One Window, Two Views {2014 Trends in YA}

One Window, Two Views will be a weekly meme where we will discuss a topic from each of our points of view.  Please join the discussion! 

 Arianne: Sci-fi is going to be huge this year. Huge. And it’s not just any old sci-fi, either. There are two big trends to watch out for in young adult science fiction for 2014: aliens, particularly aliens really wanting to inhabit the Earth, and technology, particularly scary technology from the not-too-distant future. Some of the alien adventures, like Alienated by Melissa Landers and Avalon by Mindee Arnett, involve romance. Some of the technology-based titles, like Elusion by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam, involve romance, too. Others, like Dissonance by Erica O’Rourke and Starbreak by Phoebe North, involve entirely different worlds. But there’s also an emerging focus on adventure over insta-love, and this is where novels like Scan by Sarah Fine and Vitro by Jessica Khoury come in. Because sci-fi’s always been a place where relationship conflicts and ass-kicking adventure can co-exist, and that’s one thing that I hope doesn’t change this year.

As dystopian and paranormal lose their publishing appeal, contemporary is making a comeback. For a genre that’s always been pretty strong, it’s outdone itself in 2014. First, there are books like #Scandal by Sarah Ockler and #16 Things I Thought Were True by Janet Gurtler that take the emphasis on social media last seen in books like Adorkable by Sarra Manning and bring it to a whole new level. I for one did not foresee the arrival of hashtags in book titles! Male narrators are coming into their own this year – who said there weren’t enough guy characters in YA?! The Prince of Venice Beach by Blake Nelson, High and Dry by Sarah Skilton, More Than Good Enough by Crissa-Jean Chappell and Road Rash by Mark Parsons set out to prove that contemporary is just as much a guy’s terrain as a girl’s. There’s also been an increase in books that take advantage of teenagers’ desire to get out and see the world. Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae, Royally Lost by Angie Stanton, Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins and The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith are just some of the books in this trend that I can’t wait to get my hands on. In fact, I think contemporary is going to be my favourite genre of all in 2014! What about you, Liza?

Liza: Arianne, I think some of the new trends also include Thriller / Mystery / Horror (I’m grouping them together to make it easier on myself!)  These are genres that I’m usually very selective about, especially with horror, because I’m a wimp when it comes to that.  It seems that publishers are looking for the next “Gone Girl” equivalent in YA. Nevertheless, I’ve spotted some books that fall in these categories and that I would love to read (and I even own some of them already).  Let’s start with Jennifer Armentrout’s Don’t Look Back which sounds like an amazing mystery, the same as The Body in the Woods by April Henry. I’m currently reading a unique combination of horror, mystery and graphic novel, In the Shadows by Kierten White and Jim Di Bartolo.  Other books in this category are The Vanishing Season by Lynn Anderson, The Fall by Bethany Griffin, Say Her Name by James Dawson, and Feral by Holly Schinder.  Now that I think about it, I’ve had more of these as my WOW in the past several weeks!

Also big this year is Fantasy.  After the sound successes of series like the Throne of Glass by Sara Maas, Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson and The Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo, publishers are looking for more of the good stuff; after all it’s been proven that the YA reader loves fantasy.  This year brings some pretty amazing reads that aim to transport us to new worlds.  Let’s start with The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski and Death Sworn by Leah Cypess, two of my recent reads and already favorites.  The first about the conquest, conquerors and love against all odds, and the second about a world where the Empire, Magic and Assassins rule the world.  Another awaited title is The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Peason, Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raash, and Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White. You might notice that most of these books might also include some type of paranormal element, such as magic, as well.  Oh, and it seems that it’s a requisite to have a gorgeous cover too.

I don’t believe that we’ve seen the last of dystopian and paranormal, but rather that the market it’s been saturated in the last few years and YA readers are being more selective of what they read.  Another trend seems to be the emergence of the stand-alone books, probably brought by the resounding success of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars.  Books such as Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg (loved it!), This Side of Salvation by Jeri Smith-Ready and On the Fence by Kasie West seem to be pretty popular.

Let’s talk: What do you think is the next big trend in YA?  Which one of these is your favorite genre? Do you agree with us?  Do you disagree?  Have you read any of these?  Are you eagerly waiting for some of these books?

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Review: Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott (Fire & Flood #1)

Title: Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Publisher: Scholastic

Release date: February 25^th, 2014

Source: ARC

Format: Paperback

Genre: ?

