#the story is all-american girl by meg cabot

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

This might be an odd question, but do you think Meg Cabot books are YA lit or children’s lit? I’m writing a paper about Avalon High and I’m not sure which perspective to come at it from.

According to Cates: they're published by Harper Teen, a YA imprint (sub-division) of the Harper Collins publishing house, and therefore they're Young Adult by the most formal definition of the term. Amazon and Barnes & Noble also both list them as "recommended for ages 12 - 17" so again that's the literal definition of YA.

If you want something a little more in-story, I haven't read Avalon High but I can tell you that Princess Diaries and All-American Girl have a lot of YA conventions. Princess Diaries has YA tropes of the Chosen One, love triangles, leaving your parents' home, and political intrigue. All-American Girl has YA tropes like love triangles, choosing a college, a first loss, and the classic coming-of-age plot where a teen realizes that adults are just flawed humans trying their best. Also, any story about high school is likely to be YA by definition. (There are exceptions, but just like 95% of spaceships signal a story is sci-fi, 95% of high school settings signal a story is YA.)

#meg cabot #avalon high #ya #publishing #genres #i'm not a literary critic #i'm not a publisher #i'm just a coffee shop

[iwhumpyou]

ok hi!! i hope you're having a good day!☀️ so i just saw your post about writing a character in pain and you reference a story where the character is told to draw an egg but not to use a white colored pencil and i! think about this scene! all the time! like that specific scene has stuck in my head for years now. but i can't remember what book it's from!! do you know the title or author or character names or literally anything about it lol i genuinely don't even remember if the book is good but that specific scene rewired my brain, and i have not been able to hunt it down again bc i read it like 15 years ago or something. anyways, if you don't know no worries! thanks!! 🌱

It's All American Girl by Meg Cabot, as numerous replies and reblogs have pointed out because apparently we all remember a very specific scene in a middlingly popular YA novel from 2002.

#envy answers #shared consciousness #I remember wanting to read the sequel when it came out #but the librarians had to read it first #because it mentioned *sex* #which god forbid my innocent middle school eyes should see

[litgenchronicles]

Chick Lit: A Genre for the Modern Woman.

What is Chick Lit?

Chick lit is a term used to describe a type of popular fiction that targets young women as its main audience. The term is derived from the slang word “chick”, meaning a young woman, and “lit”, short for literature. Chick lit novels typically deal with topics such as romance, friendship, career, family, and personal growth, often in a humorous and lighthearted tone. Chick lit is not a subgenre of romance, although it may include romantic elements. Rather, chick lit is a genre that emphasizes the heroine’s journey of self-discovery and empowerment, as well as her relationships with other women.

How did Chick Lit emerge and evolve?

Chick lit is a relatively new genre that emerged in the 1990s and gained popularity in the 2000s. Some of the precursors of chick lit include novels by Terry McMillan, such as Waiting to Exhale (1992), which portrayed the lives of four African-American women in their 30s, and Bridget Jones’s Diary (1996) by Helen Fielding, which chronicled the humorous adventures of a single British woman in her 30s. These novels were followed by a wave of similar books by authors such as Candace Bushnell, Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, Jennifer Weiner, and Meg Cabot, among others. Chick lit also spawned several subgenres, such as mommy lit, which focuses on the challenges of motherhood, and historical chick lit, which sets the stories in the past.

What are the characteristics and themes of Chick Lit?

Chick lit novels usually feature a female protagonist who is in her 20s or 30s, living in a big city, and working in a creative or glamorous profession. She is often single or dating, and looking for love, happiness, and fulfillment. She is also witty, smart, and independent, but sometimes insecure, clumsy, or flawed. Chick lit novels often use a first-person narrative, with a conversational and confessional style. They also tend to include references to pop culture, fashion, and consumerism.

Some of the common themes of chick lit are:

Finding one’s identity and purpose in life.

Balancing work and personal life.

Navigating the dating scene and romantic relationships.

Dealing with family and social pressures and expectations.

Coping with change and challenges.

Celebrating female friendship and solidarity.

What are some notable examples of Chick Lit?

There are many examples of chick lit novels that have been bestsellers, critically acclaimed, or adapted into movies or TV shows. Here are some of them:

Sex and the City (1997) by Candace Bushnell: A collection of essays that follows the lives and loves of four fashionable women in New York City. It was adapted into a popular TV series and two movies.

Confessions of a Shopaholic (2000) by Sophie Kinsella: The first book in a series that tells the story of Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist who has a compulsive shopping habit and a knack for getting into trouble. It was made into a movie in 2009.

The Devil Wears Prada (2003) by Lauren Weisberger: A novel that exposes the dark side of the fashion industry, as seen through the eyes of Andrea Sachs, a young assistant to a ruthless magazine editor. It was turned into a movie in 2006, starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2001) by Ann Brashares: A novel that follows the adventures of four teenage girls who share a pair of jeans that magically fits them all. It was adapted into two movies in 2005 and 2008.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2005) by Stieg Larsson: A thriller that introduces Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant hacker and social misfit who teams up with a journalist to solve a murder mystery. It was the first book in a trilogy that became an international sensation and was adapted into several movies.

Conclusion.

Chick lit is a genre that reflects the realities and aspirations of many women in the 21st century. It offers entertainment, escapism, and empowerment to its readers, as well as insights into the issues and dilemmas that they face. Chick lit is also a genre that celebrates diversity, creativity, and individuality, as well as the bonds of sisterhood and friendship. Chick lit is not a trivial or superficial genre, but a valid and valuable form of literature that deserves respect and recognition.

[purimgifts]

Podfic Requests on Purimgifts

Below is a list of all fandoms in which podfic is requested on Purimgifts! Fandoms with more than on request are marked with *.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)  

12 Dancing Princesses (Fairy Tale)

A Half-Built Garden - Ruthanna Emrys

A League of Their Own (TV 2022)

A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine

A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket

All-of-a-Kind Family Series - Sydney Taylor

Ancient Egyptian RPF

Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate

Archive 81 (Podcast)

Batman: Wayne Family Adventures (Webcomic)

Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

Bluey (Cartoon 2018)

Bomb Girls

Call the Midwife

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)

Captain America (Movies)

Captain Marvel (2019)

Captain Marvel (Comics)

Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)

Charmed

Chasing Liberty (2004)

*Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis

Contact (1997)

Criminal Minds

Dance of the Vampires (Broadway 2002/03) - Steinman/Ives/Kunze

Deadloch (TV 2023)

Deep Impact (1998)

*Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Disney Princesses

Downton Abbey

Dracula - Bram Stoker

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine

*Emelan - Tamora Pierce

Enchanted Forest Chronicles - Patricia Wrede

ER (TV 1994)

*Fairy Tales & Related Fandoms

Felicity (TV)

Final Fantasy VIII

Firefly

Football RPF

For All Mankind (TV 2019)

Ghostbusters: Afterlife  

Ghosts (TV 2019)

Giselle (Ballet)

Hacks (TV 2021)

Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen (Song)

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Hawkeye (TV 2021)

Hellspark - Janet Kagan

Hockey RPF

*Hunger Games Series - All Media Types

In the Loop (2009) & The Thick of It

InCryptid - Seanan McGuire

Jewish Hero Corps - Oirich/Randall (Comics)

*Jewish Legend & Lore

*Jewish Scripture & Legend

Kairos (O'Keefe) Series - Madeleine L'Engle

Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger

Kamen Rider Decade

Kamen Rider Kuuga

Killing Eve (TV 2018)  

Kim Possible (Cartoon)

Le Chat du rabbin | The Rabbi's Cat (Comics)  

League of Legends

Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree

Leverage

Lilo & Stitch (2002)

Loki: Agent of Asgard

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Mediator Series - Meg Cabot

*Megillat Ester | Book of Esther

Merlin (TV)  

Mirabile - Janet Kagan

Moon Knight (TV 2022)

Ms. Marvel (Comics)

Ms. Marvel (TV 2022)

NewsRadio  

Numb3rs (TV)

October Daye Series - Seanan McGuire

Old Kingdom - Garth Nix

One Piece

*Original Work  

Our Flag Means Death (TV)

*Post-Biblical Jewish RPF

Protector of the Small - Tamora Pierce

*Rabbinic and Talmudic Judaism RPF

Rise of the Guardians (2012)

*Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

RWBY

Schitt's Creek (TV)

Sefer Makabim Alef | 1 Maccabees

Sefer Yehudit | Book of Judith

Seven Kingdoms: The Princess Problem (Visual Novel)

Sfarim Chitzoniyim | External Books (Judaism)

Shadow Unit

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)

Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo

Spider-Man: Spider-Verse (Sony Animated Movies)

*Spinning Silver - Naomi Novik

*Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)

*Star Trek: Deep Space Nine  

Star Trek: Enterprise

*Star Trek: Lower Decks (Cartoon)

