The Elite

Author:  Kiera Cass

Series:  The Selection, Book 2

Year:  2013

Publisher:  Harper Audio

Narrator:  Amy Rubinate

Goodreads Description:

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

I found that I was on the fence about this book the entire time that I was listening to it. I spent most of the book raging at America for not making a decision, not fighting back, not just reaching out and grabbing what she wanted (or at least deciding what she wanted). At times I was ready to give up on the book and the series. Then, finally, right towards the end of the book, America grew a backbone and started to make up her mind and became likable. I was sorry to see the book end because suddenly America was leading her life and not letting it lead her. Now I can't wait to read the final book and see how the series ends.

Just One Day

Author:  Gayle Forman

Series:  Just One Day, Book 1

Year:  2013

Publisher:  Speak

Pages:  369

Goodreads Summary:

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!

In my opinion, this isn't so much a story of romance as it is a story of growth and self-discovery. I have to admit that I got annoyed with Allyson's depths of depression from her one day in Paris but once she started recovering and finding herself, I found myself liking Allyson a lot. I loved watching Allyson grow and take control of her life and find herself. The idea of traveling around Europe (even penniless) appeals to me so much. I would love to take just a summer and do that. What I didn't like was that ending! I need the next book now!

Love Evolution

Author:  Michelle Mankin

Series:  Black Cat Records, Book 1

Year:  2012

Publisher:  Self

Pages:  207

Goodreads Description:

Nineteen year old Avery Jones can play the guitar as well as any guy. Better Even.

Brutal Strength, one of the biggest bands around, needs a new lead guitarist.

Seems like the perfect fit, except for one big problem. Temperamental lead singer Marcus Anthony won't allow a woman in his band.

Read Love Evolution, a rock 'n roll adaptation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

When I first started this book, I didn't think I was going to be able to read it at all as there were just too many cliches and flowery descriptions of everything. It just wasn't cutting it for me. But then the book hit it's stride for a little bit and was quite enjoyable.  Then the ending was a little jumbled and and just OK. It was a quick read and a fun little romance. I don't think any of the problems with the book weren't something that a really good editor couldn't clean up and make work.

The Bitter Kingdom

Author:  Rae Carson

Series:  Fire and Thorns, Book 3

Year: 2013

Publisher:  Greenwillow

Pages:  433

Goodreads Summary:

The epic conclusion to Rae Carson's Fire and Thorns trilogy. The seventeen-year-old sorcerer-queen will travel into the unknown realm of the enemy to win back her true love, save her country, and uncover the final secrets of her destiny.

Elisa is a fugitive in her own country. Her enemies have stolen the man she loves in order to lure her to the gate of darkness. As she and her daring companions take one last quest into unknown enemy territory to save Hector, Elisa will face hardships she's never imagined. And she will discover secrets about herself and her world that could change the course of history. She must rise up as champion-a champion to those who have hated her most.

This series was probably my biggest surprise of the  year. I can't believe how much I loved these books. They were  just wonderful fantasy books with a beautiful romance and a terrific story. And will probably make my top 10 books of the year. I was so sad to see this series end. I could read about this world and these characters forever.

The Crown of Embers

Author:  Rae Carson

Series:  Fire and Thorns, Book 2

Year:  2012

Publisher:  Greenwillow

Pages: 410

Goodreads Summary:

In the sequel to the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, a seventeen-year-old princess turned war queen faces sorcery, adventure, untold power, and romance as she fulfills her epic destiny.

Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. That is not all she finds. A breathtaking, romantic, and dangerous second volume in the Fire and Thorns trilogy.

Wow!  Talk about a book that definitely does not suffer from middle book syndrome. The Crown of Embers never slacked up. It was non-stop action. I absolutely loved the entire cast of characters (both old and new). And the love story - can we just say that when Rae Carson finally gave Elisa love she did it with complete flair and absolutely took my heart away. 

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Author:  Rae Carson

Series:  Fire and Thorns, Book 1

Year:  2011

Publisher:  Greenwillow

Pages:  423

Goodreads Summary:

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.

Put most simply, I loved this book. It's a beautiful fantasy story with magnificent world building. But don't be thinking this is a typical YA novel. First off, the heroine of the story is lonely, depressed and (heaven forbid) fat. And although Elisa is super smart and friendly, she is susceptible to self-pity. But even when she's in this state, she doesn't hesitate to face her fears and fight the enemy to save those she cares about. And here's one of those places where Rae Carson shines. Instead of making her heroine completely humble, Elisa says things to the effect of: "well, yes, I did save your life."  But the most amazing part of the book is watching Elisa grow and accept herself and her spot in her world. And I love the twist at the end where Carson basically tells her audience that she's not writing some stereotypical YA love triangle. 

Beta

Author:  Rachel Cohn

Series:  Annex, Book 1

Year:  2012

Publisher: Hyperion

Pages: 331

Goodreads Summary:

Elysia is created in a laboratory, born as a sixteen-year-old girl, an empty vessel with no life experience to draw from. She is a Beta, an experimental model of a teenage clone. She was replicated from another teenage girl, who had to die in order for Elysia to exist.

Elysia's purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. Everything about Demesne is bioengineered for perfection. Even the air induces a strange, euphoric high, which only the island's workers-soulless clones like Elysia-are immune to.

At first, Elysia's life is idyllic and pampered. But she soon sees that Demesne's human residents, who should want for nothing, yearn. But for what, exactly? She also comes to realize that beneath the island's flawless exterior, there is an under­current of discontent among Demesne's worker clones. She knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care-so why are overpowering sensations cloud­ing Elysia's mind?

If anyone discovers that Elysia isn't the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When her one chance at happi­ness is ripped away with breathtaking cruelty, emotions she's always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia must find the will to survive.

 I had a couple of misfires on starting this book. I had a really hard time getting into this book. For some reason I wasn't quite feeling it for Elysia. Demesne was an odd sort of dystopian world that I couldn't quite understand and I couldn't say right in my head without thinking Shakespeare. Plus, I have a hard time identifying with the clones as main characters bit. But then stings started picking up and I started getting into the story and I found myself enjoying the book and liking Elysia. I was even pulling for her and hoping that she'd find a way to join in the rebellion and break free. 

Overall, Beta wasn't the greatest dystopian book I've read but I am intrigued enough to pick up the rest of the series and find out what  happens.