In My Mailbox #1

Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes
A murderer is loose in New York City ...
... and the victims are Downworlder children. Clary Fray and her fellow Shadowhunters have a strong suspicion that Valentine, Clary's father, may be behind the killings. But if he is the murderer, then what's his true motive? To make matters worse, the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, has been stolen, and the mysterious Inquisitor has arrived to investigate, with his eyes vigilantly targeted on Clary's brother, Jace.
Clary will need to face some terrifying demons and even more terrifying family decisions. No one said that the life of a Shadowhunter would be easy.

Mortal Instruments: City of Glass

To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her new found powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost? 

Soul Screamers: My Soul to Save

When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies.

So when teen pop star Eden croaks onstage and Kaylee doesn't wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can't cry for someone who has no soul.

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad's ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend's loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can't possibly understand.

Kaylee can't let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk….

Strange Angels: Betrayals

She’s no angel . . . Poor Dru Anderson. Her parents are long gone, her best friend is a werewolf, and she’s just learned that the blood flowing through her veins isn’t entirely human. (So what else is new?)
Now Dru is stuck at a secret New England School for other teens like her, and there’s a big problem— she’s the only girl in the place. A school full of cute boys wouldn’t be so bad, but Dru’s killer instinct says that one of them wants her dead. And with all eyes on her, discovering a traitor within the Order could mean a lot more than social suicide.Can Dru survive long enough to find out who has betrayed her trust—and maybe even her heart?

The Eternal Ones

Haven Moore can't control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmother's house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was.

In New York, Haven meets Iain Morrow and is swept into an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Iain is suspected of murdering a rock star and Haven wonders, could he have murdered her in a past life? She visits the Ouroboros Society and discovers a murky world of reincarnation that stretches across millennia. Haven must discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves¸ before all is lost and the cycle begins again.

 The Immortals: Night Star

After fighting for centuries to be together, Ever and Damen’s future hinges on one final showdown that will leave readers gasping for breath. Don’t miss this explosive new installment of the #1 bestselling series that’s enchanted millions across the world!
Haven still blames Ever for the death of her boyfriend Roman, no matter how hard Ever’s tried to convince her it was an accident. Now she’s determined to take Ever down…and destroy Damen and Jude along the way. Her first step is to tear Ever and Damen apart—and she has just the ammunition to do it.
Hidden in one of Ever’s past lives is a terrible secret about Damen—a secret that illuminates new facts about her relationship with Jude, but that’s so dark and brutal it might be enough to drive her and Damen apart once and for all. As Ever faces her greatest fears about the guy she wants to spend eternity with, she’s thrust into a deadly clash with Haven that could destroy them all.
Now it’ll take everything she’s got—and bring out powers she never knew she had—to face down her most formidable enemy. But in order to win, she must first ask herself: is her own survival worth dooming Haven to an eternity of darkness in the Shadowland? And will learning the truth about Damen’s past hold the key to their future?

 Deadly Little Secret

Some secrets shouldn't be kept... Up until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes anything but ordinary.
Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe the rumors, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. She's inexplicably drawn to Ben...and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help--but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something... but he's not the only one with a secret.

Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Blurb:

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know.... 

Review:
I loved this book from start to end. I did not like when my friend Ciara (Pronouced Kyra) told me the main part of the plot. So going to start calling her Ce-arrr-raa. But that whole suspence of Valentines impending doom and Jace and The Shadowhunters it really was a heartstopping, adernaline pumping read.
Clary thinks shes normal and I think (in my opinion) that is really original because normally they know they are different or something strange is going to come out of the blue. Then she finds out that she can see people, other people can't see. She finds out her best friend is in love with her and her mother is a Shadowhunter. Or Ex and she was married to someone before her father. A father who she had never met.

The Body Finder: 2 Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Blurb:

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.

Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger. 

Review:
I loved the first one and thought nothing could live up to it but Derting outdid herself. I loved this book more than the Body Finder for the intregue but not as much for the ending. The Body Finders ending had my heart thumping in my chest but this one had me just gasping for air. But otherwise it was a great book. I liked the plot and how the FBI came into it all. I liked the psyhcopath after her and I loved her and Jay.
A great sequel to The Body Finder.

