Stacking the Shelves 80

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, every Weekend. This is to share books I have acquired from various sources. Physical books & ebooks both are welcome. If its something being sent to me by mail, I will not mention it until I actually receive it.

Hi everyone!  I have been a bit quiet lately in the blogosphere.  Between recovering from last weekend, being a bit burnt out on blogging and enjoying the spring weather I know the past couple weeks have been slow here. I hope to start picking up again this weekend.  Been reading lots of books the past couple weeks to many reviews coming your way once I get them all written.  Luckily my work schedule has mellowed for a few weeks so I have some time to get ahead I hope.

Anyways, I have a lot of books to share from April, plus I am going to brag about some other new goodies I got.

We have a new sofa and air conditioner and some more fish!!!  So while not books they are things our whole family is enjoying.  

Now onto the books!

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For Review

"What can you do when the society you live in isn’t as good and grand as people want you to believe? For Emma, Leia, and Justa, there is only one way to survive – by being defiant.
 

Three young adult authors from the Netherlands use their storytelling talents to explore worlds where nothing is as it seems and no one is truly safe.


The Red Messenger

Some things are better left unsaid – or unquestioned.

When Emma finds a mysterious note in a coat that once belonged to her twin sister Sophia, the words written on it won’t leave her alone: “The Angel has come”. Angels are a part of forbidden folklore, remnants of the old Jewish religion that was banned by the Realm long ago. Sophia had secrets she never shared with Emma, and they demand to be unraveled. Now, Emma’s quest will change her world forever.


The Island

Leia lives on the Island, where children leave their parents to take care of themselves when they are only ten years old. Across this Island runs a wall that no one has ever crossed. No one wants to – because the Fools living in the west, behind the wall, are deluded and believe in illusions. That’s what The Book says, the only thing left to the Eastern Islanders by their ancestors.

But when a strange man washes ashore and Leia meets a Fool face to face, her life will never be the same. Is what she and her friends believe about the Island really true?


The Tribunal

When Justa is summoned for jury duty in the Tribunal, she is sure of one thing: she needs to stick to the rules in order to get her best friend’s murderer convicted. In her society, jurisdiction is infallible. The choice ahead of her seems clear – but soon, Justa is forced to choose between justice and lies. Will she use her head over her heart, or will Aron, the accused who dares to look at her with such disdain in his eyes, change her mind for good?"

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"When Prince Valamon is impossibly taken from the heart of Algaris Castle, the only clue as to motive or culprit is the use of unknown sorcery.

Reclusive cleric Seris is happily tending to his book-infested temple when he finds himself recruited to the politically compromised rescue mission. His sole companion on the journey is Elhan, a cheerfully disturbed vagrant girl with terrifying combat skills and her own enigmatic reasons for seeking the prince.

Venturing into the wild, unconquered lands, Seris has no fighting prowess, no survival skills, and no charisma, as Elhan keeps pointing out. Armed only with a stubborn streak and creative diplomacy, he must find a way to survive outlaw towns, enchanted tropical isles, and incendiary masquerades, all without breaking his vow to do no harm.

Chasing rumours of rising warlords and the return of the vanished sorcerers, Seris and Elhan soon discover a web of treachery and long-buried secrets that go far beyond a kidnapped prince.

As enemies rise from beyond the empire and within it, Seris and Elhan realise that the key to saving Valamon and averting a war may lie in their own bloody pasts, and the fate of their fragile friendship."

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"The Curse Keepers series, now offered in a single collection containing the full text of all three novels and three prequel novellas, plus:

• An all-new introduction by the author, Denise Grover Swank
• All six works presented in the author’s preferred reading order

The wall between our world and a world full of vengeful spirits has protected humanity for more than four hundred years…and it’s about to come crashing down. In New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Denise Grover Swank’s epic paranormal romance series, the Curse Keepers, two reluctant yet brave heroes are all that stand between the world’s survival and its total destruction.

