The List Part 2
#5: The Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke - Forget the movie. Now, I have mad love for Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, and Helen Mirren, but ugh, that movie. Anyway, Inkheart is the story of Meggie and her father, Mo. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you could read the characters right out of your favorite book? What if you read someone into a book? This is the plight of Mo, or Silvertongue, if you would. Anytime he reads aloud from a book, something comes out and something goes in... Tragedy strikes when Meggie is only 3. Mo is reading to his family from a story called Inkheart. In a whirlwind of terror, three people escape from the book, a villian and his sidekick and a fire-breather. Resa, Meggie's mother, disappears. Jump nine years into the future, where the evil Capricorn is trying to destroy every copy of Inkheart so he never has to return. Mo and Meggie are on the run, so Mo's powers cannot be used for evil. It's up to Meggie to stop Capricorn and save her mother before it's too late. I LOVE this trilogy. It really made me think about the dangers of the written word and how you have to be just as careful about what you write as about what you say. These novels are full of magic, danger, intrigue, romance, and a love of the written word. They leave you with a sense of breathlessness that never quite goes away. Even now, my heart beats a little faster.
#4: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - Of course Twilight is on my list. How can it not be? Now, let's get one thing straight. There is nothing wrong with my love of Twilight. There is nothing wrong with Stephanie Meyer. If you think there is, take a look at this article and think about what Twilight did for YA novels and for a generation of kids who didn't think reading was that cool. Twilight changed the game; it threw open doors and refused to be held back by a legion of "haters". I can't rant anymore... I know what I feel and what I love. So, just read that article, because it explains everything and most of the comments are awesome!
I LOVE TWILIGHT. Gosh, you would think after all this time I would be over this bitterness.
Oh, and if you don't know what Twilight is about... Um, Hi, welcome to the planet, wanna go read books with me?
#3: The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu - I've only recently picked up this trilogy, like 2 months ago, recently. That doesn't change the fact that I've fallen so hard, so fast for these characters and their story. Legend was the first book I picked up after my 4 year reading slump and I'm so grateful for that. I loved each book more than the last one. Meaning, yes, Champion was my favourite. I loved the ending, which is surprising because I should have hated it. I didn't though, and I think that's why I love this series. It's action packed. It's romantic. It's political. It's heart-wrenching. It's a pretty easy read, but my love for it is anything but easy. The book is told from dual points of view. June, a 15-year-old child prodigy for the Republic suffers a great tragedy when her brother is murdered. She is then promoted and takes on the duty to bring her brother's murderer to justice. The prime suspect? Day, a 15-year-old boy, who happens to be the Republic's most wanted criminal. Did he really kill June's brother? Or is there something bigger going on in the Republic? Something that brings June and Day together before violently ripping them apart. I recommend this series to EVERYONE. If you've never been much of a reader, this series is definitely an excellent starting point. Pick this series up; you won't regret it.
#2: The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - I know this series isn't finished, but, it has everything I love! So, I just know it's going to remain in my favourites for a looong time. I mean, every book in the series is a fairytale retelling... with a sci-fi twist. This book series offers cyborgs, emperors, moon colonies, evil evil queens, romance, action, mind control, and a long lost princess. (Etc. Etc.) What more could you want? So, the first book focuses around Cinder (Cinderella), a mechanical cyborg living in New Beijing after original Beijing was
destroyed in like the fifth world war. Unfortunately,
cyborgs are not considered to be very human and Cinder has been living
with that discrimination since she was 11, when she woke up with her
cyborg parts and no previous memories. Suddenly Kai, the prince, soon to
be Emperor, enters her life and asks her to fix his android. And her
whole life is turned upside down. God. So many awesome parallels! The
evil Queen lives on the moon where's she tirades over her people, the
Lunars, who have developed special abilities. God, guys she's evil.
Oh, did I mention the disease that has been killing off everyone on
Earth? A disease that Cinder may be the answer to? The second book revolves around Scarlet and Wolf (Little Red Riding Hood), but Cinder and Kai's story is intertwined with them. The third book, revolves around Cress and Captain Thorne (Rapunzel) along with all the previous characters. It's probably my favourite in the series so far. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SERIES IS AWESOME! I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IT.
Okay, now that I've expressed my adoration...
DRUM ROLL PLEASE............
#1: The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling - Duh. My childhood was forever changed the moment I picked up Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Now, I wasn't super keen on Harry Potter when it first came out. In fact, I downright refused to read it. I was going through a faze where anything cool was something not worth my time. Thankfully, I outgrew that faze. The rest is history. By the time I caught onto the fandom, I believe the fourth book had just come out. I embraced the craziness. I stalked Mugglenet. I wrote (and occasionally still write) fanfiction. If it was related to Harry Potter, I was all over it. It was really a special time. And now that I'm in my 20's, I'm still proud to say I'm a Potterhead. If you haven't already picked up this series, please do. You'll never forget the moment the boy-who-lived enters your life.
There's only so much you can say about your favourite series. In my heart of hearts, Harry Potter will always be at the top of my list.
Honourable Mentions
Divergent trilogy - I loved the first one... the second one was OK... the third one was painful, but I muddled through it.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series - I've only read the first book, but I really liked it, so there are high hopes for this series!
Throne of Glass series - Honestly, this one should have probably been on my top 10. I adore these novels. Let's pretend it's on the list OK? GO READ THESE NOVELS!
Peace and Love