Top 14 YA Books of 2013

This part of the year is always so hard because each of us sisters read so many great YA books.  We always find ourselves debating which ones should end up in the top spots!  Our goal was to narrow it down to 13, but, of course, we weren't able.  So, we have the Top 14 of 2013.  So instead of actually ranking them 1-14 (which would never be possible...if you have sisters, or blogger friends, or book buddies--you understand), we are going to list the 14 (in no particular order) that we just couldn't have lived without this year!

 

I read this one very early in the year (yay for arcs), and it absolutely blew me away.  Pun intended.  I love how Shannon took something so simple (wind) and turned it into something unique and amazing. 

 

Oh Tahereh Mafi, you will always be one of my favorite authors.  This series really does break me down because the characters are so vivid--even the bad guys.  This is one of those books that I will definitely be reading again.

 

I was never a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland until A.G. Howard opened my eyes to such amazing possibilities.  This book was--Wow!!!!  Just WOW!!!  It's eerie and macabre, but at the same time, it carries a beautiful love story.  I highly recommend this debut novel (and the sequel, Unhinged, that comes out next month!)

 

This year my favorite sub-genre was YA Gothic.  I just love the eerie settings and macabre characters, and this book was by far the best of all the gothic ya out there.  The language was poetic and beautiful, and April made me fall straight into this world.  I cannot wait for the sequel.

 

This one was a complete and utter surprise to me because I had not read any Bourne-like ya books--in fact, I don't know of another one similar to this one--which makes it even better.  I loved the action and suspense that Jennifer created, and the boys---oh the boys!

 

While this one didn't get great reviews from most people, I, personally, loved it.  The idea of a New York that is almost completely under water was fascinating.  I've always been mesmerized by the depths of the ocean, and this book allowed me to see beneath the ripples into a world that was one mighty and strong.  I loved all the twists and turns, and I hope that more people will read this one.

 

 

Of course we had to put Sweet Peril in our list because, let's face it, who wouldn't?  This is such an amazing read, and I love that Wendy Higgins plays with the boundaries of YA.  This love story is heart-breaking and hot, and this is definitely one of my all-time favorite series.

 

I am not usually a high fantasy fan, but this series has completely captured my imagination.  I love the world of the Grisha, and this sequel was even better than the debut.  So many twists and turns, and The Darkling....the hottest villain out there.

 

We 3 sisters (and our mom) agree--this is one of the best series!!!  It's one of the only series where I would be okay with the girl choosing either guy!  Jessica Shirvington's writing is beautiful, and this installment will take you on a roller coaster ride full of feels!

 

If you have followed my tweets or some of my posts this year, you will know that Kresley Cole has become one of my favorite authors.  I loved Poison Princess and Endless Knight so much that I decided to check out her adult series, Immortals After Dark.  Read all 13 in less than a month.  She is an amazing writer, and her first 2 books in the ya genre are perfect!  Absolutely perfect.

 

I'm still Team Cole--even after everything that has happened.  But let me tell you, this sequel--left me speechless.  I did not see that ending coming at all, and I love that Brodi can surprise me!

 

I just started this series this year, and I adore it.  I love how Marissa has twisted the fairy tales into something new and fantastic. While I liked Cinder, I absolutely loved Scarlet.  It was full of wondrous detail and breath-taking characters.  I have Cress right now, and I can't wait to become addicted to it!

 

One of the best endings to a series yet!  I can't name one thing in which I was disappointed.  Steamy romance, crazy gods wreaking havoc, and a god killer all join together in this action packed, blow your socks off finale!

 

This is the best Lux book so far!  Prepare yourself for twist after twist in this roller coaster ride of a book.  BTW--Daemon brings all the tummy butterflies and warm fuzzies in this one.  Love that boy!

 

 

And there you have them!!!!  Let us know what some of your favorites were, and Leave us a link to your Top Books of 2013!