The Curse Keepers (Book 1)

A descendent of two legendary spirit banishers from the Lost Colony of Roanoke, Ellie Lancaster dismisses her Curse Keeper role as part of a harmless fairy tale—until she meets the handsome and infuriating Collin Dailey, a fellow Curse Keeper, and realizes they must fulfill their destinies in order to save the world from vengeful spirits.

This Place Is Death (Curse Keepers Secret Book 1)

In this intriguing prequel to the Curse Keepers series, Roanoke colonist Ananias Dare, his expectant wife, and their friend Manteo realize that their settlement faces a sinister force much more evil than the natives who threaten their lives—and their only hope for survival may leave them with hell to pay.

The Curse Breakers (Book 2)

With passion threatening to consume both her and Collin, Ellie must fight the unleashed demons tormenting her. But when she finds herself abandoned, she embarks on a terrifying journey to claim the mark of the god Ahone and finish what the Curse Keepers began in order to prevent hell on earth.

This Changes Everything (Curse Keepers Secret Book 2)

Ellie Dare Lancaster may be only eight years old, but she already knows about her future as a Curse Keeper—and once an unholy force is accidentally summoned, bringing terrible evil into her home, the young Ellie becomes part of the newest generation caught up in the war between the gods of good and evil.

The Curse Defiers (Book 3)

The gate between the human and spirit worlds is open, and only Ellie and Collin can stop the trail of death and destruction—but first, they have to break free from their tangled web of treachery, jealousy, and lies in order to choose their own destinies, even if that means defying the gods themselves.

This Is Your Destiny (Curse Keepers Secret Book 3)

Collin feels trapped by his job, his debt, and especially his destiny as a Curse Keeper. But when the fearsome god Ahone reaches out to him with a tempting offer, it may be the key to Collin’s liberation…if he can survive the ensuing confrontation with his deadly counterpart."

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  "The true story of an all-American girl and a boy from an impoverished city in Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever.

It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's class wrote to an unknown student somewhere in a distant place. All the other kids picked countries like France or Germany, but when Caitlin saw Zimbabwe written on the board, it sounded like the most exotic place she had ever heard of--so she chose it.
Martin was lucky to even receive a pen pal letter. There were only ten letters, and forty kids in his class. But he was the top student, so he got the first one.

That letter was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives.

In this compelling dual memoir, Caitlin and Martin recount how they became best friends --and better people--through letters. Their story will inspire readers to look beyond their own lives and wonder about the world at large and their place in it."

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"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .

When the Emperor and his notorious apprentice, Darth Vader, find themselves stranded in the middle of insurgent action on an inhospitable planet, they must rely on each other, the Force, and their own ruthlessness to prevail.

“It appears things are as you suspected, Lord Vader. We are indeed hunted.”

Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, is just a memory. Darth Vader, newly anointed Sith Lord, is ascendant. The Emperor’s chosen apprentice has swiftly proven his loyalty to the dark side. Still, the history of the Sith Order is one of duplicity, betrayal, and acolytes violently usurping their Masters—and the truest measure of Vader’s allegiance has yet to be taken. Until now.

On Ryloth, a planet crucial to the growing Empire as a source of slave labor and the narcotic known as “spice,” an aggressive resistance movement has arisen, led by Cham Syndulla, an idealistic freedom fighter, and Isval, a vengeful former slave. But Emperor Palpatine means to control the embattled world and its precious resources—by political power or firepower—and he will be neither intimidated nor denied. Accompanied by his merciless disciple, Darth Vader, he sets out on a rare personal mission to ensure his will is done.

For Syndulla and Isval, it’s the opportunity to strike at the very heart of the ruthless dictatorship sweeping the galaxy. And for the Emperor and Darth Vader, Ryloth becomes more than just a matter of putting down an insurrection: When an ambush sends them crashing to the planet’s surface, where inhospitable terrain and an army of resistance fighters await them, they will find their relationship tested as never before. With only their lightsabers, the dark side of the Force, and each other to depend on, the two Sith must decide if the brutal bond they share will make them victorious allies or lethal adversaries."

