Showcase Sunday (45) - It's Been 84 Years...

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicki at Books, Biscuits, and Tea, where we showcase what books we've gotten over the course of the week, whether it be bought, received from the library, from the publishers for review, etc. 

Fact: the last time either of us three has done a haul on this blog is January. I always tell myself I'll get around to doing one, but since the majority of my ARCs are usually of the e- variety, I never really get around to it. HOWEVER, this week I get a very large amount of review copies from publishers in the mail (absolutely my biggest week ever so far), and am expecting a few more packages next week, so perhaps this will get me back in the swing of things. But probably not. I'm just aspiring to not be lazy tonight, and because of that you get a rundown of this week's unusually large haul. Let's break it down. (Also keep in mind a few things: I forgot about this as usual; it's now extremely late as I am writing this; and I am exhausted, so this may/probably will be incoherent. And I plan on getting this done soon so I can collapse into pillows.)

For review 

Feral by Amy Schindler (Solicited): I seriously have no clue what this book is actually about, since the synopsis is kind of painfully vague, but it gave off werewolf-ish vibes so I definitely had to request it. I don't know, something about feral cats and dead bodies. But I really tend to like werewolf-y stuff, especially considering they're not in high quantity so it's not like overkill, so I hope it goes down that direction. ALSO, the biggest selling point of this for me? It's pitched as Black Swan meets The Lovely Bones. Done. Not sure how that could possibly tie into evil cats, but done. 

Strange and Ever After by Susan Dennard (Solicited): Currently reading this one and it is so awesome you guys. If you haven't read this series yet you should really get around to it soon. I binge-read the second book (kind of, since binge-reading is under the implication of speed and little breaks, which lol yeah no), and jumped right into this one. It's a really awesome series and the characters and relationships are so amazingly complex. ESPECIALLY THE MAIN CHARACTER. 

Sanctum by Madeleine Roux (Unsolicited): I have heard really bad things about the first book in this series, Asylum, but I'm still oddly curious about this one. I skimmed through it and some of the pictures were creepy-ish (others laughable, but who knows, maybe with context), so I think I'll be reading this one. Problem is it's a direct sequel and I don't really want to read Asylum. So we'll see.

Don't Let Go by Michelle Gagnon (Unsolicited): I do want to get to this one, since it's a part of a series I've heard good things about, but it's also book three in a trilogy I haven't started. And considering this is an August release and I'm kind of really swamped as it is, I don't know if I'll have time to read two other books just to get to this one. But if I'm ever ahead, a binge-read for this is in my future. 

Undead with Benefits by Jeff Hart (Unsolicited): Yeah, I won't be reading this one for two reasons: one, I've heard pretty bad things about the first book in this series; and two, it's a Full Fathom Five novel. (If you don't know what that is, check out this post.) Also, ketchup is all over this cover. Gross. 

The Far Dawn by Kevin Emerson (Unsolicited): LOL no thanks. Really, truly hated the first book in this trilogy, and it remains as one of the stupidest books I've ever read. In the dystopian world, Wal-Mart and Coca-Cola merged to buy the Sahel region of Africa, naming it Coke-Sahel. Never forget. 

Deliverance by CJ Redwine (Unsolicited): I really wasn't a fan of Defiance, but since CJ is a good friend of mine I'm pretty sure I'm going to be checking this one out.

Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang (Solicited): Jamie (Perpetual Page Turner) says that this is a quiet and somewhat heartbreaking novel that sneaks up on you, and that's pretty much the type of contemp I love most. Not to mention Jamie and I agree on contemporaries more often than not, and since she really liked this one, I'm excited because I probably will too. Though I was nervous about requesting it because of the physics and math and whatnot on the cover, which is so not my thing. 

Get Even by Gretchen McNeil (Unsolicited): Oh, I'm excited for this one. It's all about revenge, which is always a must for me, and I know I like McNeil's writing since Ten was awesome. She knows how to build a creepy atmosphere and I am so excited to see what she does with this. Also, Ten is one of the few YA mysteries I've read that had a final reveal which genuinely surprised me, so I'm hoping the same goes for Get Even.

Lock In by John Scalzi (Solicited): Sometimes I need to cleanse my palate with a good adult novel, so when I saw this I had to request it. As far as I know it's about a near-future filled with disease, and about 1.7 or something people are falling ill--becoming paralyzed, or "locked in" their own bodies. And then apparently the President's wife and daughter have this disease, and also "locked in" people could put their minds into capable bodies and manipulate them as such? I don't know, but I think it's kind of like robots. The more I think about it, this could all be entirely false. But I know there's a disease. So. To be honest I'm hoping for White House Down with robots. 

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld (Solicited): You guys, I literally screeched when I opened this package, because I was so not expecting it. This is my first package from Simon & Schuster and I had begun to think that my efforts with them were futile, but then this showed up and I am so excited. I had read some not-so-great things about this from friends, but the YA author aspect of the novel still really intrigues me, and apparently the novel-inside-a-novel aspect revolves around ghosts, which is absolutely my thing. So yeah, extremely excited to get to this. ALSO, fun fact: this book is a weapon. 

Defector by Susanne Winnacker (Unsolicited): Another surprise package! When I saw this was from Penguin, I thought it would be something completely different, but I'm all for pretty finished copies. I haven't read the first book in this series but I've been meaning to since it's pitched as X-Men meets Silence of the Lambs, so hopefully I like it enough to continue, since I have the sequel.

Purchased

The Merciless by Danielle Vega: I've heard really mixed things about this one, but I kind of needed it just for the cover, because I had to see what it would be like in person. And I absolutely love campy horror, and that's apparently just what this is, so I'm excited. It's also really short, so I think it will be a quick read that I could maybe finish in a day. I expect it to meet my horror needs that are so rarely met in YA, but we'll see. PLUS, it was like $6 in the end, and I couldn't pass that up.

So, that's my haul for this week! Let me know what you got this week and/or what books I got that you're looking forward to, or already have, or have read.