Age group: Young adult

Grade rate: A

A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own.
Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

My Review

Wow, that was a wild ride! It is not secret that I love Scott’s Collector’s series (*waves at Dante*) and this new series is just as amazing, but in a very different way.  I loved Fire & Flood!

Let me first start by telling you that this book can be best described as a mix between “The Hunger Games” (the ‘game’ part) and Pokemon.  You’re probably shaking your head in confusion right about now, but have no fear, ‘cause I would never lead you astray.  Let me explain a little bit more:  There is a game being played with the ultimate prize, The Cure, and the Contenders can only be helped by their engineered animal companions.  The plot, as you can see, it’s incredibly good.  It is full of action, mystery, trilling adventure, and even romance.  That’s why I couldn’t figure out what genre did it fall under (you might have noticed the question mark above.)

On to the characters.  Tella is awesome!  She’s completely ignorant (as most of the Contenders are) about what the heck is going on.  Even though she is uncertain and afraid, she has compassion, loyalty, empathy and not only a desire to live, but to see his brother well.  Her family tried to keep this from happening, but it seems there’s like a pact of silence going on. Being on Tella’s mind is a trip!  She is snarky, cynical, and very girly; even if she can be that way during the Bleed.

Guy (appropriate name, right?), is good at survival and many other things, except talking that is. Gosh! It felt like talking to Guy was like talking to my oldest son, like forcing the words out with a spoon. BUT, when he does talk, you better listen.  He became the default leader of an unlikely group of allies. Guy knows a lot more than anyone else, and thankfully he is sharing that knowledge with Tella. I can’t wait to see how Tella and Guy’s relationship develops next.

I won’t go over all the characters because it will take a while and you will know them soon enough, because I assume that this glorious recommendation will have you running to the store to buy the book.  I will, however, tell you that there are a lot of them, good, and bad; crazy and sane; amazing and horrible.  The bullies are atrocious, cruel and I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of them.

The animals (called Pandoras), are so different. They intend to protect, defend and help their Contenders.  The trick is that the Contenders don’t know what they can do or what they are capable off. You would think that would be it more fun, but indeed, it’s quite frustrating.  Madox, I’m a big fan of yours!  We have quite a diversity of animals and things they can do.  Scott has a BIG imagination.

The writing, like always is easy to read, intense, funny and snarky. In summary: Fire & Flood is a trilling book full of awesomeness. I cannot wait for the second book and conclusion to this duology!

Some quotes for you:

“I lean my head back and reinspect my reflection, try to see things in a new light. With curls trimmed close to my head and a roguish green-and-blue feather dangling over my right shoulder, I decide I just might seem like someone who would enter a daring race – and win.”

“…It gets cooler at night, and for some reason, my skin is doing something funky that worsens in the evening…It freaks me out to no end, but I can’t tell what the issue is.  I think maybe I’m allergic to walking this much.”

“Okay, I’m going to ask it”, Ransom says. “How much friggin’ farther do you think base camp is from here?”

“Forever,” Levi answers, one hand on his ram’s curled horn. “It’s forever from here. That’s what it feels like anyway.”

About the cover: I guess the title, Fire & Flood, mean the first two environments (desert and rain forest) in the race.  The feather might be the one Tella wears on her hair, but is not the right color. The cover though, does little for me. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Sleep No More by Aprilynne Pike

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which we have the opportunity to let others know about books that we are eagerly waiting for.

Title: Sleep No More by Aprilynne Pike
Published by: Harper Teen
Release date: April 29th, 2014

Oracles see the future but are never supposed to interfere. Charlotte learned that the hard way. If she hadn't tried to change one of her childhood visions, her father would still be alive. Since the accident, Charlotte has suppressed her visions to avoid making the same mistake. But when she receives a premonition of a classmate's murder, she can no longer ignore her powerful gift.Then Charlotte meets someone who not only knows her secret but who also has a way for her to stop the killer. He offers to teach her how to manipulate her visions to change the future. But doing so will put Charlotte in the path of the murderer.…
Aprilynne Pike's bestselling Wings series was called "remarkable" by Stephenie Meyer, bestselling author of the Twilight Saga. And her most recent novel, Life After Theft, was cheered as a "whirlwind adventure" by School Library Journal. Now Aprilynne returns with this exhilarating departure from her previous novels. Sleep No More is a psychological thrill ride that is sure to keep readers' hearts racing until the very end.

Why I want to read it: I really enjoyed Pike's Wings series, and this book sounds different and mysterious.  It also sounds a bit like McMann's Wake series. 