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  "For centuries, the two Great Guilds have controlled the world of Dematr. The Mechanics and the Mages have been bitter rivals, agreeing only on the need to keep the world they rule from changing. But now a Storm approaches, one that could sweep away everything that humans have built. Only one person has any chance of uniting enough of the world behind her to stop the Storm, but the Great Guilds and many others will stop at nothing to defeat her.

Mari is a brilliant young Mechanic, just out of the Guild Halls where she has spent most of her life learning how to run the steam locomotives and other devices of her Guild. Alain is the youngest Mage ever to learn how to change the world he sees with the power of his mind. Each has been taught that the works of the other’s Guild are frauds. But when their caravan is destroyed, they begin to discover how much has been kept from them.

As they survive danger after danger, Alain discovers what Mari doesn’t know—that she was long ago prophesized as the only one who can save their world. When Mari reawakens emotions he had been taught to deny, Alain realizes he must sacrifice everything to save her. Mari, fighting her own feelings, discovers that only together can she and Alain hope to stay alive and overcome the Dragons of Dorcastle."

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" They are the realm’s last, best defense against supernatural evil. But they’re going to need a lot more silver.

As fog descends, obscuring the gas lamps of Victorian London, werewolves prowl the shadows of back alleys. But they have infiltrated the inner circles of upper-crust society as well. Only a handful of specially gifted practitioners are equipped to battle the beasts. Among them are the roguish Simon Archer, who conceals his powers as a spell-casting scribe behind the smooth veneer of a dashing playboy; his layabout mentor, Nick Barker, who prefers a good pub to thrilling heroics; and the self-possessed alchemist Kate Anstruther, who is equally at home in a ballroom as she is on a battlefield.

After a lycanthrope targets Kate’s vulnerable younger sister, the three join forces with fierce Scottish monster-hunter Malcolm MacFarlane—but quickly discover they’re dealing with a threat far greater than anything they ever imagined."

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  "Stella Cross's heart is poisoned.

After years on the transplant waiting list, she's running out of hope that she'll ever see her eighteenth birthday. Then, miraculously, Stella receives the transplant she needs to survive.

Determined to embrace everything she came so close to losing, Stella throws herself into her new life. But her recovery is marred by strange side effects: Nightmares. Hallucinations. A recurring pain that flares every day at the exact same moment. Then Stella meets Levi Zin, the new boy on everyone's radar at her Seattle prep school. Stella has never felt more drawn to anyone in her life, and soon she and Levi are inseparable.

Stella is convinced that Levi is her soul mate. Why else would she literally ache for him when they are apart?

After all, the heart never lies...does it?"

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Library  

"Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end.

Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn’t done yet. Phase Two has just begun. The Scorch.

There are no rules. There is no help. You either make it or you die.

The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch—the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off.

There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers’ destruction—and they’re determined to survive."

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"Winnie lived in her black house with her cat, Wilbur. He was black too. And that is how the trouble began. Everything in Winnies house is black - the carpet, the chairs, the bed and the sheets, the pictures on the walls, and even the bathtub! And of course her cat, Wilbur, is black too - all except for his bright-green eyes. Whenever poor Wilbur closes his eyes and tries to take a catnap, Winnie stumbles right over him. Or accidentally sits on top of him. Until one day, when Winnie gets a brilliant idea. What if Wilbur were a different color?"

 

 

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Ebook Nabs

"A prequel to the darkly comedic Malice in Wonderland trilogy. A peek inside the minds of Alice and the other characters of Wonderland before she killed them. By the author of SinEaster and Merry XXXmas, Charlee Frown.

This precedes Malice in Wonderland #1: Alice the Assassin
Here's its blurb:
Alice will get her heart back even if she has to kill everyone in Wonderland one by one…
The truth is not what you were led to believe. Alice never left Wonderland. It wasn’t all “just a dream.”
It’s a nightmare. A nightmare she can’t escape, where formerly pleasant characters throw her unhappy unbirthday parties to torment her, while others like to make her cry so they can lick her tears.
But one day after years of this unpleasantness, she loses her heart. Literally. Well, technically someone steals it.
And she has to get it back. By any means necessary. And it’s a lot easier to be ruthless now that she’s heartless."

