10. House of Night PC and Kristin Cast
This series is about Zoey Redbird. In the first book she gets
"marked" and is sent to the House of Night, a school for fledgling
vampires. There she learns all about being a vampire; vampire history; and the
normal reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic. I picked up the first book, Marked, when I was at
Barnes and Noble with 4 of my very dear friends waiting around for the midnight
release of Breaking Dawn. It had a relatively gloomy cover,
which always peaks my interest. Also Barnes and Noble told me I would like it,
so I bought it. Good job, Barnes and Noble, I Did like it! I can't decide if
it's the part of me that wants to be a rebel (and loves the idea of lace
filigree tattoos) or if it's because I'm just a nerdy, vampire-book lover. But
I love this series. I like the mix of Cherokee beliefs and the vampires'
beliefs. Zoey’s grandmother and the Cherokee values guide Zoey in her quest as
this chosen, badass, fledgling vampire. Basically the goddess, Nyx, decided
Zoey needed to whip the House of Night into shape. And she does just that
throughout the series. At times it can be trite, and with so many books in the
series I feel like it's almost overdone. But I will still read them to find out
how Zoey's story finally ends because all in all they're very entertaining!
9. The Wake Trilogy Lisa McMann
Wow. These 3 books are so awesome. They tell the story of Janie
who has a very unfortunate gift. Whenever she falls asleep, if there is a
person sleeping nearby she will wake up in their dream. This sounds kind of
cool, but the drawbacks are the pits. She never gets any rest because she's
always awake, whether in her consciousness or someone else's unconsciousness. I
was sucked into these books because it's not often that something I would
consider a super-power is discussed negatively. But I think it's definitely
cool to look at the other side of the coin. This girl was born with this
ability, she doesn't want it, doesn't like it, and ultimately it could lead to
her early demise. I had never once thought about super-powers this way. Not
that dream-waking usually comes to mind when I think about awesome super-powers,
but roll with it. I had never thought about them being a burden, or something
to consider a curse. These books changed that. I also really like Janie's
struggle to accept her ability, learn to master it, and eventually use it to
save the day. That part was pretty typical of a super-hero story, but it's a
great theme nonetheless.
8. Night World LJ Smith
I really like LJ Smith’s stuff; she is a hard-core romantic, and
it definitely shows itself in this series. The bond that LJ Smith creates
between soul mates is my favorite part of Night World. In Night World (and The
Secret Circle series, f.y.i.) every soul mate pair is connected by this
shimmery, silver string of energy. It’s not like they walk around all day with
these lightning bolts sticking out of their chests; it’s symbolic. But when 2
soul mates kiss they are overwhelmed with this energy, and they can hear each
other’s thoughts. It sounds just like a Disney movie, and it is; which is
probably why I love it. But Night World is about just that, the world that LJ
Smith created. It’s not a series based on one specific character or couple.
Sure the characters in each book are all linked in some way; whether they are
distant cousins or happen to meet at some point in the book. But it’s more
about how all of these loosely linked characters end up working together toward
the same goal. I really like series like this. You read just enough about a
character to really like them, but they don’t really have time to get
annoying. Also one of my favorite
characters, Ash, has eyes that change color. And not the kind of color-change
where you wear a blue shirt so your eyes look extra blue. No, legitimately
change colors in the middle of a conversation. I just think that’s cool.
7. Twilight Stephenie Meyer
I couldn’t leave Twilight off the list. My friend at Blockbuster
recommended this book one night at work, and I never looked back. I am sure we
all know the story of the moody, non-descript teenage girl who managed to
seduce the 80-year-old man-child into stalking her and nearly killing himself before
they were married and lived happily ever after with the most perfect of happy endings
in almost any book. I mean, seriously, Bella got everything she could have ever
asked for. It’s pretty frustrating. But you know I love that mess. I’m a sucker
for unrealistic expectations and vampires. And if you’re reading this, it means
you’re most likely my FaceBook friend. That means you have probably seen
evidence of my Twilight obsession before, and it would be pointless to lie to
one another and pretend that it doesn’t exist.
6. Wicked Lovely Melissa Marr
So this is the series that changed my definition of fairy. Before
reading Wicked Lovely, fairies were
tiny girls with wings and pixy dust. (Obviously these are pixies, so my
generalization is rather atrocious.) And now I know the error of my ways thanks
to these books. The best part about the Wicked Lovely books is the villains.
