*Note: These genre distinctions are debatable.
*Contenders for the spot Arcadia Awakens holds: Everneath by Brodi Ashton & The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski.
*If you need romance in your fantasy, substitute Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas for Witchlanders. (In terms of the "Character Driven" scale, I'd put ToG to the left of Shadow and Bone.)
*Note: I do not read a ton of horror, and YA doesn't have a whole lot of horror, so I'm not sure any of these are "strictly horror." In fact, most of these are or have elements of paranormal romance as well.
*In case anyone was tired of having a female protagonist*
*Also meant to put "Dystopia" for Under the Never Sky but forgot (since futuristic, y'know, isn't a genre and all :D).*
Authors who I very nearly put twice on the list: Maggie
Stiefvater creates wonderfully unique male protagonists (Ballad: a Gathering of Faerie), and Gayle Forman writes wonderfully angst-ridden contemporary novels
with higher truths embedded in their narratives (If I Stay).
PS - Look at those covers. Isn't it amazing how you can sense a pattern based on genre? (i.e. Sci-fi doesn't generally show faces, poetic dystopias do, etc. etc.)
Historical: Loved Grave Mercy and really liked The Diviners. Convinced I will love Out of the Easy. Was not a fan of the Vespertine though. :(
ReplyDeleteParanormal: Daughter of Smoke and Bone is more romance-oriented than Bloodlines? Bloodlines must be different from VA!
Love all of the fantasy books, though I DNFed Witchlanders a couple pages in because the writing scared me. It was dialect from what I remember.
Dystopian: Ugh, The Pledge. Ugh, Divergent. I did really like the Immortal Rules, though. Still need to read Legend.
Poetic isn't really my style.
Glow is heavy science fiction? Oooh, I am more excited about that than I was before. Love the other three!
I have read NONE of your contemporary picks, but I own all but TSPOLAFS, which I am reading right now! Ironic that.
Horror: Read none, but not too surprising.
As for Maggie Stiefvater, Ballad's the only one of hers I've read and liked thus far, because I LOATHE her female MCs and also really didn't like Sam.
Gayle Forman, heck yes!
RE: Bloodlines - well, maybe "oriented" is what's wrong here. It's still paranormal romance, but there's not as much romance in it than VA. There's a hint in Bloodlines for what's to come, though.
ReplyDeleteRE: Glow - Lots of physics and engines and whatnot that I didn't really know much about. Not HEAVY HEAVY science fiction, but I think it's still the most of the ones I listed. Less romance than AtU, more politics and with a touch of religion / almost imperialism.
RE: Maggie Stiefvater - Yes. Her female MCs are not as great as her male MCs, and Sam is a bit of an emo boy, so I can definitely see that too.
Enjoy Statistical Probability!!
err. Not as much romance in it compared to*** that in VA.
ReplyDeleteOh, this is an even better and more comprehensive list than ours!
ReplyDeleteI love how you added the historical, poetic/dystopian, and male pov sections.
I have been meaning to get to Glow for a long time now. Heavy on Sci-Fi? YES! I LOVE Sci-Fi. :D
Bookmarked! Thanks Christina! <3
ReplyDeletewaaa...
ReplyDeleteI like it..
thank you.. :D
Some really good recommendations, here. I've got a few of these already on my wish list, but I may have to add a couple more. I keep getting Roth's Divergent recommended, so maybe it's time to put that on the list.
ReplyDeleteI really liked Grave Mercy, Divergent, Heist Society, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, Forbidden, and Under the Never Sky. Thanks for the recommendations.
ReplyDeleteI have really wanted to read Cinder. I just purchased it actually with Christmas gift money. I also want to read Grave Mercy. i have heard a lot about it. Anna Dressed in blood has been on my kindle for months...I just don't know if i can read it. I get kind of jumpy when I read books like that. I know..I'm weird. Anyway, great list of books here!
ReplyDeleteBrittany @ Spare Time book blog
Some amazing titles in here. Personally I loved Wither! ^_^
ReplyDeleteI think I'd choose Legend.
ReplyDeleteThey have bought the rights and translated this book into my language. But I'd love to read the English book.