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  "Ann Marie has just earned her Ph.D. in chemistry at age sixteen when she receives a mysterious and lucrative job offer. The new position at the infamous Asylum Corporation takes the young chemist and her alcoholic mother from their working-class Philadelphia neighborhood to coastal California. She grows fascinated with her new boss, famed scientist, Dade Harkenrider, a handsome and reclusive asexual labelled Dr. Death by internet conspiracy theorists and rumored to be involved in witchcraft and murder. A young pioneer in drone warfare and mind-control drugs, Harkenrider conducts secret experiments that defy the boundaries of space and consciousness in an advanced laboratory in the hills perched over Los Angeles. As Ann Marie grows closer to her new mentor, a sinister plot by a secretive coven is unfolding in the city. This monstrous force is stealing pets and children in an effort to breathe life into an ancient and terrifying evil."

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"Ten years after a pandemic swept the globe, survivors were forced into factions and camps in order to survive.

Jade and Sera are two orphans who have found refuge in a government camp. It's there where Jade falls in love with a young soldier, Anyon. But Anyon has his own secrets, carefully guarding a past that involves Sera. Before Jade and Anyon admit their feelings to each other the camp is attacked and they're separated.

Jade knows to lead Sera to Albany, the last free camp in the east, but the road is dangerous.

Not only must they dodge pockets of infection, but they're threatened by drifters and gangs. When they arrive in Albany, they find it deserted.

Anyon and his friend Malachi are close on their heels, but not close enough. The Provisional Government is on a mission, and no one is quite prepared for what lies ahead."

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  Print purchases/swaps

 

"Appearing from the remote future, Nexx Central agent Ravel is emplaced in America, circa 1936. His mission: to undo successive tamperings of the time stream which threaten the survival of Mankind. He falls in love with a lovely, simple girl, Lisa, but in the midst of his happiness is called away to Dinosaur Beach.

Dinosaur Beach is a Nexx Central station located millions of years in the past, in the Jurassic Age. But shortly after Ravel's arrival, the station is attacked and destroyed, and Ravel begins a terrifying odyssey through time.

For the attackers were another time-tampering team from still a different future era. And Ravel himself is not only in growing danger but the human world as we know it.....

Dinosaur beach is the most exciting and ambitious novel yet by the author of The Other Side of Time, Envoy to New Worlds, and the famous "Retief" stories."

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"Riley has crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. She has picked up life where she left off when she was alive, living with her parents and dog in a nice house in a nice neighborhood. When she’s summoned before The Council, she learns that the afterlife isn’t just an eternity of leisure. She’s been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a possibly cute, seemingly nerdy boy who’s definitely hiding something. They return to earth together for Riley’s first assignment, a Radiant Boy who’s been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But all of that was before he met Riley . . . "

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"For Sasha the world of professional ice skating brought glory, fame and a refuge from the wounds of her past. She went on to Olympic fame, her smile hiding a heavy heart. But now there is a trail of dead bodies left in the wake of the ice show's tour - a scene that echoes the nightmare Sasha has tried to forget."

 

 

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"Vampires Don't Exist...Do They?Inez Urso is beginning to have her doubts. Her business associate Thomas Argeneau has some interesting traits, like an allergic reaction to the sun, excellent night vision, and not much of an appetite for food. And to top it all off, he just tried to bite her neck...but maybe that was a sign of passion. If so, she'd be happy to experience more, despite her determination not to mix business with pleasure.
He's Been Waiting Forever For A Woman Like Her...
Well, if not forever, at least two hundred years. Inez is the most beautiful woman he's seen in centuries. Those luscious lips, seductive curves, and her elegant neck...he just couldn't resist the temptation of one little bite. Now Thomas will do anything to convince her that only an immortal like him can satisfy her all night long..."

