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First pick: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
YA, Paranormal Romance, 390 pages, Scholastic Inc.
- Release date: July 12th 2011
- Where to find it: IndieBound | Barnes & Noble
The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie StievaterWhy it's the best:
In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. In Linger, they fought to be together. Now, in Forever, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.
I seriously debated including this one on my Best Sequels list, but decided against it. Stiefvater's writing as the trilogy has progressed--and along with it, my undying and somewhat counter-intuitive love for it--has matured and strengthened so vastly that it's hard to even think of Shiver, Linger, and Forever as the same series, much less Forever as a sequel. Forever has all the bittersweet angst and tension of a contemporary novel, and while Stiefvater's werewolf mythology doesn't quite add up, it's also refreshingly different and concludes beautifully. It's a book to read for atmosphere and to remember what it was like to be a teenager (or to wallow in your teenager-ness if you still are a teenager, like me), and for that, I adore it.
This novel will also have my eternal love because it's set in northern Minnesota, based on a town (Ely) about an hour away from where I live. REPRESENT, Y'ALL.
Who will love it:
Believers in young love, OR those wolf-crazy girls who wear wolf T-shirts and have posters of wolves plastered all over their walls. We all know at least one of them.
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First runner-up: Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey
Not yet reviewed | Goodreads
YA, Paranormal Romance/Fantasy, 332 pages, Flux
- Release date: September 8th 2011
- Where to find it: IndieBound | Barnes & Noble
Braden was born with witch eyes: the ability to see the world as it truly is: a blinding explosion of memories, darkness, and magic. The power enables Braden to see through spells and lies, but at the cost of horrible pain.
After a terrifying vision reveals imminent danger for the uncle who raised and instructed him, Braden retreats to Belle Dam, an old city divided by two feuding witch dynasties. As rival family heads Catherine Lansing and Jason Thorpe desperately try to use Braden's powers to unlock Belle Dam's secrets, Braden vows never to become their sacrificial pawn. But everything changes when Braden learns that Jason is his father--and Trey, the enigmatic guy he's falling for, is Catherine's son.
To stop an insidious dark magic from consuming the town, Braden must master his gift—and risk losing the one he loves.
Why it's the best:
Think Beautiful Creatures, but with more oomph. I hate comparing YA books to other YA books, but that's the only way I can think of to convey the experience of this book, and how thoroughly I enjoyed it. There's action! Explosions! Crazy powers! Sunglasses! Romance! When I wrote my review of Divergent, I called it cinematic, and there's no denying that Divergent's got the goods in the film rights department. Witch Eyes, though, has the atmosphere and drama to nearly match it, and I'd love to see it hit the silver screen.
The best part, for me personally? It's a *gay* book without being an *issue* book. The romance is no more tortured than in any other paranormal romance you read these days, and the sexy and sweet far outweigh the angst. That, my friends, is a rare and fantastic thing.
Who will love it:
Anyone who loves a good dose of kickassery along with their romance, OR fans of family secrets stories.YA, Paranormal Romance, 405 pages, Random House Books for Young Readers
- Release date: May 24th 2011
- Where to find it: IndieBound | Barnes & Noble
It starts off simply.
Draw a circle ... place a dead leaf in the center ... sprinkle some salt ... recite a little Latin ... add a drop of blood ...
Maybe that last part isn't exactly simple. Yet somehow it feels right to Silla Kennicott. And nothing in her life has felt remotely right since her parents' horrific deaths. She's willing to do anything to uncover the truth about her family—even try a few spells from the mysterious book that arrived on her doorstep ... and spill some blood.
The book isn't the only recent arrival in Silla's life. There's Nick Pardee, the new guy next door who may have seen Silla casting a spell. She's not sure what he saw and is afraid to find out. But as they spend more time together, Silla realizes this may not be Nick's first encounter with Blood Magic. Brought together by a combination of fate and chemistry, Silla and Nick can't deny their attraction. And they can't ignore the dark presence lurking nearby—waiting to reclaim the book and all its power.
Tessa Gratton's intoxicating first novel will keep pulses racing, minds reeling, and pages turning right up to the very last drop of blood.
Why it's the best:
Creepy as hell, it's hard to beat a love story with this much Nancy-Drew-esque scrappiness, and also Latin incantations. It's geeky the-world-doesn't-get-me romantic mystery all grown up, and I can't think of anything else I've read this year like it. Silla and Nick's romance is less a love-me-love-me-not tease and more of a partnership against the forces of evil: a surefire way to have me cheering the whole way through. It's a terrific and offbeat debut effort, and I can't wait to read more from Gratton!
(Maggie Stiefvater fans should note that it has a great Wolves of Mercy Falls easter egg, too.)
Who will love it:
Latin geeks, OR hopeless romantic emo mystery lovers. They're out there. Somewhere.
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Later still this evening: best romance. Stay tuned!
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