Rebecca's Top 10 of 2012

These were my 10 favorite
YA Fantasy & Speculative Fiction reads in 2012,
in no particular order. 

Review: 'The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart' by Leanna Renee Hieber

WARNING: This review contains spoilers if you have not yet read "Darker Still", 

the first volume of Natalie Stewart's story.

But just as the witches in Macbeth proclaim:
"Something wicked this way comes,"
there's no avoiding it.
But that doesn't mean I have to submit.

Jonathan, Lord Denbury, has been freed from the painting and the demon possessing his body forced out by the combined efforts of Natalie and her friend, Mrs. North.  The painting has been destroyed.  Not everything is resolved, however,  and Jonathan is wanted by the police for actions his body committed while possessed.  Natalie hopes that the painting's destruction signaled the end of the supernatural chapter of her and Jonathan's lives.  But when Natalie and Jonathan discover that there is a new darkness brewing in the City That Never Sleeps they must muster the courage and fortitude to stop a madman from trapping the souls of the dead.

Add another well-written, suspenseful novel to the newer cannon of YA Gothic literature.  Hieber continues to weave Natalie's story while introducing new characters and new supernatural elements that  readers will hope to see in future novels.  Natalie continues to grow into her newly discovered voice, as well as into her supernatural abilities, and must learn to balance her independence and family obligations.  Her struggle makes Natalie a character that teen girls can relate to even though her adventures are anything but ordinary.  Another strength of this novel is the historical detail, the setting is as important as the characters.  Nineteenth-century New York City is beautifully depicted in all its industrial glory which makes Hieber's novels a wonderful introduction to that time period.  Romance, mystery and supernatural evil abound in Hieber's newest novel, giving readers everything they could ask for in a book.  Highly recommended.

Release Date: November 1, 2012

Book Source: Sourcebooks, courtesy of Lauren Walker - Thank you Lauren!
Reviewed by: Rebecca

Recommended Ages: 14+ for some creepy scenes

Recommended for Readers of:

Review: 'Days of Blood and Starlight' by Laini Taylor

Once upon a time,

an angel and a devil held a wishbone between them.

And its snap split the world in two.

With the snap of a bone Karou remembers her former life as a the chimera, Madrigal, and the forbidden love that condemned her people.  Karou returns to Eretz only to discover that the chimeran city of Loramendi has been reduced to ashes, its citizens dead.  Grieving and heart-sick, she joins forces with the surviving band of rebels even though that means working hand-in-claw with the White Wolf.

Laini Taylor casts a spell with her novels, easily drawing readers into a world of angels and demons where the demons are sometimes heroes and the angels are sometimes monsters.  Nothing is Eretz is black and white and the moral dilemmas facing Taylor's characters make them real in a way not often found in YA Literature.  Taylor's writing is sensual, hypnotic and original while her characters are wonderfully flawed.  Karou is a passionate female lead who's strength comes from her deep and abiding love of the people around her, while Akiva is a warrior seeking redemption for his bloody past. Secondary characters are just as complex as main characters and their existence is integral to the story, providing the reader with interesting alternative perspectives.

This is a dense, rich text dealing with issues of love, hate, redemption and morality.  These issues make this Days of Blood and Starlight a perfect choice for classroom or book club discussion.  Somehow, Taylor manages to keep a sprinting pace throughout the book, so be prepared to try and read this 500+ page epic in one sitting.  Fair warning, this is only the second installment in a planned trilogy, so be prepared to finish Days of Blood and Starlight wanting more.

WARNING: Read Daughter of Smoke and Bone before starting this novel!

RELEASE DATE: November 6, 2012

Book Source: VOYA via Little, Brown & Company

Reviewed by: Rebecca

Recommended Ages: 16+ Mature themes, attempted rape, war violence

Recommended for Readers of:

Simply Fabulous Reads

I've been reminiscing over the number of really 

amazing books that I've read lately and decided to share!  

These are the titles that I've fallen in love with in the last several months:

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore	Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers	Daughter of  Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor	The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

Break My Heart 1,000 Times by Daniel Waters	Otomen, Volume 1 by Aya Kanno	Right Behind You by Gail Giles	Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

What are your recent faves?

First 20 people to comment* and DM me a mailing address on Twitter** (@Lunanshee) will get a FREE Book Monster Bookmark from my Etsy Store!  

I'm a Book Monster.  Rawr!

*Comments must contain at least ONE title that you've loved reading recently.

**When you DM me make sure to mention the Screen Name your comment is posted under or link to your comment.

Win a Galley of 'Grave Mercy' by Robin LaFevers

Teenage assassins, political intrigue and fascinating characters make this the ultimate historical fantasy.

Want a free Advanced Reading Copy of  'Grave Mercy' by Robin LaFevers?
Enter the contest below for a chance to win a copy!

You have until Sunday, April 29th!

Winner will also receive a "Why Be the Sheep When You Can Be the Wolf?" promo button to go with your ARC.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Why be the sheep when you can be the wolf?

Ismae is the uneducated, unwanted daughter of a peasant who gives her in marriage to an abusive, superstitious pig farmer.  On her wedding night she is rescued from her new husband and smuggled to the convent of St. Mortain where novitiates are taught the art of death.  For the Sisters of St. Mortain are servants of the God of Death himself and act as His assassins.  Comfortable in her new life as a Daughter of Death, Ismae begins executing targets assigned by the Mother Superior in preparation for taking her vows and rising to the rank of full Sister.  But death is not as black and white as Ismae first believed and she begins to question her role as her newest assignments drags her deeper into Court plots and treasonous plans.

Medieval Brittany is given a dark and thrilling makeover in LaFever's first YA novel which will leave readers howling for more.  Readers will be able to relate to Ismae, for all that she has a rather blood thirsty personality.  Watching her grow from an instrument of vengeance into something more is rewarding and intriguing for the reader on both an intellectual and an emotional level.  Grave Mercy has a wonderful balance of political intrigue, mystery, action and romance and an opening chapter sure to hook any reader looking for a good book.  History, fantasy and medieval politics come together to draw readers into a world unlike any they have entered before.

This book is AMAZING!  I could not put it down and cannot wait to get my hands on the next volume.
Order your copy now!

Recommended for Readers of:
Stephen Lawhead, Sharon Kay Penman, Orson Scott Card, Eleanor Updale

ANTICIPATION: Upcoming Releases I Can't Wait to Read

 

Black Heart by Holly Black

Black Dawn by Rachel Caine

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

 

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga