Top Five Authors I Read for the First Time in 2015

This week was a little tricky for me because, if I'm being honest, I've hardly read much this year. And a lot of the stuff I did read was by authors I had read in the past. After much deliberation and staring at the measly 23 books I've read this year, I was finally able to pick 5 new authors who work I really enjoyed this year.

What I read by her: 

I read Speechless first and loved it so much that I immediately picked up Saving June. These are both fabulous YA contemporary books, and I will read anything else that Hannah Harrington releases. 

What I read by her: 

I picked up Wither over Thanksgiving break and enjoyed it MUCH more than I thought I would (You can read my review if you want). Of course I needed to figure out what happened next, so I picked up Fever the second I finished (again, you can gander at my review). This series has been great so far, and I can't wait until I have time to read the third book, Sever. I can't wait to see what else Lauren DeStefano will come up with for us! 

What I read by her: 

I finally joined the fun with the wonderful Eleanor & Park! I'd heard so many wonderful things about all of Rowell's books, especially this one. I was dying to dive in, so I bought this gem in Ireland and read it on the plane ride home. I was not disappointed, friends. I haven't had the chance to read any of her other work yet, but all of it is on my list! 

What I read by her: 

I had been on a real contemporary kick when I decided to read All the Bright Places this summer. I wasn't sure exactly what I was getting myself into, but it sounded decent enough so why not. Uh, this book was far beyond decent enough. Let me tell you, this book left me a mess for days. Days, I said. This book was taut with emotions and I felt every single one of them. I hope Jennifer Niven puts out more YA that leaves me reeling like this one did. 

What I read by her: 

Again, I was on a huge contemporary kick this summer, so when I read the description of Extraordinary Means while I was perusing the book aisle of Walmart, I knew I needed to buy it. I'm very happy I did! This book had a really unique, interesting premise and fantastic characters. I look forward to reading more by Ms. Schneider!

Tell me about the awesome authors you discovered this year! 

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Wither by Lauren Destefano (my review)

Fever by Lauren DeStefano (my review)

The Trouble with Destiny by Lauren Morrill

*at least I hope so

Ghostboy, Chameleon, and the Duke of Graffiti by Olivia Wildenstein

Did I Mention I Love You by Estelle Maskame

Sever by Lauren DeStefano

What is your bookish week looking like? 

Lefty's Lowdown: Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Fever by Lauren DeStefano
(The Chemical Garden #2)
Published: February 21, 2012 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Source: Purchased

Summary from Goodreads:
Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.

*WARNING: This review may contain slight spoilers for Wither*

This may be the unpopular opinion, but I have to say--I liked Fever much more than I liked its predecessor. This book had all the great elements that Wither had (interesting premise, gritty settings, lovely writing), only I found it more exciting. 

My biggest complaint with Wither (if you haven't already, you can read the review I posted for it yesterday) was that I didn't feel like enough happened. Fever certainly doesn't have that problem. The pacing is much better in the second novel, so it was way more exciting. There was way more external action and complications. I had trouble putting the book down because I needed to find out what was going to happen next.

Now let's talk settings. We follow Rhine and Gabriel as they make their way to Manhattan to find Rhine's brother after having escaped the Mansion. However, they run into a slight complication when they get taken against their will into a carnival-like brothel. They're forced to be intimate with each other in front of spectators, and they spend a lot of time in a drug haze, Maybe I'm weird, but I love reading about this kind of thing, especially in YA. DeStefano does an excellent job capturing the creepy, gritty atmosphere without being gross or too explicit as to the happenings of the brothel.  We also get another taste of impoverished Manhattan, and one of the orphanages there. All of these things were just so incredibly intriguing to me and I loved reading about them. 

But here is the thing that bothered me the most--and it bothered me in Wither as well. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters. I like Rhine as a narrator, I've enjoyed seeing her development, I've been hardcore rooting for her...but I can't say I feel a huge connection to her. I kept puzzling over why this could be, but I think I figured it out. I think it was hard to connect to her because she's so focused on herself. That may not seem like it makes sense, but I want to know more about her in regards to the other characters, I don't think we see enough of her feelings in that aspect, which in turn makes it hard to connect with/get to know the other characters as well. The number one thing that pissed me off while I was reading is that Gabriel is supposed to be such an important character, but we don't get to know him AT ALL. It's like he's just a person there for Rhine's benefit--to go on this journey with her, to help her make realizations about herself, to take care of when she's sick. We get almost zero insight into his feelings, and it makes him such a flat character. 

Despite any peeves I had while reading, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Lauren's writing is extremely engrossing! I can't wait to find out how the series ends!

Rating:

4/5

WWW Wednesday

What I'm reading. What I've read. What I'll read.

Click on the titles to learn more about them! 

Currently reading: 

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

(The Chemical Garden #1) 

I just started this book! I have owned it (and the sequel) for quite some time. One of my friends started reading the series and loved it, so I figured I'd finally give it a go!

Recently finished:

Boys Like You by Juliana Stone

(Standalone)

I finished this a couple days ago (for the second time). To find out more what I thought about it, come back Friday, because my review will be up!

What's next:

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

(The Chemical Garden #2)

I'm really bad at deciding what to read next, but I'm going to go ahead and assume this will be what I want to read when I'm finished with Wither. 

Have you read any of these? If so, I'd love to know your thoughts! Also, what is your literary status looking like? Let me know in the comments!!