Day 4: Best In Show
(All titles are linked to their Goodreads synopses.)
Favourite Cover:
I suck at choosing just one...
Incarnate—because every time I see this beauty, it catches my eye.
Shadow and Bone—because the Russian flair on the cover and the pages inside is just gorgeous.
Throne of Glass (British cover)—because it truly reflects the kickassery of Celaena Sardothian.
The Selection—because even as a big girl I still dream about owning a frou frou princess dress.
Sapphire Blue—because the gem-like detailing and ornate curlicues is just so darn pretty.
Cutest Couple:
I'm assuming we're talking "Awwww" cute couples and not "Holy wow, this couple is smoking hot". This was a toss-up between Bennett + Anna (Bennanna—haha!) and Oliver + Hadley in
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. Both couples were absolutely adorable, but I think Bennanna tips the scale just a hair in their favour.
Most Likely to Succeed
(Or, pick a Printz Winner.):
Long after that
other Shades of Grey series fades from memory, this book will still be around receiving the praise it truly deserves. This is one of those books you read alongside
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and
The Book Thief. {Addition: So I just found out that this book is a 2011 release. Whoops! I only heard about it for the first time this year, so I mistakenly thought it came out in 2012.}
Most Likely to Make You Miss Your Bedtime
(The book you just couldn't put down!):
Maggie Stiefvater's writing is just so captivating that I found myself devouring
The Raven Boys a lot quicker than I anticipated. I just finished
Throne of Glass, and it was pretty darn good too. Mostly, I was just waiting for some swoony bits between Celaena and Chaol (and for the most part, I wasn't disappointed).
Best Repeat Performance
(Your favourite sequel or follow-up.):
I kind of want to say
Insurgent here, but there were things that irked me a bit in it, so I'll consider it first runner up.
Sapphire Blue was everything I was hoping it would be after reading
Ruby Red so long ago. Can't wait for the third book!
Favourite Finale or End of Series Novel:
I'm actually just starting or mid-series on a number of series, surprisingly. I've got no finales to list.
Romance Most Worthy of an Ice Bath:
I read a lot of swoonworthy (read: steamy) romances in books this year, but I think Veronica Rossi wins this one with Perry and Aria. I think I can probably attribute this to how rugged and primal Perry came across.
Honourable mention: Ismae + Duval,
Grave Mercy.
Breakout Novel
(Your favourite book by a debut author.):
Gah! This was nearly impossible to choose. I resisted the urge to put two...or three. I think
Cinder takes the title because it was just such a unique twist on a very familiar tale.
Honourable mentions:
Shadow and Bone +
Throne of Glass
Best Old-Timer
(Your favourite read of the year published BEFORE 2012.):
I refuse to choose just one. (Big surprise, right?)
The Book Thief—because it's just such a powerful read with a new take on a truly awful point in history.
Audrey, Wait!—because Robin Benway is the queen of teen voice, and because it's stinking hilarious.
Graceling—because this book reminded me how much I actually do like fantasy, and because Katsa's kickass.
Most Likely to Make a Grown Man Cry:
The deportation and extermination of Lithuanians to Siberia by the Soviets in 1941 is a less familiar piece of history than other WWII-era events, but it's no less heartbreaking or important to pass on. (Lest we forget, or in this case, never hear about it in the first place.) It wasn't until the interview with Ruta Sepetys at the end that I really felt myself losing it. {Again, I didn't realize this was a 2011 release, so forgive me for cheating.}
Most Pleasant Surprise
(The best book you didn't think you'd like, but totally did.):
I think something about the "no-strings-attached hookups" description on the flap was kind of a turn-off. I'm not big on the one night stands and sleeping around in the books I read. Of course, this doesn't end up being part of Bria's experience, and I got totally sucked into her story. It was hard not to love it, love Bria and Rowan, and the little sketches on the pages.
Most Creative Use of a Love Triangle:
I feel like this category was made specifically for this book. Come on, you know it's coming. It may not have played out in Book 1, but we know (or have been more or less told) that it's in the cards. In case you're wondering, I'm Team Gansey.
Sleeper Hit
(The book you found so awesome you wish it had been hyped more.):
For some reason I feel like this book hasn't been hyped up enough. And judging by the number of my Goodreads pals who either haven't read it yet or it hasn't made it onto their TBR lists, I think it could use more talking up. To those of you put off by historical fiction—Trust me, you won't find it boring. I have three words for you: Kickass. Nun. Assassin. That is all.
Favourite Outlier
(Your favourite middle grade picture book or adult new adult 2012 book):
I know this was supposed to be middle grade, but since I haven't read any this year and since William Joyce's books are always fantastic (pardon the pun), I went with this one. It's a book about books and words and the illustrations are gorgeous (like always). Not only is the story totally cute, there's a
short film of it as well that you can purchase on iTunes.
Honestly, I think it's about time new adult became a thing. Judging by the popularity of books like
Easy, there's certainly a market for it. A word of warning, though: This book is on the risqué side. So if you're squirrelly about such things, you might not want to pick it up. I loved the relationship between Jacqueline and Lucas. He was definitely swoonworthy!
Pick Your Own Category
Most Kickass Heroine:
The common thread here is
deadly assassin. I suppose I could have went with that as a category title. Both Ismae and Celaena are seriously lethal and yet both manage to be sympathetic heroines. I actually care about both ladies and want them to find happiness and fulfillment outside of simply being assassins.
Thanks go to
Tracey,
Katy,
Jessica, and
Alison for hosting this super fun blogfest. This was a great way to round out a fantastic year of reading. Here's to 2013 and another great year of reading! (Assuming the Mayans were wrong.)