Star Trek: Picard

*Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (TV)

*Star Trek: The Next Generation

*Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: Voyager

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi (TV)

Stellar Firma (Podcast)

Supergirl (TV 2015)

Teen Titans (Animated Series)

*Teixcalaan Series - Arkady Martine  

Temeraire - Naomi Novik

Tennis RPF

The Americans (TV 2013)

*The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types

The Ballad of Lost Hollow - Shapera

The Defenders (Marvel TV)

The Diplomat (US TV 2023)

The Gilded Age (TV 2022)

*The Golem and the Jinni - Helene Wecker

The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo

The Innsmouth Legacy - Ruthanna Emrys

The Locked Tomb Series | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir

*The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types

*The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells  

*The Old Guard (Movie 2020)

The Owl House (Cartoon)

The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon

The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien

The Song of the Lioness - Tamora Pierce  

The West Wing

This is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

This Is New Gehesran Calling - Rebecca Fraimow  

Titanic (1997)

*Tortall - Tamora Pierce

Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold

Warehouse 13

Westing Game - Ellen Raskin

What's Up Doc? (1972)  

*When the Angels Left the Old Country - Sacha Lamb

White Collar (TV 2009)

Women's Hockey RPF

X-Men - All Media Types

X-Men (Comicverse)

Yentl (1983)

Young Justice (Comics)  

Young Wizards - Diane Duane

*Zionist Galactic Federation

Zootopia (2016)

הגדה של פסח | Passover Haggada

טעוויע דער מילכיקער - שלום עליכם | Tevye the Dairyman - Sholem Aleichem

*מדרש | Midrash

*תלמוד | Talmud

*תנ"ך | Tanakh

名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed  

文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs

機動戦士ガンダム 水星の魔女 | Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (Anime)

王様戦隊キングオージャー | Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger (TV)

#purimgifts #purimgifts: 2024 #podfic

[magical-book-lush]

All American Girl || Book Review.

Hello people. Today I am bursting with happiness. I just had the best evening of my life. I met people to who I can relate through a Google meet and it was so fun. I made some Melo friends. I will be writing a short blog on it that will come out either tomorrow or the day after so keep your eyes open. By the way, how are you all doing??? How is life??? Are you all healthy and happy??? I am doing…

View On WordPress

#2021 #4.5 stars #All American Girl #blog posts #book review #Children&039;s books #Contemporary Romance #December #friendship #love stories #Meg Cabot #Middle-Grade Novels #Paperback #romance genre #romantic books #teen YA

[apleasurableillusion]

I was inspired...

by that Meg Cabot quiz and wanted to put together my favourite books of hers but really it just turned into a list of which book from each of her series I re-read when I'm in a depressive mood.

PRINCESS DIARIES: Forever Princess

The first Meg Cabot I ever read was the first Princess Diaries book. It's great and I still re-read it occasionally. But the series gets, uh, much worse. Mia leans into her worst traits and it gets to a point where her anxiety is so unrelatable that she spends a whole book obsessing over whether she's a "party girl". Yeah, not great.

Anyway, I stopped reading them at some point and then this book, the finale of the series, came out (spoiler: Meg's written like two more in the series since lol) and I decided to pick it up at the library.

Reader, I loved it. I'm a huge redemption arc, second chance love story fan, especially in YA where you really need to give characters space to make mistakes.

Mia arrives in this book much more grown up, with a more mature voice and a better understanding of people. And Michael is just perfect in it. Even Lana Weinberger gets a second chance. Would recommend, especially if you gave up on this series once it got so bad.

8.5/10 - fun and only a little confusing if you skipped out on the other books

MEDIATOR: Shadowland

Kind of uncharacteristic for me to choose the first book in a series because I'm a sucker for a good ending but god, there's something amazing about early, unsocialized Suze, whose first instinct when she meets a ghost is to punch it. Like galaxy fucking brain.

Jesse is kind of a weird love interest all along honestly so I was never as into that love story so maybe that's why I'm happier to choose an early book. Although he is hot when he gets mad at her.

Anyway, apparently these are becoming a Netflix movie series? So yay! Especially since they'll at least do this first book.

My other favourite in the series is weirdly enough number 5, where Paul shows up and she punches him for trying to kiss her. Maybe I just like Suze punching people.

8/10 - probably would be higher if Suze punched Jesse when she met him tbh. He'd be so offended.

1-800-WHERE-R-U - Missing You

Another redemption arc, second chance love story, this time with added PTSD!

I actually was never a huge fan of this series but I really do like this instalment. It was written, in typical Meg Cabot fashion, like five years after she ended the series. I think all of her characters just live in her head rent free and then every once in a while she forces them to pay rent by giving her a story.

Anyway, I think the love story here is very sweet and felt very real. Like yeah, she was 18 and shipped off to Iraq by the army to find missing people, no shit she's kind of broken. But her being able to start putting herself together here is lovely.

7.5/10 - fun and heart-warming but still features the sexual abuse of minors so watch out for that

STAND ALONES/SMALL SERIES - Pants on Fire

Here's a deep cut for you.

This is a pretty big category and there's a number of standouts (Jinx, All American Girl, Avalon High etc.) but this is the one I always come back to for comfort reading.

Katie Ellison manages to make out with three different hot boys (overlapping and cheating on them!) during this book and still comes out super likeable and with her true love. Now that is talented writing.

Katie also fucking hates driving, which I feel, and lives in a small town where you have to drive, which I also feel. She feels guilty over small lies but makes them anyway because it's convenient, which I feel. She then feels so guilty that she announces her various sins on stage in front of the entire town and oof do I feel that.

It's a redemption arc, second chance love (kind of) again, because that's what I like and that's what Meg writes. It just hits all the right spots for me.

9.5/10 - short and sweet and heart-warming

Anyway, I'm not covering the adult fiction because honestly I'm not caught up on it but I definitely like the Boy series better than the Size 12 series.

#meg cabot #princess diaries #the mediator #1-800-where-r-u #pants on fire #ya #books

[hpldreads]

If you read and enjoyed "American Royals" by Katharine McGee, you might also enjoy "The Selection" by Kiera Cass, "The Thousandth Floor" also by Katharine McGee, and "The Princess Diaries" by Meg Cabot!

The Selection: "Sixteen-year-old America Singer is living in the caste-divided nation of Illéa, which formed after the war that destroyed the United States. America is chosen to compete in the Selection--a contest to see which girl can win the heart of Illéa's prince--but all she really wants is a chance for a future with her secret love, Aspen, who is a caste below her"

The Thousandth Floor: "A thousand-story tower stretching into the sky. A glittering vision of the future where anything is possible -- if you want it enough. Welcome to Manhattan, 2118. A hundred years in the future, New York is a city of innovation and dreams. Everyone there wants something ... and everyone has something to lose."

The Princess Diaries: "Fourteen-year-old Mia, who is trying to lead a normal life as a teenage girl in New York City, is shocked to learn that her father is the Prince of Genovia, a small European principality, and that she is a princess and the heir to the throne."

#American Royals #The Selection #The Thousandth Floor #The Princess Diaries

[shortskirtsandsarcasm]

My Best Reads of 2020 (Part 2)

My Best Reads of 2020 (Part 2)

In mid-2020 I made a blog post of the best books I read in the year up until then, and now it is time for part 2 of my best 2020 reads. My final book count was 201, and you can find the full list of titles here and here as well as any statistics you want here. The titles in this post will appear in alphabetical order.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

This was a re-read for me. I read this series for the first time in middle school when I was 12/13 and was absolutely enamored of the real and fantasy settings in Victorian London. It was the first young adult thing I read, with the possible exception of Twilight (deep regret) and Meg Cabot’s The Boy Next Door (time for a re-read). I was worried that the story and characters would not hold up, reading it as an adult (like Twilight!) but I regret my doubts. It was just as perfect as I remembered.

Gemma Doyle is a sarcastic sixteen-year-old eager to grow up in a harsh world for women but has not thought much about what “growing up” will mean (both in the real world and in the fantasy world she discovers) until her mother dies suddenly and mysteriously and she is spirited from India where she has spent most of her life, to England to attend a stuffy girls’ boarding school, where she makes unlikely friends with the most popular girls and a poor outcast.

Even though she lives in the Victorian era and also a magical universe, many of her teenage experiences are very relatable. Friends, boys, romance, her relationship with her parents, and dealing with addiction, abuse, and The Patriarchy™. I am excited to re-read the rest of the series this year.

I will also take this opportunity to shout-out Bray’s other series, The Diviners! The fourth book came out this year and I loved it, just like I have loved every single other book Libba Bray has ever written. Maybe when I am done with my Gemma Doyle Trilogy series re-read I will re-read all of the Diviners books (especially because they have Gemma Doyle Easter eggs). I will make sure to rave about them to you all over again.

Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi

My first graphic novel! I saw the movie when it came out in 2011 in an arthouse theater in NorCal and I have not been able to find it online anywhere since then. Please let me know if you find it somewhere.

This 84-page book is a sad and beautiful tale of Nasser Ali Khan who has decided to take to his bed and wait for death since his beloved violin has been destroyed. There is a main timeline and flashbacks throughout Nasser’s history showing how his violin became his reason to live, and how it got destroyed.

Where the movie has many hilariously funny moments, the book does not. It is purely devastating. The artwork is gorgeous and evocative and even though the story is sad, in my mind it does not bog the reader down in sadness.

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

Reading this memoir was extremely tough, but of course important and worth it. Miller’s recollection of her assault and the physical and emotional toll it took on her is devastating to read, especially as it parallels many scenarios other women have found themselves in. Despite the dark subject matter, it was encouraging to see Miller’s resilience and healing process.

I immediately followed this book with She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, also an important book on rape and sexual assault and therefore also dark. I would absolutely recommend this book as well, but learn from my mistake and read at least one light fun thing in between them.

Scenes of a Graphic Nature by Caroline O’Donoghue

I have already reviewed this year (which you can find here) so I will only say that I loved it when I read it, but more importantly, it has stuck with me. I have thought about this book at least once a week since I have read it. I have thought about Satan, the dog a lot, but most of all I have thought of Charlie and Laura’s evolving friendship.

I am so excited for Caroline O’Donoghue’s newest book, All Our Hidden Gifts, out this year and I was bitterly disappointed to hear that the release date has been pushed back until July (though understandably). For more on my love of my fellow Caroline, you can read my original review of Scenes of a Graphic Nature.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

I find myself comparing every other book about a young woman finding her way in the world to this book. It made me uncomfortable and self-reflective, and it was highly entertaining at the same time. You can read my original review here.

Reid’s writing style is exceptionally readable and funny in places. This was an amazing debut and I hope Reid publishes a new book soon for my greedy bookworm soul.

The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker

I have very recently extolled the virtues of The Golem and the Djinni, but here I am again, recommending this delightful tale. The central friendship is relatable, yet unlikely and unprecedented (at least in all the literature I have read) and the prose is atmospheric and transportive. I am a huge fan of magical realism, and this story satisfied my cravings.

Something I did not mention in my previous review is the deftly written descriptive prose. My favorites were the scenes of Chava working in the bakery, focusing on kneading bread dough and shaping pastries. Chava’s inner monologue while dealing with customers and their private thoughts and desires was also a touch I appreciated. Maybe I have not read enough books with a mind-reader protagonist, but Chava’s type of clairvoyance felt fresh to me.

The Witches are Coming by Lindy West

Lindy West is a gift. I listened to the audiobook, which she reads herself, and was absolutely crying with laughter. Her writing style is accessible and her analogies are perfect. I wish I had her talent to distill the world’s cruel injustices so deftly and accurately.

My favorite essay was “Ted Bundy is not Hot, Are You High?” As much as I love the true crime genre, I do have a gripe with the thirst people seem to have for Bundy. Why? First of all, he looks like an average man from the ’70s who is off-duty from his day-job making balloon animals at the county fair. Second, anyone who perpetrates vicious and brazen gendered violence is immediately not attractive. West expresses this much better than I ever could, and with the added bonus of humor.

For more media on the [American] fascination with white men serial killers, I would recommend the podcast You’re Wrong About, specifically the episodes on “alpha males,” Kitty Genovese, and Jeffrey Dahmer.

#book #books #booklr #best of 2020 #2020 reads #book review #book rec #caroline o’donoghue #lindy west #such a fun age #the witches are coming #the golem and the djinni #the golem and the jinni #kiley reid #Scenes of a Graphic Nature #know my name #chanel miller #she said #jodi kantor #megan twohey #chicken with plums #marjane satrapi #gemma doyle #gemma doyle trilogy #the diviners #libba bray #a great and terrible beauty

[diaryofomellas]

I'd say top 5 online friends but let's not start wars.

Top 5 mounts in WoW (please don't include that joke lol).

And because I'm greedy, top 5 books or fanfiction stories.

This is a long one.

Top 5 mounts (I only chose mounts that I own):

5. Warforged Nightmare

I bought this from the store a few weeks back when the mounts were on sale. I had been considering getting it for a while but didn't want to spend all that money tbh. It just looks so cool though! And it comes with a toy that allows other players to mount it for several minutes too!

4. Icebound Frostbrood Vanquisher

This is probably the only dragon mount I actually like. I love that it's undead and looks all raggedy.

3. Lucid Nightmare

Goth unicorn = best unicorn.

2. Forsaken Warhorse

It's the horse Sylvanas is mounted on in Silverpine. The grinding at the Argent Tournament to get it was long and hard but I had to have this. The only reason it's not #1 it's because it doesn't fly!

1. Ashes of Al'ar

Prince Kael'thas graciously gave me his beautiful phoenix (after I kicked his ass in Outland to steal the ring he carried that belonged to Sylvanas) and I promised to treasure it always.

Already did top 5 fanfics so I'm gonna do books this time.

Top 5 books:

5. Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling

This entire series was my childhood and teen years. I can't even begin to explain how much weight it had in my development. Say what you want about the series and JK Rowling but as someone who suffers from Peter Pan syndrome, I still cling to it like a toddler clings to a safety blankie. Being sorted into Slytherin on Pottermore had such a huge impact and helped me learn how to accept myself and the personality traits I wasn't really proud of before. That's not something I can just erase and forget, even if my feelings towards the author have changed over time. I have lost count how many times I re-read all the books.

4. All-American Girl, by Meg Cabot

You know that kind of book that is not really a big deal, not a classic, not a masterpiece... But somehow stays with you for the rest of your life and you can't really explain why? Yeah, this is one of those.

3. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

I read the first book in 24h. I just couldn't put it down. Then I read the others almost as fast. The story and the characters were so gripping! Even though I wasn't very happy with the ending, the series is still one of my favourites. I recently acquired The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes but haven't read it yet. I hope it won't disappoint.

2. The Help, Kathryn Stockett

I got this book by chance when I won some contest on Facebook years ago, way before the movie came out. I didn't know what to expect but it was just so touching... As a white person who hasn't had much contact with POC (like seriously, I could count on the fingers of one hand the POC kids I met during my entire school life, from kindergarten to college) some of the scenes in that book were quite shocking and, honestly, unexpectedly enlightening.

1. The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

I never really read another book that made me cry and laugh so much and at the same time. Again, the characters were so gripping that I couldn't put it down once I started. I've never re-read it because it's painful but I've watched the movie several times and it always makes me sob.

[qqueenofhades]

hello! it’s youngin anon once more in your inbox, i hope you’re staying safe rn! since quarantine has put a lot of free time in my hands all of a sudden, I’ve been reading more. so I was wondering if you have suggestions for books on medieval history (in general or ones good for beginners) I would also be open to any book recommendations in general. Hope you have a lovely day (or as lovely as they can get during quarantine) :D

My dear, please know that I am delighted to see you back and I hope that you are likewise taking care of yourself. I am... here, at any rate, though my mental health has really taken a beating recently and real life has been kicking my ass more than usual the last two weeks. So that’s that, but never mind. You are sweet to ask.

Anyway, as far as medieval history books go, I am (ironically!) not the best person to ask for recommendations, because I read almost nothing that is popular history, beginner level, or otherwise at all interesting to the average layman and/or woman. All my reading material on this subject is academic in nature, dense, highly footnoted and while you can take a hack at it, I have a feeling that it would quickly defeat the purpose. Chris Wickham’s Medieval Europe, published in 2016, was the core book for first-year undergraduates in my history survey courses a couple years ago; he is a decent writer as far as academics go, and it will give you a broad-picture sweep. I read it differently from how you will, but there’s that. 

If you would like things that will actually entertain you during lockdown, here’s a list of the things that I have recently been reading, rereading, or otherwise had stacked on my bedside table for an inordinately long amount of time:

YA:

The Mediator (6-book series) by Meg Cabot, a blast from my teenage past that I was struck with an urge to revisit, don’t judge me, we need coping mechanisms. Teenage girl who can talk to ghosts moves to CA, meets hot boy ghost, tries to survive high school. There is also Remembrance, published in 2016, which is a book in that same universe for adults.

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh, a retelling of Scheherazade from the Thousand and One Nights that I have not actually read yet. But mean to, since I really enjoy the webcomic based on it.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, she has many highly regarded YA novels and I very much enjoyed her Ninth House.

The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem’s Eye, Ptolemy’s Gate, aka the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, another blast from my teenage past that I recently reread and was like “wow this explains so much about how I turned out.”

Fiction:

Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend, Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan, a trilogy of soapy escapist high-society romcom novels set among the ultra-rich of Singapore and Asia (you may have seen the movie based on the first book). 