What are you waiting for this week?

Review and Giveaway: Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Published: January 22^nd, 2013 by Egmont

Source: Provided for review (Thanks to Egmont USA!)

Format: ARC paperback

Challenge(s):  None

Grade rate:  B-

There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away.
 That’s why they make the perfect assassins. The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated. Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they’ve ID’ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can’t make the hit. It’s as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are—because no one else ever notices them.

My Review

Nobody was a fast and intense read for me and my first experience with author Jennifer Lynn Barnes.  Don’t get fooled by the B- rating because Nobody was difficult for me to put down J

I think that I didn’t felt comfortable with the idea of the ‘nobody’.  It is a very original concept (at least it’s new to me) and I truly understand it, but it made me extremely sad.   I cannot imagine the loneliness, the isolation and total sense of unworthiness that not being able to be seen and heard and remembered might bring.  As I said, it is heartbreaking and this clearly depicted throughout the book.   Besides the concept of the ‘nobody’, there is another supernatural being called a ‘null’ which are essentially psychopaths that have the ability of charming people to do anything.  Behind it all is a secret institute and experiments with both like they were lab rats, which is despicable (kind of reminded me of the Maximum Steel series).

There are two main characters and the story is told in third person with alternating points of view, which I always enjoy.  Claire is a ‘nobody’, but doesn’t know it, she (obviously) things that something is wrong, but just tries her best to be a better person in the hopes that it might change one day.  Nix is a very complex character because he was raised by the Institute to be a mindless assassin.  He is so broken that it is difficult to imagine anyone going through a childhood like that and coming out whole.

I normally dislike instant-love, but in this case it’s completely justifiable.  Nix is send to kill Claire and their eyes lock with each other.  I imagine this moment to be like breathing for the first time, like coming out for air and finding a life saver waiting for you.  The magic of the two of them together and the intensity of their fillings is so strong and beautiful.  For all the seriousness of the topic and the heart-  brakiness of the book, I love Nix and Clair together, they innate way that they understood each other.

Nobody is full of action and discovery as Nix and Claire try to find a way to bring down the Institute.  The book is part paranormal, part thriller and part romance.  The writing is really beautiful, so full of feeling and, at parts, almost lyrical.  The ending of the book is appropriate and I was extremely happy that Clair, Nix and the other ‘nobodies’ could form a family together.  Although I’m still thinking about Natalie…

Quotes for you (please be aware that these are from the ARC and might have changed):

“Nix. Nix. Nothing but Nix.  For Claire, there was nothing else, nothing else but the warmth of his hand through the thin fabric of her worn yellow sundress.  Nothing but the feel of his breath on her face… No one touches me. No over touches me.”  - Claire

“I live in an eight by eight room with no windows and a door that’s padlocked for show” [Nix]

“You don’t live there anymore.”  The quite vehemence in Claire’s voice knocked the breath from Nix’s chest. “ And out here in the real world, when you need answers, we have this wonderful thing called Google”- Claire and Nix

“Claire?”

“Yes?”

Her heart was beating. She was scared. Not of The Society. Not of tonight. Of this moment. Of now.

“You tamed me.”

Something gave inside of her chest, and it almost fell her.  And just when she thought she might have imagined the words, he repeated them.

“You tamed me, Claire.  I love you, just so you know.”  - Nix to Claire

About the cover: It is stunning.  Presumably this is Nix’s eye and he is looking at Claire to kill her.

Where to find it:  Goodreads | Amazon  | Barnes & Noble 

About the Author

Jennifer Lynn Barnes (who mostly goes by Jen) was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has been, in turn, a competitive cheerleader, a volleyball player, a dancer, a debutante, a primate cognition researcher, a teen model, a comic book geek, and a lemur aficionado. She's been writing for as long as she can remember, finished her first full book (which she now refers to as a "practice book" and which none of you will ever see) when she was still in high school, and then wrote Golden the summer after her freshman year in college, when she was nineteen.
Jen graduated high school in 2002, and from Yale University with a degree in cognitive science (the study of the brain and thought) in May of 2006. She was awarded a Fulbright to do post-graduate work at Cambridge, and then returned to the states, where she is hard at work on her PhD.

Website | Blog | Twitter 

The Giveaway

What's up for grabs?  

• 1 hardcover copy of Nobody AND 1 paperback copy of Every Other Day.
• US and Canada only 
• Just complete the Rafflecopter below (other rules there) and good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure of Material Connection:  This book was provided to me for free and no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*