Book Mailbox #3

The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter #1 ) by Megan Shepard Review

The Madman's Daughter

Author: Megan Shepard
Genre: YA Historical Fiction/Horror
Series: The Madman's Daughter Trilogy
Hardcover: 420 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray; Uncorrected Proof Edition edition
Release Date: January 29, 2013
Language: English

Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying
not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father’s gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father’s handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father’s madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island’s inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father’s dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it’s too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father’s genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Inspired by H. G. Wells’s classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman’s Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we’ll do anything to know and the truths we’ll go to any lengths to protect.

Opening Sentence: The basement hallways in King’s College of Medical Research were dark, even in the daytime.


Review:
The Madman's Daughter is retelling of H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau, which I have never read. Though a warning: this story is not for the faint of heart.
The only thing that shall be cautious of the animal experiments and deaths that goes on in this novel. Which would be the main big issue in this novel. But now that I really think about it, this book, only because of the animal experiments of vivisection, did turn me off.
But of course, I kept reading.

The main character is Juliet Moreau, who is known as the Madman's daughter. She is surprisingly relatable, for a young maid in a historical London setting. Being forced to fend for herself after her father’s scandalous disappearance and her mother's death makes her an admirable character. We get interesting  glances into her more brutal side – the side that defines her connection to science and her mad father.

After reuniting with a childhood friend and servant named Montgomery  she learns that her father is alive and working away on a remote island far from civilization.
The island is a horrific place, with its deformed inhabitants and constant stormy weather. It is as far from Victorian England as is possible to get, making the historical setting almost irrelevant. There is some modern tone usage in the book in the character's speech. You can find out what Juliet’s father has been experimenting on from the book description, which I had mentioned before, was a bit of a turn off to me since I am a animal-lover of course.

Many fans will be turned off by this book because of the one and only Love Triangle (surprise, surprise). Yes, there is a love triangle between Juliet's childhood friend, Montgomery and a castaway Edward Prince. But despite Juliet's feelings for both boys, Juliet has to figure out the haunting and frightening happenings in the jungle surrounding her father's home.

I liked Juliet, Montogomery, and Edward, but I really really like Balthazar  He's one of the deformed islanders, but he's so sweet. It's pretty sad that we don't get to know much about him and one of my favorite characters. I don't like Dr. Moreau because well, he's mad!

The end… I have to admit the end left me breathless. It was unpredictable and made me regret reading it without the sequels being released. I say that only because it blew my mind. It made me go back, saying, "Wait, WHAT?!" It's a cliffhanger that I defiantly did not see coming in the least. I really couldn't even believe that had happened when I seriously thought that all of the three characters, plus Balthazar, would be happy....

The writing in The Madman's Daughter is full of lyrical prose (in a good way), which makes it a good crafted story.
Shepard did an amazing job with this book.

Conclusion:
 The Mad Man's Daughter is a book that I would sincerely recommend. But just to be safe again, this book WILL turn people off who are sensitive to animal experiemnts and abuse, for this book does include that (not much of hte abuse) but the expierment of vivsection. Vivisection is the action of experiment on live subjects, mostly animals, for scientific research. And this book does have some graphic (though not too explicit) scenes of it that some of Juliet had witnessed.
But that aside, the Madman's daughter does have a love triange, if you're turned off by that too.
But despite the animal/human experiments and the love triangle, this book is a good book.
Personally, I do think that this book will be better if it was just a standalone novel than a trilogy. I don't understand what else could happen if it was a trilogy, but I guess we will have to see when the sequel is released.
Also, this book seems to be a bit more mature than a YA novel even though the main characters (Juliet, Montgomery, and Edward) are between sixteen and seventeen years old.

I would give the Madman's Daughter a 4.4/5.

TBR Pile of February

Author: Megan Shepard
Release Date: January 29, 2013
Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying
not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father’s gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father’s handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father’s madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island’s inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father’s dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it’s too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father’s genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Inspired by H. G. Wells’s classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman’s Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we’ll do anything to know and the truths we’ll go to any lengths to protect.

Author: Laurie Boyle Crompton 

Release Date: February 1, 2013

Summary:

Blaze is tired of spending her life on the sidelines.

All she wants is for Mark the Soccer Stud to notice her. Not as Josh's weird sister who drives a turd-brown minivan. And not as that nerdy girl who draws comics.

What she gets is her very own arch-nemesis.

Name: Mark Deninger, aka Mark the Shark
Occupation: Soccer star and all-around lady killer
Relationship Status: Serial dater
Group Affiliation: No loyalty
Known Superpowers: Anti-girlfriend force field, breaking hearts

Mark may have humiliated Blaze supervillian-style, but what he doesn't know is how geek girls always get revenge.