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Blurb:
Is love a great enough power against evil?
Three angels are sent down to bring good to the world: Gabriel the warrior; Ivy the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. But she is the most human, and when she is romantically, drawn to a mortal boy, the angels fear she will not be strong enough to save anyone - especially herself...

Review:
First impression of this book was that it was very religious. It's kind of a given when the book is about angels but I never expected it to be so religious. I liked the book though. This book isn't about fallen angels or angels who like to kill people, its about the search for goodness and trying to repare the badness in the world, which was sweet. Then the fact that Bethany was so innocent that she couldn't see that people were not as innocent a she was, I thought that was funny. But I loved Xavier, he was sweet, hansome and understanding of her. I like the fact that the story built up but everything kind of happen in three chapters. That's the only fault I could put on the book and other than that I liked it. 

Movie Review: I am Number Four

Synopsis:
John is an extraordinary teen, masking his true identity and passing as a typical high school student to elude a deadly enemy seeking to destroy him. Three like him have already been killed ... he is Number Four.

Director: D.J. Caruso

John:          Alex Pettyfer
Henri:        Timothy Olyphant
Number 6:  Teresa Palmer
Sarah:         Dianna Agron

Review:

OMG! I absolutely loved this film. I screamed. I laughed. I clapped when Alex Pettyfer had no top on and did a back flip. Me and Ciara (I am Number Four book review) watched it on Friday. She assured me it wasn't scary. Well, if a big slimy alien thing isn't scary when it's scary, then what is. I loved the ending. I loved the start. I hated Dianna Agron for kissing him (Hoping fellow people will agree) but loved her character but nowhere near as much as I loved Number 6. She was badass and rode a shiny red motorbyke! I want a motorbyke! A shiny red one! You have to see this film!

Soul Screamers: My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent

Blurb:

Something is wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh...
She can sense when someone near her is about to die. And when thats happens a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.
Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest boy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about the dark forces behind Kaylee's power than she does. 
And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason and only Kaylee knows who'll be next, she realises that finding a boyfriend is the least of her worries!

Review:

I loved, loved loved this book. So many things have been held from Kaylee her whole life. She thinks she's going crazy because she can see shadows around random people, no one will explain whats wrong with her. Well, except Nash, who knows what's wrong, why it's wrong and the rules and he doesn't care whats wrong with her, it's the reason he likes her. Although she has no idea why for the first few chapters.

She's terrified with the amount of young girls dying for no reason, they just fall down and stop breathing. She knows though, before hand and she can do nothing to stop it. She's scared and I think that makes her more accessable as a character.

I thought this book was very good, and bringing a new 'species' (is that what I can say? Monster? Creature?) to the genre. Well, that I read anyway.

The Hollow by Jessica Verday

Blurb:

When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special. Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.

Review:

I picked up the book and found it had a slow start, I don't know if it was just because I started it a ten at night or the book. But then it sped up a little. But the problem is that you don't know what is going on throughout the book until the end.

The thing that kept me hooked was that there was something about Caspian. You didn't know what and I liked that. Then there was the fact that Abbey was trying to put her life together after her best friends death and trying to figure out why she died.

All in all, a good read and very original to follow the town of Sleepy Hollow from the story by Washington Irving and the Legend mixed with the story.

Lorien Legacies: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Blurb:

'In the beginning we were nine.
Three are gone.
Six are left.
They caught number one in Malaysia.
Number two in England.
And number three in Kenya.
I am number 4.
I know I am next.'

Review:
I must clarify before i start this review there are strictly no vampires! (Sorry Immi!) Although taking its place are the utterly terrifying Mogadorians and the awesome power wielding Lorieans. Number four was in Florida when the third scar showed up on his leg and from that the story begins. He and his loyal Cepan Henri move to Paradise Ohio. He goes to school and tries to blend in but with his powers forming, trouble at every corners and love in the air he finds it kind of hard.
I loved this book so much because it so different to everything else that has come out recently and it just took my heart into it with the first chapter where number 3 is being hunted and you pick it up and think wow what the hell? So it has the desired effect and you read it all the way through and believe me you don't regret it .
This is a book on friendship, love, aliens and the plan the Mogadorians have for the rest of the human race. Are the survivng six the only thing stopping the Mogadorians between defeat and world domination? 

Review by Ciara 'Echo' Ward