The City of Brass, The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty, a trilogy based in a rich Middle Eastern fantasy world. The third book, The Empire of Gold, comes out I think at the end of June, which I am looking forward to.

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld, I have not actually read this as it is not yet released (also June I think) but it is a fictional version of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s life as imagined if she didn’t marry Bill and did become president. I have read American Wife by Sittenfeld, which is based on a fictional Laura Bush’s life, and enjoyed it.

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, speaking of fictional presidents, but do yourself a favor and read this if you haven’t already. The First Son of the United States falls in love with the Prince of England. So many shenanigans and Feelings abound. It reads like a fanfic. It’s great. I adore this book with my whole soul.

Reamde by Neal Stephenson. A giant, sprawling, techno-thriller/global crime caper/terrorist manhunt. I just finished rereading this book and I still find it to be one of my longtime favorites. If you attempt it, just settle down and accept that you’re in for a long and madcap ride. One of his other recent books that I very much enjoyed is The Rise and Fall of DODO, with Nicole Galland, which is about the triumphs and travails of a time travel organization secretly working for the US government.

Nonfiction:

Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow, the true-life story of the investigation that ultimately brought down Harvey Weinstein and other major sexual predators. So you know, a light and fun read. But important.

The Spy and the Traitor by Ben MacIntyre, Cold War intrigue that tells the story of senior KGB agent and double agent for MI6 Oleg Gordievsky.

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson, the story of a famous 19th-century murderer and manhunt intertwined with the invention of wireless technology; Larson is known for his excellent narrative nonfiction so you can’t really go wrong with any of his books.

Due to the plague, I have been furloughed from my part-time job at my local bookstore, which has put a terrible crimp in my habit of acquiring stacks of new books at ill-advised speed. But hopefully some of that looks interesting, and I hope you enjoy!

#book recs #anonymous #ask

[whilereadingandwalking]

Signed Saturday

I stood on a line nervously shifting my feet. It was a short line compared to the author’s other lines that weekend, but I still couldn’t believe I would make it to the front this time. Honestly, I would take any book that had passed through her hands. Meg Cabot and her books were a significant part of my tweens. I started with her teen level books and dove into her adult ones, taking home from the bookstore anything that she had written, from The Princess Diaries to All-American Girl to adult romances like Boy Meets Girl and Every Boy’s Got One. I was honored to get to meet her, thank her, and walk away with a signed copy of the cute and lovely comic Black Canary: Ignite.

Signed Saturdays is a weekly series at While Reading and Walking. I’m an avid book collector, and each Saturday, I’ll tell the story of one of my signed books. Feel free to join in at #SignedSaturdays.

#black canary #meg cabot #boy meets girl #the princess diaries #all-american girl #all mine #signed saturdays #signed books

[iwhumpyou]

One of the best tips for writing descriptions of pain is actually a snippet I remember from a story where a character is given a host of colored pencils and asked to draw an egg.

The character says that there’s no white pencil.  But you don’t need a white pencil to draw a white egg.  We already know the egg is white.  What we need to draw is the luminance of the yellow lamp and the reflection of the blue cloth and the shadows and the shading.

We know a broken bone hurts.  We know a knife wound hurts.  We know grief hurts.  Show us what else it does.

You don’t need to describe the character in pain.  You need to describe how the pain affects the character - how they’re unable to move, how they’re sweating, how they’re cold, how their muscles ache and their fingers tremble and their eyes prickle.

Draw around the egg.  Write around the pain.  And we will all be able to see the finished product.

#writing advice #whump writing advice #the story is all-american girl by meg cabot #thanks to the many commenters that pointed that out #also apparently white eggs are an american thing #learning all sorts of new things today

[lizzieandfriends]

What are your girls favorite books and songs? Why?

Julie’s favorite song, which came out in 1976, is of course “American Girl” by Tom Petty! She, Lizzie, and Josefina like to sing it together. And her favorite artist is Fleetwood Mac. She and I both feel like their music is like its own little world, more magical than ours, but sometimes sad.

My Julie doesn’t read much, because she has some dyslexia and ADHD- she can read and doesn’t really get behind in her classes, but it’s hard for her (kind of like me). She likes stories about nature and adventure, and stories she can interact with or take part in telling. Sometimes she and her friends come up with stories together, just verbally! Lizzie writes them down.

Lizzie loves princess stories, such as books by Gail Carson Levine (author of Ella Enchanted). Her favorite series is the Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot! She hopes to be an author like her someday. 

She really likes My Little Pony, and her favorite song is “You’ll Play Your Part” from Friendship is Magic! Lizzie loves it because all the princesses get to sing, and she identifies a lot with Twilight Sparkle and wanting to find her place in life.

I’m really not sure what books or songs Josefina would like! Haven’t given it much thought, since I try to keep her as close to historical accuracy as possible, and I don’t know what they would have listened to/played at the time.

#ask #lizzie #American Girl dolls #julie albright

[ladyherenya]

Books read in November and December

Between trying to write a novel for NaNoWriMo and discovering oh-so-addictive Korean contemporary romantic dramas on Netflix, I didn’t read as much in November. But after reading two months worth of books in October, that felt like the right decision.

And then December was busier than I anticipated.

Favourite cover: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.

Reread: The Girl in Times Square by Paullina Simons (November).

Next up: Miss Bunting by Angela Thirkell.

(Longer reviews and ratings are on LibraryThing. And also Dreamwidth.)

November

When We Were Warriors by Emma Carroll (narrated by Victoria Fox): A collection of three stories about children in England during WWII, loosely connected by an American soldier who turns up in each story. “The Night Visitors” is about a group of London children evacuated to Frost Hollow Hall and I would have appreciated it more if I’d read Carroll’s novel Frost Hollow Hall. I enjoyed revisiting the characters from Letters from the Lighthouse (which I have read and loved) in “Olive’s Army”, and “Operation Greyhound” is about an important issue that none of the other wartime fiction I’ve read has explored: finding safe shelter for pets during air raids.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente (narrated by the author): Even though blogging acquaintances had reviewed this positively, I was still surprised by how delightful and meta it is. It felt, very intentionally and thoughtfully, written in the same vein as the first novels I ever read: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz and The Magic Faraway Tree, with a dash of Narnia. Twelve year old September doesn’t have siblings or friends accompanying her into Fairytale and I wondered if that would limit how emotionally invested I became in her story, but I cared a lot about September and her relationships. And the prose is just lovely.

Three Little Truths by Eithne Shortall: This is about the different women living in a Dublin street. I liked the way their lives and stories fitted together. The conclusion has the potential to be bitter, setting women against each other, but is much more forgiving -- and manages that realistically. It makes for a quieter ending, but that isn’t a weakness. Not every story needs to be sharp and shocking. I think having so many characters meant enough time wasn’t given to Martha and her daughters and how they are dealing with the aftermath of trauma. The book could easily have just focused on them.

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory: Alexa and Drew meet when a hotel elevator briefly breaks down. Afterwards Drew asks Alexa to be his date to a wedding, and a fake relationship quickly turns into a real one, complicated by them both living in different cities. This was okay, which is to say that I enjoyed reading it but don’t feel inclined to spend any more time reviewing it.

The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave: This is darker than Hargrave’s middle-grade fantasy but otherwise it felt very much like the same sort of adventure and even in the final act, when it had clearly turned into a vampire story, I was still expecting that it would have the sort of bittersweet ending her other books have. It doesn’t. Intellectually I can recognise the merit in what Hargrave is doing here. But from an emotional perspective, I found the ending thoroughly disappointing. As a teenager, I would have hated it.

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett (narrated by Nigel Planer): When Death is, well, fired (for want of a better word), he finds himself a different job. But his absence causes problems for those who die, particularly for Windle Poons, the oldest wizard at the Unseen University. It wasn’t a book where I felt like I really related to the characters. (It was published in between Moving Pictures and Witches Abroad, and I like those two a lot more.) But it was entertaining and had its moments when it was surprisingly funny or thoughtful. I like reading about the antics of the wizards more than I expected to.

Permanent Record by Mary H. K. Choi: Pablo is working nightshift when pop star Leanna Smart comes into the store. I read most of this, put the book down to do something else... and then never picked it up again. It was interesting, particularly for its portrayal of a teenager who has dropped out of college and is struggling to find direction -- something I think should be explored more in YA fiction -- but I think those qualities which made it interesting also made it a bit too real to be really enjoyable? I don’t even know.

December

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente (narrated by S. J. Tucker): September returns to Fairyland, a year older, to discover that Fairyland has been changed by her previous adventures and that this sojourn is not going to unfold how she’d expected and hoped it would. As a story about changes, consequences, coming back to a place you love and entering adolescence, this is poignant and astute; it resonated with me so much. I also liked its many nods to the portal fantasy I grew up with. But I found some of the landscapes, and the people September meets, less appealing than those in the first book. I’m not sure why.

