Rebel, by Marie Lu
I was reeeeeally looking forward to this, especially after Champion ended the way it did. And while I did not expect the recovering memory thing to go as it did, I also understand that this story was mainly about Eden and secondly and Daniel and June. Still, I would LOVE a novella or short story focusing solely on Daniel going through that process of recovering his past life with June. I eat that kind of stuff all up.
But anyway, I really liked seeing Eden grow throughout the trilogy and finally in this book. It made me remember what a crucial figure Eden was in all of the events of the Legend trilogy, and I never really gave much thought as to his view of everything that happened and continues to happen to him (as does like, everyone in his world, too). Seeing him mature into his own being was really satisfying to see, and getting a happy ending was also much appreciated.
The Raven Boys
The Dream Thieves
Blue Lily, Lily Blue
The Raven King, by Maggie Stiefvater
What is it about this series? I wasn't really expecting to be moved by these characters and their stories, especially after I saw "Prep School Boys." But damn. This tale is so atmospheric, and it reminded me of how much I loved magical realism in college. Odd stories that move me with beautiful prose really defined how I progressed in my writing program, and The Raven Cycle made me remember all of that. Lastly, an unexpected love for Ronan came from this series, and I admit that I am intrigued about the author's new series that allows us to dip back into Ronan's life a little more.
(A week and a half after I finished The Raven King, I read Stiefvater's blog post about what her life and health were like while she wrote the end of the series, and truthfully, I did not notice anything odd or different or incongruous about it.)
Ninth House, by Leigh Bardugo
This book was the most anticipated book of the... year? century? Basically, everyone was so freaking excited about this, and I was in that group. Did it disappoint? No. Ninth House is dark and harrowing and so elevated and smart that sometimes I felt like I had a hard time keeping up. I want more of Alex, especially now that she has experienced a significant amount of growth from Book #1 - I want to see what she does with all of that next. And she freaking needs to find You Know Who, because that is killing me.
The Unhoneymooners, by Christina Lauren
This book was so funny (I was dying at the en masse vomiting), and a fun take on the enemies to lovers trope. It was a quick and easy read that was hilarious, cute, heartbreaking, and redemptive all in one. Whew!
The Girl the Sea Gave Back, by Adrienne Young
I was a little nervous for this one. Sky in the Deep was such an unexpected love of mine, and I was a worried that this companion novel wouldn't make me feel the same way that Sky did. It didn't, but that's fine because this story is completely different and gave me feelings that were different but just as strong. I think this novel has an understated beauty and elegance, and the ending was the perfect combination of satisfying and also really wanting more. It also made me want to go back and reread Sky with a focus more on Halvard.
Caraval, by Stephanie Garber
I thought this story was really confusing and convoluted. Scarlett was really obnoxious, and I often found myself wishing that her sister Donatella would die just to make it so Scarlett would whine less.
The Beautiful, by Renee Ahdieh
I loved the NOLA setting, it made me want to go back really badly. So props to effective setting evocation. Celine was an interesting enough character, I guess? I did find the hiding of her "dark" secret to be a little contrived. Surely any person worth forming a friendship with would understand when someone is acting in self-defense? Anyway. The villain really confused me with the origins of his hatred. I was fully convinced that I would not be continuing on with the series until the end, when the memory loss trope was revealed. I can't help that that trope is one of my all-time favorites, so I might read on just for the sake of it.
Cinder
Scarlet
Cress
Winter, by Marissa Meyer
Okay, I was not expecting to like Cinder enough to read the entire series, but I did. (I'm not sure if low expectations had anything to do with this.) There are a lot of ships in this series (one for each book), and Cinder and Kai were the least interesting. Kai in general was just super MEH for me, and even though I'm obviously on his side, he mostly came off as superbly incompetent nearly the entire time. Cinder is fine though, she's a great protagonist to follow. Her taste in boys just needs some work. Thorne and Cress were straight up adorable, but Jacin and Winter were my favorite ships. Levana can go straight to hell with Adri chained up behind her.
The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang
This was such a cute story! Having it in graphic novel form was ideal for being able to see all of the amazing fashion that was central to the story. I was so pleasantly surprised to see the parents at the end come around in such a huge and amazing way for Sebastian, which really seems like a rarity in YA.
Speak: The Graphic Novel, by Laurie Halse Anderson
This story is so powerful, and the visual medium by which it is conveyed adds to that power. (The bathroom wall!!) I did not read this book in middle or high school, but I will donate this graphic novel to every school my children attend and make sure they read it.
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