The Dream Thieves, According to The Man

Sometimes I like to recommend books I love to The Man, and sometimes he reads them even though they don’t all have fighting scenes or superheroes or sports.

I asked him to read The Raven Boys.

“Yeah, it was good,” he said like that’s it. Good.

I bullied him into reading suggested he read The Dream Thieves.

“It was good,” he said.

“Better than good,” I said, thinking of the strain between Adam and Ronan, Adam and Gansey, Adam and everyone.

“I felt bad for Adam,” he said. “Like, his dad beats him, then he goes to see Blue, who won’t kiss him. So he’s like, ‘Why won’t you kiss me?’ And she’s like, ‘If I kiss my true love he’ll die.’ And he’s like, ‘Oh.’ And she’s like, ‘But the real reason is because I know it’s not you.’ And then she scampers up the hill with Gansey where they, like, rub faces.”

He shrugged.

“But I like the cars.”

YA Love Stories

I’m as much a fan of action-packed violent books as the next guy girl, but that doesn’t mean I’m not also a sucker for a good romance. And seeing as today is Valentine’s Day I thought I’d share some of my favorite YA romances. Some of the books focus on love (like, say, Anna and the French Kiss, which kind of says it all in the title) while others just have great romances in addition to the rest of the story.

So here we go…

THE romance: 

The sweet, this-is-too-adorable-to-breathe romance:

The kind of love story that breaks your heart then glues it back together:

The anti-romance:

The love that shouldn’t make you smile (even though it does):

The romance that picks you up after you’ve bawled your eyes out:

The kind of romance all girls dream of:

The epic love story:

The coming-of-age romance:

The perfect love triangle:

The adorable, wish-this-would-happen-to-me romance:

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends!

What’s your favorite YA romance?

Daughter of Smoke and Bone Review

You know when you’ve been hearing all sorts of good things about a book for, like, ever and you’ve been dying to read it but then when you get it you start thinking, “There’s a very real possibility that this will suck and not live up to my very high expectations,” so you begin with apprehension? Well that happened to me.

When you guys voted for Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I was dying to read it. I was all, bring it on!

But then I realized how much hyped books can be a letdown. And I started to look at the book all suspiciously.

Well, I’m happy to report that all my eye squinting was for nothing. I really loved this book. Actually, halfway through I became such a Lani Taylor fangirl that I’m pretty sure I’d do this if I ever saw her:

Anyhow, the book, right? There were so many things I loved about this book, not the least of which was the beautiful writing. It gave the story a Grimm’s fairytale feel that really worked. Case in point: The book begins with this:

Once upon a time,
an angel fell in love. 
It did not end well.

And that, my friends, isn’t just the opener. It’s the whole book. Yes, Taylor is that brilliant that she can sum up the entire book, surprises and all, without ruining the story or the mystery.

The story is brilliant and unlike any other angel-demon book I’ve ever read. The third person narrative really works well here, and that’s saying something since I’m usually a fan of first since I can better identify with the characters. Plus, Taylor takes everything you think you know about angels and demons and flips it upside down. The line between good and evil is hazy at best, and Taylor excels in creating characters on both sides of the divide that are well-rounded and full of personality.

The most loveable, to me, was the demon Brimstone, who raised the main character, Karou, from infancy. He’s cold and harsh, evil and dangerous, but Taylor slowly peels away the layers and we see a rich, deep character.

Of course, there are other characters you can’t help but love: Karou, the tough girl with blue hair who doesn’t let Akiva, the hot angel love interest, define her. (Instead, she kicks some serious angel butt before she realizes he’s totally swoonworthy and maybe into her.) And when I say swoonworthy…

But she’s also confused and lonely and unsure of who she really is.

“She had been innocent once, a little girl playing with feathers on the floor of a devil’s lair. She wasn’t innocent now, but she didn’t know what to do about it. This was her life: magic and shame and secrets and teeth and a deep, nagging hollow at the center of herself where something was most certainly missing.”

Her identity is a major mystery in the story: Why did the devil Brimstone raise a human girl? Where did she come from? And so on. Slowly her life changes and shifts, but even as becomes involved in the supernatural side of things we’re reminded of her humanity. Which brings me to the next character I absolutely love, Karou’s human friend Zuzana, who grounds Karou’s life in Prague and provides comic relief. The hands-down best? When Karou introduces Zuzana for Akiva for the first time, she takes one look at his angelic face and says to Karou:

“Oh, Hell. Must. Mate. Immediately.”

I can’t complete this review without mentioning two other things. First, the setting. The city of Prague, other cities around the world that Karou travels to, and the demons’ world all spring to life. And the pacing with which we experience these areas is just perfect: We get to know Karou in Prague where she lives as we get small glimpses of her otherworldly family. The further into the story we go, the more of these other worlds are reveals so that we’re neither overwhelmed with details nor underwhelmed with a lack of world building.

Second: love, because this is a love story. And despite the fact that Karou and Akiva start out wanting to kill one another, it’s the kind of epic love story you read about in fairy tales. Don’t believe me? How about this plea from Akiva to Karou:

“Your soul sings to mine. My soul is yours, and it always will be, in any world. No matter what happens. I need you to remember that I love you.”

Through plot twists and turns (which I will not talk about because, HELLO SPOILERS) we see that it’s not just about romantic love, either. There’s familial love and unexpected love and, well, if I talk any more about this you’ll kill me for ruining the ending.  

I think what I meant to say is: Go. Read this. Now.

What did you think of Daughter of Smoke and Bone*? If you blogged about your thoughts on it, add your link below.