Waiting on Wednesday: Between the Spark and the Burn by April Genevieve Tucholke

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that we are anxiously awaiting is BETWEEN THE SPARK AND THE BURN by April Genevieve Tucholke.  It will be released August 14, 2014 from Dial (Penguin).

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The conclusion to Between the Devil and The Deep Blue Sea, this gothic thriller romance with shades of Stephen King and Daphne du Maurier is a must-read for fans of Beautiful Creatures and Anna Dressed in Blood.

Freddie once told me that the Devil created all the fear in the world.
But then, the Devil once told me that it's easier to forgive someone for scaring you than for making you cry.
The problem with River West Redding was that he'd done both to me.

The crooked-smiling liar River West Redding, who drove into Violet's life one summer day and shook her world to pieces, is gone. Violet and Neely, River's other brother, are left to worry—until they catch a two a.m. radio program about strange events in a distant mountain town. They take off in search of River but are always a step behind, finding instead frenzied towns, witch hunts, and a wind-whipped island with the thrum of something strange and dangerous just under the surface. It isn't long before Violet begins to wonder if Neely, the one Redding brother she thought trustworthy, has been hiding a secret of his own . . .

Between the Spark and the Burn is the heart-pounding conclusion to the �lavishly rendered, darkly romantic, and beautifully unsettling [Between the Devil and The Deep Blue Sea.]”—Melissa Marr

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I cannot wait for the ending to Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.  It was by far one of my favorite books this year.  The gothic setting mixed with a splash of horror was absolutely perfect.  Add to that that April's writing is terrifyingly beautiful and poetic and you have the perfect gothic novel.  I am DYING to get my hands on this one.

Blog Tour Review and Guest Post: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

I'm so excited to be hosting the Blog Tour today for April Genevieve Tucholke's gothic romance, BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA!!!  I got a copy of this from PenguinTeen and read it right away, and I have been spreading the word ever since!!  Check out this gorgeous cover, and be sure to read the quick guest post about April's main character below.  Then you'll find my glowing review!!!

 

 

From April:

 

My main character Violet is a lonely, ex-wealthy, small town girl who misses her dead grandmother, Freddie. Violet prays to Freddie instead of God. She lives in a crumbling mansion by the sea and wears Freddie’s old, vintage clothes and tries not to spend too much time wondering where her heedless artist parents got themselves off to.

 

Violet is what I would call a Bookworm Heroine. She’s doesn’t have magical fighting skills or know how to use a sword. She’s not a secret assassin and she doesn’t have a temper or a cabinet of lethal poisons. She’s not badass. She reads books and thinks a lot and dreams a lot and still manages to save the day, so to speak, in the end.

 

Violet might be based on me. A bit. But then, so is River. And Jack. And Neely. I think I’ve been shades of all these characters, at different points in my life. They all contain a part of me.

 

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Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

ARC received from Penguin Teen

Release Date:  8-15-2013

Reviewed by Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Enchanting, Grotesque, and Utterly Beautiful

You stop fearing the Devil when you're holding his hand...

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White's sleepy, seaside town...until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet's crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet's grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet's already so knee-deep in love, she can't see straight. And that's just how River likes it.

A gothic thriller romance with shades of Stephen King and F. Scott Fitzgerald, set against a creepy summertime backdrop--a must-read for fans of Beautiful Creatures, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and Anna Dressed in Blood.

Have you ever been completely swept away by the magic of a book?  I mean, the kind of swept away that leaves you breathless and aching and dying for more?  Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was that book for me.  Reading it was like hearing a noise in the dead of the night and getting up to check it out.  It’s the fear that lingers after looking into the deepest recesses of the dark and finding nothing, but just knowing, something is there.  Lurking.  Biding its time.  April Genevieve Tucholke’s world is both monstrous and beautiful, with whispers in the dark and monsters in the shadows and stolen kisses in the night.  I’ve never read anything like it. Her world has unequivocally and irrevocably placed a shadow on mine, and I can only dream about finding myself, once more, caught between her Devil and the raging sea.

