In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren that allows bloggers to showcase the books that we have received/purchased over the past week.

Another Sunday has rolled around, which means another In My Mailbox post. I really like doing these posts because they remind me what books I got during the week and they also mean the book covers and the names are stored on my computer and in my blog’s media history. Pretty decent deal, don’t you think? Without further delay, here’s what I got this week:

(Free) From Amazon:

1. Vamplayers by Rusty Fischer.

That’s all I got this week guys. What about you?

Kris.

Fastforward to January 2012, during which, a friend miraculously obtained a copy of A Million Suns, the sequel to Across The Universe. I screamed. I cried. I jumped for joy. Then I begged to borrow it so that I could behold its secrets and would thus know what happened next.

Of course, once I got the book in my hands, I had second thoughts. I had these same second thoughts when picking up Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, Pretties by Scott Westerfield, and In The Hand Of The Goddess by Tamora Pierce. I had indeed loved the first book in each of these series, but I always worried that somehow the second book wouldn’t satisfy me as much as the first ones had. I’m sure we’ve all had those moments when we continued a beloved series and just felt disappointed by it.

What would I do in such an event? Would the series be ruined for me? Would it taint my opinion of the first book? These were difficult questions to answer, as you might understand. But I realised that to pick up any book expresses a willingness to take a chance, to go on an adventure. I picked up Across The Universe because I was interested and wanted to take a chance on it. I wanted to know how events would unfold, if the characters would touch me, and most of all, to discover if i would like it. Why shouldn’t I take a chance on the second book? Why shouldn’t I choose to go on that adventure?

Have you ever had that feeling? That moment of hesitation when you’re holding a sequel? What have you guys done?

Kris.

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren that allows bloggers to showcase the books that we have received/purchased over the past week.

It’s Sunday! And that means another In My Mailbox post. It’s been a nice, sane week as far as books are concerned because school is getting pretty crazy. But I’m getting back into the groove so you can look forward to all my reviews of these great books!

From NetGalley:

1. The Weepers: The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker
2. Gift by Andrea Bachanan (Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a cover image for this one… Hopefully that’ll change soon)

I’d like to thank NetGalley,Open Road Media, and Marshall Cavendish for allowing me to have access to copies of these books.

So has anyone got anything interesting this week?

Kris.

So far the count is: Aya 2 – Death 0, but that’s a record that may be broken in the very near future.

The shy 16-year-old loner and her little brother narrowly escape being flattened by a bus when Gabriel, a classmate, is warned by a mysterious green-eyed boy of Aya’s impending demise. He races to her aid, not only saving her life but bringing with him new friends, his twin Marisol and best bud, Jackson.

The green-eyed boy, Christoph, is actually an Angel of Death banished back to earth. They don’t quite know what to make of him. Christoph saved Aya because she reminded him of a long lost love, but when he finds it hard to assimilate to modern time will he want to finish the job of crossing her over in an attempt to get back to where he came from?

Danger escalates when Gabriel’s jealous ex, Sara, tries to win him back, her antics turning from annoying to potentially deadly; another Angel of Death appears spouting ominous and cryptic messages and secrets both Jackson and Marisol harbour threaten to tear the friends apart. They must put differences behind them and come clean because Aya may be running on borrowed time. If so, Death may win the game.

General Comments

From the moment I read the book description I knew I would like this book and I was not disappointed. While far from perfect, Near Death was one of those books that reminded me that perfect writing, beautifully developed characters, or a kickass storyline are not the only determinants of a great story. Another equally important component is the writer’s ability to connect with their readers on an emotional  level and that’s where Near Death won me over.

Critical Review

Near Death was a story about friendship, love, compulsion, and madness. I know it makes it sound heavy and a little dark but that’s far from the truth. While death is a big topic, the story really follows the characters as they form a deep friendship with Aya, in addition to learning to decipher their feelings for each other. While it may not be the most original of storylines, it is most definitely refreshing and thought-provoking.

Written in third person from an omniscient narrator from the perspective of several characters. While the writing was not superb, the book maintained a good flow, and employed powerful imagery. Something about the writing put me in mind of anime and for the entire book, I saw everything playing out just before my eyes, even as I was reading.

In all honesty, none of the characters stood out to me. They weren’t particularly well-developed but they were all extremely likeable and I found myself getting particularly attached to them and becoming invested in their lives. Who wouldn’t like sweet, shy Aya and the extremely thoughtful Gabriel? Who could resist the pretty boy that is Jackson and the athletic and sassy Marisol? And who wouldn’t start to hate Sara? Somehow, without employing traditional or widely accepted methods, the author created a beautiful cast of characters who I was able to connect with from the very first moments.

There were a ton of things that bothered me about this book. Over-use of adjectives, too much telling, not enough showing, and a few confusing scenes were just a few of the things I came across that troubled me. However, the book also managed to draw me in emotionally and it was easy to ignore the aforementioned flaws in favour of warm fuzzies and the promise of reading more.

Rating Conclusion

In the end, I’d have to give Near Death 3 out of 5 stars. Despite flaws, I could not put this book down

But wait! There’s more! You guys have the chance to win an e-book copy of Near Death. To enter the contest fill out the form, HERE. This contest is open internationally and closes on the 24th of February. The winner will be notified first by email and once they respond, an announcement will be made on the blog. If the individual chosen does not respond to the email within three days a new winner will be chosen. Check out the next stop on the tour tomorrow at Broken Nerves.

Good luck to you all and have a great day!

Kris.

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren that allows bloggers to showcase the books that we have received/purchased over the past week.

Hey guys! It’s the elusive In My Mailbox post! Honestly, I haven’t done one since the 15th of January and I feel a bit guilty. But better late then never right? Remember, you can click on the book cover images to be taken to that book’s Goodreads page.

From NetGalley:

1. Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown
2. I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have To Kill You by Ally Carter
3. Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson
4. The Rook by Daniel O’Malley

From Publishers, Publicists, and Authors:

1. Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin
2. Near Death by M. B. Mulhall

From Friends:

1. A Discover of Witches by Deborah Harkness
2. Crossed by Ally Condie
3. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
4. Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz
5. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

I’d like to thank Netgalley, the publishers, the authors, the publicists, and my friends who granted me access to all these wonderful books and I look forward to reading them.