What YA book are you reading RIGHT NOW?, issue 2

Finished THE YEAR OF THE RAT by Clare Furniss, which I thought was a great debut novel - it's about grief and loss and self-pity and depression and anger.

I'm about to start WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart, which I've bought mainly on the strength of the positive comments on this thread.

MM

I'm just bought and started reading a book called "The Heist Society".
I'm enjoying it so far. I really like the premise from reading the blurb at my B&N, so I decided to try it.

I looked it up online, and apparently, it was part of a series.

I'm reading MASQUERADE by Australian author Kylie Fornasier. It's being touted as Gossip Girl meets Downton Abbey in 18th Century Venice, and it follows the stories and secrets of seven characters during the Carnevale season. I'm really enjoying so far - it's different to most YA I have been reading recently which is a welcome change. (I am reading a lot of adult historical as well right now like THE MINIATURIST by Jessie Burton and THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN by Kate Morton - must be wanting to live in a different era. Again. )

bunny-gypsy said:

I'm just bought and started reading a book called "The Heist Society".
I'm enjoying it so far. I really like the premise from reading the blurb at my B&N, so I decided to try it.

I looked it up online, and apparently, it was part of a series.

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I read that recently. I though it was pretty cute!

Just finished FREE TO FALL. Near-future sci-fi with plenty of technology paranoia, which I loved. I thought it was quite an intelligent novel.

Now it's back to ELEANOR & PARK, which I need to hurry up and finish, since it's due back to the library soon.

I just finished reading WHAT I TH0UGHT WAS TRUE by Huntley Fitzpatrick, and I enjoyed it. I bought it because I adored her debut (MY LIFE NEXT D00R), although WITWT didn't quite match up to the brilliance of MLND. It was long, and dragged a bit, and not really much happened. However, the romance was great and all sorts of swoonworthy - Cass, the LI, was just my type and a total sweetie - and Ms Fitzpatrick sure knows how to do description and setting.

Now I'm reading LOBSTERS by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison, a UKYA contemp from two POVs, about a boy and a girl who are desperate to lose their virginity, find the one, and generally grow up. I haven't read a humorous book in a while, and I'm really loving how funny this one is. It captures the [UK] teen experience and voice PERFECTLY and there are some brilliant one-liners and turns of phrase in there.

Just finished The Archived by Victoria Schwab ... Trying to decide between Gone, The Scorch Trials (loved Maze Runner), and Partials next ...

LadyA said:

Now I'm reading LOBSTERS by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison, a UKYA contemp .

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Your recs are usually good, so I've added this to my neverending to-read list.

I'm about to start BREATHE, ANNIE, BREATHE by Miranda Kenneally.

Thanks Windcutter. That makes more sense to me now.

I haven't gotten very far in THE LIST; I'm trying, though. I also pulled THE MONSTER CALLS out of the library, but I'm already getting bored. Has anyone read it and thinks highly enough of it that they recommend I continue?

I finished WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart and I can see why it's had a good critical reception (and I liked the nods to KING LEAR and THE GREAT GATSBY) but the breathy, over-dramatic and self-absorbed voice irritated me at times (why was she always metaphorically bleeding all over the place) and it ultimately boils down to being a poor little rich girl who's ultimately the author of her own misfortune. I'd check out Lockhart's other books but I didn't think it was as great as the hype makes it out to be.

I also finished THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING by Erika Johansen, which is being marketed as a crossover YA/adult fantasy novel and is being heavily marketed on the basis of it having been optioned by David Heyman (the Harry Potter producer) with Emma Watson attached to star. Again, it's an okay read but there's nothing new here in the genre and ultimately I wasn't feeling it. If Watson has an ounce of sense, she'll be playing the villain because she seems to have more depth than the heroine (who I found quite ho hum).

I'm about to start HERETIC by Sarah Singleton, which I've had on my To Read Pile for a while.

MM

Picked up an advance copy of Natasha Ngan's The Memory Keepers at YALC and it is really enjoyable so far - a futuristic, techy adventure with a sweet romance. I think she has come a long way since her first book, The Elites - TMK is full of tension and sharply plotted, with some great voice.

Forgot that I bought 10 THINGS WE DID (AND PROBABLY SHOULDN'T HAVE) when it was on sale, so I'm about 75% through it right now. Will probably finish tomorrowish.

From a structure standpoint, it's been an interesting read. Each chapter has fragments of the plot plus flashbacks all separated by all caps headings, which I think it works pretty well. The plot is a bit unrealistic (and predictable), but it's a fun/breezy/light read. The MC is likable and realistic but not without flaws. If you're looking for a cute book that deals with relationships (boyfriends, friends, family), it's worth looking into.

