In My Mailbox

This weekly feature is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren

For Review:
The Babylon Prophecy by Sean Salazr

My eclectic shopping trip:
Night Veil by Yasmine Galenorn; this was my first WOW post and now it's out and I've already read/ enjoyed it!
Another Faust by Daniel & Dina Nayeri
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

That was my week in books. What did you get?

Have a Great Week and Happy Reading !

Follow Friday & Blog Hop

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee. This weeks question:
Q: Lets step away from books for a second and get personal. What T shirt slogan best describes you?
A. I'm not big on t shirt slogans, but I do like some of the mental floss t shirts...

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This is hosted over at Crazy for Books.

Q. Highlight one book you have received this week, for review, library, etc. that you cannot wait to dig into.
A. I would have to say Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong. I'm trying to catch up on this series, way behind!

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #1)
By Jessica Spotswood
Published By Putnam's Sons Books
expected Release Date: February 7, 2012


Summary: Cate Cahill and her sisters are considered eccentric bluestockings—a little odd, a little unfashionable, and far too educated for their own good. The truth is more complicated; they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it could mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave. Before their mother died, she entrusted Cate with keeping them safe and keeping everyone, including their father, in the dark about their powers. When her father employs a governess and Cate begins to receive notes from her missing, presumed-mad godmother, her task becomes much more difficult. As Cate searches for answers in banned books and rebellious new friends, she must juggle unwanted proposals, tea parties, and an illicit attraction to the new gardener. Cate will do anything to protect her sisters, but at what cost to herself?


**First, I love this cover. Second, I've been enjoying books on witches of late and hope it sticks until this book comes out because it sounds like it will be a nice fit to my collection.

Book Review ~ A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy #1)
By Deborah Harkness
Published By Viking Adult

Summary: When historian Diana Bishop opens a bewitched alchemical manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library it represents an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordinary life. Though descended from a long line of witches, she is determined to remain untouched by her family’s legacy. She banishes the manuscript to the stacks, but Diana finds it impossible to hold the world of magic at bay any longer.

For witches are not the only otherworldly creatures living alongside humans. There are also creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires who become interested in the witch’s discovery. They believe that the manuscript contains important clues about the past and the future, and want to know how Diana Bishop has been able to get her hands on the elusive volume.

Chief among the creatures who gather around Diana is vampire Matthew Clairmont, a geneticist with a passion for Darwin. Together, Diana and Matthew embark on a journey to understand the manuscript’s secrets. But the relationship that develops between the ages-old vampire and the spellbound witch threatens to unravel the fragile peace that has long existed between creatures and humans—and will certainly transform Diana’s world as well.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. That being said, it is a very heavy book. I don't mean literally, even though it is that as well. At almost 600 pages it has a lot of information that is can be important later on and easy to miss if you just skim over parts. The mix of history, science, and paranormal was well done and I enjoyed it more than I anticipated. 

The characters were an enjoyable mix of old world meets modern. While Diana was not my favorite, throughout the book, she did hold up and by the end I was on her side. There were times that she was either too headstrong or too pliable, and not at the times you would want her to be either. Matthew and his family are typical, long lived vampires with enough history and back story to make them an interesting read. The remaining  witches, daemons, vampires, and humans was an interesting mix with their own quirks . My favorite character had to be the Bishop house and all its ghosts. From slamming doors and shifting rooms I wanted to spend more time finding out it secrets than I did the main story.

The author did an excellent job taking everything throughout the book and bringing to end that felt natural and still set up the next book. I'm looking forward to see what the next book brings for Diana, Matthew, and their hodgepodge group of family and friends.

Rating: 4 (only because I cannot see myself rereading this book due to the sheer volume and focus needed while reading it)

Book Review ~ The Near Witch

The Near Witch
By Victoria Schwab
Published By Hyperion Books
expected Release Date: August 2, 2011

*received from netGalley for review

Summary: The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. 

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. 

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life. But when an actual stranger-a boy who seems to fade like smoke-appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi's need to know- about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed the lyrical almost sing song writing of this book. The subject, setting and writing made me want to curl up and dig in right up to the end. I can definitely see myself reading this story again. 

Part of the reason for this was two of my favorite new characters of this year. Lexi has this permissible rebelliousness about her that makes you want to see her come out on top no matter the odds. Trying to fill her dead father's shoes (literally) and remember the stories he taught her while trying to keep her little sister safe. Then there is Cole, the deeply, darkly, haunted stranger to Near. This character grabbed from his first mention and as his story unraveled it just drew me to him more. While there is romance between the two in the story it does not overwhelm the main story. 
The rest of the characters are just as important. From the sisters who seem to be the only ones in Near who refuse to forget the past, to Lexi's uncle who is trying to do the right thing by his brother's family, just maybe not in the best way.
The action built from the beginning and while all the stories and rhymes may have seemed repetitious they were important come the final stand against the Near Witch. 


Rating: 5