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Roydrowsy posted:I think RICK RIORDAN really put together something quite fun with his Percy Jackson series of books. The movie was completely awful, but the novels are a perfect blend of adventure and mythology. The second series is just as good. I enjoyed the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I appreciate the renewed attention to mythology and I like the modern demigod ideas he put forth, but honestly, he's not the most sophisticated writer. I know his target audience is much younger (I'm thinking 6th grade, perhaps?), but the writing style and characterizations were so childish, it was sometimes difficult to get through. That being said, I still really enjoyed the Percy Jackson books and his Kane Chronicles series as well. I still haven't read the Heroes of Olympus yet. I lost track of Eion Colfer's Artemis Fowl books after middle school. Is it worth going back to? Yes, Cassandra Clare is known to be a big Harry Potter fanfic writer and plagiarist, but her books do seem to sell quite well. Are they any good on their own merit or is it just another strange Twilight-like phenomenon? Also, does anyone know anything about the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth?
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May 8, 2012 16:38
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An atypical (for me) recommendation would be Sarah Dessen's Along For the Ride. I say "atypical" because while I find I enjoy the concept of "slice of life" fiction, I am not usually prone to reading them and sticking with it all the way through. I prefer things with supernatural themes, but I felt this deviation was well worth it. I don't know if Dessen is quite so insightful in her other various books, but the protagonist's dilemma in this particular novel really spoke to me and struck me as genuine for the age.
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Jul 12, 2012 02:50
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Waffle Ho posted:Cassandra Clare is an ex-Harry Potter fanfic writer (who started the "Draco in leather pants" thing) best known for plagiarizing another YA novel in her fanfics, and later plagiarizing her own fanfics in her "original" writing. Most of the funny, witty parts of her fics were the result of her cribbing lines from Buffy or various British comedies. I had to report back that, in spite of very valid criticism regarding the Cassandra Clare books, I picked up City of Bones (Book 1 of The Mortal Instruments). My boyfriend's teenage sister has been encouraging me to get into it for some time, so I thought I would give it a try and see what the big deal is. I have to say, as Kaishai and a few others pointed out above, there are definitely parallels between her characters and her fanfic version of the HP characters. Some I noticed that were most obvious were, of course, Jace and Dracon. Also, Clary's mom and Lily Potter. I also think her werewolf character (not naming to avoid spoilering) and her fanfic Lupin share distinct resemblance. Other than that, though, I didn't notice anything too horribly glaring. I may or may not continue the series, since she apparently has two other series set in this universe. Her writing itself isn't anything too praiseworthy. I certainly wish I had her connections. teepee posted:And speaking of Cassie Clare, I'd steer clear of YA paranormal/UF in general unless you really know the subgenre. I've yet to read one that I actually liked. That's a sweeping generalization but really, all the clunkers/repeat offenders seem to be YA paranormals. (Which is not a chicken-egg situation. It's because of the egg named Twilight. Pre-Twilight you have some great ones, like Companions of the Night and Blood and Chocolate. Post, it's all downhill with Bella 2.0s and Edward-lites all over the place.) I definitely noticed the downhill trend post-Twilight, but I am somewhat pleased by the increased public interest in the supernatural in books. I really enjoy paranormal/UF, so I hope there are some decent new YA fiction of the subgenre out there.
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Aug 6, 2012 23:34
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Violet_Sky posted:I've read them all, myself. I find Libba Bray to be a very talented and underrated writer. She's the kind of author who knows how to get into the minds of her characters and make them come to life. I read the first book of the series when I was younger, but I couldn't remember for the life of me if they had anything to do with magic or not. I don't recall liking it that strongly, but that could be due to all the forgetting. Heh.
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Nov 9, 2012 15:49
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I don't know if this would qualify since it doesn't strictly fall under the YA category as far as I know, but I am currently reading a book called The Rook. It's the debut novel of Australian author Daniel O'Malley. I hope he stays in the literary world for some time, whether he chooses to continue writing in this particular universe or not. It is seriously the most enjoyable piece of fiction I have read in a while. Not only well-written, it is gripping enough that I have been speeding through it (and my boyfriend has been poking fun at me for being a slow reader lately). I have to also say that it is the best contemporary example of a male author writing a believable, relate-able female protagonist that I've come across. The girl possesses equal parts awkward vulnerability and badassery, all without being portrayed as falling down or knocking into things every few minutes to put that across. Granted, I'm only 69% through the book (according to my lovely Kindle), but I recommend this novel with every fiber of my being. Really, I cannot recommend it highly enough. Not sure if it falls under urban fantasy or sci-fi because it definitely has elements of both. If I had to liken it to visual media, I would compare it to Torchwood. In fact, the main character is Welsh, so I can't help but imagine Eve Myles in my head as I read. Even better, for those who appreciate minimalist covers, I give you:
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Dec 15, 2012 04:05
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In the vein of YA mystery, I also remember The Boxcar Children being fun to read in my childhood. I loved their sibling dynamics.
