YA Sub Genre Rec Tag! 4-6

Next in the list of sub genres...
 
4. Contemporary Realism: It's kind of sad, but I honestly don't think I have anything to recommend for this genre. Does anyone have anything to recommend to me?

5. Dragons: *sigh...okay, so I have to recommend two different series. First, The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini.

 Description (book 1): "Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes that he is merely a poor farm boy—until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save—or destroy—the Empire."

Recommendation: This book is right up there with all the tales about epic glory. Paolini weaves a beautiful tapestry about a boy and his dragon and how they figure out their destiny. There's dwarves, urgals, elves, werecats, kings, queens, magicians, and more. There's new languages, a map of Alagaesia (so you'll never get lost), dragon lore, and some teen angst to keep things fresh. Paolini's vast world of Alagaesia is rich with backstory, so much so, that I don't think all of it is even told to the reader.  The books get seriously dense, so be prepared to read a lot! It's completely worth it though.

sidenote: If you haven't seen the movie, but you still want to, don't watch it before reading all of the books. If you have seen the movie, and as a result, are opposed to read the books, trust me. You won't regret it.

Secondly, I want to recommend Firelight by Sophie Jordan.

isn't that cover gorgeous???

Description (book 1):  

"A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.

With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms. But when Jacinda’s rebelliousness forces her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The one thing that revives it is the gorgeous, elusive Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can’t resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she’s risking not only her life but the draki’s most closely guarded secret.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide."

Recommendation: From the first chapter, I was hooked. The concept of the draki is so unique, I would recommend this series for that alone. But I also enjoyed the romance between Jacinda and Will, and her journey in trusting him as a person, rather than only seeing him as a threat. Jordan's descriptions of the change that Jacinda (and the other draki) go through in order to let her (their) draki side out is amazing. Plus, the covers for each book are so lush.....  

Want to read: Definitely looking forward to reading Hidden by Sophie Jordan. Do you have any good dragon recommendations?

6. Dystopian: For this genre I'm going to choose Wither by Lauren DeStefano.

Description: "By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape—before her time runs out?

Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?"

Recommendation: I'd definitely recommend this series. The concept seems very plausible to me, but weirdly, I like it even more because of that. Yet it's even scarier to think something like this could actually happen. Anyway, DeStefano is a master at pulling emotions out of her characters and soldering them into her reader's mind. Just as Rhine feels trapped in her new life with Linden, I too felt an overwhelming desire to break free from his mansion. Yet, it's a double sided coin. Events occur within Rhine's new home that compel her to stay, and so it's an intense emotional ride. The book is gritty, numbing, sometimes creepy, and irresistible. It's filled with descriptions galore and captures all the senses.

Want to read:  I really want to get The Pledge by Kimberly Derting.

So that's all for today. So many good books. Let me know if you've read any of the books above and what you thought about them.

and on a little sidenote: Is anyone looking forward to Vampire Diaries tomorrow??? I wish it wasn't the last episode of the season, but (spoiler ahead)......................I'm really looking forward to seeing Elena's parents for the first time. And we get to see Aunt Jenna and Elijah again! Yay for flashbacks. Speaking of, I wonder what Katherine is up to...

-Hope your day is bright
Olive juice