#GeekGrlzRevenge

Author: Kimberly Newton Fusco
Release Date: February 12, 2013
Summary:
Bee is an orphan who lives with a carnival and sleeps in the back of a tractor trailer. Every day she endures taunts for the birthmark on her face—though her beloved Pauline, the only person who has ever cared for her, tells her it is a precious diamond. When Pauline is sent to work for another carnival, Bee is lost.

Then a scruffy dog shows up, as unwanted as she, and Bee realizes that she must find a home for them both. She runs off to a house with gingerbread trim that reminds her of frosting. There two mysterious women, Mrs. Swift and Mrs. Potter, take her in. They clothe her, though their clothes are strangely out of date. They feed her, though there is nothing in their house to eat. They help her go to school, though they won't enter the building themselves. And, strangely, only Bee seems able to see them.

Whoever these women are, they matter. They matter to Bee. And they are helping Bee realize that she, too, matters to the world--if only she will let herself be a part of it.

This tender novel beautifully captures the pain of isolation, the healing power of community, and the strength of the human spirit.  

Author:  J.A. Redmerski

Release Date: November 13, 2012

Summary:

Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart.

Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she's ever known, far behind.

With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.

But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she'd do. He shows her what it's really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew's dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?

Author: Elsie Chapman

Release Date: February 26, 2013

Summary:

Two of you exist. 

Only one will survive.

The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job, marriage—life.

Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep shakes West’s confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she’s no longer certain that she’s the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her.

Elsie Chapman's suspenseful YA debut weaves unexpected romance into a novel full of fast-paced action and thought-provoking philosophy. When the story ends, discussions will begin about this future society where every adult is a murderer and every child knows there is another out there who just might be better.

Author: Tammara Webber

Release Date: October 9, 2012

Summary: 

Rescued by a stranger.

Haunted by a secret

Sometimes, love isn't easy...

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior...

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he'd worked so hard to overcome, and the future she'd put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth - and find the unexpected power of  love.

A groundbreaking novel in the New Adult genre, Easy faces one girl's struggle to regain the trust she's lost, find the inner strength to fight back against an attacker, and accept the peace she finds in the arms of a secretive boy.

Author: Miriam Forster

Release Date:  February 5, 2013

Summary:

The girl with no past, and no future, may be the only one who can save their lives.

Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a little girl. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins. She makes her way as Matron's errand girl, her closest companions the mysterious cats that trail her shadow. Only when she begins a forbidden flirtation with the city's handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside the walls. Until one by one, girls around her start to die.

Before she becomes the next victim, Nisha decides to uncover the secrets that surround the girls' deaths. But by getting involved, Nisha jeopardizes not only her own future in the City of a Thousand Dolls—but also her life.

Author: Kiersten White
Release Date: February 19, 2013
Summary:

Two sisters, bound by impossible choices, are determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.

James's frozen face melts into a smile. "Do you want to know the trick to getting in trouble under the watchful eye of a psychic?"

I think of the nailed-shut windows. I think of Clarice. I think of the two, the two, the two who are now zero. Tap tap. "Yes, I absolutely do."

"Don't plan it. Don't even think about it. The second you get an inkling of what you could do, do it then. Never plan anything ahead of time. Always go on pure instinct."

I smile. "I think I can do that."

Everbound (Everneath #2) by Brodi Ashton Book Review

 Everbound

Author: Brodi Ashton
Reading level: Ages 13 and up
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (January 22, 2013)
Language: English

Summary:
Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity—a debt that should've been hers. Now she is living a borrowed life, and she doesn't know what to do with the guilt. And every night, Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away. No matter how she tries to reach for his hand, she can never find it.

Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen—and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to help in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself.

Nikki and Cole, along with Cole's bandmate Max, descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they'd anticipated—and more deadly. From a Lake of Blood and Guilt to Sirens' alluring tricks to insurmountable walls of rock and flame, the trio is given every reason to turn back and give up. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack—even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.

In this breathtaking sequel to Everneath, Brodi Ashton tests the bonds of destiny and explores the lengths we'll go to for the ones we love.


Review:
In the last book, Everneath, we left off with Jack making the ultimate sacrifce of saving Nikki from the Tunnels, taking her place. Nikki, now drowning in her own guilt, is resolved to get him back. She soon realizes that she needs an "escort" through the Everneath and begs, pleads, and finally encourages Cole to help her.

The story takes us through the many rings of the Everneath, where our characters are tested in every way possible. Using her tether to Jack, created through her emotional bond to him, Nikki, Cole, and Max run into Sirens, Wanderers, Shades and eventually, the  Everneath Queen.

