A Look Back on the Month That Was Full of YA...

Yes, another month has come and gone. **sigh** Goodbye, April. Month of fools, spring showers (anywhere but in the Seventh Circle of Hell where I make my home, that is), the world becoming green again and full of life, and for me a full month dedicated to reading YA.

This is where I usually just list my books and maybe write a little something about one or two of them. Well, first I only read six books this month. Slacker, I know. But, it's not my fault I was hijacked by a Shiny New Idea (I've reached the halfway mark on that btw). So, I will actually say a little something something about each of them. For a detailed ranting about my two favorites this month see my Road Trip Wednesday post!

So, here we are! Hope you find something that interests you!

1. EPITAPH ROAD by David Patneaude If you've read my RTW post, you know that this was one of my top two this month. A FREAKING AWESOME read, fast-paced and beautifully written. Each chapter opens with an epitaph for a victim of Elisha's Bear. Most are heart-breaking; others show how little the men will be missed, but ALL of them strike a chord. Again, this is a MUST read!

2. HUSH, HUSH by Becca Fitzpatrick (This is where I may lose a few followers. No help for that. I am nothing if not honest.) I'd heard such amazing things about this tale, an epic love story about a human girl who meets and falls for a fallen angel. The problem: For the first 100 or so pages of this book, I alternated between two thoughts, neither of them good. TWILIGHT reduex only with angels and I want to slap this girl for being such an idiot! I mean, really this girl makes some pretty stupid decisions and what's worse is that she says that she knows better even as she's doing it. Does not inspire sympathy or confidence. HOWEVER, if you can look past all that and get about halfway through the book without throwing it out the window, there is a great storyline here. It's well-written and the little details about the whole fallen angel storyline are new and compelling. The last 200-250 pages really had me gripped.

3. JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta Okay, so I admit that after reading book #2 on this list, I may have been hypercritical but I did not care for this. The reason is one of those abstract things that only voracious readers and aspiring authors usually understand. The plot was fine. The setting was cool. I just didn't care for the writing itself. It just didn't draw me in. This, of course, is why so many form rejections state that this is a 'subjective business'. Because it is! I may not care for one novel, but you may feel differently. :) To each his own, I say!

4. PAPER TOWNS by John Green The second of my top two. AWESOME SQUARED!! Enough said! Of course, LOOKING FOR ALASKA and WILL GRAYSON WILL GRAYSON are both on my TBR list for May.

5. SILVER PHOENIX by Cindy Pon This book was suggested to me by the fun and fabulous Kirsten Lesko. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not usually one for straight fantasy, BUT this is a stellar read. The world-building and imagery were amazing and the story line was brilliant. Anyone who has trouble creating unforgettable scenes and vivid pictures must read this just to see how it's done. Plus, you'll get the added bonus of reading a wonderful tale! Thanks again, Kirsten. I look forward to more book suggestions(I'm already looking into FLORENCE OF ARABIA on your say so)!

6. THE SUMMONING by Kelley Armstrong A girl who can see dead people. What more can you ask for? When Chloe sees a melted custodian at her school, she has a major freakout and is sent to live at a group home for 'kids with problems'. The problem is that Chloe isn't mental. This is real, and worse, there's something really wonky going on at Lyle House. Highly recommended!

Okay, that's it for this month. Like I said, I was a bit of a slacker. Hopefully, I will have more of a list for you all to peruse. :)

As always, book suggestions are welcome and encouraged!