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"Bestselling author Jim Stovall’s latest offering and first title of his Homecoming Historical Series, One Season of Hope, is a rare combination of tear-jerking emotion, powerful wisdom, and inspiring hope. Written in Stovall’s signature easy and economical style, the story is told through the perspective of Glen Fullerton, “a man for the last forty-two years in the Truman High universe, simply known as Coach.”

Welcome to the Friday night lights of Harry S. Truman High School football stadium. Coach knows the roller-coaster ride of a high school football season better than anyone. But this season is different than any he has experienced in all his years of coaching. It is one of life-changing suspense and gripping lessons in the value of humanity.

Regular, reflective “conversations” with the late President Truman give guidance, mined from the coach’s love and study of history, to help him through the most challenging season of his long and storied career at Truman High—a season that he will forever remember as One Season of Hope."

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  "The first book in Alyson Noël's extraordinary new Immortals series. Enter an enchanting new world, where true love never dies...

After a horrible accident claims the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom can see people's auras, hear their thoughts, and know someone's entire life story by touching them. Going out of her way to avoid human contact to suppress her abilities, she has been branded a freak at her new high school — but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste.

Damen is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head - wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can peer straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. And she has no idea just who he really is - or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is that she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him."

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"Joel Demetrius is quite looking forward to moving in with his new step-family, but as far as his sister Cassie's concerned, they're nothing but intruders. She doesn't want anything to do with Gerald and his two sons, and to make matters worse their new home is a derelict old house, neglected for decades. Joel thinks it's interesting. Cassie thinks it's a dump.

But his sister isn't the only reason the house doesn't feel like a home. As fascinated as he is by the place, Joel has to admit there's something not quite right about it. Not only does he keep seeing things out of the corner of his eye, but his sleep is plagued by nightmares. He can't seem to stop dreaming about a terrified boy who keeps repeating the same fractured prayer:

IF I SHOULD DIE BEFORE I WAKE, I PRAY THE LORD MY SOUL TO TAKE . . .

As events in the house become harder and harder to explain, it seems that the line between nightmare and reality is getting steadily more blurred. And when the battle between Cassie and her step-brothers draws everyone deeper into the mystery, all four kids are forced to confront the question of just who the intruders really are."

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  "A new guy in town.

Rumors of vampires.

Dangerous first love.

This is where it all begins. . . .

The mansion on top of Benson Hill has stood empty for years. But one day it seems to be occupied, and its mysterious, handsome inhabitant Alexander Sterling becomes the source of much talk around town. Raven, a vampire-obsessed Goth-girl who has always considered herself an outsider in "Dullsville," is determined to uncover the truth surrounding the secretive Alexander. As she gets to know him, and their spark intensifies, Raven finds herself in some unanticipated situations. Can Alexander make her lifelong dream come true? But love always has its complications—especially when it can only be awakened at nightfall.

The first three books in Ellen Schreiber's bestselling Vampire Kisses series capture the thrill of a most unusual romance."

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  "When her uncle decides to buy the Crandalls' old mansion and make it a bed-and-breakfast, twelve-year-old Charli is all for it, at first. She even volunteers to help clean out the dilapidated building. Then strange things begin to happen. Charli hears someone singing--but no one is there. She sees the shadow of a rocking cradle--but there is no cradle. And then she hears a baby crying, and crying. . . . Something terrible happened in the Crandalls' house many years ago. And it may happen again, unless Charli can figure out how to stop the past from ruining the future."

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  "Trapped in the Mexican jungle, a group of friends stumble upon a creeping horror unlike anything they could ever imagine. Two young couples are on a lazy Mexican vacation–sun-drenched days, drunken nights, making friends with fellow tourists. When the brother of one of those friends disappears, they decide to venture into the jungle to look for him. What started out as a fun day-trip slowly spirals into a nightmare when they find an ancient ruins site . . . and the terrifying presence that lurks there."




Have you read any of these? Any recommendations?
Did any of these catch your eye as something new to read?