Notebooks of a Middle-School Princess: Royal Crown by Meg Cabot: I enjoyed this more than the previous two in the series. The focus is on Olivia’s family and friends in the days leading up to a coronation. Olivia’s family is Mia’s family -- after reading all The Princess Diaries books, I care about them, and I continue to think it’s interesting (but also very believable) that Olivia has such a different relationship with Grandmere than Mia does. And I like how Olivia navigates relationships with, and advice from, her peers. She’s got a lot to learn because she’s thirteen, an age where there are a lot of changes, but she’s realistically level-headed.

Warrior of the Altaii by Robert Jordan: Jordan’s first novel was written and sold in the late 70s, but never published until now. What I found most interesting were the differences and similarities between it and The Wheel of Time, one of my favourite series. In terms of the protagonist, prose and plot, it’s very different: its first-person narrator is a already a warrior and leader; the story revolves around why the nomadic Altaii try to take a city; and it’s all over by page 350. But many of the worldbuilding elements are variations on things which are also in WOT. If I hadn’t read WOT, I would have still found the worldbuilding interesting but probably not enough to make up for not really connecting with any of the characters.

Soul Music by Terry Pratchett (narrated by Nigel Planer): I knew about the Discworld series for years and years before I read any of the books and I’ve wondered when I was going to meet Susan. Sixteen year old Susan fills in for her grandfather, Death, after he disappears. Meanwhile Anhk-Morpork discovers “music with rocks in it” I enjoyed watching Susan learn about Death, Pratchett’s parody of rock music was a lot of fun, and the combination of those two storylines means this book isn’t a rehash of Moving Pictures-but-this-time-with-rock-music. However, I didn’t find the final act -- and its resolution -- quite as satisfying as Moving Pictures’.

#Herenya reviews books #Emma Carroll #Catherynne M. Valente #Eithne Shortall #Kiran Millwood Hargrave #Terry Pratchett #Discworld #Mary H.K. Choi #Meg Cabot #Robert Jordan

[xbloodrunsredx]

I love your work so much! Do you have any book recommendations? I haven't been reading any books because I cant find anything that catches my attention like fanfiction does but your a great writer so youve probably read some good books lol

Thank you so much! I have the same issue sometimes lol, finding an interesting book after a roller coaster fic can be hard.

If you like dark fiction, you should read You by Caroline Kepnes. You read from the perspective of Joe, who is quite literally an insane stalker. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!

For a more current, political-ish story: The Hate U Give is a heart wrencher. A girl witnesses racial profiling first hand, and struggles through it with her community.

I love Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children; it has powers, monsters, and children with a knack for catching attention!

Airhead by Meg Cabot has been a longtime favourite: our main character gets seriously injured in the same moment a famous teen dies. Think successful brain swapping.

More by Meg, All American Girl has our main character saving the president from an attempted shooting. And having to deal with life after the fact.

Killing It by Asia Mackay is about an assassin mum, whose daughter becomes her greatest (and most protected) weapon yet.

The Selection Series; drama, romance, and a competition for the prince’s heart—amidst a complicated political situation to rival the Hunger Games, of course.

For that government controlled nightmare of your dreams, read 1984. The government controls everything, and our main character wants to escape that control.

Two Can Keep A Secret along with One Of Us Is Lying; murder mysteries from the perspective of the accused and the target. A roller coaster of mystery and secrets!

My favourite classics include Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (a young girl trips down the rabbit hole and ends up in a new reality), and Heidi (a young girl manages to cause trouble wherever she ends up, until she charms her elderly carer. Sounds boring but... read it).

Hope this helps some!!!

#book #book recommendations #book rec request #book recs #anonymous #stories #story rec #writeblr

[whimsiesofanerdgirl]

Choose Your Own Adventure | Spooky Edition

October is here and you know what that means…GIMMEH ALL THE SPOOKY BOOKS!!!

We all know that Fall is THE season for reading, I don’t make up the rules. I just go with it.

It’s the first official month of coziness, hoodies, the best smelling candles, leaves changing, watching scary movies, and reading all those atmospheric books you’ve been saving up for the best time of the year! :)

I thought it would be fun to make a list of different spooky books depending on your preference so I categorized them because I like organizing book lists. I should have a plaque for it. Seriously.

So read on to get scary, spooky, and paranormal recommended reads. Then go get yourself the book and hunker down under a fluffy blanket and read to your heart’s content. <3

GHOSTS, HAUNTINGS, & THE DEAD

The Mediator series by Meg Cabot

Synopsis:

Suze is a mediator -- a liaison between the living and the dead. In other words, she sees dead people. And they won't leave her alone until she helps them resolve their unfinished business with the living. But Jesse, the hot ghost haunting her bedroom, doesn't seem to need her help. Which is a relief, because Suze has just moved to sunny California and plans to start fresh, with trips to the mall instead of the cemetery, and surfing instead of spectral visitations.

But the very first day at her new school, Suze realizes it's not that easy. There's a ghost with revenge on her mind ... and Suze happens to be in the way.

I loved reading these when I was in high school, but I still need to finish reading them all. It’s an oldie and a goodie! Plus, Suze has a good looking ghost named Jesse haunting her bedroom so there’s that too. ;)

Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent

Synopsis:

She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally. Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

I heard so much hype about this series, mostly positive things, but have yet to actually read it off my TBR. The ratings range from 3.5+ to 4ish stars so it must be good!

The Fade by Demitria Lunetta

Synopsis:

We don't want to disappear. We want to be found. Something terrible happened in her basement. Haley can feel it. Four girls went missing several years ago, and the police never solved the case. But Haley know the missing girls were murdered. How else can she explain the hostile presence in her house? The ghostly girls need something from her. And unless Haley can figure out what they want...she might be next.

The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox

Synopsis:

Two centuries after the Salem witch trials, there’s still one witch left in Massachusetts. But she doesn’t even know it. Take this as a warning: if you are not able or willing to control yourself, it will not only be you who suffers the consequences but those around you, as well. New Oldbury, 1821 In the wake of a scandal, the Montrose family and their three daughters—Catherine, Lydia, and Emeline—flee Boston for their new country home, Willow Hall. The estate seems sleepy and idyllic. But a subtle menace creeps into the atmosphere, remnants of a dark history that call to Lydia, and to the youngest, Emeline. All three daughters will be irrevocably changed by what follows, but none more than Lydia, who must draw on a power she never knew she possessed if she wants to protect those she loves. For Willow Hall’s secrets will rise, in the end…

Haunting Emma series by Lee Nichols

Synopsis:

When Emma Vaile's parents leave on mysterious business trip, it gives her the perfect excuse to be a rebellious teen. Throw some parties, get a tattoo (or maybe just a piercing), and enjoy the first few weeks of her junior year. Then her best friend stops talking to her, the cops crash her party, and Emma finds herself in the hands of a new guardian?her college-age "knight in J.Crew armor," Bennett Stern?and on a plane to his museum-like mansion in New England.

After enrolling at Thatcher Academy, Emma settles in by making friends with the popular legacy crowd. But she can't shake the strange visions that are haunting her. She has memories of Thatcher she can't explain, as if she's returning home to a place she's never been. Emma doesn't trust anyone anymore?except maybe Bennett. But he's about to reveal a ghostly secret to Emma. One that will explain the visions . . . and make Emma fear for her life.

The Soul Seekers series by Alyson Noel

Synopsis:

Until now, he's existed only in her dreams - but fate is about to bring them together. I shove through the crowd, knocking into girls and bouncing off boys, until one in particular catches me, steadies me. I feel so secure, so at home in his arms. I melt against his chest-lift my gaze to meet his. Gasping when I stare into a pair of icy blue eyes banded by brilliant flecks of gold that shine like kaleidoscopes, reflecting my image thousands of times. The boy from my dream. The one who died in my arms. Strange things are happening to Daire Santos. Crows mock her, glowing people stalk her, time stops without warning, and a beautiful boy with unearthly blue eyes haunts all her dreams. Fearing for her daughter’s sanity, Daire’s mother sends her to live with the grandmother she’s never met. A woman who recognizes the visions for what they truly are—the call to her destiny as a Soul Seeker—one who can navigate the worlds between the living and dead. There on the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico, Daire sets out to harness her mystical powers. But it’s when she meets Dace, the boy from her dreams, that her whole world is shaken to its core. Now Daire is forced to discover if Dace is the one guy she's meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she's destined to destroy.

This is another series I need to finish! I got through book 3, but it definitely kept my attention. I haven’t read a lot of books about Native American rituals and I found it so fascinating in this series. Not to mention the cute boy and spirit walking!

