My Favorite Books of Summer 2014

by Mrs. Stanley's Bookshelf

Posted on September 3, 2014

I tried to branch out and read more books geared towards adults this summer.  However, that does not mean that I didn't read any young adult literature.  I've ranked my summer YA reads from least favorite to favorite!

  #8 Zombie Baseball Beatdown by Paolo Bacigalupi  - This book is geared more towards middle school aged boys.  Since I don't fall into that category, it wasn't my favorite read of the summer.  However, there are parts that are extremely funny and entertaining.  Rabi, Miguel and Joe are on their own when the zombie apocalypse hits their hometown. 

  #7 Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington  - I enjoyed this book, but I thought some of it was predictable.  Liv thinks things are finally going her way.  She has just been accepted into a prestigious school on an art scholarship, and Malcolm, one of the popular

  #6 Hollow City by Ransom Riggs - This is the second book in the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children series.  I enjoyed this installment, but not as much as the first book in the trilogy.  Jacob and his peculiar friends must try to find someone who can help Miss Peregrine, who is stuck in her bird form, while eluding their enemies.

  #5 Unforgotten by Jessica Brody - This is the second book in the Unremembered trilogy.  I thought this was a good second book to the series, and I am looking forward to the next book.  Unfortunately, this book leaves the reader with a cliffhanger.

  #4 Half Bad by Sally Green - Some people have compared this book to Harry Potter, but other than the fact that it is about witches, there are few similarities.  This book focuses more on the main character, Nathaniel.  Nathaniel is a "half code" (half white witch, half black witch), in a world where white and black witches try to destroy each other. While he has been raised by his white witch relatives, most white witches have treated him terribly.  He sets out to find his father and find out more about the black witches.  It is a story about good versus evil, but Nathaniel has seen both good and evil on both sides.

  #3 Raging Star by Moira Young - I have been waiting for this book for so long!  This is the final book in the Dustlands trilogy.  I have thoroughly enjoyed this series, but parts of the ending of this book were disappointing.  Saba, her brother Lugh, sister Emmi, and Jack set out to destroy DeMalo and the Tonton before they enslave the people of New Eden.

  #1 & #2 - Splintered and Unhinged by A.G. Howard are the first two books in a trilogy, and I cannot wait for the final book! Alyssa has always known that insanity runs in her family.  Her mother is in a mental institution and bugs and plants have always talked to her.  What she didn't know is that her mother isn't crazy.  Her family really is cursed by what Alice did in Wonderland.  Alyssa goes down the rabbit hole with her neighbor and crush, Jeb, to save her mother's sanity, along with her own.  Along the way, she meets Morpheus, a handsome Netherling who visited Alyssa in her dreams as a child. 

  I loved both of these books, but I think the second one was my favorite.  Morpheus is a great character, and Alyssa is a strong character.  My only complaint is Jeb.  He stands in Alyssa's way too often.  I'm curious to see how everything turns out in the final book!