Two awesome YA fantasy series you should read

Long time no see, eh? TBH, I haven’t really felt like reviewing anything I’ve read recently (though if you’re interested in the things I’ve been reading but not reviewing here, come find me on Goodreads). But I’m breaking my silence to talk about my two favorite YA fantasy series. I’ve been thinking about them a lot recently, partly because I’ve been getting a hankering to re-read them, and partly because I’ve been reading a new series and I can’t help thinking about how it stacks up to my favorites. So here we go:

The Lumatere Chronicles, by Melina Marchetta (1. Finnikin of the Rock, 2. Froi of the Exiles, 2.5 Ferragost, 3. Quintana of Charyn)

Oh, the characters in this series. I love them all so dang much. Marchetta knows how to make her characters seem real and how to get you to see their flaws but care about them anyway. For pete’s sake, she manages to take one of the least likable characters from the first book and make him into the hero of the second two. That’s some skill, right there. And it’s not just the main characters that pull you in. The secondary characters make you care about them just as much, especially in the second two books. Seriously, the relationship dynamics between various family and friends and lovers in those last two books are outstanding. Marchetta also does a fantastic job exploring the gray areas and difficult topics. Nothing is ever easy for her characters, but the strength they gain from their experiences makes you love them all the more.

The Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, by Laini Taylor (1. Daughter of Smoke and Bone, 2. Days of Blood and Starlight, 3. Dreams of Gods and Monsters)

After finishing the first book in this series, I would never have guessed that these books would become some of my favorites. The first book, while it has its strong points, pales in comparison to the second two. It’s actually a bit hard for me to believe that the first book is even in the same series, because that book is all angels! monsters! insta-love! But the story and characters really come into their own in books 2 and 3. It was quite an amazing save, I thought. And this series is pretty epic in scope. I mean, we’re talking about things like the genocide of races and the destruction of worlds, and there are A LOT of plot lines to follow. But Laini Taylor always manages to stay in control of the story—admittedly, sometimes she only manages it by the skin of her teeth, but she always does somehow manage it. Like the Lumatere Chronicles, this series has fantastic characters that worm their way into your heart, but the thing that always stands out to me is the humor. Laini Taylor is just so skilled at working wit and humor into scenes that are otherwise pretty depressing.

Ak. These books. I can’t even. I just love them so much. If you haven’t read them yet, I obviously highly recommend them.

Review: Lirael

Lirael (Abhorsen #2), by Garth Nix. The GoodReads summary:

Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. Now, two years past the time when she should have received the Sight that is the Clayr's birthright, she feels alone, abandoned, unsure of who she is. Nevertheless, the fate of the Old Kingdom lies in her hands. With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, Lirael must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil.

As you probably know by this point, I have an unfair but well-developed prejudice against YA books by male authors. But for whatever reason, Garth Nix and his Abhorsen trilogy have been proving surprisingly good. I personally attribute it to the fact that he’s Australian, and apparently my love for Australian authors outweighs my dislike of male authors.

Anyway, “Lirael” picks up 14 and then 18 years after “Sabriel,” the first book, ends. Though Sabriel and Touchstone make a brief appearance in this book, the main characters are Lirael, a daughter of the Clayr, and Sam, prince of the Old Kingdom and Abhorsen-in-Waiting. The Disreputable Dog, who’s all kinds of awesome, is also introduced, and Mogget (who still pretty much remains my favorite character in the series) makes a comeback.

Lirael and Sam ended up surprising me a bit as characters. At first I wasn’t that fond of Lirael, but after the opening chapters, she quickly grew on me. Sam was the opposite. I liked him quite a bit in the initial chapters, but I grew increasingly less impressed with him as the story progressed. Though to be fair, based on what happens at the end of this book, I feel like in the third book, Sam will probably grow on me again. I don’t think I like the character of Lirael quite as much as I liked Sabriel, but there is still plenty of potential for her in the next book.

