In My Mailbox: Week 30

For Review:

Secret Society by Tom Dolby ( ARC/ Harper Collins/ September 2009)

Do you ever wonder how some people have it so easy? The best schools, the hottest parties, the priciest clothes, the easiest jobs?

Maybe it’s not because they work hard or get a lucky break every once in a while.

Maybe it’s because they’re part of a secret club. A secret society.

Phoebe and Nick and Lauren didn’t ask to be society members. They already had it pretty good at New York’s exclusive Chadwick Prep. But after they heard—were assured—of success and ease beyond belief, they say yes to everything. Even to the harrowing initiation ceremony in a gritty warehouse downtown. And the ankh-shaped tattoo they’re forced to get on the nape of their necks.

The instant they become members, everything falls into place. Nick gets a club gig. Lauren’s jewelry designs are a hit. Phoebe has her own gallery show. It’s all perfect—until a body is found in Central Park. With no distinguishing marks...except for an ankh-shaped tattoo.

You can read my review of this here.

Intertwined by Gena Showalter ( ARC/ Harlequin Teen/ September 2009)

There’s something about the new guy at Crossroads High . . .

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, for as long as he’s with 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. . . doomed. Still, the four will enter a dark underworld of intrigue and danger. . . but not everyone will come out alive. . .

This looks fantastic. Plus, the guy on the cover is kind of cute. lol


Troy High by Shana Norris ( ARC/Amulet Books/ August 2009)

Homer's Iliad, the classic tale of love and revenge, is shrewdly retold for teens in Troy High.

Narrated by Cassie, a shy outsider who fears that an epic high school rivalry is about to go up in flames, the story follows the Trojans and Spartans as they declare war on the football field. After the beautiful Elena- who used to be the captain of the Spartan cheerleaders- transfers to Troy High and falls madly in love with Cassie's brother Perry, the Spartans vow that the annual homecoming game will never be forgotten.

The Trojans and Spartans pull wicked pranks on each other as homecoming approaches. And the Spartans' wildcard football star, Ackley, promises to take down the Trojans' offensive line. But the stakes are raised when Cassie is forced to choose between the boy she loves (a Spartan) and the loyalty to her family and school.

I can't wait to read this!

If You Live Like Me by Lori Webber ( Paperback/ Lobster Press/ April 2009)

A city girl’s concept of “home” is turned upside down when her father’s anthropology research relocates them to St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Before her plane even touches down in Newfoundland, Cheryl is already plotting her escape. She knows life on “the rock” will be no better than it was in the other places she’s been forced to live ever since her parents launched their cross-Canada tour. The unwilling spectator of her father’s morbid fascination with “dying cultures,” Cheryl has seen more than her fair share of towns so depressing they could haunt your dreams. His need to study the defunct fishing industry in St. John’s is Cheryl’s breaking point – this city girl is more determined than ever to get back to the concrete, the buzz, and the bright lights of Montreal.

Will Cheryl’s cold, goth exterior and her refusal to embrace a new life cut her off from those who love her? Lori Weber once again proves herself to be a masterful storyteller, this time challenging the idea of home, and what holds families and communities together. If You Live Like Me explores the bonds that form in strange and unexpected ways, and shows how letting go can lead to the strongest connections of all.

This looks like it's going to be good!

Contest:

Waiting For You by Susane Colasanti

Derek
Friendly and popular
Style: Cali surfer boy
Awesome at flirting
Future career: landscape architect
Boyfriend potential: high

Nash
Shy but sweet
Style: totally geeked out
Only talks to girls when absolutely necessary
Future career: robotics engineer
Boyfriend potential: none

Derek is clearly the boy Marisa's been waiting for, but there's just one problem. He has a girlfriend. Nash is wrong for Marisa, but he wants to take care of her. As if life wasn't complicated enough, Marisa's also dealing with overcoming a major problem from her past, a family that's falling apart, and a best friend who won't stop talking to sketchy guys online. Only the anonymous DJ, who has the school's ear with his underground podcasts, seems to get what Marisa's going through. But she has no idea who he is - or does she?

Oooh, I LOVED this novel!! Plus, this copy of it is signed by Susane which is so cool.

I think I shall say I had a pretty good week. Agreed? lol