ETA: If I had a hard copy, I might've felt the cover was a bit misleading. Although there is considerable time spent on the MC's relationship with her existing boyfriend and another boy, it's not a romance. The cover makes me feel like it's a romance. Maybe that's just me.

I've almost finished HERETIC by Sarah Singleton, which is an okay read. It's a historical fantasy set in Elizabethan England about one girl whose family is hiding a Catholic priest and another who's been living with the faeries for the past 300 years. It's a solid story, well told but for some reason it hasn't completely grabbed me.

I'm going to swap to some 'grown up' fiction for a while to keep my reading palate fresh.

MM

I'm reading THE QUEEN OF ATTOLIA, which is the second book in The Queen's Thief series. I thought the first was pretty slow but I heard the second was much better. I'm still at the beginning but I'm finding it hard to slog through. Has anyone else read this series? Is it worth sticking with?

Just finished, in rapid succession: Alienated by Melissa Landers (liked it more than I expected), Fire with Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian (ditto, except the strange turn toward the paranormal), Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan (love her writing and especially her dialogue, even though it's a bit too violent/paranormal for me), The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith (liked it overall, but not wowed), and A Creature of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn (ditto).

Now just reading Everneath by Brodi Ashton.

I just finished the third book of the Grisha trilogy, Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo....it was just fabulous.

Just finished "Unteachable" by AWer Leah Raeder (something in between YA & NA).
Wow, the girl can write: she has a unique voice, and strong style reminiscent of Laurie Halse Anderson's best work. And this is only her debut!
I just couldn't stop reading, even though I thought the LI was a complete douche and I didn't care for the ending, nor for the overuse of metaphors.
This is someone to most definitely keep an eye on.

Now reading "Slammed" by Colleen Hoover.

I'm finally going to start Gayle Forman's IF I STAY now that I'm back home from holidays and have the paperback on my shelf.

Apparently there's a 50 page teaser of Stephanie Perkin's 3rd Anna novel on NetGalley. Wish I could get my hands on that. Anybody here read it?

Athena Solomon said:

Just finished "Unteachable" by AWer Leah Raeder (something in between YA & NA).
Wow, the girl can write: she has a unique voice, and strong style reminiscent of Laurie Halse Anderson's best work. And this is only her debut!
I just couldn't stop reading, even though I thought the LI was a complete douche and I didn't care for the ending, nor for the overuse of metaphors.
This is someone to most definitely keep an eye on.

Now reading "Slammed" by Colleen Hoover.

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I've heard so much about Raeder and Unteachable, which makes me really want to read it. But NA is tricky for me because of the explicit content, which I'm personally not comfortable with. I've tried very few books in the genre, and I'm not sure what I think yet. I liked Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, though--that's kind of where I'm hoping NA goes.

Just finished Everneath, which is definitely a romance first and foremost, but one that's done well, I thought. Now reading Anna of Byzantium by Tracy Barrett. I confess I've never heard of it before, and I only picked it up randomly from my library shelf because I'm interested in trying out more historical YA.

Liosse de Velishaf said:

Apparently there's a 50 page teaser of Stephanie Perkin's 3rd Anna novel on NetGalley. Wish I could get my hands on that. Anybody here read it?

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I read it!

Really enjoyed it. It's set mostly back in Paris at SOAP, so whoohoo. Isla is awesome, Josh is swoon-y so far. I can't wait to get my hands on the whole book.

I recently started the first book in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy. I'm excited for that.

Liosse de Velishaf said:

Apparently there's a 50 page teaser of Stephanie Perkin's 3rd Anna novel on NetGalley. Wish I could get my hands on that. Anybody here read it?

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http://issuu.com/penguinteen/docs/isla_-_5_chpt_sample

Here ya go Liosse!

Nifty, thanks!

sofia.e said:

I'm reading THE QUEEN OF ATTOLIA, which is the second book in The Queen's Thief series. I thought the first was pretty slow but I heard the second was much better. I'm still at the beginning but I'm finding it hard to slog through. Has anyone else read this series? Is it worth sticking with?

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I've just finished TQOA and it is definitely quite different in style to The Thief - not as fun when you're not in Gen's head, imo. But I really got into it as it went on, because there are lots of great twists in the tale (as expected). There is more in the way of military strategy, some of which is a slog, but the payoff is (imo) worth it.

ETA: I also think TQOA shifts out of YA and into Adult Fantasy territory. I'd be interested to know what you think about that.