How I picked the list:
Although I think almost all of these are 2012 releases, my only criteria was that I *read* it in 2012. I am bad at narrowing the list down-I ended up picking 25 books out of 300 read and that was only because I restricted it just to YA. Then I sorted it by my choice of genre and wrote a little about each book. Links are to my reviews and I only included the cover of my favorite book because I had some troubles with formatting-sorry! Where helpful, I have quoted my own review. Books are listed in the order I read them; it is not listed by preference. Make sure to read the end to see what themes I noted reoccurring in my favorites.
Stats:
Steampunk-2 selections
Historical-3 selections (including favorite of the year; I think you know what that is ;)
Dystopia-3 selections
Fantasy-2 selections
Paranormal-6 selections
Contemporary-9 selections; hey it's my fave genre so no surprises there!
Steampunk:
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross-"Another delightful entry in the Steampunk Chronicles with more of the adventure, romance, and fun that could be expected!"
The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress-just read this and loved the great female characters as well as the overall light tone (I would say lighter and less romance-driven than The Girl in the Clockwork Collar)
Historical:
Glamorous Illusions by Lisa T Bergren-"An exciting historical fiction that sets up relationships that I'm excited to explore over the course of the next two books." Also there is a boy named Will-swoon!
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein-I've talked about this book a lot and gifted it to several people in real-life. It's fantastic. If you have not read it yet, you need to get a copy ASAP!
Dystopia:
Legend by Marie Lu-This stood on the strength of its characters for me: "I loved their similarities-how both are so smart and can easily adapt to various situations; how they don't want to hurt people; how they're so protective of their families; how they want to do the right thing."
Crewel by Gennifer Albin-the cover definitely played a role in my love for this book but the ending sealed the deal, pushing me to the brink and leaving me desperately guessing what might come next.
Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin-"I don't want to go too in-depth but there are some great scenes of Anya having to kick some butt and a lot of information is thrown at us but there is still more to come. I don't really have the words to articulate my strong positive feelings about this book."
Fantasy:
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo-this is one that I didn't really like initially (at least, not compared with how other people loved it). But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I liked it.
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman-my second favorite read of the year. I loved pretty much everything about this book, finding it to be a "Pretty dang perfect fantasy!"
Paranormal:
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson-This Jack the Ripper story contains "great mix of different elements without being too scary" and sets us up for book two. Look for my review to come in 2013.
Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey-despite (fully warranted) instalust, I was captivated by this story because of how its heroine embraced her role to save the world. I also really appreciate that its a standalone (although a second book could totally be added).
Everneath by Brodi Ashton-although there has been some debate over whether this book contains a love triangle, I am on the side that thinks there isn't, which made me very happy. "I really did love this book. I thought Nikki was fairly strong for her situation as well as for a YA paranormal heroine and the romance really worked for me"
The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa-this could technically be classified in dystopia as well but since there are vampires, I'm putting it here. Despite the slow beginning, once Allison was turned into a vampire and the plot picked up, "even this vampire story hater was won over by the masterful writing and plotting."
This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers-I do not consider myself a zombie book fan but as this has a lot of elements of contemporary, I loved it. Great character-driven novel although not very much in the way of plot.
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater-"Wow, what can I say about this beautiful enchanting magical book?" still holds. When will the next book be released?
Contemporary:
My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan by Seth Rudetsky-a hilarious LGBTQ novel with a very light touch; recommended for other Broadway geeks.
Radiate by Marley Gibson-inspired by the author's own experience, this book hit me hard; "An emotional journey through a difficult period as navigated by a graceful inspiring young lady."
Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm-"This is such a "me" book-I loved the MC so much and completely clicked with the sense of humor displayed. The storyline is about the summer adventures of a young woman with a love of history, color, reading, Jane Austen...in other words, someone a lot like me!"
Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker-"While some people will have trouble liking Clem (I almost didn't like her myself), I really bought into her feelings (the sulking I did as a teenager-whoa) and especially her feelings about best friend Amanda and how the loss of that friendship is affecting her. I just feel like a lot of YA doesn't spend much time on female friendships, focusing instead on love triangles"
Miracle by Elizabeth Scott-Scott is one of my favorite YA authors and one of the few on my auto-buy list. This is one of her more intense reads that will sit with you for a long time.
Speechless by Hannah Harrington-"A must-read for lovers of contemporary especially if you don't usually read "issue" books. Although talking about some important things, this book seamlessly weaves them in without coming across as preachy. There are also a lot of fun moments and the writing is flawless so you should be able to lose yourself pretty easily in the narrative."
Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn-"A really fun ride through artwork, deception, and love with an exciting Tokyo/Japan backdrop. Highly recommended!"
Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo-Another book I like even more as I reflect on it. I especially loved following the characters over the course of a year as well as the main character's budding feminism.
A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger-despite the lack of Shakespeare, which I feel the title hints at, I loved this fun and funny book-"recommended for people who like fun contemporaries, complicated female leads, and the other Keplinger books!"
Some themes that recur among these books:
-My appreciation for a focus on female friendship
-My love of strong female leads
-Praising characters who feel strongly about their family, their honor, and performing their duty
-Books that are generally on the lighter side especially those that make me laugh while also making me think
-Characters > Plot
Do you agree with my list of favorites? Any books you're going to add to your to-read list?
What a great list. I've only read one Steampunk in my entire reading career and it was The Girls in the Steel Corsett, book one, part of the series of the one you've listed above. I liked the book a lot, but don't know if I'd consider it among my most fav'd of the year. Maybe book #2 is better, since you seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. I've wanted to read all the dystopians you've mentioned, just don't have a copy for myself yet. I've read Shadow and Bone - LOVED IT! The rest of the list I'm not really acquainted with. I do have a strong desire to pick up Code Name Verity, though. Its supposed to be a tear jerker.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED This is Not a Test. I actually really enjoy zombies, but my favorite genre is contemporay so it was a nice mix. I need to read so many of these still, though. I want to get my hands on a copy of Code Name Verity soon because I think my sister would also love it (she's a big history person).
ReplyDeleteI tend to like the characters in stories over the plots too. I mean, both are needed in some fashion, but I don't like plot-driven books over characters for the most part. Those tend to bore me.
Code Name Verity is definitely one of my favorite books of the year. I also loved Seraphina. Such an original fantasy novel!
ReplyDeleteIt is great that you were able to identify what it was about these books that you really enjoyed. That will probably help you find other books you'll love too. I tend to enjoy books with strong family relationships and friendships too as well as honorable characters.
There are several books on your list that I haven't read yet that I need to pick up in 2013, especially Crewel and Legend.
I loved All These Things I've Done and I'm glad to see that the sequel is just as awesome. And I have wanted to read Shattered Souls for quite a while so your thoughts just seal the deal (also didn't know it was a standalone). Fantastic list! ^_^
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list of books. The Name of the Star, Shattered Souls and The Immortal Rules were Fantastic. And so was Speechless.. :)
ReplyDeleteJenea @ Books Live Forever
I've only read ONE of those books! You're reading variety has really inspired me to do better this year! I'm determined to read something steampunk, too, since I've never ventured into that realm. Several of these are on my reading list, thanks to you, though. :)
ReplyDeleteI am so unbelievably happy to see Code Name Verity as your top pick! I can't even talk or think about that book without starting to get all emotional. It was such a special book.
ReplyDeleteI like how you listed the themes. Very interesting to read and see how those themes can be carried throughout such different genres.
Fantastic list, I'm keeping it bookmarked for 2013 :)
ReplyDeleteCode Name Verity, Seraphina and Legend are high on my list for 2013 but I've also got The Name of the Star & This Is Not A Test waiting patiently for me!
I enjoyed Crewel and The Raven Boys but they didn't make my favourites
Living Dead Girl is one of the most intense books I've read so I'm adding Miracle to my wishlist. Thanks for sharing