It’s time for the 4th Annual YA Superlative Blogfest! Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, Alison Miller, and Katy Upperman hosted this interactive blogfest in 2011, 2012, and 2013 with the hope of highlighting their favorite YA novels, covers, characters, and story elements. And they´re back for the 2014 edition.
All covers in my round-up link to the goodreads pages.
HEAD OF THE CLASS
Favorite Dystopian
TAKEN had brought me out of a reading slump last year and FROZEN exceeded my expectations. I cannot wait for the last installment…
Favorite Science Fiction
Hmmm I did read this book in 2013 but it is a 2014 release…so it counts, right? (plus I don´t read lots of Sci-fi unless you count some of the awesome manuscripts I´ve beta read but I can´t put those on this list—maybe soon!)
Favorite Fantasy
Love, love, love. And so happy for Jen! This book made me laugh, and cringe, and swoon, and yes I almost cried on the plane…Jen needs to get to the sequel soon 🙂
I don’t read a lot of fantasy but I’d follow Bree pretty much anywhere.
Favorite Contemporary
(so this section will have subsections…because I´ve read A LOT of contemporary novels…)
Favorite contemporary that made my heart beat faster
Favorite contemporary that made my heart bleed (no pun intended)
Favorite contemporary that made my heart fill with hope
Favorite Comedy that had lots of romance & made me want to go back to Italy
It´s not entirely a comedy but it does have lots of fun moments.
🙂 Hmmm it would seem I read a LOT of contemporary novels… 🙂
Looking forward to seeing what books made it at the top of your lists!
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The choices were tough (see all the wonderful books I´ve read this year?)…so yep…hmmm sometimes there may be more than one…Today I am proud to present BEST IN SHOW.
YA books released and read in 2012
Favorite Cover(s)
I’m really wondering about the bird, and the mystery, and the boys, and it’s shiny!
So pretty, and dark, and ohhhhh I want to know what’s going to happen.
I don’t know why but this one really appealed to me even before I read it. Must be the boots, or the desert…
Cutest Couple
Samantha and Jase – they are simply adorable!
Augustus and Hazel – they broke my heart, but at the same time their love for one another shone through the pages, and they’re funny, and they’re courageous, and they’re simply real.
Most Likely to Succeed (Or, pick a Printz Winner.)
Gorgeous writing, story that pulls you in…Even though the storylines are completely different, they both managed to create a world that felt like the reader was walking beside the characters.
In one of the books, you will mourn and grieve and fall in love with them. While in the other, you will want to know what happens next, and what is it about this place that makes everything so magic, and you will want to go hang out with The Raven Boys and Blue and her family.
Most Likely to Make You Miss Your Bedtime (Book you just couldn’t put down!)
Even though Noah was sometimes a bit too much, I still got lost in the story and…missed my bedtime for it 🙂
Best Repeat Performance (Your favorite sequel or follow-up.)
Romance Most Worthy of an Ice bath
Okay. So I know this is NA…but STEAMY!!!!
Breakout Novel (Your favorite book by a debut author.)
Loved the story, and on top of that Huntley has been so sweet in helping with my giveaway of her book and by granting me an interview. Definitely getting her next book.
Best Old-Timer (your favorite read of the year, published before 2012)
You guys. That book. So. Many. Feelings.
The characters, the story, the setting, the writing, how everything works together, how I fell in love with all of them.
Most Pleasant Surprise (Best book you didn’t think you’d like, but totally did.)
I know. Weird. But the topic is so heartbreaking. Cancer is a bitch. And I didn’t know if I would put a wall between me and the book, or if I would think it was written too off-track, or if I would even pick it up afraid it would be too sad. But the characters were so real, their story, their words resonated so loudly, that I fell in love with it. Without Tracey and her book club, I know I probably would have not read it. So thank you!
Most creative use of a Love Triangle
The love triangle is there, not there, but there…and wow…can’t wait to know what happens next!
Sleeper Hit (Book you found so awesome you wish it had been hyped more)
While that book was hyped a bit before its publication, I don’t think it got lots of press afterwards.
Favorite Outlier (Your favorite middle grade or adult 2012 book)
It’s technically an adult book, no?
Reading ON WRITING was really a delight. The voice in that book is just amazing, and Mr. King gives wonderful tips, and digs into his own experience as a writer.
And now, we need to pick our own superlative category.
Favorite Lines
(not just first line, but any lines, the ones that stayed with you long long loonnnng after you closed the book).
Disclaimer: I have more than one favorite line, and I’m sticking to the books I talked about in this wonderful blogfest (not all the ones I’ve read in 2012)
“Gansey had once told Adam that he was afraid most people didn’t know how to handle Ronan. What he meant by this was that he was worried that one day someone would fall on Ronan and cut themselves.”
“He asked for a specific. I gave him a specific. I’m sorry it wasn’t puppies.”
“Maura had decided sometime before Blue’s birth that it was barbaric to order children about, and so Blue had grown up surrounded by imperative question marks.”
“We were playing Rock, Paper, Scissors,” she told him once. “I was paper and she was rock so I lived and she died.”
“If you weren’t driving, I’d kiss you senseless,” I tell him. He swerves to the side of the road and stops the car abruptly. “Not driving any more.”
People will say it’s sad that she leaves a lesser scar, that fewer remember her, that she was loved deeply but not widely. But it’s not sad. It’s triumphant. It’s heroic. Isn’t that the real heroism? The real heroes anyway aren’t the people doing things; the real heroes are the people NOTICING things, paying attention.
“Headline?” he asked. “‘Swing Set Needs Home,'” I said. “‘Desperately Lonely Swing Set Needs Loving Home,'” he said. “‘Lonely, Vaguely Pedophilic Swing Set Seeks the Butts of Children,'” I said.”
