What YA book are you reading RIGHT NOW?

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aeryn_g

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Guardian of the Dead

I stayed up late to finish Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey. I love PR YA but sometimes it feels like I'm reading the same book over and over. This was something fresh and new with a fantastic use of Maori mythology.
 

Parametric

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I thought GUARD1AN OF THE DEAD was great. Strong and unusual.
 

Jamiekswriter

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I just finished Matched. I'm looking forward to the sequel. Next up is the Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross. There's a free prequel to the story on Amazon.

Going to snag Daughter of Smoke and Bones and The Night Circus in the near future. . .
 

Windcutter

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Reading The Shifter (Book One in the Healing Wars trilogy), I must say the concept of battle healing has never been explored so well as far as I know. I also love the setting: canals, seaside, lakes, water flowers, domed building, crocodiles... but I wonder if anyone managed to figure out what historical period this roughly parallels? I can't. The only two times technology is mentioned we get 1) ferry 2) rapier, which, considering their unusual weaponry (apart from swords), could mean anything. I don't even know what they use to light their dwellings, candles, magical lamps, gas, electricity, another kind of energy, oil, etc.
And action, so much action--delicious.
 

Momento Mori

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I've almost finished MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN by Ransom Briggs and although I've enjoyed it, there were a number of things that really irritated me about it:

1. the use of photographs is a great idea but instead of illustrating the story, they drive it. Throughout the whole book Jacob will describe a photograph that he's seen or a scene he's witnessing and then you turn the page to see that photograph. For me, it takes the magic out of the photographs and makes them a more artificial device;

2. there are anachronisms in the scenes set in 1940 Wales - particularly the use of language but also among some of the attitudes that get described; and

3. the plot doesn't really get going until the final third, when Jacob and the Peculiar children have something to push back against. Up until then there's a lot of Jacob wondering if he's going nuts (and I'll say that the scenes with the psychiatrist are well drawn) and then exploring the new world he's discovered but there's little actual plot, which makes for slow reading (but I say that as someone who prefers plot to character).

All in all it was enjoyable and there seems to be a set-up for a sequel, which I would check out, but the book itself didn't quite wow me as much as I was hoping for.

I'm not sure what I want to read next because I can't decide if I want something grown-up or YA and something funny or dark.

MM
 

Winterturn

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I read Wintergirls last week which was a beautiful but difficult read. I really felt for Lia's parents, who especially in the second half of the book seemed so out of their depth, wanting to help her but not knowing how.

Read Delirium over the weekend which I really enjoyed although it seemed a bit slow at times. I kept wanting to scream at Lena, hurry up and get out of there! You're running out of time! I would have liked to see more worldbuilding, because although I thought there were lots of great details about their beliefs and what they were taught about love, I didn't really see how this society came about and wanted more explanation of how it benefitted the government to basically have all the adult citizens lobotomised.
 

eventidepress

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Just finished Ab4nd0n, by M3g C4b0t... ugh. I couldn't even review it on goodreads because I don't like to totally dump on books unless I have good things to say about them too. and no, it's not the worst book I've ever read, it's just... nothing worked. the characters were flat, the plot had logistic holes so huge you could drive a truck through them, and the LI took creepy-stalker to a whole new level. just... argh! I wanted to love the book, but bleh.
 

eventidepress

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I started reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone late this afternoon. I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far.

~STS~

Let me know if you still like it later? I LOVED the beginning and the end, but the middle was "meh" for me... but interested to know what other people thing >.>
 

Parametric

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Read Delirium over the weekend which I really enjoyed although it seemed a bit slow at times. I kept wanting to scream at Lena, hurry up and get out of there! You're running out of time! I would have liked to see more worldbuilding, because although I thought there were lots of great details about their beliefs and what they were taught about love, I didn't really see how this society came about and wanted more explanation of how it benefitted the government to basically have all the adult citizens lobotomised.

I interpreted it as a defensive measure by the government. A population that loves nothing has no reason to fight for anything, so they're never going to rise up and rebel against the powers that be. I might have made that up though.

