In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren, which allows bloggers to share what books they’ve received in the past week. They can be from stores, contests, tours or publishers!

• The Twilight Saga: Official Illustrated Guide by Stephenie Meyer (purchased)
• Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (purchased)
• Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (purchased)
• Oliver Nocturne: Blood Ties by Kevin Emerson (library)
• Conspiracy 365: February by Gabrielle Lord (library)
• Unnatural by Michael Griffo (purchased)
• The Morganville Vampires Vol III: Lord of Misrule & Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine (purchased)

So these are the books I’ve bought & borrowed out this week. I read Hush, Hush a few weeks ago from my local library and loved it but they didn’t have Crescendo so I decided to get them both online. I found the shiny hardbacks cheap on AmazonUK so I quickly snapped them up. My copy of Unnatural arrived looking like the front corner had gotten wet in the post (it was dry when it arrived, but warped), but I couldn’t be bothered sending it back to the UK and waiting for a replacement to get to me so I guess I’ll just live with it (plus I’ve read it now. see my review). Another Morganville bind-up arrived this week as well, I really have to get back to reading them soon. If only I didn’t have university textbooks to read as well.

Link up to your mailbox and I’ll be sure to check it out!

Title: Unnatural (Archangel Academy #1)
Author: Michael Griffo
Published: February, 2011 by K Teen (Kensington)
Pages: 480
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

In the town of Eden in northwestern England stands the exclusive boarding school known as Archangel Academy. Ancient and imposing, it’s a place filled with secrets. Just like its students…

For Michael Howard, being plucked from his Nebraska hometown and sent thousands of miles away is as close as he’s ever come to a miracle. In Weeping Water, he felt trapped, alone. At Archangel Academy, Michael belongs. And in Ciaran, Penry, and especially Ciaran’s enigmatic half-brother Ronan, Michael finds friendship deeper than he’s ever known.

But Michael’s only beginning to understand what makes the Academy so special. Ronan is a vampire—part of a hybrid clan who are outcasts even among other vampires. Within the Academy’s confines exists a ruthless world of deadly rivalries and shifting alliances, of clandestine love and forbidden temptations. And soon Michael will confront the destiny that brought him here—and a danger more powerful than he can imagine…

Final Thoughts:
Slow to start, but stick with it and you’ll be greatly rewarded. Michael and Ronan will keep you glued to the pages. Full of snarky vampires, apathetic mothers and controlling fathers, Unnatural comes as a fresh breath in the vampire/boarding school genre.

Title: Alpha (The Shifters #6)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Published: October, 2010 by Mira
Pages: 472
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

The unscrupulous new Council chair has charged Jace, Marc and me with trespassing, kidnapping, murder and treason. Yeah, we’ve been busy. But now it’s time to take justice into our own hands. We must avenge my brother’s death and carve out the rot at the heart of the Council. It’s not going to be easy, and loss seems unavoidable, but I have promised to protect my Pride, no matter what. With a target on my back and Marc at my side, I’m heading for a final showdown that can—that will—change everything forever. A showdown I’m not sure I’m ready for. But life never waits until you’re ready.

Final Thoughts:
Wow, this book had my emotions all over the place. In the middle of an all-out war Faythe just can’t catch a break. It’s one of those tense reads where if something can go wrong, it will. And aside from her Pride problems, her love life isn’t much better. Torn between two guys (oh the pain of it) and with Calvin Malone well and truly on the bus to power hungry crazy town, Faythe’s life is one colossal mess.

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Breaking the Spine and serves to showcase those pesky books that aren’t released yet, but that we’re eagerly awaiting! This week, my WoW is…

Title: The Demon’s Surrender (The Demon’s Lexicon #3)
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Published: June, 2011 by Simon & Schuster

The Goblin Market has always been the centre of Sin’s world. She’s a dancer and a performer, secure in her place. But now the Market is at war with the magicians, and Sin’s place is in danger. Keeping secrets from the market she loves, struggling with a friend who has become a rival, Sin is thrown together with the Ryves brothers, Nick and Alan – whom she’s always despised. But Alan has been marked by a magician, to be tortured as the magician pleases, and as Sin watches Alan struggle to protect the demon brother he loves, she begins to see both brothers in a new light. But how far will brother go to save brother – and what will it cost them all?

This is my most anticipated book for the year. I can’t decide which cover I like better. The UK one has the burning city, but the US cover has Alan. I’ll probably end up buying both. The first two books, The Demon’s Lexicon and The Demon’s Covenant were two of my favourite books, they left me begging for more, you can never have enough Nick. The wait for The Demon’s Surrender is paining me. Luckily Sarah Rees Brennan has been posting little snippets and short stories on her livejournal to keep us satisfied until June.

What are you waiting on? Feel free to link me up and I’ll check yours out!

Title: Shift (The Shifters #5)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Published: March, 2010 by Mira
Pages: 441
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Being the first female werecat enforcer isn’t easy. Scars accumulate, but I’m stronger in so many ways. As for my personal life? It’s complicated. Choices worth making always are. Ever since my brother’s death and my father’s impeachment, it’s all I can do to prevent more blood from spilling. Now our Pride is under attack by a flight of vicious thunderbirds. And making peace with our new enemies may be the only way to get the best of our old foe. With the body count rising and treachery everywhere, my instincts tell me to look before I leap. But sometimes a leap of faith is the only real option…

Final Thoughts:
Oh my god. That’s pretty much the feeling I was left with throughout this book. Rachel Vincent is definitely not one who shies away from killing off her characters or maybe just dismembering them. The personal struggles come hard and fast. No one is safe. The internal war that has been building steadily throughout the series is coming to a peak. I’m left in awe of Calvin Malone’s sheer evilness. It’s brilliant.

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren, which allows bloggers to share what books they’ve received in the past week. They can be from stores, contests, tours or publishers!

• Stefan’s Diaries Vol III: The Craving by Kevin Williamson & Julie Plec (purchased)
• Defiance by Lili St. Crow (purchased)
• Agent 21 by Chris Ryan (purchased)
• Forsaken by Jana Oliver (purchased)
• Mercy by Rebecca Lim (purchased)
• Exile by Rebecca Lim (purchased)
• The Morganville Vampires Vol II: Midnight Alley & Feast Of Fools by Rachel Caine (purchased)

So these are the books I’ve bought in my first week of blogging. I finally received my copy of the second Morganville bind-up, so I’m going to be reading that soon. Firstly, I have to finish my last two library books (Shift and Alpha by Rachel Vincent) as they’re due back very soon. I really love the colours and design on the covers of Mercy and Exile by Australian author Rebecca Lim, they looked so good in store that I had to get them both straight away, hopefully the story stacks up.

Link up to your mailbox and I’ll be sure to check it out!

Today was a long day. Starting with maybe three hours sleep, I got up at 3am and left at 4am for the early morning drive to Brisbane. I was lucky enough that Penguin Australia allowed me to attend the Rachel Caine breakfast (author of The Morganville Vampires and Weather Warden series’) with my friend Brittany (Nice Girls Read Books) since I was driving her. Rainstorms, roadworks, strange coloured lightning and impossible to see through fog pursued, yet we managed to make it there in one piece.

After a little sightseeing up wrong streets and a painfully steep climb up a hill we panted our way into the lobby at the hotel. We spotted Rachel getting her morning cup of coffee while we regained our breath. Not long after Melissa from Spellbound by Books arrived we grouped in the hotel’s dining hall, plated ourselves a breakfast and sat around a cosy table while Rachel told us of her little mishap with the elaborate yet painfully slow toasting machine. A messy breakfast was destined for whoever was behind her in the queue.

Once Lisa from Badass Bookie got there our little breakfast group was complete. After today I have to say, Rachel Caine has to be one of the most amazingly friendly authors around (albeit this is my first author meet and greet). She took on any and all questions with ease. Being in such a small group I thought it would be daunting, but to my surprise it was very easy going and a whole lot of fun.

Me, Brittany (Nice Girls Read Books), Rachel Caine,
Lisa (Badass Bookie) and Melissa (Spellbound by Books)

She even took the time to sign our books during breakfast rather than lining up later in the day at the public signing. I only had my bind-up edition of Glass Houses and The Dead Girls’ Dance with me (still waiting on the other bind-ups to arrive in the mail).

Before we said our goodbyes we all got to take some photos with her by the couches. I’m so happy and thankful to Felicity from Penguin and Rachel Caine herself that I got to take part in this extremely fun event. As a special treat, she gave us each a shiny purple ‘Bite Club’ lenticular bookmark and a little Morganville Resident ID Card which she gladly signed on as my ‘Protector’.

On top of that we got to go on a tour of the Brisbane CBD with fellow blogger, Melissa, before she had to get to work. We scooped all of the bookstores we could find and each came away with our own heavy bag of goodies and lighter wallets.

By midday, I was running on empty, but we managed to make our way across to Dymocks (Bookstore) again and say another hello to Felicity and Rachel while she signed a load of books for her fans. One woman actually did have a load, a backpack with about twenty books from across her different series I think, and Rachel happily signed them all for her.

After the signing we made our way for the long trek home loaded with energy drinks and iced donuts. All in all it was a fantastic day.