top ten tuesdays! (15)


Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. If you love lists
and wracking your brain for answers, then this is the meme for you!

Top Ten Books That Were Totally Deceiving: (in no particular order - 'r' denotes review)



pleasantly surprised:
01. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins: For the longest time I couldn't get past the title and the cover. I love YA, but this one was screaming out 'much younger!' to me every time I looked at it on the shelf. And yet tons of friends and bloggers loved and raved about it, so one day I caved. I didn't read it until last year when trapped indoors during Hurricane Irene, and boy - fabulous! Don't wait until inclement weather comes! Read this book!

02. Vampire Academy (series) by Richelle Mead: After Twilight (which I don't care for) I was a bit hesitant for anything vaguely vampire. I couldn't deal with another simpering female MC, and, boy, was I surprised when I eventually picked this up. Rose Hathaway, simpering? She'd thunk me on the head for the mere implication. This series is YA vampires done absolutely right. 

03. Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready: Girl's with boyfriend, boyfriend dies, but girl can still see him? Intriguing, but perhaps with the chance that this premise can be handled unfortunately. In this case it isn't, and the idea of a "post-shift" society where a generation of people are able to see ghosts is incredibly interesting and done so well. (I'm reading the last book in the trilogy now, so I can't wait to see how it ends!)

04. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (r): Don't like werewolves? That's okay, neither do I, really, but this book was absolutely gorgeous with prose that matches the quietly haunting feel of the cover. To be fair, I've read this one as a standalone, though I do own Linger and Forever. One day I'll read them, I promise.

05. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi: The cover and title are actually what pulled me in, but I can see how it might be off-putting to some people. And don't let that happen to you as there is so much more within this book: the world-building is extraordinary and it's a story I didn't want to end. (Its sequel will be out May 1st; the title is potentially spoilery so don't look at that first!)



(un)pleasantly surprised:
06. Outside In by Maria V. Snyder: I loved Inside Out and so getting my hands on this one was exciting. And then it wasn't. The two main characters had too much to deal with here and were difficult to digest more than they were easier to empathise with. The ending, for me, was a huge disappointment.

07. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher: Gorgeous cover, amazing idea for a story but poor execution. The characters were all over the place and there were plenty of spots where the reader was assumed to know integral plot pieces that we didn't.

08. Possession by Elana Johnson (r): Fantastic cover art. Tricky, blink-you'll-miss-it ending (loved that), but everything in-between didn't work. Having a female MC called 'babe' on a consistent basis made everything else questionable.

09. Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston: This was a story that I wanted very much to like, and, to be fair, the story itself was interesting. But the writing was also all over the place and that threw everything else off for me. The pace too slow in some parts, rushed in others - especially where the relationship of the main character was concerned. Taken in by the curious title and lovely cover.

10. Abandon by Meg Cabot (r): That cover. A Persephone myth. Except nothing about it worked for me aside from the premise.

8 comments on "top ten tuesdays! (15)"

Kristin wrote: Tue Apr 10, 10:41:00 AM

I had shiver and vampire academy on my list too. I haven't read anna and the french kiss but I keep hearing good things about it so I just might add it to my TBR pile.

MY TTT: youngadultbookhaven.blogspot.com

your newest follower,

Kristin


Teacher wrote: Tue Apr 10, 10:45:00 AM

I so agree about Anna and the French Kiss. It looks so young! I am not sure what I would have chosen, something Parisian or Artwork maybe? Your blog is beautiful btw. :)


Anonymous wrote: Tue Apr 10, 11:05:00 AM

I have avoided Anna and the French Kiss for similar reasons. I have assumed, perhaps wrongly, that it's just another sappy teen love story that I can do without reading.


We Heart YA wrote: Tue Apr 10, 11:27:00 AM

We completely agree about ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS. It's a shame that such a wonderful book is such a cheesy cover -- but it's a testament to the writing that so many people have picked it up and loved it anyway. :)

Another deceptive cover is SWEETHEARTS by Sara Zarr. From the heart-shaped cookie it looks like it's a rom-com, but the story is actually much more powerful and deep than that. It's about a girl who learns to love herself for who she really is.


Lisa wrote: Tue Apr 10, 01:10:00 PM

We are reading Ship Breaker for our book club. I'm excited to hear you liked it so much.


Jenny wrote: Tue Apr 10, 02:27:00 PM

I like how you broke this one up. Incarceron was a huge disappointment for me too.

I can't wait to read VA. I'm slightly nervous because my expectations are so high but everybody raves so...


Carissa wrote: Tue Apr 10, 10:21:00 PM

I had Shiver on my list too, it was one I was definitely pleasantly surprised by!

I'm really looking forward to reading the Vampire Academy. I was also a non-fan of Twilight, so I'm eager to find a good vampire series!

And oh no! I was so looking forward to Outside In, Incarceron and Wondrous Strange. So sad!

New follower, BTW!


Ari (Reading After Midnight) wrote: Sat May 19, 04:51:00 AM

Sometimes it is really great when a book can surprise the hell out of you (taking Anna for example, I was really skeptical as well, but it turned out more than great), other times though the cover and description might make you think of something entirely different and the output can be a big disappointment.

Happy midnight reading!


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