Okey dokey, Day Three of the YA Superlative Blogfest is among us! Days one and two were full of awesome, so we hope to continue the fun today. This time we're looking at the elements that make up GREAT fiction.
Great fiction includes settings that make you want to be there with the characters (or sometimes the setting is done so well you DON'T want to be there), characters who are interesting and finales that knock you back on your ass. All of the books we've included here have at least ONE of these elements. Check it out!
Most Envy-Inducing Plot (Or, the plot you wish you’d thought of yourself.):
*Clever, thought provoking, and realistic. We spent HOURS talking about how we wished we created these plots!*
Most Wonderful World-Building:
Divergent by Veronica Roth and Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
*Believable and intriguing worlds that couldn't have been built from anything other than the minds of geniuses.*
Most Formidable World (Or, the setting you most definitely would NOT want to travel to.):
Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts
*Would YOU want to live in a world where humans are turning into murderous loons? Didn't think so...*
Wanderlust-Inducing (Or, the setting you’d happily travel to.):
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
*Perkins has a true gift for setting--with her sensory details she makes us want to visit every place she ever writes about!*
Loveliest Prose:
Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff
*The book is full of words that move the reader and also move the story along--without being boring.*
Best First Line:
"Lucy hunched over the corpse and felt a tiny bubble of hysterical laughter gurgle up." From Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari.
*In Pam's words--this is just "demented" enough to make us intrigued!*
Most Dynamic Main Character:
Kid in Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff
*You don't know Kid's gender. Can't get more dynamic than that.*
Most Jaw-Dropping Finale:
Three Way! Possession by Elana Johnson, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, and City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare.
*Each one of these endings had us saying: What the BLEEP? We can't wait for more!*
Best Performance in a Supporting Role:
Cole in Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
*As mentioned before in yesterday's post--this dude has may-jah swag. And he played a pivotal role in the end of this trilogy. He also made Quita's heart go pitter-patter.*
Best Use of Theme:
Divergent by Veronica Roth
*How we react to our fears truly define us--and this book drives that point home. Ah-may-zing!*
That's it--those are the 2011 books that we felt embodied these elements of fiction. Did we miss something along the way? Let us know so we can add those books to the To Be Read Pile ASAP!
10 comments:
Love your picks, and especially the reasoning behind them. LOTS of great things here that I need to pick up!
I am a huge fan of beautiful prose so I definitely want to read Brooklyn Burning. Adding to Goodreads. :)
I think we share a special love of Divergent! I hate to keep listing it for everything, but it really was phenomenal. I also love Lola's San Francisco. It made me want to go back and visit so much!
Okay, I obviously need to read BROOKLYN BURNING. I've heard such great things about it! And you girls are right about Stephanie Perkins: She has such a gift for setting (and characters and romance!).
Ditto Katy, I need to pick up Brooklyn Burning. And YAY COLE. Swag for sure.
From this blogfest, I'm learning I really need to read some Stephanie Perkins!
I loved the themes in Divergent. I thought certain aspects of the theme building were a bit heavy-handed (the factions), but the subtle, internal theme building done with the characters, especially Tris, was really something. Loved the exploration done there.
Brookyn, Burning is now on my need-to-read list. You've convinced me. Oh, and the first line from Ashes, Ashes is pretty demented but I'm hooked. I so want to read this book NOW.
Great choices! And I STILL haven't gotten my hands on Possession - need to fix that. Mara is up next on my TBR and I'm even more excited about reading it after today's hop!
Ooh great picks. Nice choice for best opening line, I might have to pick that book up!
Oh I forgot about Mara Dyer's ending, how could I forget that! Good pick!
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