HORROR

The Last ApprenticeI series by Joseph Delaney

Synopsis:

For years, Old Gregory has been the Spook for the county, ridding the local villages of evil. Now his time is coming to an end. But who will take over for him? Twenty-nine apprentices have tried—some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive. Only Thomas Ward is left. He's the last hope, the last apprentice.

I’ve never read this series though I have watched the movie which I enjoyed. From what I’ve heard from my hubby it’s a super freaky book series and to be honest the book covers confirm that for me!

The Archived series by Victoria Schwab

Synopsis:

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive. Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was: a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive. Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous—it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost, Da's death was hard enough, but now that her little brother is gone too, Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself may crumble and fall. In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

The strange thing about this series is that I never heard much about it online. I came across it randomly scouring Goodreads one day last year or so. Victoria Schwab is basically the dark fantasy queen in the online YA community which is partially the reason I put it on my TBR list. Recently it’s been in the news that we will be getting a TV series for it on the CW so boys and girls bump this up on your TBR so you don’t miss out!

Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series by Ransom Riggs

Synopsis:

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

If this book is anything like the movie it is FREAKY! I’d give this 5 out of 5 stars for the scary factor. You’ve been forewarned.

The Missing Season by Gillian French

Synopsis:

Whenever another kid goes missing in October, the Pender kids know what is really behind it: a horrific monster out in the marshes they have named the Mumbler. That’s what Clara’s new crew tells her when she moves to town: Bree and Sage, who take her under their wing; spirited Trace, who has taken the lead on this year’s Halloween prank war; and magnetic Kincaid, whose devil-may-care attitude and air of mystery are impossible for Clara to resist. Clara doesn’t actually believe in the Mumbler. But as Halloween gets closer and tensions build in the town, it’s hard to shake the feeling that there really is something dark and dangerous in Pender, lurking in the shadows, waiting to bring the stories to life.

His Hideous Heart by 13 YA Authors / Edited by Dahlia Adler

Synopsis:

Thirteen of YA’s most celebrated names reimagine Edgar Allan Poe’s most surprising, unsettling, and popular tales for a new generation. Edgar Allan Poe may be a hundred and fifty years beyond this world, but the themes of his beloved works have much in common with modern young adult fiction. Whether the stories are familiar to readers or discovered for the first time, readers will revel in Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tales, and how they’ve been brought to life in 13 unique and unforgettable ways. Contributors include Kendare Blake (reimagining “Metzengerstein”), Rin Chupeco (“The Murders in the Rue Morge”), Lamar Giles (“The Oval Portrait”), Tessa Gratton (“Annabel Lee”), Tiffany D. Jackson (“The Cask of Amontillado”), Stephanie Kuehn (“The Tell-Tale Heart”), Emily Lloyd-Jones (“The Purloined Letter”), Hillary Monahan (“The Masque of the Red Death”), Marieke Nijkamp (“Hop-Frog”), Caleb Roehrig (“The Pit and the Pendulum”), and Fran Wilde (“The Fall of the House of Usher”).

The Beast is an Animal by Peternelle van Arsdale

Synopsis:

A girl with a secret talent must save her village from the encroaching darkness in this haunting and deeply satisfying tale. Alys was seven when the soul eaters came to her village. These soul eaters, twin sisters who were abandoned by their father and slowly morphed into something not quite human, devour human souls. Alys, and all the other children, were spared—and they were sent to live in a neighboring village. There the devout people created a strict world where good and evil are as fundamental as the nursery rhymes children sing. Fear of the soul eaters—and of the Beast they believe guides them—rule village life. But the Beast is not what they think it is. And neither is Alys. Inside, Alys feels connected to the soul eaters, and maybe even to the Beast itself. As she grows from a child to a teenager, she longs for the freedom of the forest. And she has a gift she can tell no one, for fear they will call her a witch. When disaster strikes, Alys finds herself on a journey to heal herself and her world. A journey that will take her through the darkest parts of the forest, where danger threatens her from the outside—and from within her own heart and soul.

This has probably been one of the creepiest books I’ve ever read, but I’ve also never read Stephen King soooo take that however you’d like. Might want to read this one in the day time to be on the safe side.

VAMPIRES

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

Synopsis:

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret. When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface. At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful.

There has been soooo much hype around this one and yes, it’s on my TBR. If you’re into Vampire Diaries this sounds like a great read for you!

Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz

Synopsis:

When the Mayflower set sail in 1620, it carried on board the men and women who would shape America: Miles Standish; John Alden; Constance Hopkins. But some among the Pilgrims were not pure of heart; they were not escaping religious persecution. Indeed, they were not even human. They were vampires. The vampires assimilated quickly into the New World. Rising to levels of enormous power, wealth, and influence, they were the celebrated blue bloods of American society. The Blue Bloods vowed that their immortal status would remain a closely guarded secret. And they kept that secret for centuries. But now, in New York City, the secret is seeping out. Schuyler Van Alen is a sophomore at a prestigious private school. She prefers baggy, vintage clothes instead of the Prada and pearls worn by her classmates, and she lives with her reclusive grandmother in a dilapated mansion. Schuyler is a loner...and happy that way. Suddenly, when she turns fifteen, there is a visible mosaic of blue veins on her arm. She starts to crave raw food and she is having flashbacks to ancient times. Then a popular girl from her school is found dead... drained of all her blood. Schuyler doesn't know what to think, but she wants to find out the secrets the Blue Bloods are keeping. But is she herself in danger?

I remember reading this yeeears ago when it first came out and now all I can think of is Gossip Girl, but with vampires.

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

Synopsis:

There had not been any trouble out at the lake in years. Sunshine just needed a spot where she could be alone with her thoughts for a minute. But then the vampires found her . . . Now, chained and imprisoned in a once-beautiful decaying mansion, alone but for the vampire, Constantine, shackled next to her, Sunshine realizes that she must call on her own hidden strength if she is to survive. But Constantine is not what she expected of a vampire, and soon Sunshine discovers that it is he who needs her, more than either of them know. Originally published as an adult novel, but now in YA for the first time, Sunshine is an alluring and captivating vampire story one that will ensnare fans of paranormals everywhere.

I loved this book! If you’re in the mood for something fresh in the vampire genre you should check it out. Plus, I HIGHLY recommend Robin McKinley in general. She has absolutely amazing fairy tale retellings!

Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer

Synopsis:

About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him—and I didn't know how dominant that part might be—that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him. In the first book of the Twilight Saga, internationally bestselling author Stephenie Meyer introduces Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, a pair of star-crossed lovers whose forbidden relationship ripens against the backdrop of small-town suspicion and a mysterious coven of vampires. This is a love story with bite.

What kind of list would this be without the Twilight saga? If you haven’t heard of this before, have you been living under a rock? It’s a great story that pulls you in - you’ve got your historical fiction back story, folklore, vampires, romance, love triangle further in the series if you’re into that kinda thing (yes, I am).

Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

Synopsis:

Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies . . . Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires - the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them. After two years of freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger . . . and the Strigoi are always close by. Rose and Lissa must navigate their dangerous world, confront the temptations of forbidden love, and never once let their guard down, lest the evil undead make Lissa one of them forever . . .

This was another vampire teenage sensation of its time. I have yet to get around to reading this (I’m looking at you TBR pile…and there’s this thing called new releases, sigh), but from what I’ve heard many people enjoyed it in the online community. It’s only right that we all get a taste of this!

House of Night series by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

Synopsis:

After a Vampire Tracker Marks her with a crescent moon on her forehead, 16-year-old Zoey Redbird enters the House of Night and learns that she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess Nyx and has affinities for all five elements: Air, Fire Water, Earth and Spirit. But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers. When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school’s most elite club, is mis-using her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny – with a little help from her new vampyre friends (or Nerd Herd, as Aphrodite calls them).

This is what I’d call another popular staple of the vampire era (which tbh I feel like vamps are coming back - YESH). I’d say these were as big as the Twilight series though they must not have gotten enough hype to get its own movie series or TV show. I loved the mix of different races and magic, it wasn’t just about vampires. If you’re feeling vampires and want different elements you should give it a shot.

SHAPESHIFTERS

The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs

Synopsis:

Mercedes Thompson, aka Mercy, is a talented Volkswagen mechanic living in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. She also happens to be a walker, a magical being with the power to shift into a coyote at will. Mercy's next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a bus for a vampire. This is the world of Mercy Thompson, one that looks a lot like ours but is populated by those things that go bump in the night. And Mercy's connection to those things is about to get her into some serious hot water...

This is an adult paranormal romance series, but my god…I LOOOOOVE IT WITH A PASSION! This is literally in my top 5 faves and for good reason. There are a multitude of creatures/races and I really love that aspect along with the fact that it’s an urban fantasy. Patricia Briggs writes so well that you’ll think that the story is based off real events and feel like you’re inside the story itself. It’s got werewolves, skinwalkers, vampires, fae, and other races as well. If you want to immerse yourself into the paranormal universe this is the series you’re looking for.

