I can't believe it's almost that time of year again! On December 30, 2009, started my a little blog called i swim for oceans because nobody wanted to hear me babble about books anymore. In just over one month, I will be celebrating my second blogoversary! Can you believe it?!

In that time, I've learned to write better reviews, interact with publishers and authors, met some incredible bloggers and even had the opportunity to go to BookExpo America in NYC (and can't wait to go again!) In honour of this though, I'm celebrating all of YOU! Thank you for reading my blog. Thank you for making this SO much fun, and thank you for being a part of the blogosphere!

The Details:

There will be four (4) winners. Each winner will win two books. The first name drawn will choose their books. The second winner drawn will choose two books. The third winner chosen will two books. The fourth winner will win the final two books. Want to see what's up for grabs? (Bear in mind that they are all ARCs for which I have duplicates, so they are untouched.)

The Rules:

You do NOT have to be a follower to enter but, as always, it is greatly appreciated! This giveaway is open internationally, and it will end promptly at 12 AM EST on December 21, 2011.

Click HERE to enter!

Title: Dark Mirror
Author: M.J. Putney
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Published: March 1, 2011
Genre: YA, Historical
Pages: 306
Source: Publisher

Lady Victoria Mansfield, youngest daughter of the earl and countess of Fairmount, is destined for a charmed life. Soon she will be presented during the London season, where she can choose a mate worthy of her status.

Yet Tory has a shameful secret—a secret so powerful that, if exposed, it could strip her of her position and disgrace her family forever. Tory’s blood is tainted . . . by magic.

When a shocking accident forces Tory to demonstrate her despised skill, the secret she’s fought so hard to hide is revealed for all to see. She is immediately exiled to Lackland Abbey, a reform school for young men and women in her position. There she will learn to suppress her deplorable talents and maybe, if she’s one of the lucky ones, be able to return to society.

Tory has possessed magic her whole life, and she's fought to keep it hidden for the sake of her future and for the reputation of her family. Magic isn't a gift in her world, but rather a curse. Unwillingly forced to use it one day though, Tory is shunned to a school with others like herself where she will, hopefully, be taught to control it and learn to manage her powers so she can rejoin her family and rightful place in society. But Lackland Abbey is a whole new world of hidden doors, different times somehow within reach and world of possibilities Tory never thought possible. Should she look back, or is this her future now?

I have a bit of a penchant for histfic, and we all know that magic is a huge theme in the books I read - anything supernatural, really. Dark Mirror promised all of the above, and it most certainly didn't disappoint. Drawing me in with a tale of magic, time travel and powers beyond my imagination, Dark Mirror wove a new niche into a crammed paranormal genre. M.J. Putney created a story with a unique take on powers and blended them into a fast-paced plot full of action, twists and turns.

Dark Mirror, while definitely intriguing wasn't without its faults. Yes, it was fast-paced, but there were times when I felt it was too much so. The characters seemed to have an innate ability to do exactly what they needed/wanted to do with little or no resistance in a matter of pages. Colour me crazy, but while I like fast paced books, I also like fleshed out tension. It adds to the story. I also felt that the characters weren't too well-rounded. I "met" Tory, and I knew what drove her in a sense, but I never felt any deep emotion for her. All that said, I do like that the plot wrapped up nicely, giving closure and ending without a cliffhanger (halle-freakin-lujia). I also loved the time period - the descriptions and setting, in and of itself, was brilliant.

All in all, Dark Mirror was a fairly good read, and it was a nice start to a new series. I give it a strong 3.5 out of 5, and I'd recommend it to all fans of YA, especially those who enjoy the supernatural, paranormal and historical fiction genres.

I received this ARC free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

In My Mailbox is an amazing weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren that features the books we have received during the week. It's so much fun because we get to see what our fellow bloggers stumbled upon this week and add even more to our piles of books! Without further ado, this week I received the following books:

FOR REVIEW

Summer (Beautiful Dead #3) by Eden Maguire

(ARC) - (Thank you, Hodder Children's)

Six months have passed since the last Ellerton teenager died, but Darina is still traumatized by the stabbing of her own beloved Phoenix. But there's work to be done as Darina must now turn her attention to the shooting of Summer Madison - the beautiful and gifted, singer-song-writer with a heart of gold. It's been nearly a year since the random shooting in a shopping mall caused Summer's meaningless death. Summer left behind recordings of her wonderful songs and a deep sadness amongst high school friends. 

FOR REVIEW

Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney

(ARC) - (Thank you, St. Martin's Griffin)

Lady Victoria Mansfield, youngest daughter of the Earl and Countess of Fairmount, is destined for a charmed life. Soon she will be presented during the London season, where she can choose a mate worthy of her status. Yet Tory has a shameful secret—a secret so powerful that, if exposed, it could strip her of her position and disgrace her family forever. Tory’s blood is tainted…by magic. When a shocking accident forces Tory to demonstrate her despised skill, the secret she’s fought so hard to hide is revealed for all to see. 

FOR REVIEW

Angel in My Pocket by Ilene Cooper

(ARC) - (Thank you, Feiwel & Friends)

When Bette finds an angel coin among the money collected in a carwash, she puts it in her pocket and forgets about it. But things start to change, especially once Gabby, a mysterious and kind new neighbor, moves into Bette’s Chicago building. Suddenly, Bette is able to face some big losses—her mother’s recent death; her sister’s departure for college—and move forward. And once the angel coin falls into the hands of three other kids in Bette’s class, their lives change, too. Soon, these two girls and two boys will be connected.

WON

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

(Thank you, Elodie!)

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado . Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. 

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I had a great week in books this week...even if someone did drive through the wall of my post office and right through my PO Box. Anyhoo, leave me a link to your mailboxes, and I'll be sure to check them out!