What YA book are you reading RIGHT NOW?

Periwinkle said:

So glad to hear it! I adore Laini's writing. My copy is sitting on my coffee table tempting me every time I walk by. I think I'm going to ditch HOLLOW CITY for now (having a hard time getting into it). I just finished my reread of DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT and I'm dying to jump back into Laini's world.

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I got this book the day it came out and despite trying to get into it several times, I'm just not having any luck. I devoured the first two books so I'm really bummed.

Just finished reading two great YA books in quick succession: POINTE by Brandy Colbert and ASH by Malindo Lo.

POINTE is an amazing debut with some brilliantly written grey characters, including the MC, who was wonderful and something of an unreliable narrator. It's also sadly rare to see a Black MC whose story doesn't revolve around their race, so this was something I loved to see. The story was tragic and twisted and overall brilliant - definitely recommend this one to anyone who's looking for some fresh YA contemp.

I was a bit late coming to ASH - the premise sounded great to me but the reviews always seemed a little lacklustre so it wasn't at the top of my list. Loved it though, it was a quiet story but I loved the fairytale feel - it was great to see a same-sex relationship in a fantasy novel too, rather than in an 'issue book' (not that they aren't important too). Went and bought Lo's other books right away!

Think I might move on to Tamora's Pierce's Song of the Lioness books now, see what all the fuss is about.

Becca C. said:

Just picked up ANNE OF GREEN GABLES this evening as a kid I adored the Emily of New Moon books, so I'm sure I like these as well.

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I loved the Anne of Green Gables books when I was a kid. The last two (?) focus on her children, and I loved those too.

The Emily books were okay IMO, but I tended to get really annoyed with them.

If you like L.M. Montgomery, the Story Girl (can't think of the titles OTMH) books are pretty awesome.

I recently finished UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi. I was skeptical for the first chunk of it, due to the author's decision to throw around unique terms with no explanation of what they were, but once things began to be explained, I LOVED it! It was a great, gritty dystopian/fantasy novel, and I'm rereading it for the second time before I move onto the sequel. Can't wait to get to it!

I'm about to start More Than Jamie Baker, by Kelly Oram. The second book on the series & one I'm really looking forward to.

I'm almost through DREAMS OF GODS AND MONSTERS. It does not disappoint. At all.

Christabelle said:

If you like L.M. Montgomery, the Story Girl (can't think of the titles OTMH) books are pretty awesome.

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Wow, I forgot all about those books. I absolutely adored them as a kid.

Finished WHERE SHE WENT. Had the same issues with it that I had with IF I STAY. Namely, I don't buy the narrators' voices. Mia and Adam both sound forty years old. Not because they're so wise a la John Green characters, but because some of the things they say sound like an older person trying to be hip. Still, I liked them okay. The prose is technically proficient, so I can appreciate that.

Also read an ARC of THE ART OF LAINEY. It's a light summery YA about a girl who uses the THE ART OF WAR to win back her ex-boyfriend. It started off being kind of blah, but around chapter ten, I started loving it. The best friend and love interest characters were very refreshing. Predictable but cute and fun.

Now I'm reading Julie Murphy's SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY. Loving it so far. The writing is wonderful.

I caved and am reading HUNTRESS by Malinda Lo. Loving it so far. The world-building is much stronger than ASH but the head-hopping can be a bit distracting. Like, generally the books seems very well-written but that comes across quite amateur-ish and I'm kind of confused about why she chose to do that? Never mind, it doesn't detract too much, just a pet peeve.

I just finished THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO. I wasn't blown away and won't be going on with the series - too many false cliffhangers, main characters felt a little flat, and, whilst I thought the idea novel and interesting, for me there wasn't enough substance in the end.

Finished HEARTBEAT by Elizabeth Scott. Sweet. And it made me cry.

I finished NEVER ENDING by Martyn Bedford and the anthology DEFY THE DARK in one day, which is basically just because I have lots of essays to write and am therefore procrastinating...

NEVER ENDING was a solid, heartfelt read, about a girl sent to a controversial mental health facility to try and get over the guilt she feels about her part in her brother's death. I might've got a bit bored with it, though, if Martyn Bedford hadn't been the true master of pacing that he is, and kept the circumstances of the brother's death a mystery until the end, drawing me through the book to find out what happened. I feel bad for saying it, but the dead brother was pretty precocious and unrealistic, and put me off a little - he was twelve and everything he said sounded so scripted/fake/unrealistic - he was full of little jokes and witticisms that no twelve year old would ever say.

