Showcase Sunday (#17)

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicki at Books, Biscuits and Tea. Its aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week.

For Review: 

Renegade by J.A. Souders 
I know there have been a LOT of mixed reviews for this one, but I really enjoyed it. It's unique, different, and engaging, so it kind of blew me away. I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for something original in the dystopian genre. 
The Mad Scientists Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke 
I am SO EXCITED for this one! I've already had to restraint myself multiple times not to read it before 2013 since it only releases in February, but it's going to be SO GOOD. I just KNOW. It's Cassandra Rose Clarke after all! I have full faith in this author's ability to carry off this uniquely spun tale, so I just cannot wait to get to it!
Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs
I already read and reviewed this one, but I was quite impressed by it. It's a solid fantasy that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and I'm surprisingly looking forward to the sequel. You can enter to win a copy of it HERE.

Borrowed/Bought for Kindle: 

Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2) by Laini Taylor 
Gosh, this is amazing. It's Laini Taylor, so I can't say I'm surprised, but I'm LOVING this one - more than its predecessor even! Very, very impressive follow-up. 
Iced (Fever, #1) by Karen Marie Moning 
Iced. What do I say about this? I was really looking forward to it, but then the reviews trickled in and now I don't have much motivation to pick it up. I'm definitely going to read it, simply because Moning is a great author, but I hope I enjoy it more than most people seem to have. :/
Burning Blue by Paul Griffin
I've heard SO many good things about this one, especially the male narration, so I can't WAIT. I'm definitely bumping this one up my TBR, so I'll hopefully get to it sometime soon. 

Magic Burns, Magic Strikes, Magic Bleeds, Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, #1-4) by Ilona Andrews
Wow, what can I say about The Kate Daniels Series? I've been flying through these books and I read the entire series, along with 80% of the novellas all in one week. Yes, they are just that good. I wasn't impressed by the first novel, but after the second, I could definitely see why this series gets as much hype as it does. It really is one of the BEST Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Adult Series out there, so I'd highly encourage you all to read it. So. Freaking. Good.  

Archangel (Samaria, #1) by Sharon Shinn 
I wound up borrowing this from my friend quite by accident, but it proved to be a remarkable read. I loved it. I have very mixed feelings concerning it overall, but I was just so, so impressed by this - it really needs to be better known. (Although that cover does it no favors!) 
Roar and Liv (Under the Never Sky, #0.5) by Veronica Rossi 
I bought this prequel novella the moment it released and I loved it! It's short, sweet, and best of all, there are two teaser chapters for Through the Ever Night which are...AMAZING! I need to SOMEHOW get an ARC of that novel because it is just so, SO good! 
The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle 
Yet another one I read and simply adored. I went into it with fairly high expectations and was definitely rewarded, so I can't wait for the sequel now - these characters really do make their way into your heart. A simply phenomenal (and unique!!) debut. 

Bought/Traded Physical Copy: 

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys isn't my favorite Stiefvater novel, but it's pretty close, so when I was offered to trade an ARC of Beta, a novel that had received so many negative ratings I didn't plan to even pick it up, for an ARC of this, I didn't even think twice. It's a beautiful ARC, so I'll definitely be re-reading this one before the sequel comes out and I'm thrilled to have it on my shelves! 

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater 

I love this book. Seriously. I knew I had to buy a hardcover of it for myself and I'm currently re-reading it, really slowly, so I can take my time and savor the writing instead of frantically flipping the pages to find out what happens. It's amazing - definitely better the second time. Love, love, LOVE this! 

The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna 
Yet another absolute favorite of mine. Sangu Mandanna too is an absolutely wonderful person, so I really hope I can meet her in person some day. I ordered this along with Melina Marchetta's Saving Francesca, which I'm very angered to say is being refunded since it never even reached my doorstep! I suspect it wasn't sent in the first place! >.< The Lost Girl thankfully made its way to me, but the cover has a random blue pen mark on it which made me really upset too. At least the rest of the novel is okay, but some booksellers do not know how to treat their books! =.=
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 
I'll admit it: I succumbed to the hype. I love the trailer for this one and plan on seeing the movie once I finish it, so I finally did buy this one. I'm only around 100-ish pages in, but I love it. I don't quite know why since, to be honest, it's a little boring but at the same time, there's just something about it that I'm in love with. I'm going through this one really slowly as well, savoring the writing, so it's a great read!
The Diviners by Libba Bray 
Needless to say, I had to buy this one. Libba Bray is one of my favorite authors and The Diviners is, without a doubt, my favorite novel of hers. I just loved it and I'll be re-reading it at every chance I get! ;)

I think it's clear I need to start taking my photos in the morning more often...all the ones I take in my bedroom at night look terrible! So sorry for the bad quality! :/

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan 

I traded an ARC of Monument 14 for Glow which is, quite frankly, the nicest looking book I've ever received for trade. It looks brand new and it's just...gorgeous. I can't wait to read it, especially after Maja's favorable review of it, so it's been bumped waaay up on my TBR! Krista, the blogger I traded this book with, also included a wonderful card and a "K" bookmark for me as well, which completely made my day, so thank you for that, Krista! :)

Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1) by Juliet Marillier 

I received Daughter of the Forest from PaperBackSwap, which is why it looks a little battered. Yet, the book looks wonderful and it's Juliet Marillier, so you can't possibly go wrong. I am itching to open this up and get sucked into its world, so this is definitely next up on my list, especially as Heidi from Bunbury in the Stacks so highly recommended it to me. You should definitely check out her review HERE. 

I got a little carried away talking about my books this week, so sorry for the incredibly long post! I'm looking forward to seeing what you all received this week as well, so link me up! :)