Do you ever just sit and marvel at an author's writing style and way with words? I do! Here are some authors I wish I could write like! Stephanie PerkinsStephanie Perkins has some sort of magic ability to make me fall in love with whomever she wants. In the Anna and the French Kiss series she gets me to crush on each of the love interests, despite their differences. I love how she can romanticise all these different kinds of people and write a convincing, different main character for each of her books. Sarah J. MaasWORLD BUILDING. It's very hard to build up a fantasy world from the ground, but Sarah J. Maas is a pro at it and comes across so realistically and well thought out every time. She has an answer to everything and seems to have known every detail about her world before she started writing anything, as every little piece falls into place. Jandy NelsonJandy Nelson somehow gets me attached to a story from the first chapter. I love and care for the characters like they are my closest friends and I want all the best for them. The stories flow so naturally like they really occurred like this and Nelson is simply writing them down. One of my favourite authors. David LevithanDavid Levithan writes the books LGBT kids deserve: honest love stories without focusing too much on the fact that they are LGBT. Levithan doesn't ignore the LGBT aspect though, it's definitely an important point in all his books, but it is never the focus. The focus is on the main character's story. These are some of the authors I greatly admire and look up to! Who are your favourites? Let me know!
0 Comments
I'll admit it: I've bought books just because of their cover before. I'm still debating whether to get See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng just because of the cover, even though it's a middle grade book rather than YA... I can't help it, it's just so pretty and blue! Anyway, here are some of the prettiest books I own! Eliza and her Monsters - Francesca ZappiaI love the colours, the combination of real picture and cartoon, the sparkles, EVERYTHING. Also, I own this book in hardback and that's just a real weakness of mine. What Light - Jay AsherThis book has two of my favourite things: Christmas and fairy lights. I was attracted to this book because of the fairy lights on the cover and I bought it when I realised it's a Christmas love story. I love fairy lights. Isla and the Happily Ever After - Stephanie PerkinsI love the colours on this! Also, I own this book in softcover and it's actually... soft? Like it's not just paper but it's some sort of soft material? Love it. Everything Everything - Nicola YoonOf course I love the vibrant colours on this, but I am in love with the details of the drawings. They're so complicated and have little hidden easter eggs about the story in. So cute! Those are some of the prettiest books I own! What's the prettiest book you own? Let me know!
SYNOPSIS: My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly. Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster. Rating: 5/5
This was spectacular! First of all: THERE ARE PICTURES!! I didn't know that before starting it, so I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. I feel like way too few YA books have pictures these days so I'm LIVING for the pictures in this book. They also made for a nice reading break, making it much easier to get through quickly. The pictures were so cute as well! Of course I really liked the story too. I liked Olly a lot, as way too many YA love interests are secretely jerks when you look at them a bit too long. Olly was genuinely nice and trying his hardest to do the right thing. Maddie and him are cute together and although I did think that Maddie fell for him a bit too hard (she immediately seemed to forget about everything else), I suppose that's what teenage love is like. At least Olly was worth it. I loved Carla. She was kind of like a second mother to Maddie, who seemed to care just a tad more about Maddie's feelings than her own mother did, who seemed to mostly be focused on Maddie's health because she couldn't bear life without her. I LOVED the ending. It was so original and unexpected, without feeling like a deus-ex-machina. Excellent writing. Overall, a new favourite of mine, with extra bonus points because of the pictures! Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/18692431-everything-everything Amazon: www.amazon.com/Everything-Nicola-Yoon/dp/0553496646 Some books just change things for you. These are some that changed me. I'll Give You the Sun - Jandy NelsonThis is one of my absolute favourite books, and sometimes it just comes up in my mind and I can't stop thinking about it for a while. It's humanising and grounding and so so real. The Fault in Our Stars - John GreenThe Fault in Our Stars is a great book, but that's not why it made this list. Reading this launched me into a path of self discovery and brought me to John and Hank Green on YouTube and consequently to a large group of fans who are unapologetic nerds and made me feel like I belonged somewhere, which was something I really needed when I was 13 and lost. The Hate U Give - Angie ThomasI'm thankful for this book because I am hoping it changes people's views on things. I was already a strong Black Lives Matter supporter before reading this, but it still changed things for me and made it feel just that bit closer to home. I really think that this book makes people think too and makes them get behind the BLM movement. The Outsiders of Uskoken Castle - Kurt HeldThe book that sparked my love for reading. CHERUB - Robert MuchamoreThe series that kept the spark burning. What books have had an important impact on your life? Let me know!