Shifters series by Rachel Vincent

Synopsis:

There are only eight breeding female werecats left... And I'm one of them. I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds. Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked. I'd been warned about Strays — werecats without a Pride, constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female, and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared. This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back... for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever — and whoever — I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays — 'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them...

Rachel Vincent is a phenomenal writer. She has written both YA and adult series though I haven’t read any of her YA books, I was entranced with her Shifters series. The way she writes her characters and you can really feel the intensity of the relationships between them. I highly recommend this series if you love the shapeshifter genre.

Nightshade series by Andrea Cremer

Synopsis:

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice? "A finely-wrought compelling tale of romance and treachery..." -Cynthia Leitich Smith (New York Times bestselling author of Eternal and Tantalize)

The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater

Synopsis:

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

This isn’t your usual werewolf story. If I remember correctly, werewolves in this series have a genetic mutation that causes them to shift when the weather turns colder and appear to turn more wolf than man. This was a lovely trilogy of romance and if you read reviews on Goodreads you’ll find many others agree. The twist on shapeshifters and simple romantic relationship between Grace and Sam will have you rooting for them on page one.

Otherkin series by Nina Berry

Synopsis:

Dez is a good girl who does as she's told and tries not to be noticed. Then she rescues a boy from a cage, and he tells her secrets about herself. Now inside her burns a darkness that will transform her. Everything is about to change--and neither Caleb, nor the Otherkin, nor those who hunt them, are prepared for what Dez will unleash.

The Harbinger series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Synopsis:

Eighteen-year-old Trinity Marrow may be going blind, but she can see and communicate with ghosts and spirits. Her unique gift is part of a secret so dangerous that she’s been in hiding for years in an isolated compound fiercely guarded by Wardens—gargoyle shape-shifters who protect humankind from demons. If the demons discover the truth about Trinity, they’ll devour her, flesh and bone, to enhance their own powers. When Wardens from another clan arrive with disturbing reports that something out there is killing both demons and Wardens, Trinity’s safe world implodes. Not the least because one of the outsiders is the most annoying and fascinating person she’s ever met. Zayne has secrets of his own that will upend her world yet again—but working together becomes imperative once demons breach the compound and Trinity’s secret comes to light. To save her family and maybe the world, she’ll have to put her trust in Zayne. But all bets are off as a supernatural war is unleashed…

Gargoyle shapeshifters? YES! COUNT ME IN! I loved the animated show Gargoyles. *smiles fondly of childhood memories* If you know of any other gargoyle shapeshifter stories please leave them down in the comments for me to check out!!!

WITCHES & WIZARDS

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Synopsis:

Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry. Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined. Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.

What kind of monster would I be if I didn’t include the Harry Potter books!?!?!?! The PERFECT mood for Halloween, autumn, and the upcoming holidays… I love the fact that J.K. Rowling writes those holidays into the story because it adds just the right amount of extra magic into them, not to mention witches and wizards! I will always recommend these because they helped me get into reading when I was a young-in.

The Black Witch Chronicles series by Laurie Forest

Synopsis:

A new Black Witch will rise…her powers vast beyond imagining. Elloren Gardner is the granddaughter of the last prophesied Black Witch, Carnissa Gardner, who drove back the enemy forces and saved the Gardnerian people during the Realm War. But while she is the absolute spitting image of her famous grandmother, Elloren is utterly devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above all else. When she is granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren joins her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University to embrace a destiny of her own, free from the shadow of her grandmother’s legacy. But she soon realizes that the university, which admits all manner of people—including the fire-wielding, winged Icarals, the sworn enemies of all Gardnerians—is a treacherous place for the granddaughter of the Black Witch. As evil looms on the horizon and the pressure to live up to her heritage builds, everything Elloren thought she knew will be challenged and torn away. Her best hope of survival may be among the most unlikely band of misfits…if only she can find the courage to trust those she’s been taught to hate and fear.

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Synopsis:

The Owens sisters confront the challenges of life and love in this bewitching novel from New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman. For more than two hundred years, the Owens women have been blamed for everything that has gone wrong in their Massachusetts town. Gillian and Sally have endured that fate as well: as children, the sisters were forever outsiders, taunted, talked about, pointed at. Their elderly aunts almost seemed to encourage the whispers of witchery, with their musty house and their exotic concoctions and their crowd of black cats. But all Gillian and Sally wanted was to escape. One will do so by marrying, the other by running away. But the bonds they share will bring them back—almost as if by magic...

I’ve never read the book, but the movie is my absolute favorite to watch for Halloween (besides the obvious and popular Hocus Pocus). If you’re in the mood for some good old fashioned witchy fun go buy or loan it out from your local library!

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Synopsis:

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow… Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town. Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under. Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into. Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters. But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

Sweep series by Cate Tiernan

Synopsis:

Includes: Book 1 - Book of Shadows Book 2 - The Coven Book 3 - Blood Witch The first three Sweep books bound into one gorgeous edition at a fabulous price! Morgan Rowlands never thought she was anything other than a typical sixteen-year-old girl. But when she meets Cal, a captivatingly handsome coven leader, she makes a discover that turns her whole world upside down: she is a witch, descended from an ancient and powerful line. And so is Cal. Their connection is immediate and unbreakable; Cal teases out Morgan's power, her love, her magick. But Morgan discovers too soon that her powers are strong-- almost too powerful to control. And she begins to suspect that Cal may be keeping secrets from her . . . secrets that could destroy them both.

I NEED TO GET MY HANDS ON VOLUME TWO! I really enjoyed volume 1 because it took me back to my high school days and plus it enlightened me on the practice of Wicca. Some people tend to be turned off by the teenage drama, but that’s kind of a given when it comes to most high school related books. If you can get past that I think it has a lot of information on Wiccan spirituality if you’re interested in learning more or to dip your toes in.

Wicked series by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Synopsis:

Complete text of Witch and Curse in a single volume. Holly Cathers's world shatters when her parents are killed in a terrible accident. Wrenched from her home in San Francisco, she is sent to Seattle to live with her relatives, Aunt Marie-Claire and her twin cousins, Amanda and Nicole. In her new home, Holly's sorrow and grief soon give way to bewilderment at the strange incidents going on around her. Such as how any wish she whispers to her cat seems to come true. Or the way a friend is injured after a freak attack from a vicious falcon. And there's the undeniable, magnetic attraction to a boy Holly barely knows. Holly, Amanda, and Nicole are about to be launced into a dark legacy of witches, secrets, and alliances, where ancient magics yield dangerous results. The girls will assume their roles in an intergenerational feud beyond their wildest imaginations...and in doing so, will attempt to fulfill their shared destiny.

It’s been so long since I’ve read this series, but watch out! I feel like these books were a lot darker and heavier than your average YA witch book.

ZOMBIES

Dread Nation series by Justina Ireland

Synopsis:

Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations. But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.

Zombies and the historical reimagining of the Civil War. What more could you want? Also, why haven’t I read this one yet!?! I completely forgot about this being on my TBR and then remembered when making this list. *makes a mental note*

Rot & Ruin series by Jonathan Maberry

Synopsis:

In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

Something Strange and Deadly series by Susan Dennard

Synopsis:

There's something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia. . . . Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she's just read in the newspaper: The Dead are rising in Philadelphia. And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor . . . from her brother. Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she'll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including the maddeningly stubborn yet handsome Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

I just…UGH, this series hit me in the FEELS! OKAY!?! These books had me coming back for more and I found myself devastated when I finished the trilogy. T_T But please read them! This story deserves to be heard!

The Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan

Synopsis:

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?

The Hollows series by Amanda Hocking

Synopsis:

This is the way the world ends - not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door. Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies.

Warm Bodies series by Isaac Marion

Synopsis:

Now a major motion picture from Summit Entertainment. R is having a no-life crisis—he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he is a little different from his fellow Dead. He may occasionally eat people, but he’d rather be riding abandoned airport escalators, listening to Sinatra in the cozy 747 he calls home, or collecting souvenirs from the ruins of civilization. And then he meets a girl. First as his captive, then his reluctant guest, Julie is a blast of living color in R’s gray landscape, and something inside him begins to bloom. He doesn't want to eat this girl—although she looks delicious—he wants to protect her. But their unlikely bond will cause ripples they can’t imagine, and their hopeless world won’t change without a fight.

A unique twist on the usual zombies take over the world trope. This is the story of a zombie who falls in love with a human. Can they make the relationship work?

DEMONS

Lady Helen series by Alison Goodman

Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Eon and Eona; a Regency adventure series starring a stylish and intrepid Buffy-esque demon-hunter London, April 1812. On the eve of eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall's presentation to the queen, one of her family's housemaids disappears-and Helen is drawn into the shadows of Regency London. There, she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few who can stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons infiltrating every level of society. Dare she ask for his help, when his reputation is almost as black as his lingering eyes? And will her intelligence and headstrong curiosity wind up leading them into a death trap?

