1st Book Haul!

Hey so recently I got a lot of books in the mail, 20 books a lot.  I'm really excited about all of them and I don't know which ones I should read first aside from one that I have decided to read.  Time for the haul part of this post!

• Sunlight and Shadow by Cameron Dokey part of the Once Upon a Time series, it's twist on the fairytale the Magic Flute.  The back cover tells me:   In a time when the world was young and many things were quite commonplace that are now entirely forgotten, Sarastro, Mage of the Day, wed Pamina, the Queen of the Night. And in this way was the world complete, for light was joined to dark. For all time would they be joined together. Only the ending of the world could tear them apart. In other words, in the days in which my parents married, there was no such thing as divorce.... Thus begins the tale of Mina, a girl-child born on the longest night of the darkest month of the year. When her father looked at her, all he saw was what he feared: By birth, by name, by nature, she belonged to the Dark. So when Mina turned sixteen, her father took her away from shadow and brought her into sunlight.  In retaliation, her mother lured a handsome prince into a deadly agreement: If he frees Mina, he can claim her as his bride.  Now Mina and her prince must endure deadly trials -- of love and fate and family -- before they can truly live happily ever after....

• Coffehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors is a standalone contemporary novel about a girl who meets an angel but it wasn't in a coffeehouse.  It was in the alley behind her grandmother's coffeehouse she helps him by giving him coffee and old pastries and now he is determined to repay her by granting her deepest wish.

• Belle by Camerone Dokey also part of the Once Upon a Time series is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast.  The synopsis is: Belle is convinced she has the wrong name, as she lacks her sisters' awe-inspiring beauty. So she withdraws from society, devoting her time to wood carving. Secretly, Belle longs to find the fabled Heartwood Tree. If carved by the right hands, the Heartwood will reveal the face of one's true love.  During a fierce storm, Belle's father stumbles upon the mysterious Heartwood -- and encounters a terrifying and lonely Beast. Now Belle must carve the Heartwood to save her father, and learn to see not with the eyes of her mind, but with the eyes of her heart.

• Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors.  I don't think I can sum this up any better than the goodreads so here it is: Manhattan meets Verona in this time-bending twist on Shakespeare.  When Mimi is magically thrust into the middle of Shakespeare’s Verona, she must find a way to help Juliet fight for her future happiness. Will she be able to give this classic tragedy a happy ending?

• Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.  I've heard wonderful things about this book and I'm really looking forward to it.  It's about a girl, Juliette, whose touch is fatal and her government wants to use her as a weapon, but Juliette has other plans.  That's all I'm saying.

• The Storyteller's Daughter by Cameron Dokey is a retelling of A Thousand and One Arabian Nights and I really liked Arabian Nights so I hope this one is just as good if not better!  This is also part of the Once Upon a Time series.

• Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins.  I've only heard good things, really good things.  Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.  As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

• Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma it looks very interesting with the tagline "secrets never stay below the surface".  Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.  But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

• Next I have the books from the Roman Mysteries series, the 6th, 7th, and 8th.  Starting with The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina then The Enemies of Jupiter and finally The Gladiators from Capua all by Caroline Lawrence and I'm not giving a summary since they are in the middle of the series.

   

• Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey another book in the Once Upon a Time series.  It is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty if you haven't guessed and here's the goodreads summary: The Princess Aurore has had an unusual childhood. Cursed at birth, Aurore is fated to prick her finger at the age of sixteen and sleep for one hundred years -- until a prince awakens her with a kiss. So, to protect her, Aurore's loving parents forbid any task requiring a needle.  Unable to sew or embroider like most little princesses, Aurore instead explores the castle grounds and beyond, where her warmth and generosity soon endear her to the townspeople. their devotion to the spirited princess grows as she does.  On her sixteenth birthday, Aurore learns that the impending curse will harm not only her, but the entire kingdom as well. Unwilling to cause suffering, she will embark on a quest to end the evil magic. The princess's bravery will be rewarded as she finds adventure, enchantment, a handsome prince, and ultimately her destiny.

• Dani Noir by Nova Ren Suma looks very interesting, I love the cover!

If this were a movie, you'd open to the first page of this book and be transported to a whole other world. Everything would be in black and white, except maybe for the girl in pink polka-dot tights, and this really great music would start to swell in the background. All of a sudden, you wouldn't be able to help it--you'd be a part of the story, you'd be totally sucked in. You'd be in this place, filled with big lies, mysterious secrets, and a tween girl turned sleuth....  Zoom in on thirteen-year-old Dani Callanzano. It's the summer before eighth grade, and Dani is stuck in her nothing-ever-happens town with only her favorite noir mysteries at the Little Art movie theater to keep her company.  But one day, a real-life mystery begins to unravel--at the Little Art! And it all has something to do with a girl in polka-dot tights.... Armed with a vivid imagination, a flair for the dramatic, and her knowledge of all things Rita Hayworth, Dani sets out to solve the mystery, and she learns more about herself than she ever thought she could.

• Winter's Child by Cameron Dokey from the Once Upon a Time series is a retelling of The Snow Queen.  Free-spirited Grace and serious Kai are the best of friends. They grew up together listening to magical tales spun by Kai's grandmother and sharing in each other's secrets. But when they turn sixteen and Kai declares his love for Grace, everything changes. Grace yearns for freedom and slowly begins to push Kai - and their friendship - away.  Dejected Kai dreams of a dazzling Snow Queen, who entices him to leave home and wander to faraway lands. When Grace discovers Kai is gone, she learns how much she has lost and sets out on a mystical journey to find Kai...and discover herself.

• Strange Angels & Betrayals by Lili St. Crow it is the first two novels in the Strange Angels series.  Sixteen-year-old Dru Anderson exploded onto the paranormal scene in Strange Angels—and fought for her life at a secret Schola for djamphir and wulfen teens in Betrayals. Perfectly timed to lead up to the publication of series finale Reckoning, this omnibus edition is a must-have for all Dru’s fans as well as readers of Vampire Academy, House of Night, and The Darkest Powers

• Last I received the audiobook of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer and I have started listening to it and I'm at chapter 3.  Here's a brief summary: Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

• Oh I forgot!  I got Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler and I decided to read that first since I loved The Book of Broken Hearts so much.  I started that and my first review is going to be on that book so get excited!  I have started this book and can give you a brief summary in my own words! Anna, Frankie, and Matt are best friends and they’ve spent all of their life together.  One year on Anna’s birthday her relationship with Matt evolves into something else, something “other.”  They decide not to tell Frankie until Matt and Frankie’s family go away on vacation.  Matt and Anna continue sneaking out at night to talk to each other and continue their secret romance.  Their romance tragically ends when Matt literally dies of a broken heart.

That's all for my 1st Book Haul!  Can't wait to finish Twenty Boy Summer and bring you my first review!  Comment and let me know what book I should read after I finish Twenty Boy Summer.