I recommend Bedford's debut, FLIP, winner of tons of awards, and a really deep, affecting, thrilling look at death and souls and the self, while also a great fun novel about body-swapping!


DEFY THE DARK was okay - some of the stories were good (Tessa Gratton's Ophelia, Courtney Summers' stalker, Kate Epsen's Sunflower murders) but others were a bit flat and 'meh'.

Currently reading THE LEGACY by Gemma Malley after recently finishing THE RESISTANCE, also by her (a very good trilogy - read THE DECLARATION ages ago - where the young have no place in the world due to the longevity drug the old people are taking). Have also read SHATTERING GLASS by Gail Giles (3rd book of hers I've read - she's very good) and SHIFT by Em Bailey, which rather reminded me of THE MOTH DIARIES by Rachel Klein.

Sage said:

Finally finished CRESS, which was so much better than SCARLET.

Now I'm starting THE FALSE PRINCE, which is a reread. Anytime anyone mentions this book, I want to cry over how well done it is. (I know, weird)

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I actually liked Scarlet (though I wanted more Prince Kai interaction), hopefully that still means Cress is even better! And yes!! I LOVE The False Prince. Got both the hubby and his Dad hooked on them too. Father in law said he couldnt decide if he liked that or Hunger Gamea better, which for him is saying something!

Am (re)reading "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 3/4" by Sue Townsend.
In the beginning I was like: "Uh, OK, did I really use to find this funny?"
The last time I read it was only a few years ago, and I can't imagine my taste has changed that much.
But I have to admit that after a few pages, I was sucked in by the blatantly obvious teenage humor.
Hope it stays that way.
I also forgot how very British it is.

Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver

She's Not Invisible - Marcus Sedgeeick. Enjoying it a lot.

A couple of years ago, I started reading The Thief (Megan Whalen Turner) and put it down almost a third of the way through because the plot had gotten lost somewhere and I didn't have the patience. I picked it up again recently -- still had to power through the draggy parts, but I'd heard the rest of the series was good. I liked the end, which put a new spin on the whole story.

So I started the second book, and wow -- this series is amazing! It's complex and dark and funny and subtle, the kind of books you have to reread to see all the layers. I'm on book 4 now, and sad because who knows when the next one will come out...

I finished Airman by Eoin Colfer last night. I've never read any of his work before, but I enjoyed last night's novel.

Onto WHAT HAPPENS NEXT by Colleen Clayton - been wanting to read this for aaaaaages but it only just turned up in my local bookshop this week. Great voice and characterisation, and I'm only a couple of pages in.

I read THE FAULT IN OUR STARS yesterday. I'd been really hoping I'd love it and thought I would, but I've not been a big fan of John Green's books. Read it in a day and my god I loved it. And now I have to join the millions of people in the painful wait for the film.

LadyA said:

My book has an obsessive friendship too! One of the biggest themes in the books is the twisted, forsaking-all-others friendship the three that go missing have, and they're all 'mean' characters too. And one turns up dead, as well. AND I have a romantic subplot, and the MC tries to change his personality and make amends. This is SO weird.

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Wow, it's almost uncanny. I had something like this with my own story, but it was just a plan for one, not a completely written novel that's being queried. When I discovered the existing book, it was like we had twin ideas, except the other person actually got theirs written and published.

I'm about to start on INTO THE EVER NIGHT by Veronica Rossi. If anyone is into the UNDER THE NEVER SKY series, please let me know because I would be more than happy to geek out over it with you! Unfortunately, I decided to mindlessly google the books today, despite not having finished the whole series, and spoiled something quite major for myself. womp. Bad life decisions haha

LadyA said:

Onto WHAT HAPPENS NEXT by Colleen Clayton - been wanting to read this for aaaaaages but it only just turned up in my local bookshop this week. Great voice and characterisation, and I'm only a couple of pages in.

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I ended up giving this one four out of five stars on Goodreads. There were a few weak spots, but not enough to rob it of a good rating from me.

Now reading Meg Rosoff's WHAT I WAS, and not at all convinced at the moment, and I'm only a few chapters in.