I've been prolonging this for too long but as I read more and more books which are almost unreadable to me and more and more excellent books I feel like I must share my insight with someone.
So there is a lot of hype about some books which I feel is super unnecessary so let me just list out the ones I have been unable to finish:
-Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
I read this after I read that the author was touring with Cynthia Hand who's Angel series I liked. Usually I associate one author to another, and this time was I ever so wrong. I really tried my best and I think I got like 70 or so pages through this book, however, the characters lacked so much depth. Granted, it is one of those stories where there is tons of ass-kicking and being a Buffy (damn I love her!)-like slayer but even those types of stories should have some character development. I don't mean the kind where the narrator is conflicted about her supernatural/normal life because that is not enough. Also, there's parts of the stories which are just plain shallow. I really don't care that you are going shopping for a birthday dress and you are having an MTV style Sweet 16. Not relatable at least not to me. It reminds me of Gossip Girl books of my former middle school days minus all the hilariously witty lines and actual personalities. NOT A FAN
-Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
I honestly didn't feel that negative about this book, however it was more along the lines of I don't really care. I'm about 100 pages in and I feel like I keep waiting for something ground-breaking to happen... waiting ...waiting... nothing. I will finish this, but I feel like I won't be in love waiting for the next one to come out. While I love the music element, being a musician, none of the characters feel real to me. They are shell-like.
What I've enjoyed on a superficial kind of level:
Devoured by Amanda Marrone
I haven't read a book by Marrone since Uninvited which didn't impact me that much. I liked this book because it didn't sugercoat psychic visions like many books do. It was interesting trying to untangle the past of the main character and see her transformation. Also, Marrone allowed for the killing of the most unexpected people. I hate when characters are kept alive for the sole reason of keeping them alive. No, if there is a psycho killer on the line people should and kind of have to die. Thanks for keeping it real:)
Clarity by Kim Harrison
I also like how this book keeps it real. Often in other YA romance books feelings for old loves just kind of dissipate, but in this one, it presents some actual emotional confusion for the character which makes it interesting and engaging to read. Yes, a character with some residual realistic feelings! I also like this book because it is mysterious and it keeps you guessing until the end, who is going to kill me. Also, the jerk character of the love triangle actually has reasoning for being a jerk. Development and explanations are always a plus. Anyways, I mostly love this book because it reminds me of the Lily Dale series by Wendi Corsi Staub which had a lovely mysterious tone about the death of the heroine's mother. This applies to Clarity as well because of the daddy dearest? mystery going on. Looking forward to the sequel.
Stay by Deb Caletti
Whoa, this is freakishly different from other Caletti novels is what first came into my mind. It is a present day/flashback type of book and it presents a lot of mystery to what really happened and why is the heroine off somewhere else hiding. Lots of suspense and kind of realistic (this kind of thing sort of happened to a friend of mine in a not as creepy/extreme way). I love her books because it shows lots of character development and realism. I also like the fact that it doesn't keep me on my toes for a sequels. Nothing is worse than waiting. Lesson of the story: Obsessiveness doesn't just happen, it can stem from love. Beautiful. I went through the love/hate for the "antagonist" just like the heroine did, and it left me with a kind of pang in that heart-like area. Lovely and much love from me.
Sequel Now Please?
-All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Zevin never seems to fail me with her unique stories. Each of her books is so unique and individual next to all YA and even her other works, this one is no exception.
The Idea: Chocolate mafia and illegal chocolate, can you say insta-death for hormonal teens (including myself) all over.
Characters FTW: Finally, a character who is strong and she can make intelligent decisions instead of doing anything for love. Sure, love is great, but so is being a realistic, responsible person. It also shows the character's flaws. Most authors make their character look 1-dimensional and kind of perfect, but this character has some introspection of herself which is making me look forward to her future stories to come.
Epic Story: The story has many problems which aren't all presented at the beginning like many other books do. Instead each chapter brings more conflict to the character, making this YA heroine seem like an adult. Frankly, if I had to deal with her problems I'd question what the hell I did in a different past life to deal with all that BS. It's not just a oh-damn-we-can't-be-together type of love story, or just family or politics problems, it's like all of them intertwine to make the heroine's life a living hell. It's like mystery meets romance meets dystopia. And I absolutely loved it:) A++
Half-blood and Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout
Okay, I know Half-blood is a semi ripoff of the Vampire Academy series, but somehow I like this one too. While the main ideas are the same, it is interesting to see how the vampire-fighting school will deal with the incoming doom in the book to follow. I also enjoy the powers which are obtained by Alex and I am dying to know what happens in the next book.
Obsidian: say hello to aliens, as in no more vampires, werewolves, and magical earthly creatures. It is a unique piece of sci-fi fantasy and I'm loving the idea of a shadow vs. light showdown. The powers are unique and the character narration is hilarious. I'm looking forward to more of this series and I want to see how the characters develop.
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