So now, as we take down the streamers and sweep up the glitter and get ready to pack 2012 away, I'm rounding up all my faves from this year for one last go around.
The King is back and he tackled JFK's assassination from a supernatural, time-traveling aspect. Will the King ever do anything wrong in my eyes? Probably not. I fell in love with a librarian and became enamored with the simple living of the 50's and 60's and in the end, found myself afraid of Time and its unmerciful need to remain unchanged.
Kids. On a spaceship. In space. What I loved so much about the Across the Universe books was how multi-layered they were and the deep questions they posed. Free will vs. the greater good. What actually causes discord. What makes a good leader? What makes a person an individual? Are some secrets better kept than shared? It was thought provoking and interesting and Revis is a hell of a writer.
Showalter's take on zombies is different and quite possibly even more terrifying than standard zombies. The undead that most people can't even see? Sweet Jesus. Take the wheel. While I was disappointed in the lack of Wonderland similarities, Alice and gang, and their flying snark flags, more than made up for it.
Dessen has been on my to-read list forever and in 2012, I finally popped my cherry. I now completely understand all the crazy good reviews. Honest, real, achingly sweet and effing adorable, I found myself wanting to go out to a bike park and find a tortured boy of my own. And call my mom.
Long live Pen-rye-n! My newest and truest literary girlcrush. Razor blade mouthed Hell Spawn Kids and shirtless angels. This is a book brimming with undiluted awesome. A book of STOP EVERYTHING AND READ THIS RIGHT NOW.
Ellie Mae Clampett meets G.I. Jane. Saba is a girl worth remembering and fangirling. There's cage fights and rebellion groups, man eating cave worms and epic Quests (always a proper noun.) Basically, this is a book to geek over and geek I did. Also, it's being made into a movie. Which I will see. Twice.
A girl who dreams about her following day every night? A boy plagued by nightmarish images? Michelle's world of WTF is intriguing and freaky and so very DON'T YOU DARE STOP READING that, well, I couldn't. And Ethan? Yeah. I'll just be over here. FOREVER SWOONING OVER HIM.
Have you noticed a theme yet with me? The more badass the heroine, the more I squeal over it. Captured might be a historical romance, but our girl is an ass-kicking fugitive who is all about saving herself. Plus: Uncle Monty. God, how I loved Uncle Monty.
Not-dragons, tyrannical leaders, evil plots and ass-kicking heroines. Defiance was everything that action junkie in me loves. Plus DRAGONS. Not-dragons. Sorta-kinda-maybe-dragons. I will forever fangirl any book that has dragons. Even if the love story was lukewarm.
After becoming obsessed with the rest of the world with The Hunger Games, I didn't think it was possible to fall in love with another dystopian world. Until Roth came along with Tris and Four and the factions of Divergent. Jumping off trains, Chasms of Death and tattoos at lunch time? Sign me up to zip line off the former Sears Tower with the Dauntless. I'm choosing them.
Everything I wanted Callum & Harper to be. Cupala gives us ugly, dirty, and gritty, an unromantic version of life on the streets, abusive relationships and still manages to make teeth ache with a sweet ending. Dreamy sighs all around.
I had Nina tackle the review of this one, because of her intrigue and love of New Adult, but I was just as enamored with Easy. This was New Adult done so deliciously right, I almost couldn't stand it. And Webber's handle on rape and rape culture? A thing of beauty. This is a prime example why New Adult is A Thing. Why publishers should stand up and take note and jump all over it.
Elemental Series by Brigid Kemmerer.Brothers with super powers? Sure. Why not? Brothers that can control elements? YES. YES TO THE POWER OF ALL DAY LONG. There was an Outsider appeal to these books, with the older brother raising the younger ones and the struggle that comes along with kids raising kids and the fact that they're all smoking hot and kinda superheroish? I'm there. I'm there all day long. Let's set some fire to the rain. WITH OUR MINDS.
We're back in Dublin, bitches! This time with Dani and hot damn, I didn't think I could love a manbeast more than Barrons. But then there was Ryodan. Oh. And Christian. And let's not forget Dancer. And Dani, bless her heart, is a little badass who I didn't realize I adore as much as I do. No matter who we're following around, we're back in the Fever world and I'm so fecking stoked to be there. Dudes.
A modern retelling of Persephone and Hades plus a Kindle freebie? Oh, hi. Sign me up. Forever. Losing Beauty was dark and obsessive and slightly creepy, but so, so addicting. And yes, I found myself smitten with stalker, creep-wonder Haden/Hades. There's something about that whole Lord of the Underworld thing that gets to me. I don't know.
A Kindle freebie that caught me completely off guard with its awesomeness. Lost in Italy had a Win a Date With Ted Hamilton thing going on and I totally dug it in a guilty pleasure sort of way. Trent had a James Dean thing going on the outside and a sweet vulnerability and genuineness underneath. Halli was cliched and yet, she worked so bloody well here. It was sickly sweet, corny, implausible and so freaking delicious. Add in an international mystery and I was a swooning, fangirlish mess.
Historical, Christian, romance? Look. I know. But it was free on Kindle, set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC and I took a chance. I'm so glad I did. Light on the preaching, heavy on the adorable, with some true history mixed in, it was precious and lovely and I loved every sweet second of it.
I'm not usually one for contemporary, but something about this one intrigued me. I read it at the perfect time too, smack dab in the middle of our real life elections. This fictional look at the daughter of a politician and her secret relationship with the boy from the chaotic family next door was absolutely delicious and heart wrenching. I want my own Jace. Though, I'm pretty sure we've already accomplished the wildness of his family with a lot less kids.