From page 1, I felt completely and utterly immersed in April’s world, and for the hours it took me to read it, I wanted to be nowhere else.  Even after I was done, I wanted to plunge head first back into the tumultuous world of secrets and devils.  I could smell the sea salt lingering in the humid air, feel the cool breeze wafting in from the cliffs, and feel the thumping in my heart that accompanies unbridled fear.  I loved the picturesque town that April built—it was enchanting and dangerous—like the imaginations of Bram Stoker and Emily Bronte and William Faulkner merged together to create a quietly deceptive town with its own brand of madness.  I could picture every part of it, from the decaying mansion on the edge of the sea, down to the crunch of the rocks on the paths into town.  Wild and treacherous and full of darkness, the town of Echo is truly a masterpiece of all things that go bump in the night.

I absolutely adored Violet, our main character.  She was off-kilter and perceptive, and I loved how she could sit outside in the sun and read Hawthorne and quote poems and see right into someone’s soul.  I felt her turmoil and her desires, and I loved watching her struggle with her own sense of right and wrong.  I loved watching her come to her own conclusions about River, and more than that, I loved how she pushed aside truths for her gut instincts.  I felt each emotion as it poured out of her.  I loved her strange sense of fashion (wearing her dead grandmother’s younger clothes), and how she didn’t care about what anyone else thought.  She was strong and confident, but allowed herself to be scared when she really needed to be scared.  I loved everything about her—she is definitely a heroine that I will long remember.

And then there’s River West.  His name just rolls of the tongue with spice, but you know he’s one of those spices that will leave your mouth burning for hours.  He’s hot and cold, up and down, and the secret that he holds is definitely a doozy.  But with a name like River and a smile that could light up the night sky, who cares about deadly and terrifying secrets?  I loved River because he is one of those perfect gothic men that walk a fine line between good and evil, but when it comes straight down to it, you just don’t know which side he favors.  He reminded me of Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights because he could be the cruelest of cruel with a smile on his face, the Devil in sheep’s clothing.  Yet, there is something about him that makes you want to wrap your arms around him and never let him go.  He’s the bad guy that you can’t help but fall in love with, he’s the troubled guy that can’t be fixed, he’s the guy your mother warned you about.  He’s the Devil that holds your hands and kisses your cheeks and makes you want everything and nothing and then everything again.  He’s Trouble, and don’t you just love it?

I also loved April’s minor characters—Jack, Sunshine, and Neely.  They each had a personality all their own, and they brought life to the story.  They all fit perfectly into this gothic tale of love and horror, and none of them will escape unscathed.  Watching their horrors and triumphs and losses was heart-breaking and amazing.

It’s been a while since a book was able to worm its way into my heart of hearts and put up for a permanent residence, but this book has done it.  It’s the perfect mix of horror and romance, and I just couldn’t get enough of River and Violet.  April’s writing was gorgeous in every aspect, and she brought the small town of Echo to both life and death.  T.S. Eliot wrote, “Between the idea and the reality Between the motion and the act Falls the shadow.”  I can’t help but think this describes April’s world perfectly—a place that exists between now and then, between love and hate, between life and death.  A place that exists in the shadows, in the dark and with the Devil.

Favorite Quotes:

“There’s truths and then there’s truths, Violet.  And some damn truths shouldn’t be spoken out loud, or the Devil will hear, and then he’ll come for you. Amen.” PG 4

"People said time was relative, and I guess that explained why my life before River felt line a handful of seconds--brief flashes of small events that added up to very little. But my life after River was a three-volume saga. Epic. With quests and villains and murderers and unsatisfactory resolutions and people being torn apart." Pg 364

"River leaned over me, wrapped his fingers around my neck, and pulled my ear to his lips. "I'll make you dinner when I get back, and afterward, I'll be answering questions,' he whispered." Pg 132

 

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Teaser Tuesday: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

 

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Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke
Published by Dial (Penguin)
Release Date:  On Shelves NOW!!!