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Mar 6, 2013 14:44
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Christmas Jones posted:Does anyone have any recommendations for any books about 12-14 year-olds that are written a bit above the Judy Blume level? (But like Blume in dealing with those sort of real-life issues, rather than going the Sci-Fi/Fantasy route.) I recommended Sarah Dessen's Along For the Ride back towards the beginning of this thread. I think that would be age appropriate for the kind of thing you're looking for. I still haven't read any of Dessen's other books, but I think this particular work was quite insightful and her characterization felt genuine, and I know she's definitely written other books in a similar vein.
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May 5, 2013 23:06
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I looked up a few popular YA "paranormal romance" series the other night on Goodreads. Most of the really well-known ones (i.e. The Mortal Instruments, The Caster Chronicles, Fallen) may be getting made into the newest movie franchises, but on Goodreads they have received some pretty mixed if not downright negative reviews. The criticisms strike me as less a simple matter of opinion in terms of what a particular reader prefers and more like it's actually poorly written, whether that's poor execution or badly done characterization. Perhaps the problem is the subgenre of paranormal romance, plain and simple, but I was wondering if there were any redeeming series out there worth reading. The Hunger Games was pretty well-received, in spite of the overdone love triangle thing, although the author herself wasn't so focused on that in the story and was mostly pushed by her editor to place more emphasis on it for commercial value.
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May 8, 2013 00:34
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Not something I normally ask since I prefer to avoid accidental derivation, but I'm in the midst of working on a YA novel series and I'd like to find something already out there that is similar in theme. Can anyone recommend a middle grade/YA series that is primarily centered around ghosts? I realize a good amount of urban fantasy does include ghosts but only as part of the world at large and not quite what I'd call central, whereas there are books and TV shows and whatnot up the hoohah centered around vampires and werewolves and witches, individually. The only work that comes to mind that is remotely in line with that I'm looking for is probably Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, even though I believe the target audience of that is a little younger than what I'm intending. Nevertheless, I really liked his treatment of ghosts.So where the likes of Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, The Morganville Vampires, and Vampire Academy is "about" vampires (even if they include other supernatural species) and the likes of Blood and Chocolate is "about" werewolves... I'd like something about ghosts. Something with well-formed characters as well as an interesting plot, if that's not too much to ask. I will also accept suggestions of a single novel, if it's really good and comes highly recommended.
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Jun 30, 2013 18:34
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Wedemeyer posted:Sorry I can't give anymore. Ghostlove isn't very popular. There's also a sequel to the above book. Thank you! Every little bit helps. I guess I should also be clearer that any recs would not necessarily have to include the teen romance aspect of the examples I listed. In retrospect, I realized that most of those popular YA selections I referenced were the star-crossed love types. So yeah, not necessary, although I wouldn't say 'no' to them either.
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Jul 2, 2013 11:18
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Nettle Soup posted:It's not a series, but Moondial by Helen Cresswell is a pretty awesome book about a girl who befriends a ghost. Interesting. I've never heard of the book, despite it being older than me. I'll have to check it out. bitter almond posted:re: ghosts. I remember finding Christopher Pike's works questionable when I was much younger, but I can't remember why, so I'll have to look into this. Especially since Wikipedia says it was a trilogy of sorts. Thanks!
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Jul 5, 2013 22:23
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mastajake posted:I thought I was the only one here who enjoyed Rick Riordan's series. I debated making a thread when Mark of Athena came out but figured no one would be interested. I like this series more than the Percy Jackson one, and I've felt every book has been better than the last (maybe with the exception of Son of Neptune --> Mark of Athena because SoN was so good). I'm really looking forward to House of Hades and how he sets this up. My only qualm about Rick Riordan's books, especially the PJO books, was how overly simplistic everything was. Nothing too glaring about the plot, but the characterization and writing style seemed very juvenile to me, like it was being dumbed down for middle grade readers. It's difficult to think of things with a truly accurate retrospective view, but I feel like even in elementary and middle school I would have been able to handle better writing. Content wise, though, it was fine. I also enjoyed his Kane Chronicles well enough. Is it worth continuing on with the Heroes of Olympus series?
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Aug 18, 2013 15:08
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achillesforever6 posted:Yes its pretty awesome what with Giants and Romans and all. I thought I'd heard about the Norse myth project before. If it's true, I can't wait to see his spin on things!
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Aug 19, 2013 20:31
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So he's got the Trinity of Mythologies that most Western Peoples give a poo poo about.
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Kraps posted:Is Codex Alera not considered YA? Because if it is, people in this thread should really read it. And if it isn't, people in this thread should really read it. I'm not sure if it is considered YA, but I wholeheartedly agree! It is an awesome series by Jim Butcher, author of The Dresden Files. Rumor has it he came up with it when a fan challenged him to write something great from two seemingly random ideas thrown out by said fan: Pokemon and the lost legion. Result? Pure badassery in a way that you cannot imagine. Again, highly highly recommended!
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Nov 17, 2013 17:23
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Bohemienne posted:The Raven Boys et al by Maggie Stiefvater Ooh, thanks for the recommendation! I love that it contains ghosts, a rural setting, and psychics and dreams. That's right up my alley.
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Dec 30, 2013 20:02
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