I'm trying to learn to use Goodreads. Unfortunately, all the books I've been reading lately were extremely unimpressive, so I'm ending up with a bunch of one-star reviews. Didn't like Carrier of the Mark. Didn't like Firelight.
 

aeryn_g

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We read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children as our book club selection last month. We agreed with your observation that the photos drive the story. I'm not sure whether it was the writer or the publishing house that pushed for the image placement but I would have prefered them at the end of the narrative.
 

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I finished Anna Dressed in Blood last night. I really enjoyed it.

My next read isn't YA, so I'll be back later.
 

Windcutter

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Finished The Shifter (Book One in the Healing Wars trilogy), must say it was a good example of stand alone with series potential to me (even if it's actually not that), it gives enough closure to feel satisfied even if I never pick up the second book. But I will. I'm curious. I also wonder how kids are reading it (I was told it's sort of in between MG and YA), because the pain motif is often very uncomfortable, I'd even say sometimes it feels at odds with the action-adventure-blockbuster-movie style of the novel. Liked it a lot anyway, I wish more YA books were like that.

Reading Paranormal Diversions (YA anthology) and City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments 2).
 

Winterturn

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I interpreted it as a defensive measure by the government. A population that loves nothing has no reason to fight for anything, so they're never going to rise up and rebel against the powers that be. I might have made that up though.

I got that impression too, but I felt that if a government was going to do something so drastic and irreversible to all its population ... plus take huge measures to convince everyone it was a good idea ... there needed to be a bit more explanation in the story about how it came about.
 

Emberchyld

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Just finished Ab4nd0n, by M3g C4b0t... ugh. I couldn't even review it on goodreads because I don't like to totally dump on books unless I have good things to say about them too. and no, it's not the worst book I've ever read, it's just... nothing worked. the characters were flat, the plot had logistic holes so huge you could drive a truck through them, and the LI took creepy-stalker to a whole new level. just... argh! I wanted to love the book, but bleh.

I'm glad someone else agrees with me. I like her books, but sometimes, lately, I think they're rushed to the market without a good editing hand. Contrast that with "The Goddess Test" that came out around the same time and it it loses in the battle of Persephone myth remakes.

Currently reading "Bunheads"-- I've been DEVOURING the Mortal Instruments Series and can't wait to get to "City of Glass" (book 3), but "Bunheads" has to be done by Thursday. I've promised to lend my copy to my ballet teacher.

I'm still on the fence with "Bunheads"-- good read so far, had me reading while walking away from the gym and staying up late to finish a chapter, but... I'm waiting to see if I really fall in love with all of the characters.
 

LadyA

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I'm reading TWISTED by Laurie Halse Anderson again, because it could quite possibly be one of my favourite. Contemps. Ever.
 

Winterturn

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Lydia Sharp

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Been reading more adult fic lately because it seemed like every YA novel I picked up I ending up not finishing. (I'm not even gonna say what they are because I feel really bad about not finishing some of them... you know how it is... when you feel like you're the only person in the entire YA community who *isn't* liking a certain book...)

Then yesterday I bought GETTING CAUGHT by Mandy Hubbard and Cyn Balog (only 99 cents on Kindle) and my faith in YA has been restored. Really fun read so far. :D
 

Parametric

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I'm on Goodreads too; I tried to follow your reviews but couldn't. I think you have your profile set to private.

Oops! I went a little nuts with the privacy settings. I think I fixed that now. Can you tell I'm new? I registered a while ago but never really got into it.
 

MadSquirrel

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I'm reading Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel. I'm really enjoying it, but it could lose a few adverbs here and there. The editing nitpick in me has really come out in force recently.
 

Sage

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Don't you hate when that happens for pubbed books?
 

adktd2bks

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Started The Night Circus. I'm about 100 pages in and although I like the writing I feel like something should have happened by now. Too much build up, or maybe I'm just too used to the faster paced YA novels.
 
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