*I love this title, by the way. It fits perfectly.

RTW: Best Book of June

Road Trip Wednesday is a blog carnival, where YA Highway’s contributors and readers post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s take on the topic.

This week’s prompt was: What's the best book you've read this month?

Well that’s not hard. But since I’ve already blogged about The Best Book I’ve Read In June, how about another book I’ve read and liked yet somewhat less than The Best Book?

From Goodreads: For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

 First, let’s talk about the cover. I’m pretty sure that if I hadn’t heard anything about Hourglass that I’d still pick up the book based on this crazy cover. It’s not just that it’s beautifully designed, but also that it made me wonder what the heck was going on.

Now that the obvious is out of the way… I really enjoyed this story. For some reason, I had gotten it into my head that Hourglass was paranormal YA, but to be honest it’s really a balanced mix of paranormal and sci-fi, which I like. There’s time travel and kids with superpowers at a special home to hone their talents. I was half expecting Professor Xavier to start conducting a lesson.

There’s also hot boys and kissing, suspense, action, and—get this—a satisfying ending even though there will be a sequel. (Not that I don’t like cliffhanger endings, but I’m also wildly impatient and having things wrap up nicely is much more satisfying in the interim.)

I will say, this is the first time I’ve rooted for the obvious loser in a romantic triangle. I knew while reading who she’d pick—I read YA after all; it wasn’t rocket science—but for the first time I was really hoping she’d get with the other guy. So, I guess Hourglass turned me partially insane.

Despite the crazy-turning, it’s a fun read and I’ll be looking out for the second book.

What’s the best book you’ve read this month?*

*Translation: I’m always looking for great books, so leave your June recommendations in the comments. Also, other people can see them and benefit. See, this question isn’t just here for selfish reasons...

First Lines: How 4 Books Stack Up

Thank goodness for Amazon’s Look Inside feature. I won’t divulge the number of hours I’ve spent reading the first line of any young adult book I could get my hands on, but I will say it was in the double digits.

Instead of reviewing one of the books I’ve read recently I’d briefly tell you about each one. And, taking after Jen, I’ll reveal their first lines first.

Think about which of the following you’re most likely to pick up:

1. Dear Ginger, I have never been a great follower of rules.

2. “Where is she?” I asked Mrs. Casnoff.

3. Every morning I wake up and I tell myself this: It’s just one day, one twenty-four-hour period to get yourself through.

4. It has been sixty-four years since the president and the Consortium identified love as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected a cure.

And for the great reveal...

Number 1: Dear Ginger, I have never been a great follower of rules.

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Anyone with a serious case of wanderlust will love this book. The main character, Ginny, receives 13 envelopes from her aunt, who recently died. As she follows her aunt’s written instructions, she travels through Europe and learns who her aunt really was. This made me re-live my post-college trip around Europe—and check flight prices online.

Number 2: “Where is she?” I asked Mrs. Casnoff.

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

If you liked Hex Hall, you’ll like the sequel, Demonglass. I love Sophie’s attitude, which I also liked in the first book. But plot-wise, I found this one more interesting and an overall better book.

Number 3: Every morning I wake up and I tell myself this: It’s just one day, one twenty-four-hour period to get yourself through.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

There’s really not much I can say about this book besides BUY IT RIGHT NOW. I was so worried this would wreck the awesomeness that was If I Stay, but it only made the story that much better.

Number 4: 4. It has been sixty-four years since the president and the Consortium identified love as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected a cure.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

To be honest, I had a few issues with this book. For one, I just can’t believe a society would consider love a disease. When I put that out of my mind, the references to things as commonplace as Mad Libs took me out of the world. But overall I really liked this book. Oliver’s prose is beautiful, and the love story just right. And the ending? Tears.

Which one of these would you have picked up based on its first line alone? (That is, without knowing which book it is or whether it’s been hyped forever.)

RTW: Fictional Characters In Love. Awww.

 Road Trip Wednesday is a blog carnival, where YA Highway’s contributors and readers post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s take on the topic.

This Week’s Topic: What are your favorite literary couples. You know, the ones you like apart, but LOVE together!

This is a tough one. I pretty much love any couples in books. So I’m going to cheat and list a few. Kill me if you must.

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Romeo and Juliet

I mean, come on. Love at first sight. Forbidden love. Tragedy. It’s the best love story ever told—and that’s saying a lot since the protagonists die in the end. And, yes that’s a spoiler but if you don’t know that by now then you’ve been living in a cave. (So, does that cave get high-speed Internet? Because if you can read my blog you can most definitely read Romeo and Juliet.)

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Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy 

So there’s no poisoning or blood in the end of Pride and Prejudice but there’s unlikely love. And lots of heart thumping moments. And a happy ending this time. (Assume any other characters written by Jane Austen or those Bronte ladies belongs here, too.)

And now for YA…

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Katniss and Peeta

My husband read The Hunger Games series and barely paid attention to the Peeta or Gale debate. I, on the other hand, was firmly on Team Peeta and that’s the romance I love from this book. Also, it gives me a great reason to show you my pick for Peeta in the film. And any chance I have to slap up a photo of Alex Pettyfer, I take it. See...

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OK, revert your eyes back to me. Um, guys… Really, you can scroll back up and drool later. Because I have one more couple I loved.

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Katsa and Po

I loved how Graceling’s Katsa, a trained fighter, is able to find love. And that Po challenges her and respects her. Because love plus knives divided by a quest equals awesome squared.

And those are some of my favorite fictional couples. What are yours?