SYNOPSIS: Love hurts... Makani Young thought she'd left her dark past behind her in Hawaii, settling in with her grandmother in landlocked Nebraska. She's found new friends and has even started to fall for mysterious outsider Ollie Larsson. But her past isn't far behind. Then, one by one, the students of Osborne Hugh begin to die in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasingly grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and her feelings for Ollie intensify, Makani is forced to confront her own dark secrets. Rating: 5/5
I absolutely loved this book, and after I finished it I ended up in a bit of a reading slump because no other book I could read right now will live up to There's Someone Inside Your House. It's a pretty basic premise, kind like a slasher movie but in book form, and the fact that it did not hold back in gruesomeness made it extra amazing. Often YA books are watered down for the sake of attracting younger readers, but this book had none of that; it's graphic and sloppy and I loved it. The plot itself is intriguing: a scary mystery and a main character with a secret. Everyone is a suspect and everyone is a possible target. Makani Young is the perfect mysterious main character, with a high enough relatability factor to keep me rooting for her despite her flaws. Darby and Alex are the kind of friends you'd want for yourself, and overall good characters. Of course, here I am again with my social justice, but this book was so good diversity-wise!! The main character is a person of colour, Darby is trans, and a bunch of other characters are latinx. For once I didn't feel like the 'diverse' characters were put in just to tick off a box, but they were there because they belonged. This book was a breath of fresh air and I adore it. I would recommend it to anyone who's not afraid of a bit of gore. I promise it will get you out of your reading slump! Amazon: www.amazon.com/Theres-Someone-Inside-Your-House/dp/0525426019 Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/15797848-there-s-someone-inside-your-house SYNOPSIS: This is a world divided by blood – red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power. Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime. But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart. Rating: 5/5
I am a SUCKER for "normal girls become royalty" stories, so this hit the spot for me! The story was exciting and new, and the characters were intriguing. I really liked Mare's relationship with all her family members, and reading about the life she lived back home. However, her life at the castle intrigued me even more. All the royal family members were their own story as a whole, and I loved unravelling them. Cal is a sweetheart and I feel so sorry for him, but Maven's just trying to do his best, always living in his brother's shadow. The romantic subplot was honestly not that interesting to me, because the whole rebellion thing was much more intriguing! I'm so excited to see where the rebellion goes! Mare is a strong character who stands up for what she believes in, risking her life in the process, so she's a good female role model if we were in need of one. The whole plot gives me kind of a Mirroring-Our-Own-Society vibe, with a bunch of people who feel they are better than the others because of something they were born with, which is a very relevant topic at this time. I think this is why I liked Mare so much, as she didn't become corrupted by the sudden change in finances and life style, but stuck to her beliefs and morals. Overall, I really loved this book and I'm looking forward to reading the sequels! Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/22328546-red-queen Amazon: www.amazon.com/Red-Queen-Victoria-Aveyard/dp/006231064X Six books on my November TBR/Book Haul! It's going to be a hard one, but I'm going to try my best. MICK AND MICHELLE - NINA ROSSING SYNOPSIS: Fifteen-year-old Mick Mullins has a great life: his parents are sweet, his sister is tolerable, and his friendships are solid. But as summer descends on Queens, he prepares to turn his carefree existence upside down by disclosing a secret he has kept long enough. It’s time to work up the courage to reveal that he is not a boy, but a girl—and that her name is Michelle. Having always been the perfect, good boy, Michelle is terrified that the complicated truth will disappoint, hurt, or push away the people closest to her. She can’t continue hiding for much longer, though, because her body is turning into that of a man’s, and she is desperate to stop the development—desperate enough to consider self-medicating with hormones. Most of all, Michelle fears that Grandpa, who is in a nursing home after a near fatal stroke, won’t survive the shock if he finds out that his favorite grandchild, and the only boy, is a girl. If she kills her beloved Grandpa by leaving Mick behind, she isn’t sure embracing her real identity will be worth the loss. A Netgalley find that I'm very excited for! ME MAM, ME DAD, ME - MALCOLM DUFFY SYNOPSIS: Danny’s mam has a new boyfriend. Initially, all is good – Callum seems nice enough, and Danny can’t deny he’s got a cool set up; big house, fast car, massive TV, and Mam seems to really like him. But cracks begin to show, and they’re not the sort that can be easily repaired. As Danny witnesses Mam suffer and Callum spiral out of control he goes in search of his dad. The Dad he’s never met. Another Netgalley find. It doesn't come out for another few months, so there's no cover yet. THERE'S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE - STEPHANIE PERKINS SYNOPSIS: One-by-one, the students of Osborne High are dying in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and the hunt intensifies for the killer, the dark secrets among them must finally be confronted. Take two for this one, as it was also on last month's TBR, but I ended up not having enough time. TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN - JOHN GREEN SYNOPSIS: Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. I think the reason I'm reading this one is self-explanatory. THE HEIR (THE SELECTION #4) - KIERA CASS SYNOPSIS: Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible. But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests. Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought. It's finally time for me to read the fourth instalment in one of my favourite series!! THE CROWN (THE SELECTION #5) - KIERA CASS SYNOPSIS: When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone. Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined. I went and picked up the last book in the series too. Might as well. That's my November TBR! What are you reading this month? Let me know!
|
AuthorHi! I'm Marcella. As you might have guessed, I quite like YA books.. Archives
February 2018
Categories
All
|