Top Ten Books I Liked Less/More Than I Thought I Would
Part One: More
1. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins - I was sure before reading this that it wouldn't live up to the hype. After all, so many people raved about Twilight and I thought that was enormously dull (see below). It was awesome.
2. Pushing the Limits, by Katie McGarry - The tagline on the cover of my copy reads 'A bad boy. A lost girl. An unforgettable love', which made me roll my eyes. I am not into bad boy/good girl romances, mainly because I don't find violence attractive. But Pushing the Limits is not corny at all, in fact, I thought it was utterly amazing. I was hooked from the start and it just kept getting better and better! I am more than a little bit in awe of Katie McGarry now.
3. Spellbound, by Cara Lynn Shultz - I was expecting this to be a shallow, frivolous story based on the 'Gossip Girl with witches' description from the publishers and the Cinderella-like setup, but I quite liked it in the end. The action scenes had my heart racing!
4. Valiant, by Holly Black - I had a few issues with Tithe, the first in the Modern Faerie Tale series, and I was expecting similar from Valiant, but I thought it was great.
5. The Boyfriend List, by E. Lockhart - I expected this to just be fun, lighthearted teen fiction. I had no idea that it would change my life and the way I see things.
6. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen - I thought this was just a romance. I was not expecting the snark, which I loved.
7. The Wee Free Men, by Terry Pratchett - I put off reading any of the Discworld books for years and only picked this up because a tutor recommended it. It was totally hilarious and I loved it.
Part Two: Less
8. Diving In, by Kate Cann - I really loved reading some of Kate Cann's books, including the Hard Cash/Moving trilogy and several of her standalone novels, but although I enjoyed the Coll and Art books, I wasn't as captivated, and I got a bit bored because they're so intensely focused on the relationship. It's a popular trilogy that's been reprinted several times, so don't let me put you off.
9. The Queen of Everything, by Deb Caletti - I'd heard good things about Deb Caletti's more recent novels, so when I saw a copy of The Queen of Everything, her debut, I decided to give it a try. Unfortuntely, although the central idea was interesting, I really didn't like the protagonist or the love interest. It's rare that I have such a negative reaction to the main characters, and I decided that I couldn't review it fairly, though I still intend to read more books by this author.
10. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer - I didn't think I'd enjoy it very much but was prepared for it to be a guilty pleasure. It wasn't even that. Zzzzz.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think?
When I read Twilight, I really enjoyed it, but I was still sort of new to the genre and the love triangles so prominent in YA now. I'm sure if I reread it now I'd be like "MEH". Pushing the Limits made my "More" list as well - such a great book!
ReplyDeleteMy Top Ten
It is amazing, isn't it? Thanks for the comment :)
DeleteLove HG, P&P and anything written by E. Lockhart. I've picked up the Queen of Everything several times, but can't seem to get past the first 10 pages or so.
ReplyDeleteHere's my TTT
I probably should have stopped early on. I think I've only got one more E. Lockhart book left to read!
DeleteI loved Pride and Prejudice as well. Great list!
ReplyDeleteThe Hunger Games surprised me, too (in a good way).
ReplyDeleteAs for Twilight, I read it before all the hype (or before I'd heard any of the hype), so I didn't really have any expectations; I just happened to see it in the library and was drawn in by the cover. I wasn't blown away, but I didn't hate it. The hatred came later, after Breaking Dawn. Now I wish I could unread the whole series.
I've heard quite a lot of people who loved the series up until the last book hated Breaking Dawn, so I'm not surprised you didn't like it. I was far too bored by Twilight to even attempt reading New Moon!
Delete