"People said time was relative, and I guess that explained why my life before River felt line a handful of seconds--brief flashes of small events that added up to very little. But my life after River was a three-volume saga. Epic. With quests and villains and murderers and unsatisfactory resolutions and people being torn apart." Pg 364

"River leaned over me, wrapped his fingers around my neck, and pulled my ear to his lips. "I'll make you dinner when I get back, and afterward, I'll be answering questions,' he whispered." Pg 132

 

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This book rocked my world.  The language was beautiful--I could have written down quotes all day.  Be sure to check out my review during my blog tour stop tomorrow!!!!!  Leave a link to your TT or TTT and I'll comment back (when I get back into town from my vacay!)

Waiting on Wednesday: Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that we are anxiously awaiting is BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA by April Genevieve Tucholke.   BETWEEN TEH DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA releases on April 15, 2013 from Dial Books.

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You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

 

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Ah!  This is one of my most anticipated books of 2013, and I've heard its the most requested book from Penguin.  And there's a reason for that--it's gothic horror!  I just love the idea of Violet falling for the devil.  It sounds eerie and romantic, all rolled up with something sinister that could possibly give me nightmares!  I am dying to get my hands on this one.

 

Most Anticipated Books of 2013

So...there are so many 2013 books that I am dying to read, but I've decided to narrow it down (as much as I can) and make my list.  These are my top 2013 books that I have not read yet.  There are a few 2013 books that will not make the list because I have already read them.  I will make a note of those at the bottom of this post because, if I hadn't read them yet, they would certainly be on the list!

These are in no particular order because I want them all!!!!!!

A gothic romance with elements of horror where a girl falls in love with the charming, handsome Devil himself!  What's not to like??? Plus, the cover is absolutely gorgeous!!!

A retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's poem, Annabel Lee.  More gothic romance!!!  It's becoming one of my favorite genres.  Go read Chapter 1 of this one on Goodreads--I swear, you will fall in love with it!

 

The conclusion to the Starcross series!  I am itching to find out what happens with Lucas--and to see if Daphne finally gets a swift kick to her hind quarters.

After the ending to Deity, I must find out what happes with Alex, Aiden, and Seth!!!!  This is the greatest love triangle ever!!!!

 

I really loved the world that Bethany created in Masque, and I'm so excited that it continues with Dance!!! 

 

 

The Darkling!!!!!  Enough said!  I thought Leigh's world was one of the most creative of 2012, and I know that this next installment is going to be great!

 

I'm so excited for retellings!  This one is a Snow White story with a twist!

Who doesn't want more Anna and Kaidan????  Wendy is a master at writing steamy scenes, and I can't wait to read more!

Okay...so those are the Most Anticipated Ones that have covers, but there are 2 more that I really, really want that don't have covers yet.

Endless Knight (Arcana Chronicles #2) by Kresley Cole
The sequel to Poison Princess (my fave book of 2012)!  Can't wait to see what happens with Death!

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White
This ones about the daughter of an Egyptian God!!!  Woot....new mythology!!!!


So that is my list!  You'll probably notice a few key books are missing from this list, and that is because I have already read the ARC or own the ARC and am about to read it.  What books would have been on the list had I not already read them???  Well, here you go:

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi (This book will make your jaw drop)
Let The Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger (I loved the creative ideas in this one)
Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi (Perry!!!!!  He's so dreamy)
Nameless by Lili St. Crow (Have the ARC but haven't read it yet, another retelling!!)
Splintered by A.G. Howard (This one is SO great!  See my review tomorrow!)
The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett (supposed to be getting an ARC of tho one...so excited!)


Thanks for dropping by!!!!!!  I'd love to know your Most Anticipated Books for 2013!