They go through three big and complicated obstacles of a maze called The Ring of Water, The Ring of Wind, and the Ring of Fire. They also are running away from Wanderes who are like "zombies with brains," and Sirens who can alter their appearance to take the form of a person's loved ones.

In order to keep track of where Jack is, Nikki has a tether, which is somewhat like a compass, and for Nikki not to loose Jack, she would tell stories about her life with him. This is a good way for readers to get more of a backstory on what Nikki's life was like with Jack in her early highschool years with flashbacks.

What I liked about Everbound was that as soon as you open the book, you are given a map of Everneath, which is awesome. This is a great way to show us where the characters are in the story.

Another thing that I liked about Everneath is Nikki's tether to Jack.
It's like a compass map telling them where to go, instead of just going to the Everneath  blind and clueless (even with Max and Cole).

Despite the love triangle (no more love squares in Everbound!) between Nikki, Cole, and Jack, it's great to know that both guys haven't given up on Nikki. We all know most YA heroes would end up hooking up with the next girl when the heroine is gone, but Cole is always waiting for that moment where Nikki could be all his, even though he knows that may never happen. I think it's sad that Cole genuinely does love Nikki even when Nikki doesn't believe him or lead him on or anything, though, which I think is smart. Cause if she did..well...I wouldn't like her anymore.

We finally get some backstory from Cole! Although, once again, it's very shortened.
And Jack... He's perfect. And by perfect I don't mean in the hot super male model perfect kind of way like in most paranormal YA books, because he's not only perfect looks-wise, but he's so damn sweet! Like, he's seriously every girl's dream, and I can see why Nikki would rather cut her arm off than give up on Jack. Because really, there's no topping Jack Caputo. I do hope that Nikki ends up staying with Jack and Cole can go with someone else, like Jules. Though, I'm not so sure about how everything about the Everneath, Everlings, Tunnels and all that jazz would make sense, I mean, look what Nikki told her dad! They thought she was crazy!

What I didn't like about Everbound was Everneath. I had always imagined that the Everneath was just a dark, cold, evil place. With Wanderers, Shades, and Sires feeding off your emotions, the Tunnels making you suffer until you die. Sort of like hell. But instead, it was the complete opposite.

But that last chapter. That last chapter was so jaw dropping. It was like a "Oh shit" jaw dropping moment because so many things happened that I never thought would.. So, when will the next book will be coming out? I'm ready for it!


Conclusion:
Fans of Everneath will defintely love Everbound. I would recommend this book for it has a lot of Greek myths and romance and action and adventure! And Jack. And Cole. And more Jack and Cole. You will not regret reading Everbound if you truly enjoyed Everneath.
I would like to say I loved this book, even though at first, I couldn't get into the first few pages of the story, everything then started to acclerate with action and suspense.
Everbound deserves 4.7/5.

The Retribution of Mara Dyer Cover Reveal

The last and final book of the Mara Dyer Trilogy: The Retribution of Mara Dyer!
It releases October 22, 2013. Now, Michelle Hodkin said that there will be no ARC's for this last book. Which is sad, but also good news but only because we are able to get the book at the same time!
So, last but not least, the cover for The Retribution of Mara Dyer!

This is the legit cover reveal for the last trilogy of the book. Don't believe me?
Check here for clarification!

http://www.michellehodkin.com/2013/01/the-retribution-of-mara-dyer-has-cover.html

Now, we Mara Dyer fans can savior this cover 'till we get the finaly book in our hands!

The Archived by Victoria Schwab Review

The Archived
Author: Victoria Swab
Hardcover: 321 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Publishing Date: January 22, 2013
Language: English

Summary:
Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.



Review:
I never read The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab.
Right from the blurb, I knew I was going to enjoy the book. It sounded completely original and honestly, it was.
This was a unique idea which was crafted into a wonderfully written, hopefully-wished-to-be-movie. And because of this, I will definitely be adding Victoria Schwab to my favorite author's list.

Schwab created an amazing, intricate world, and thankfully, does a great job of balancing everything out; explaining everything in great detail as the story progresses without paragraphs and pages of info-dumps.

To make a long story short, Mackenzie "Mac" Bishop has inherited an ability like her grandfather, Da, which he had informed her about. Da, was a Keeper, a human trained to keep Histories from escaping back into the real world.
A History is a record of a person. Not a ghost or a soul, it's just a personified record of every experience and memory held when they were alive.

Ever since Mac was a young girl, Da use to train her to become a Keeper in secret for a future role to become a Keeper, explaining to her about the Narrow's and the Archive.
If it's confusing, the world is separated into 3 parts.

The Outer, the normal world, living world, and it's only what most people know about.

