Results tagged “young adult”

Okay, so even though I haven’t ACTUALLY read Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games, it has been on my giant leaning-tower-of-TBR list for ages now. And I know the general premise. And from that information, I deduce that if you are a fan of Hunger Games, you will be a fan of James Dashner’s The Maze Runner. Logical Lucy, that’s me.

Let me set the stage for you. You wake up in a metal box that’s being slowly elevated. You have no idea who you are beyond your name or why you’re in said box. And you don’t know where you’re going to end up. The box stops and opens up and next thing you know, you’re with a group of teenage boys in a large area enclosed by giant stone walls. Turns out these walls close at sunset and you want to be within the walls by then or else…

Why are the boys trapped in a giant maze? And why does Thomas feel as though he’s been there before?

I, for one, picked it up thinking I’d read a few pages then set it down and rejoin my mother in cooking. Well, that didn’t happen. Instead I tore through the book in three hours. It’s fast-paced and definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat. I am now eagerly awaiting the sequels (it’s going to be a trilogy when it’s all said and done).

It’s not out yet - comes out October 6th, but I’d highly recommend keeping an eye out for it.

But to whet your appetite, check out an excerpt from The Maze Runner here. Or you could win an ARC (advanced reader’s copy) over at Random Buzzers!

(These are in no particular order)

1. Tithe by Holly Black

Instead of vampires, we’ve got faeries in Holly Black’s Tithe, a gripping tale of sixteen-year-old Kaye, whose journey into the fey world begins when she rescues knight Roiben. As she explores the Seelie and Unseelie faerie courts, she finds out more than she ever bargained for. I know, I know, there will be cliffhangers galore in this post. Don’t want to ruin any of the fun for you guys.

Tithe also has a sequel, Ironside. For more info, check out Holly Black’s website.

While waiting for the last installment in the Twilight Saga to come out, I happened across the first in Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments trilogy, CITY OF BONES. I’d seen the books around and been attracted to the flashy covers (I like shiny objects, what can I say? It’s an elemental thing.) so I finally sat down and read it.

And proceeded not to get up for the next three hours (I’m a fast reader and I do not skim, no matter what any of my friends tell you!). Clare has a way of never letting the action stop so that you HAVE to keep reading. At one point, I was literally trying to read it while brushing my teeth. This was not a successful venture, as you may have guessed.

The books revolve around Clary, a teenager living in a New York City where demon hunters exist. She’s pulled into the world when her mother is kidnapped and it turns out Clary has a much closer connection to the Shadowhunter (those who kill demons) world than she previously thought.

Suffice to say that you will enjoy this entire trilogy if you liked Twilight. There’s some forbidden romance with vampires and werewolves and other supernatural beings thrown in the mix as well.

Links:
The Mortal Instruments website

In my last post I promised you videos of the big release party from the Barnes & Nobel in Union Square, Manhattan (33 East 17th if you’re interested, heckuva store they’ve got there). Anyway, let it not be said that I am anything other than a man of my word.

In the first video, Christopher Paolini talks about Brisingr, fields a few questions from the audience before officially unveiling the latest addition to the Inheritance Cycle:

Christopher Paolini Reads from Brisingr after the jump…

I was catching up on all my favorite authors’ blogs when I ran across this:

Happy Birthday, Alanna! (Tamora Pierce’s Livejournal)

It’s been 25 years since Alanna: The First Adventure was published, and what a 25 years it’s been… nowadays strong heroines dominate the shelves but it wasn’t always so. Then right around the time Alanna picked up her first shield, Harry (or Angharad) of The Blue Sword also started her sword training and signaled a change in young adult fantasy publishing.

I still remember the first time I picked up Alanna: The First Adventure - I was in fifth grade and read through the entire Song of the Lioness Quartet in one big gulp. I loved Alanna, with her fierce independent spirit, and how she refused to let society’s norms define her role. But what I love even more is how Alanna paved the way for future heroines who didn’t need to hide their gender and who didn’t need “Speshull Powers,” in the words of the wonderful Sherwood Smith, whom I interviewed for this post. Her book, Crown Duel, is a prime example of this - the women and men fight together, and there are no eyebrows raised - it’s just a common, everyday occurrence.

In any case, I salute you, Tamora Pierce and Alanna!

If you’d like to read the interview I conducted with Sherwood Smith, check back tomorrow - we discussed how the role of women have evolved in fantasy literature.

Yes, the secret’s out. I profess an undying love for young adult fantasy and myth retellings. Esther Friesner’s sequel to last year’s Nobody’s Princess, Nobody’s Prize, continues the saga of Princess Helen of Sparta (before all that messy Paris and Trojan War stuff) as she tries to find her place in a male-dominated society.

(Mini-review and request for reccs after the jump)