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:

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 IGNITE ME by Tahereh Mafi.  It will be released February 4, 2014 from Harper Teen.

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The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, called "a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love"

Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam-was wrong.

In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was "dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense." Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end.

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I don't think it would be possible for me to put into words how much I want to read this book.  I just love Tahereh Mafi and her eclectic way of writing. I get lost in her metaphors, and her men just sweep me away--good or bad!!!!  It will be a sad and joyous day to see this series end.

Review and Giveaway: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

ARC received from HarperTeen

Release Date:  2-5-2012

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say: Undeniably and Irresistibly Unforgettable

tick, tick, tick, tick, tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

 It might be called Unravel Me, but I want nothing more to be tangled up in Mafi’s world!  I loved Shatter Me more than words can describe, so I was just hoping that this second installment would live up to the first.  Oh how my hopes were tossed to the stars when this sequel captured my heart even more than the first!!!!  Laced with secrets and hidden agendas, catapulted into the void between good and evil, and filled to the brim with unwavering and unrelenting love—from page 1, Tahereh’s world will entrap you within its web.

I just love, love, love the language and metaphors that Tahereh uses in her novel.  Many people find it annoying, but I think it’s breathtakingly beautiful.   Poetic and truthful, it cuts to my soul.  Now you might think I’m exaggerating or being too “oh my she’s awesome,” but I really have never had a reaction to writing like I do to Tahereh’s prose.

“These sticks and stones may break my bones, but these words, these words will kill me.”  ARC, pg. 279

Ah!  I just love it.  I can feel the sorrow seeping from Juliette’s heart—knowing what people say about her—that she’s dangerous, untrustworthy, ready to explode.  Juliette can take all the physical pain in the world—I mean, she was locked away for so long without any comforts or communication; but words?  They can cut you more deeply than anything, and the way that Tahereh shows this…my words can never do her genius justice.

One way I know if a book is memorable is whether or not I like the heroine.  Like I’ve said before, it’s easy to right a swoony guy.  But a girl that will keep my attention and gain my confidence?  That’s difficult to do.  But Juliette had me rooting for her from the first page of the first book, and I will continue rooting for her until the very end.  She’s strong and brilliant, and she doesn’t let the bleak and the hopeless break her.  She stands firm and fights for her cause—even if it means she could die.  She’s willing to give up everything, and for that, I admire her.

I loved that we got to know Warner even more in this book.  We see a side that is so surprising and so heartfelt, and I do believe many girls will start to waver between Adam and Warner.  I know I did—I was Adam all the way in Shatter Me, but now, there is a part of me that wants Juliette to love Warner.  It’s like they are Catherine and Heathcliff—two souls that reach out and recognize each other, through all the pain and fear.  I won’t say much more about what we learn about Warner because it is so great to get to read and discover his truth for yourself!

My only complaint—and it’s not really even a complaint, it’s just an observation, really—there wasn’t much Adam in this book.  There were so many steamy scenes with them in the first book, and I loved seeing them feed off each other, but there weren’t many scenes with them together in this book.  I understand why she did this, though, because this installment was more about Warner and Juliette’s discoveries as opposed to Adam’s, but I think some readers will find themselves missing him.

Steam.

Longing.

Truth.

Betrayal.

Power.

Unravel Me has it all.  This is a series I will never hesitate to recommend to everyone—even the stranger in the elevator!  Full of life and death, love and hate, fear and power; Unravel Me will bring you to the edge of your seat, and come the end of the book, it will kick you right over the edge!  Now I just have to wait until 2014…oh, the horror!

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Teaser Tuesday: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

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!)

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
HarperTeen
February 5, 2013

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"It's just a whisper of a kiss but something collapses in my skull.  It's a feather-light brush of his mouth against my skin in a place I can't quite see.  It's my mind speaking in a thousand different languages I don't understand."  ARC, pg. 403

"Maybe I'm just supposed to die."  ARC, pg. 199

"Sticks and stones keep breaking my bones but these words, these words will kill me."  ARC, pg. 279

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I feel like Tahereh Mafi knew exactly what to say in that last quote.  I mean, seriously, her words are so great they kill me!  After reading Unravel Me, I find myself so awed that I can't even begin to describe what this book will do to you.  If you were able to stand on a star and look around at the wonder that is our galaxy, it still wouldn't compare to Unravel Me!  Mafi's words are chilling, and they will cut you straight to  your heart.  Don't miss out on this one guys!