Time for day 3 of the 2012 YA Superlatives! There are a lot fewer categories today, so I picked two books each. MORE BOOKS TO LOVE! Plus, I get to mention some books I haven't talked about yet!
Most Envy-Inducting Plot (Or, the plot you wish you'd thought of yourself.)
and
These books both have amazing, high concept ideas: a world in which everyone is reincarnated after they die but remember their past lives, and a futuristic re-telling of Cinderella (and 3 other fairy tales in the sequels).
Most Formidable World (Or, the setting you most definitely would NOT want to travel to.)
and
The world of Under The Never Sky and the Nazi occupied France of Code Name Verity are two places I would NEVER want to travel to!
Wanderlust-Inducting (Or, the setting you'd happily travel to.)
and
Yes, both of these worlds have problems, but they're also amazing, and the authors paint such a rich portrait of them. I'd love to visit these worlds and explore for a few days.
Loveliest Prose
and
John Green's writing is always amazing, but I was also blown away by Jessica Khoury's evocative descriptions of the jungle her character lives in.
Best First Line
"Our mother was a witch too, but she hid it better." from Born Wicked
and
"When you've been struck by lightning as many times as I have, you start to expect the worst pretty much all the time." from Struck
I picked these two first lines because they say a lot about the character, their situation, and make you want to continue reading to find out more.
Most Dynamic Main Character
Eva from The Lost Girl
and
Ananna from The Assassin's Curse
I didn't get to mention these in my post yesterday because they didn't fit the categories, but these were two of my favorite characters this year. Both of them are removed from their normal lives and forced to confront difficult challenges, but remain strong in the face of great adversity. Plus, I loved both of their voices.
Most Jaw-Dropping Ending
and
Both of these endings were shocking for different reasons... but to say more would be spoilery, sorry!
Best Performance in a Supporting Role
Iko from Cinder
and
Roar from Under the Never Sky
I loved both of these characters - they were funny and stole all the scenes they were in!
Best Use of Theme
and
David Levithan and John Green are two of the greatest writers in YA for a reason!
Stay tuned for the last day of YA Superlatives tomorrow!
Totally agree about CREWEL's ending. I can't believe we'll have to wait almost a year to read the sequel! Ugh.
ReplyDeleteI loved Iko, too!
ReplyDeleteI seem to be on a bit of an assassin kick lately with GRAVE MERCY and THRONE OF GLASS, so I should pick up THE ASSASSIN'S CURSE. I think it's already on my TBR list. :)
ReplyDeleteBoth of your picks for best first line are great! I particularly find BORN WICKED's compelling.
I love the BORN WICKED first line! I'm also really intrigued by THE ASSASSIN'S CURSE--great setting and great characters? I'm in!
ReplyDeleteOh that's a sweet first line in Born Wicked!
ReplyDeleteOh John Green... I heart your books so bad.
You are dead on with those first lines. Now I want to read both those books! And wasn't the Lost Girl riveting at the end??
ReplyDeleteHow could I have forgotten about Iko? That is the PERFECT pick for that category.
ReplyDeleteThe only book on your list that I've read is TFIOS..looks like I have some reading to do because they all sound great!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many here I need to read! I just packed CODE NAME VERITY in my bag for my Christmas vacation, but man, I need to get some others!
ReplyDelete