Bananoc and Irial are my favorite characters to hate. Bananoc is pure chaos;
she thrives on conflict and discord. And Irial is the villain to whom this most
aptly applies: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Irial is King of the Dark
Court, but when Bananoc challenges his court (along with the other 3) he looks
to the protagonists for help. There’s also the Hunt, who are some badass biker
fairies that do Irial’s bidding.
5. Morganville Vampires Rachel Caine
Rachel Caine, you are a genius. And so is her main character,
Claire Danvers. Claire is 16 when she moves to Morganville, Texas to go to
college. She arrives and has the snot kicked out of her within one week of
living in the dorms. This is all Michael, Eve, and Shane need to see before
they agree to her moving into the Glass House with them. And from then on out
it is one crazy vampire attack after another. Claire is one of my favorite
leading ladies. Had I read this series when I ranked the Top Ten BA Females,
Claire would definitely have made the list. She is such a nerd. She loves
school, and will not miss a class even if her life depends on it. I like that
her brain gets her out of the tough situations just as often as her fancy
anti-vampire weapons and her friends. I really like the dynamic between Eve,
Michael, Shane, and Claire in the first half of the series. I just read book 13
and things are changing, as is natural for early adulthood, but that doesn’t
mean I have to like it.
4. Uglies Scott Westerfeld
I stand by what I have said in the past, Tally Youngblood is such
a badass. In Uglies we are
taken to a place where any kind of self-modification/enhancement is possible,
painless, and free on your 16th birthday. Before that, you are
completely normal. No more or less beautiful than anyone else is when they’re
born and live to be 15. And I believe that if I could ask 50 15-year-old girls
right now if they would want to change something about themselves on their 16th
birthday, most would say yes. That’s why Tally is such a badass. She said no.
She knew that the surgeries did not just make physical changes, and she was not
going to have them take away her Tally-ness. The series is based around a dystopian
society, about which I love reading! But I think for me, the best part of this
series is the vocabulary. Scott Westerfeld created a whole new dialect for
these books, and I love the creativity that went into it.
3. Mortal
Instruments/Infernal Devices Cassandra Clare
So the Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices are technically two
separate series by Cassandra Clare. However, I make the rules, so I say they
count for one for my purposes. Both series transport you to the world of the
Shadowhunters and Downworlders. Shadowhunters are the warriors of the Nephilim,
a race of humans that were blessed by an angel to protect regular humans from
Downworlders. Downworlders being your typical baddies: warlocks, vampires,
werewolves, demons and the lot. The Infernal Devices are set in turn of the
century London, and you get to meet Tessa, Will, and Jem. In the trilogy you
learn about the Infernal Devices themselves, 3 devices designed to be the
demonic balance for the 3 angelic Mortal Instruments. The Mortal Instruments are discussed in…wait
for it….The Mortal Instruments series. Phew, it’s a doozy. But these books are
set in present(ish) day New York City, and we meet Clary, Jace, and their rag
tag group of friends. This really is a fascinating world that Clare created,
and just so you know the movie premieres August 21, 2013 (The Mortal
Instruments: City of Bones)!!!
2. The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins
Here is another dystopian series because I can’t seem to get
enough. I’m pretty sure if I could find a dystopian vampire novel my head would
explode. So my favorite thing about these is how Suzanne Collins describes the
Capitol and its citizens. The books are written in Katniss Everdeen’s voice,
and I love her dry, no-nonsense commentary. She has little patience for the
Capitol’s citizens. Katniss was raised in District 12 where most everyone
barely has enough food to survive, and in the Capitol she sees more decadence
and waste in an hour than she has seen her whole life. And reading about the
Hunger Games is very interesting as well. The barbaric nature of sending 24
teenagers into one place to kill one another is outrageous, and yet it is the
Capitol’s favorite source of entertainment. This is an extremely well written,
edge-of-your-seat story about the proletariat sticking it to the man. Of course
it’s awesome!
1. Harry Potter. Duh. JK Rowling
Obviously, this is the greatest of the greats. It defines my
generation. I remember standing in a book fair when I was in the 3rd
grade and picking up my first copy of Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I remember being devastated that I was
already 11 and I hadn’t received my entrance letter to Hogwarts. I even
remember why the last 100 pages of my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows have tearstains on them (a
mixture of the happenings in the book and the fact that it was actually going
to be over). I waited for every book and every movie with barely restrained
glee, and I still get disappointed when I realize that there won’t be any more.
If you haven’t read them, shame on you! I implore you to get your butt to your
nearest book store and buy them. (Not a library. Borrowing simply will not do.)
Read them for yourself, read them to your children, I don’t care. Just read
them! Now.
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