevolent forces inhabiting the region beneath Prospect Park and they are hunting for the bird; Nuru is a life force that has been kept hostage by the earthbound spirits who are ghosts of soldiers that died in the Revolutionary War. Nuru’s mission is to guide the ship that will carry the souls of the dead back to her realm. D has been chosen as Nuru’s host, and must carry the bird from Brooklyn to the African Burial Ground in lower Manhattan where the dead await deliverance.

My Thoughts::
I haven't heard anything about this book before I read it, and most of the time I like that. It's sort of cool to read a book when you have no idea how others felt about it or if they liked it. Then knowing that when you write about it, all your thoughts are fresh and you know they all have to be your own because you know no one else's.

This book was so short that I didn't get to build a solid connection to any of the characters. This is always disappointing because you WANT to build that connection, not only to get to know the character better, but because it makes the book that much more emotional. When something happens to the character you care a whole lot more because you actually care about that character. Instead, I realized the character was in danger, but I didn't really have any strong feelings about what happens to them. This makes for some dull moments that are supposed to be suspenseful.

There was also a lot going on in the book. You're trying to get a sense of whats happening, which was exciting but also a bit confusing. And since the book was so short, everything, including the friendships, seemed rushed and just packed together.

Despite these things, the book was fast paced and a decent book to read in one sitting. The plot was creative and the book discussed things more serious than just boyfriend troubles. Even though it was short, I couldn't help feeling afterward that I read something heftier.