Books I read in 2012 (Spoiler Free!)

It's March but, since I'm scheduling these ahead of time it could be December 2012 for all you guys know (okay January 12th)

January 12th 2078 that is!

I decided to take a cue from the lovely and talented Cynthia Hand's blog (found here no seriously why are you still reading this you should totally be reading her blog instead ) and make a list of books I read from the year 2012. This is, by no means, an exhaustive list. I read quite a few older books (like Mistborn not too long ago) but this will be just books published in 2012.



She hardly looks 17, amirite?

The Calling, by Kelly Armstrong.

It's a sequel to The Gathering, and is meant to be a trilogy (Darkness Rising). It, in turn, was a sequel trilogy to the Darkest Powers trilogy (The Summoning, The Awakening, The Reckoning) Both read pretty much the same, but the trilogy that includes The Calling is a little bit better, the main character actually going out and getting things done rather than pacing a proverbial room wringing her hands until bad things come to her to cause trouble. It's slow and, like all middle books in a trilogy, mainly a filler book. The characters are hard to remember. I found myself totally lost between reading The Gathering and The Calling a year later. I decided to prepare ahead of time for The Rising and made a list of cast with little descriptions for them as I read the second book.

Prettiest covers of 2012, that's for sure!

Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

I'm going to cheat a bit here. Technically Anna Dressed in Blood was published late 2011, but I picked up my copy used only a few months ago, and it's only a duet. I totally devoured Anna Dressed in Blood, it's a fantastic YA story that casts a boy as the protagonist (which, to me, seems to be rather rare). It's all about ghost hunting and action. There's barely any lovey dovey in the story and, what little there is, is so sleight that I didn't even notice it. Anna Dressed in blood takes you on a roller coaster ride of awesome, then parks you right where you wanted to be. It tells a story, gets the job done, then has a satisfying ending.

Oh...Girl of Nightmares, you're still here, aren't you?

When I finished Anna Dressed in Blood I was a little hesitant to pick up the sequel. Anna ended that well. It didn't need a sequel, so I was worried it would be forced. Unfortunately, it was. The characters plod around for a boring 300-something pages and, in the last 30, it gets really interesting and then ends. If anything, Girl of Nightmares causes bumps and biffs in the story's ending that Anna Dressed in Blood had smoothed out so well. So, in a nutshell, I suggest Anna Dressed in Blood, but I'd avoid Girl of Nightmares if you want a good, standalone story with a fulfilling conclusion.


This cover is symbolic of my hopeless frustration now.

Cold Days by Jim Butcher

You didn't think we would get through without Cold Days, did you? Not after all that trouble! Hahahahaha! If you've read about my previous Hulk-like, tear-stained, multi-book escapades involving being able to read Cold Days, then you should know the weight of what I say right here: It was worth it. I was a little disappointed in Ghost Story, and worried that the series was starting to jump the shark but Cold Days renewed my faith in the Dresden Files. Better yet, despite the amazing twists and turns and reveals, the ending left me sitting happier than Ghost Story and Changes did when it comes to waiting for the next book. Which is a really good thing because I've been hearing rumors of Jim setting aside Dresden for now in favor of whipping up a Steampunk novel. Of which I will then immediately snatch up...


...caressing it sweetly in a manner that can only be
described by Luis Royo.

Sorry, no "dead" puns here.

Undead and Undermined, by MaryJanice Davidson

 This book is what jumping the shark in a series is all about. Actually Undead and Unfinished, the previous book, was where it started. You know it's pretty bad when even the author admits it in a foreword but with a little "hang in there!" No, Ms. Davidson, you don't do that to your readers. If you're apologizing and telling readers to wait something out, then you're doing something wrong. The hilarity that sucked me into the series in the first place is dead and these last two books have been the smell of the decaying corpse. Maybe I'll take it back if Undead and Unstable manages to wow me, but I collect these in mass market paperbacks, rather than hardbacks, so it's going to be a little while before I have news.


The shiny is lacking in this pic

 

Hallowed, by Cynthia Hand

 

I already mentioned here how amazing the Unearthly series is. Hallowed is the second book in the series and I'm waiting eagerly for the final book. It's got heart but isn't gag-inducing like most young adult romance books (especially in the paranormal genre). Of course, for many of the same reasons, I cannot recommend this book to guys.



