Favorite Books of 2013

There were so many fantastic books released this year so it was really hard for me to narrow it down to just ten books like I really loved. Since it would have been even harder for me to distinguish the best of the ten, I have simply put my list this year in alphabetical order:

Allegiant by Veronica RothAllegiant by Veronica Roth

I know there was a lot of controversy surrounding this book–some people gave it one star on Goodreads, others gave it five–but overall I really loved the way the series was concluded. There were so many people that hated the ending but I think that it made sense for it to end the way it did. I also liked that in this book we were able to get more into Tobias’s mind and I think it helped me to understand his character a lot better.

 

 

 

 

 

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra ClareClockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

I’ve been a huge fan of the Shadowhunter world since I first read City of Bones a few years ago, and I was so excited that Clare’s prequel trilogy was just as good if not better than The Mortal Instruments series. I admit that I was nervous about how this trilogy would end, but I am so glad that it ended the way it did. I honestly think that this is Clare’s best book yet, and I’m excited to read all of the new series she has in the works already.

 

 

 

 

 

17167166Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

I didn’t know if this book could be as good as Throne of Glass, but Maas did an excellent job with this one. It was even better than the first book, filled with so many twists and turns that I had to keep turning pages. The ending was not something I expected either, so I eagerly await the next book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dare You To by Katie McGarryDare You To by Katie McGarry

I will probably read anything that Katie McGarry writes because so far every book I’ve read by her has been great. Dare You To has been my favorite of her books so far. I loved Beth’s attitude and the way that Ryan was able to finally make her trust again. This was a great love story that I highly recommend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dream Thieves by Maggie StiefvaterThe Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

THIS BOOK! I absolutely loved The Raven Boys and the sequel was just as good. The writing in this book was beautiful and the story got even better. I love this series and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Elite by Kiera CassThe Elite by Kiera Cass

This is another series that I absolutely love. While I will admit, some of America’s back and forth between Aspen and Maxon did annoy me a little, I still could not put this book down. I have no idea how it is all going to end but I can’t wait to find out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fangirl by Rainbow RowellFangirl by Rainbow Rowell

This was such a cute story! It really brought me back to my own fangirl days of Harry Potter fanfiction. This was a really great story about family and adjusting to college life, and definitely a must read!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Madman's Daughter by Megan SheperdThe Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd

This book both fascinated me and scared me. It was super creepy at times but the scientist in me loved it. The ending almost made me scream until I realized that there is a sequel planned. Definitely not something I would recommend reading alone at night, but a must read for sure!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Requiem by Lauren OliverRequiem by Lauren Oliver

This was another book I was nervous about, because the ending of the previous book was definitely not expected. I wasn’t sure how Oliver would wrap this all up, but I think she did a good job. It wasn’t your typical ending but I liked how it was slightly open ended. Overall, a great conclusion to the series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scarlet by Marissa MeyerScarlet by Marissa Meyer

I love how each of these books is a retelling of a different fairy tale. This one is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, yet we still get glimpses of what is going on with Cinder. Scarlet is such a great character, and I loved the way her story intertwined with Cinder’s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obviously this was a fantastic year for YA! What were your favorite books from 2013? What are you excited to read in 2014?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow RowellCath Avery is a huge Simon Snow fan and along with her twin sister, Wren, writes fan fiction stories online. When it comes time for the two girls to go to college, Cath’s sister tells her that she doesn’t want to be roommates. She thinks it will be better for the two of them to meet new people, but Cath disagrees. She is nervous about living with someone other than her sister, and when she meets her roommate, a seemingly angry girl with a charming boyfriend that is always around, it seems that her worst fears have come true. Cath must find a way to fit in at college, and ends up discovering a lot about herself and her sister along the way.

I really loved this book! It reminded me of my junior high/high school days when my friends and I were OBSESSED with Harry Potter. I used to write and read fan fiction nearly as often as Cath does so I was able to really connect with her character. I was able to understand how she felt trying to fit in at a new place, with a roommate who seems to be completely the opposite of her.

I was initially really angry at Cath’s twin sister Wren because of the way she treated her. Wren goes to college and immediately is best friends with her roommate and spends all of her free time going out drinking. She treats Cath terribly, teasing her about her Simon Snow fan fiction and acting like she is so much better than her. Cath constantly feels like the “inferior” twin because Wren has more friends and seems to have an easier time of getting along than she does. After I realized that Wren’s actions were a reaction to her mother leaving them when they were children, I was able to sympathize her more. The loss of their mother affected both girls deeply, but they have different ways of coping. Cath is very withdrawn and introverted, while Wren is very wild and extroverted.

Levi was my favorite character in this story. He has such a great personality–he is constantly smiling, always happy, and just an all around friendly person and good guy. Cath’s bantering back and forth with him is so cute and funny, and I loved watching their relationship grow. He is so supportive and generally interested in Cath’s fan fiction, and that seemed to be the initial spark in their relationship. It was great to see how his support helped Cath to grow as a writer and as a person.

Overall, Fangirl was a fun read that reminded me of my Harry Potter obsessed days. It was a great coming of age story that I think many would enjoy!

Fangirl will be released on September 10, 2013.
https://yaheart.com/tag/rainbow-rowell/
yaheart.com
crawl=CC-MAIN-2021-39
104118
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:5RXVEPIMVW4LJLWNDERDEJB4VXTG2O5E
<urn:uuid:6b7ae436-4358-4fad-bca7-990f10080dc3>
2021-09-22T14:34:52Z
192.0.78.25
text/html
sha1:LDPV3MQ7FGRV7EQHEOPO6AB6W6IMD5H5
<urn:uuid:c9b52ff1-c203-49fb-81ce-4d41dd3b737d>
https://yaheart.com/tag/rainbow-rowell/
response
<urn:uuid:ca3a6ac3-9fd4-4f33-beae-3d413694018e>
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2021-39
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for September 2021
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-67-67-150
software: Apache Nutch 1.18 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 1.2-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: https://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/