Plot-wise, this book felt mostly like setup for the third book. Which is not to say it was boring, because it actually was fairly well paced. But nevertheless, by the end, I felt that though I’d learned a lot about Sabriel and Sam, it was obvious that the major parts of the plot were going to happen in the third book.

Overall, a good second book, if a little heavy on setting up for the next book. Actually, now that I think about it, I think this book comes off more as the first half of a book rather than as a standalone book, if that makes sense. Like, there’s no point in reading this book if you’re not going to read the third. Which I’m definitely going to do, because I kinda need to know what’s going to happen.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Review: Vampire Academy, books 3–6

“Shadow Kiss,” “Blood Promise,” “Spirit Bound,” and “Last Sacrifice,” by Richelle Mead

So . . . yes, I did in fact read books 3 through 6 of this series back to back. I was originally planning on spacing it out and reading some other books in between, but I got sucked in and didn’t want to stop. So I decided to give my thoughts on books 3 through 6 all at once, since they’re all jumbled together in my head anyway.

One thing that I really love about this series is the flow of it all. Each book has really great pacing, but on top of that, the series as whole moves from one book the next so seamlessly. Honestly, at this point, I can’t remember what happened in which book, because the divisions between them are so smooth.

I also really liked Rose’s evolution throughout the series. I could legitimately tell that she was maturing as the books progressed. For someone who frustrated me so much in the first book, she certainly gained my admiration by the last one. Along the same lines, I loved watching Lissa evolve as well. She’s so weak in the first book, but with each book she gets stronger, and by the final one I just wanted to cheer for her.

Richelle Mead does a fantastic job keeping the romance between Rose and Dimitri fresh and interesting in each book. Every time I started another of the books, I was convinced that it would be the book where Rose and Dimitri’s relationship would fall flat. But just when I was convinced that Mead couldn’t develop their relationship any further, she would pull out a plot twist that kept things going. And the tension between those two was really well done no matter the situation they were in.

And Adrian . . . I have mixed feelings about that kid. On the one hand I loved his refined, devil-may-care attitude, but sometimes I felt like he just needed to grow up and get a grip. So I’m excited to see how his character develops in the Bloodlines series.

Oh, and I ADORE Abe.

So, yes. Read this series! I wasn’t sure for most of the first book how I felt about it, but by the end of it, it was basically a straight shot from there to book 6 for me. And I’m not even a fan of vampire books, so it’s saying something that I’m as in love with this series as I am. Needless to say, I’ll be picking up Bloodlines soon.

Review: Lady Julia Grey series

We interrupt the regularly scheduled programming . . .

I mostly read YA, with the occasional chic lit thrown in, but every once in a while I like mix it up a little. So recently I started the Lady Julia Grey novels, by Deanna Raybourn. And can I just say they are AMAZING. I finished book three last night, and I'm already wanting to re-read it. And I'm really not one for series, so the fact that I'm so into this one shows ya how much I adore them.

They're mysteries that take place in Victorian England, centering around Lady Julia Grey--a strong, independent, freakin' awesome woman who inevitably ends up getting involved in the cases of a certain brooding private detective named Nicholas Brisbane. These books are just so witty, you guys. Julia and her eccentric family just make me smile over and over. And Brisbane . . . swoon city. Three-fourths of the time I was almost ready to write him off for being so frustrating and secretive and cold, but then he'd do or say something that'd make me want to clutch the book to my chest and sigh his name longingly.

There are currently five books in the series (as far as I know): Silent in the Grave, Silent in the Sanctuary, Silent on the Moor, Dark Road to Darjeeling, and The Dark Enquiry. Like I said, I just finished book three, and I seriously can't wait to read the two I haven't yet. So if you like period novels or mysteries or clever, witty writing, try these books. Seriously. I mean, just try reading these opening sentences from Silent in the Grave without getting sucked in:

To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor.

See? Told'ja.