Rawr, and stuff.



Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling

"Never judge a book by its cover" is pretty appropriate in this circumstance. I actually held back on getting this book because of the pure cheese pouring forth from the cover and waited until paperback in the hopes that maybe they'd change it. They didn't, so I shrugged and decided to give it a try.

I'm glad I did. There's been something missing in my literary life since the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan wrapped up, and Jobling managed to fill that hole pretty well. It's another good book for boys (and girls sick of the kissy romance stuff) that has plenty of action. The only thing that bugs me is that the image below is the cover they scrapped in favor for the one above when they started selling it in the United States.


Reading upside down? No problem!



I not only would have bought it right away, I'd have been salivating the entire time.

 

 

 

Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan

 

I'd been looking forward to this one for a while, based on the title alone. It turned out good, not absolutely amazing, but good. If you hate the whole vampsplosion in books thanks to Twilight, then I'll admit you won't find any solace in reading Team Human. Instead, it is its own unique spin on a vampire story. Vampires are known to the world at large, and wear something like space suits when they go out during the day time, and one of the vampires has an adopted human brother named Kitten. Named so because of how the vampire feel he's more of a pet than anything else. There's no love triangle and the book makes you laugh a bit. If you like vampire stories and want something new and refreshing, give this one a try.

 

 

So Silver Bright by Lisa Mantchev

 

The Theature Illuminata trilogy came to a close with So Silver Bright. I'd gone back and forth with Eyes Like Stars (the first book) for a couple of years before deciding to give it a try. I had absolutely no idea what was going on, though I kind of liked it. The second book promised the same, and the third?...more of the same. I'd hoped that So Silver Bright would clear up a lot in the strange story, but from beginning to end I'd just gone "I have no idea what is going on" the entire time. It's possible that I would have to know Shakespere to really get an appreciation for a lot of it, but otherwise it felt incredibly confusing in some places, downright irritating in others. While there was a love triangle, it's a terrible example, because I knew wholeheartedly who she would end up with. Love triangles shouldn't be like that.

 

 

 

Nevermore by James Patterson

 

I already made my opinion very clear.

 

 

Across the Universe and A Million Suns by Beth Revis

 

Holy cow.

 

Across the Universe is a book that attracted me by the cover. I've seen alternate covers and, not only would I have not paid attention, I would have outright avoided the book. Because it was science fiction-y looking in its cover, it attracted my hamster-span attention long enough to read the description, of which gained my interest even further. I only got a few chapters in before my dad got hold of it and devoured the thing. I'd been hoping to wait a month or two for A Million Suns to come out in paperback before buying it, but it apparently was too long for my dad, so now I have non-matching formats of a series (gah!) though, admittedly, I'm glad that I'll get to read Shades of Earth (the final book of the trilogy) soon. This series really wowed me, start to finish. I can honestly say that because it actually wraps up pretty well as just a duet, but it still really leaves you wanting more. Science fiction, especially in the YA/teen section, is really hard to find. Good YA/teen science fiction is nearly impossible. This is one of those few books that makes me freak out a little at the thought that I had nearly missed out on it. It's that good.

 

 

Divergent and Insurgent, by Veronica Roth

 

As I'm going through my list I'm having a hard time, because one book keeps trumping the other. I was loaned a copy of Divergent and didn't even manage to finish it before I had decided I needed a copy of my own. Afterwards I only had to wait a month for the sequel, Insurgent, to come out. This series has everything you'd ever want: train-jumping, dystopia, mind control, action, adventure, awesome, depth, and, best of all, the lack of a love triangle. Since then I've been tearing my hair out waiting for the third book. This is the beautiful sister of Hunger Games and Uglies both. If there's any book in this list that I could recommend to everyone I know, it'd have to be this one.

 

And so, if I had to rate all 11 of these books for 2012 I'd make it as this:

 

1. Divergent

2. Cold Days

3. Across the Universe

4. Hallowed

5. Wereworld

6. Anna Dressed in Blood

7. Team Human

8. The Calling

9. So Silver Bright

10. (several blank spaces)

11. Watching paint dry

12. Watching a dog chase his tail

13. Watching a dog watch paint dry.

14. Undead and Undermined

15. Nevermore