Another New Adult done so wonderfully, gloriously, achingly right, I'm still swooning over it. On Dublin Street was everything 50 Shades should have been, yet couldn't even hope to achieve. Joss was real and honest and so beautifully damaged that I loved her immediately. A steamy love story with plot, conflict, growth and minus wailing opera singers and a Cat of Nine Horrors? Hell yes. I'm moving to Dublin Street, y'all.
Layers and science and government sanctioned rape. Partials could have gone so very wrong and yet, Wells gave us a hell of a story with memorable, real characters and moral dilemmas. Kira is a girl after my own heart, who does what's right even when others say it's wrong. Also, her world is freaky weird. Seriously. Her government is fucked.
CAJUNS. APOCALYPSES. TAROT CARD FIGURES THAT ARE REAL PEOPLE. And Matthew. Oh, Matthew. I love you, Matthew. Cole crossed genres and did so with a bang and I loved every single second of it. Oh. And Paper Boyfriends made her site. So, you know, bonus.
Deuce! Deuce all day long! The Razorland Series is everything I love about post-apocalyptic/dystopian books. There's fighting and zombie-creatures and so much WTFness that I couldn't even think of putting them down. I adored Deuce and Mama Oaks and Fade and when I finished with Outpost I was left with that delicious, anxious for the next feeling that lets you know you found yourself a winner.
Will I ever recover from the aching. all-consuming, WHY GOD WHY HIM heartache from Hazel Grace and Augustus' story? NO. NEVER. But John Green did it again. Made me laugh, made me cry, and made me continue to fangirl him endlessly. Forever and ever amen.
Best. Crackfic. EVER. The Hollows has zombies and pet lions and weird cult leaders (oh my!) Remy is the kind of girl you want to have on your side should the zombies ever rise. Because she has a pet lion. No. Really.
The Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.Before meeting Daemon Black, I had no idea that lit-from-within aliens did it for me. But apparently I'm a girl who's turned on by glow sticks, fights with shadow aliens and run ins with the D.O.D. Who knew? Katy and Daemon's chemistry is ridiculous and delicious and Armentrout is Queen of the WHY WOULD YOU EVER DO THIS TO US cliffhangers. I became an alien addict in 2012 and the Lux Series was a big reason why.
Morganville should have never happened for me. I'm done with vampires. I've said this numerous times. Vampires are dead and I'm okay with that. But somehow, somewhere, I picked up Glass Houses and the rest is history. I fell in love with the Glass House gang and their crackfic like adventures. And Myrnin? The crazy bipolar vampire that runs around, creating steampunk like inventions and throwing brains in computers? He's my new vampire baby daddy. I'm moving to Morganville, is what I'm saying here. And forcing my way into becoming a roommate of Claire, Shane, Michael and Eve.
Also: They saved my grandma. Probably. How can you not love maybe grandma saving vampires?
Jack the Ripper. Ghosts. Boarding schools in London. Secret Ghost Buster societies. Was The Name of the Star everything I ever wanted and expected from Twitter-addict Johnson? HELL YES IT WAS. So much I bought it in hardback and cuddled it a little.
Dreamy sighs to the power of all the swoons. The Night Circus was literally magic that I couldn't get enough of. Nina and I quickly joined the Rêveurs and we're knitting our red scarves and packing up to search for black and white striped tents. Just as soon as we learn to knit.
This was a tricky one for me. Parts of Mara's story was so cliched I groaned, yet most was so awesome I cheered loud and long. I finished utterly satisfied though and that's what matters most to me when it comes to determining how good a book was.
In a world where series books dominate our bookshelves, sometimes what you need is a really good stand alone. Just to remember that it can be done. Summers not only did it, but she tackled zombies and made it different from every other zombie book out there. Tina T had the undead present, but the real conflict was internal. Painful and deep, it hits you straight in the feels and sticks with you long after you've finished.
Another post-apocalyptic story. Another Kindle freebie. Another kickass heroine and swoon-worthy love interest. Will I ever get enough of these things? No. No I won't. Plus, it reminded me of Water World and I love Water World.
I was prepared to hate this book. I have no idea why. The cover was foggy and intentionally mysterious and dammit, I judge books by their covers. Unraveling was proof why I shouldn't. Alternate Dimensions and world ending mysteries? These are things of awesome I live for.
Look. I've read a lot of books I loved this year. Obviously. But none, NONE, that I loved as much as I loved Unspoken. There aren't enough gifs nor glitter in the world to express the deep, consuming, obsession I have for both Brennan and Kami. So much that not even halfway in, I had to stop, text Nina and tell her to drop everything and start reading it for herself. We're still quoting it in our every day conversations weeks later. It's official. We're Brennan fangirls.
Fucked. Fucked fucked fucked fucked fucked. Shusterman's world is so very, very, I DON'T CARE HOW LAZY VERY IS, very disturbing and thought provoking and desperately horrific that I ached reading it and resented any and all interruptions. Some said it was pro-life propaganda. Some said it was pro-choice drivel. As a uterus owning pro-choicer over here? All I saw was a compelling, if terrifying, take on the future and the result of extremists on both sides of the argument. FUCKED.
More zombies. Another Kindle freebie. The Wild West. Clearly my taste in literature is eclectic, but dammit, what's not to love about zombies and gun fights O.K. Corral style? I might be all over the place, but I always lean towards awesome. Which Scott delivered. FO' FREE.
So, there it is. The entire, exhausting, incredibly epic and massively awesome list of all my favorites from this crazy, crazy, tiring year. You can find Willow's here.
Heads up, 2013. You have big shoes to fill. You better deliver.
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