“You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world, old man, but you do have some say in who hurts you.”
”His bed´s really comfortable and he never pees in it”
“Why do all the hot girls want the jocks and the good boys? We losers are the ones that need you.”
You have to kiss me,” I find myself saying. “Yeah.” He leans closer. “I do.”
Tell me, what is your favorite line from the books you’ve read this year?
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The choices were tough (see all the wonderful books I´ve read this year?)…so yep…hmmm sometimes there may be more than one…Today I am proud to present ELEMENTS OF FICTION.
YA books released and read in 2012
Most Envy-Inducing Plot (Or, the plot you wish you’d thought of yourself.)
Really, I’ve read AMAZING books this year, and I’d love to have thought of some plots myself. Like THIS IS NOT A TEST, I’m a big WALKING DEAD fan, and the way Courtney Summers created a mix of honesty, horror, love, hope and everything in between is quite amazing in my view.
And all the books with the wonderful romances (I write a lot of kissing scenes)…My Life Next Door, Meant to Be, Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight….
Then, there are the plots I absolutely LOVE and the prose I found magical and amazing but the books I wouldn’t write. At least not right now. Does that make sense?
Most Formidable World (Or, the setting you definitely would NOT want to visit.)
I mean I’d love to go to see FOUR and see the world for a little while, but then can I just come back home? 😀
Some of the creatures in there are pretty scary.
Wanderlust-Inducing (Or, the setting you’d happily travel to.)
I really need to go back to London soon 😀 (dear hubby, if you read this, we should plan a trip there next year…and go see a musical…are you still reading? Come back!)
Loveliest Prose
Most Dynamic Main Character
Tris.
Most Jaw-Dropping Ending
I need to know what happens next…
Best Performance in a Supporting Role
All the Garretts in MY LIFE NEXT DOOR but especially George. I mean, that kid is SO cute and funny 😀
Some of his best lines:
”His bed´s really comfortable and he never pees in it”
George gives me a smile, the same dazzling sweet smile as his big brother, although at this point, with green teeth. “I might marry you,” he allows. “Do you want a big family?”
I like that. You look like Sailor Supergirl.
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The choices were tough (see all the wonderful books I´ve read this year?)…so yep…hmmm sometimes there may be more than one…
Today I am proud to present POPULARITY CONTEST.
YA books released and read in 2012
Class Clown
Jason – he’s funny, sweet, endearing and loves the attention he gets by being his clown-self…And he’s also so much more than that.
Most Likely to Become a Rock Star
Bev – she might not really become a Rock Star but she´s got the attitude, and the band.
Most likely to start a riot
Noah – I think he would do anything for his siblings, including starting a riot.
Tris – she would definitely be the one to start a riot…But at the same time, can you blame her?
Fashion King and/or Queen
Harrison – He loves fashion, and he’s supportive and funny and smart and encouraging.
Emma – here again, she knows her fashion, and she seems like a fun/nice/supportive person to have around!
Girl You’d Most Want For Your BFF
Quinn – Because she had such a hard time, and still managed to stay true to herself and the ones she loved.
Blue – So we can go on adventures together, and talk about the Raven boys, and life, and all those mysteries swirling around. And to be immersed in Maggie’s magical writing.
Biggest Flirt
Parker – Flirting is a coping mechanism for her.
Catherine Howard – she flirts to get ahead, to climb the social ladder, and for the pretty dresses. But she also flirts to feel alive.
Boy You Wish You’d Dated in High School
Can I just tell you that list is ridiculously long and leave it at that?:D
Most Likely to Become President
Elder – I mean he’s already a leader. And on a ship. And without the you-know-what-I-won’t spoil-it-for-you.
Favorite Parental Figure
The Garretts – They’re supportive, loud, funny, and simply there.
Hazel’s parents – they love their daughter, and are there for her. Their suffering and their heartbreak is visible and though they try to also simply be there for Hazel.
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The choices were tough (see all the wonderful books I´ve read this year?)…so yep…hmmm sometimes there may be more than one…Today I am proud to present HEAD OF CLASS.
YA books released and read in 2012
Favorite Dystopian
INSURGENT by Veronica Roth – I had no issue getting back into that world. And cannot wait to see what happens next.
Favorite Science Fiction
A MILLION SUNS by Beth Revis – I loved, loved, loved that one. The ship becomes another character for me, and the way the entire cast is developed is just brilliant in my view. I even found this one a tad better than the first book of this trilogy (and I already couldn´t put it down :P)
Favorite Contemporary
Okay I´m sorry but I´ve read way too many contemporaries to play favorite. Can I go with 3—in no particular order?
For the way the story touched my heart, made me cry, made me hope: THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green. I’ve read this book while spending a few days at my Mother-in-law’s. And I think she still wonders why I cried so much reading a novel. For my full review, and for all the reasons why I think this heartbreaking book is also a book full of love and hope, see here.
For the way the romance made my heart beat faster, and the secondary cast of characters: MY LIFE NEXT DOOR by Huntley Fitzpatrick. And to share the love, I had decided to hold a giveaway for that book back in July, I also thought I’d ask the author if maybe she would be interested in doing an interview. I was so happy when she said yes! And even included a signed copy of the book as giveaway! 😀 (Happy Friday – Interview and giveaway)
THIS IS NOT A TEST by Courtney Summers. As I wrote in my review of this book back in August, Sloane is a tortured character and whose pain rages through the pages, gripping and sad. The drama with her family broke my heart. It´s definitely not the type of drama easy to resolve in normal circumstances, so if you throw zombies into the mix? You get an unforgettable story, exploring the weaknesses, strenghts of each character.
So, tell me who was Head of Class for you this year?
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Elodie Nowodazkij 