OMG. THIS IS THE BOOK SERIES I DIDN’T KNOW I NEEDED IN MY LIFE. I’ve always loved the rebellious girl in historical fiction trope and tbh this upped the goodness on so many levels. It kinda gives me Pride and Prejudice vibes, but with demons and demon hunting!

The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd

Synopsis:

When Dee Moreno makes a deal with a demon—her heart in exchange for an escape from a disastrous home life—she finds the trade may have been more than she bargained for. And becoming “heartless” is only the beginning. What lies ahead is a nightmare far bigger, far more monstrous than anything she could have ever imagined. With reality turned on its head, Dee has only a group of other deal-making teens to keep her grounded, including the charming but secretive James Lancer. And as something grows between them amid an otherworldy ordeal, Dee begins to wonder: Can she give someone her heart when it’s no longer hers to give?

Another trope I love are bargains! How will the trade made between her and the demon backfire?

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo series by F.C. Yee

Synopsis:

Genie Lo is one among droves of Ivy-hopeful overachievers in her sleepy Bay Area suburb. You know, the type who wins. When she’s not crushing it at volleyball or hitting the books, Genie is typically working on how to crack the elusive Harvard entry code. But when her hometown comes under siege from hellspawn straight out of Chinese folklore, her priorities are dramatically rearranged. Enter Quentin Sun, a mysterious new kid in class who becomes Genie’s self-appointed guide to battling demons. While Genie knows Quentin only as an attractive transfer student with an oddly formal command of the English language, in another reality he is Sun Wukong, the mythological Monkey King incarnate—right down to the furry tale and penchant for peaches. Suddenly, acing the SATs is the least of Genie’s worries. The fates of her friends, family, and the entire Bay Area all depend on her summoning an inner power that Quentin assures her is strong enough to level the very gates of Heaven. But every second Genie spends tapping into the secret of her true nature is a second in which the lives of her loved ones hang in the balance.

The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

Synopsis:

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy? This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...

It’s nice to read this series since you can actually watch it as a movie or the TV series. I’ve heard pros and cons to the movie/TV adaptations, but I’ve heard so many great things about the books. I only ever read the first book and never got around to reading the rest. My sister and her husband enjoyed the heck out of them so much that he proposed to her by putting the ring in the book. *SQUEEE*

Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor

Synopsis:

Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out. When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Another book I’ve heard a lot of hype around and have yet to read. I REALLY NEED TO GET AROUND TO READING THESE because they sound like they’re right up my alley!

Kingdom on Fire series by Jessica Cluess

Synopsis:

I am Henrietta Howel. The first female sorcerer. The prophesied one. Or am I? Henrietta Howel can burst into flames. When she is brought to London to train with Her Majesty's sorcerers, she meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, young men eager to test her powers and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her. As Henrietta discovers the secrets hiding behind the glamour of sorcerer life, she begins to doubt that she's the true prophesied one. With battle looming, how much will she risk to save the city--and the one she loves?

DARK FAE

The Hazel Wood series by Melissa Albert

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.” Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.

I read an e-galley of this before it had published and all I could think was this was creepy and different from the typical fae story. It wasn’t just about a manipulative fae race, the woods moved and shifted and left you disoriented which explains why most don’t come back at all…

Song of the Dryad by Natalia Leigh

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Barclay is still haunted by an encounter she had eight years ago – a run-in with a fairy beast that had eyes like witchlight and a taste for flesh. Charlotte has avoided the Greenwood ever since, pretending fairies don’t exist and choosing instead to focus her energies on graduating from high school and perfecting her audition piece for the Bellini Institute. However, everything changes when her mom goes missing, kidnapped by the fairies that haunt the forest behind Charlotte’s home. When Charlotte’s search for her mom leads her into the fairy realm, she discovers that she hails from a line of Shrine Keepers – humans tasked with maintaining ancient fairy shrines. Charlotte’s family has failed their duties to the fae, and now she has no choice but to strike a deal with the dryad, an ancient and powerful tree nymph responsible for her mom’s disappearance. But the dryad only gives her a month to complete her task: retrieve five stolen fairy stones and return them to the ancient fairy shrine. If she doesn’t return the stones in time, the dryad has threatened to imprison another of Charlotte’s loved ones. Charlotte dives into a world as magical as it is deadly, coming face-to-face with fairy creatures that never get mentioned in the story books – including the creature that haunts her dreams. She must embrace her task and conquer her fears, or else she’ll never see her mom again.

This newer fae novel has a rating of 4+ on Goodreads and is a great edition to your urban fantasy collection if you’re trying to read more Indie books.

House of Furies by Madeleine Roux

Synopsis:

After escaping a harsh school where punishment was the lesson of the day, seventeen-year-old Louisa Ditton is thrilled to find employment as a maid at a boarding house. But soon after her arrival at Coldthistle House, Louisa begins to realize that the house’s mysterious owner, Mr. Morningside, is providing much more than lodging for his guests. Far from a place of rest, the house is a place of judgment, and Mr. Morningside and his unusual staff are meant to execute their own justice on those who are past being saved. Louisa begins to fear for a young man named Lee who is not like the other guests. He is charismatic and kind, and Louisa knows that it may be up to her to save him from an untimely judgment. But in this house of distortions and lies, how can Louisa be sure whom to trust?

For some odd reason I didn’t see a lot of hype around these series and then all of a sudden I started to hear about it a little more online. When I first came across it on Goodreads what intrigued me most was the idea of this Mr. Morningside taking it upon himself to deliver justice to evil and sinful guests. And I had been on the fence a little while whether to read it or not until I finally learned from someone in the reviews that had mentioned fae being in it. Pretty much anything fae you can count me in to reading it. I can never get enough! Thanks to Wunderkind PR who provided the trilogy to me to read and talk about it with you all I am grateful to have added it to my personal fae collection! It definitely had a different twist to the usual fae stories I’ve read in the past, being as it is a historical fiction and a mystery with a touch of horror. I recommend this to anyone else who has a similar taste for fae reads and is in the mood for a series that brings something new to the genre!

Never-Contented Things by Sarah Porter

Synopsis:

Seductive. Cruel. Bored. Be wary of… Prince and his fairy courtiers are staggeringly beautiful, unrelentingly cruel, and exhausted by the tedium of the centuries ― until they meet foster-siblings Josh and Ksenia. Drawn in by their vivid emotions, undying love for each other, and passion for life, Prince will stop at nothing to possess them. First seduced and then entrapped by the fairies, Josh and Ksenia learn that the fairies' otherworldly gifts come at a terrible price ― and they must risk everything in order to reclaim their freedom.

Another great sounding edition to add to your faerie TBR list! *makes another reminder that I need to read this one still* Based on the cover I can assume this is another horror fae mix.

The Falconer series by Elizabeth May

Synopsis:

One girl's nightmare is this girl's faery tale She's a stunner. Edinburgh, 1844. Eighteen-year-old Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, has everything a girl could dream of: brains, charm, wealth, a title—and drop-dead beauty. She's a liar. But Aileana only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. she's leading a double life: She has a rare ability to sense the sìthíchean—the faery race obsessed with slaughtering humans—and, with the aid of a mysterious mentor, has spent the year since her mother died learning how to kill them. She's a murderer. Now Aileana is dedicated to slaying the fae before they take innocent lives. With her knack for inventing ingenious tools and weapons—from flying machines to detonators to lightning pistols—ruthless Aileana has one goal: Destroy the faery who destroyed her mother. She's a Falconer. The last in a line of female warriors born with a gift for hunting and killing the fae, Aileana is the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity. Suddenly, her quest is a lot more complicated. She still longs to avenge her mother's murder—but she'll have to save the world first. The first volume of a trilogy from an exciting new voice in young adult fantasy, this electrifying thriller combines romance and action, steampunk technology and Scottish lore in a deliciously addictive read.

This was the first fae book I ever picked up that was mixed in with historical fiction and tbh it has made me spoiled! Now I feel the lack of historical fae genre and Elizabeth May is to blame. Not only is this a historical fiction, but it has some steampunk flair to add to the fae mix.

Modern Faerie Tales series by Holly Black

Synopsis:

Welcome to the realm of very scary faeries! Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms - a struggle that could very well mean her death.

If I remember correctly this was one of the first fae stories I ever picked up and I fell in love with them instantly! Holly Black is known as the “Faerie Queen” and for good reason. She’s able to weave beautifully poetic words and surreal worlds it’s as if you’re living and breathing them. I hope you pick these up if you’ve never read them and if you have, maybe it’s time for a reread!

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did putting it together! Are there any books you think you’ll pick up soon? Let me know in the comments of any good ones I missed! :)

Until next time!

xoxo Whimsies of a Nerd Girl

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