The Narrows, a place with stained hallways, doors, distant whispers, banging and shouting, all surrounded in darkness, which is like the middle between the Outer and the Archive. According to Mac, "There are no sky's in the Narrow's, but it always feel like night, smells like night. Night in a city after rain. On top of that there's a breeze, faint but steady, carrying stale air through the halls. Like you're in a air shaft.  Imagine this: a dark alley, just wide enough for you to spread your arms and skim the rough walls on either side with your fingers. You look up to see...nothing, just the walls running up and up and up into black. the only light comes from the doors that line the walls, their outlines giving off a faint flow, their keyholes letting in beams of light that show like threads in the dusty air. it is enough to see by, but not enough to see well. (pg 14)

And the Archive, a library for the dead.

It is known that a History breaks free of the Archive and escapes into the Narrows. Confused and disoriented  they wander the Narrows, not knowing that they are no longer living, and it's a Keeper's job to send them back. Returning them back to the Archive. As a Keeper, Mac has been trained to Return the Histories to the Archive before they break into the Outer (and cause lots of chaos and destruction).
Sometimes returning a History is easy, others--not so much because the older the History is (the age that the person died), and the longer that they have wandered the Narrows, they will become hostile and dangerous.

I loved everything about this world. So original, and fresh. The story is mostly of Mac transferring from the Outer to the Narrows to the Archive and back again.I love the way she is given her "assignments", her orders to find an escaped History, orders that show up as a name and age that appear on a piece of paper Mac always keeps in her pocket. I love that all Keepers wear rings, rings that keep all the "noise" of the living, their emotions, their memories, from overpowering the Keeper. And I love that Keepers are assigned keys that unlock doors between the worlds. Awesome.

But I also like the system of the Archive, which is  like a library, with Librarians to make sure everything is silent and in control. But it's also creepy because imagine this: a library. A library with drawers that you would see in a morgue-names and dates. See, Histories are kept on shelves like books, but they can also be "pulled out" like "drawers". See?

I like Mac's job as a Keeper. If this was reality, I think I would be in the middle of accepting to do this kind of job and not. Just because of the rules and regulations and a bunch of other stuff I would probably hate.

Now, moving onto the characters. Mac, our protagonist. She's a strong character with a sad past that I couldn't help feel bad for. Da, Mac's grandfather had passed. This is the man who told and taught his granddaughter to be like her, and years later, he dies. But not only did Da died, but so did Mac's little brother, Ben, who was only 10 years old when he was killed in a hit-and-run.
But she keeps herself away from her family because of the "noise" that her family, as well as other humans-life-overall give. The noise can be a bit overwhelming for Mac and because of that, she doesn't like to be touched, or like to touch other people. She would remember, or rather have flashbacks to the time when Da was alive and teaching her about Keepers, the Narrows, and the Archive. I really like Mackenize a lot.

Wesley. I loved Wesley. He's smart, funny, and just simply amazing. Mac meets Wes when she moves to Coronado, a hotel made into a apartment building. While Wes has secrets of his own, he's a great match for her. Mac, while serious, Wes is the opposite. Playful. Plus, Wes is described as punk, and he wears Guyliner and has spikey hair. Yes!
I love guys that wears guyliner. :)

So yes, there is a great connection between Mac and Wesley, until: Owen. Owen is mysterious and I shall NOT say anything to spoil him. You'll have to figure out this book.

Lastly, Victoria Schwab's writing is phenomenal. Again, I have not read her first debut, The Near Witch, but The Archived makes up for that. And I'm in love with this book. I imagined everything happening cinematically in my head-which is a damn good thing. I hope it'll become a movie. Hopefully. Hope-fully.


Conclusion:
The Archived is an amazing book. Great, original premise. Balanced story-building, amazing characters  mystery, romance, drama, all the works. There are some great surprises in this book that had me literally *gasping* because it was such a shock.
I would definitely  DEFINITELY  DEFINITELY recommend this book! Go pick this up at the library, read an excerpt, order the BOOK! But you HAVE to read it!
Though, there are questions I have. Does anyone else, but Da and Mackenzie know about the Histories, the Narrows, or the Archived? Her parents? How does Da know? How was he brought up with this supernatural world?
Those questions for me, I want answered, and hopefully they shall be if there is a sequel. I hope there is a sequel.
The Archived is rewarded a 10/10 and over!

Book Mailbox #2

So, like before, in my first mailbox, I had said I had orderd 7 books all together.
The remaining three came in my mailbox today when I got home.
So, the final three books I am going to be reading are:

Everbound by Brodi Ashton
The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepard
The Archieved by Victoria Schwab

I'm so excited to read them!