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toptentuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

See, this is where my ya lit obsession starts to let me down. I mean, c’mon guys. Very few of you have figured out that it’s really boring to see ANOTHER girl in a dress on a cover. So these are my top ten choices from all around the board! (If you give any picture a click, you’ll head to the Goodreads page!)

princessAsunder

CrewelStormdancer

Shadow and BoneIncarnate

Eonanefertiti

Alphabet of Thornslioness rampant


AsunderAsunder (New Soul #2) by Jodi Meadows

Goodreads | Amazon

DARKSOULS
Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.

SHADOWS
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

LOVE
Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.

In this second book in the Newsoul trilogy, Ana discovers the truth about reincarnation and will have to find a way to embrace love and make her young life meaningful. Once again, Jodi Meadows explores the extraordinary beauty and shadowed depths of the soul in a story equal parts epic romance and captivating fantasy.

4 1/2 stars

There was no way I could love this book as much as I loved Incarnate. I just had to accept that fact before I cracked the spine. The second books in series’ have a hard time measuring up as a rule. There was also no way that anything could replicate the absolute gush of emotions that Incarnate stirred up in me. With that in mind, I was ready to accept Asunder as it came. Honestly, it came pretty darn close to Incarnate.

The shining light in these books is Ana, and that stayed true for the entirety of Asunder. In a world of books where I can tell the main character is the imagination of the author, I always feel like she is a real person. She isn’t perfect, and she is always growing. I am constantly amazed that Meadows can show just how young she is compared to all the other souls in Heart, yet it never seems like a bad thing. Every other time authors have tried to make young adult characters act young, they tend to end up whiny and annoying. Ana’s inexperience and ignorance keeps her real, and can sometimes be a strength. Her relationship with Sam sometimes verges on being clichéd true love, but every time Meadows reins it in and reminds us of the age gap or another obstacle that they have to work through.

Sam, on the other hand, I’m a little bit frustrated with, though I can’t tell if that’s the reaction I’m supposed to have or not. I say that because he’s obviously frustrated with himself, and what he wants from his and Ana’s relationship and what the societal conventions are telling him. Hopefully, his choice at the end of the book is going to clear this up. What choice you ask? Don’t be ridiculous, that’s a spoiler.

The plot of this book was overall really amazing. I didn’t get the same amount of wow factors as I did in Incarnate until the end of the book, but that also may because I was more familiar with the book. Some very interesting characters were introduced, which kept subtly playing with the themes of love and relationships that I gushed over in the first book—and were also just awesome. I will say that I saw almost every plot twist coming, or at least figured it out early enough into the device that it felt that way. I’m still really conflicted about how the book ended as well, but I can’t talk about that because SPOILERS. If you felt the same, give me a shout out on social media or something and we can chat about it!

All in all, Meadows continues to delight me with every page, and this series is definitely one of my new favorites. I never usually have a huge connection to main characters, but I so wish Ana was real so we could be best friends—she certainly feels real! I respect every decision Meadows has made with Ana, Ana and Sam’s relationship and the general themes about love that run throughout the book. In multiple reviews I have asked authors to write a believable teen character and a real romance that doesn’t need a love triangle to thrive, and Meadows has gone over and above my wildest dreams. My heart may be rent asunder when I get to the end of the final book.


Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

Okay, just fyi – TEN IS REALLY HARD. So don’t take this as the only top books I read. But this is what I could cull it to. And this is in no particular order.

Wings of the Wicked1. Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

Okay, you guys all know how much I love this books and Courtney herself. I believe I used the phrase “rapid machine gun of awesomeness” to describe this book in my review.

2. Incarnate by Jodi MeadowsIncarnate

There are far too many CAPS in my review of this book. I mean, really. But I went so gaga for it I themed my prom dress around it. Okay, so that wasn’t originally intentional but it soon became that way.

The Immortal Rules3. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Not going to lie: this was the first Julie Kagawa book I ever read. I’ve now caught the Julie Kagawa bug and want to read everything from her books to her shopping lists. See my review here.

4. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFeversgrave mercy

Historical fiction. Assassin nuns. Fly to the bookstores right now. If assassin nuns doesn’t do it for you, I don’t know what will. It certainly did for me!

Code Name Verity5. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

This historical fiction piece on World War II made me cry. And I never, ever, should have liked this book because it’s written with a few of my pet peeves. But it’s one of the best things ever, and here’s why.

6. Insurgent by Veronica RothInsurgent

It’s Insurgent by Veronica Roth. Do I have to explain it to you? (If so, read my review!)

city of lost souls7. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Okay, okay, I’m still not a fan of continuing the series after what I thought was the perfect ending. But if there was a way to continue the series, this is it – here’s why.

8. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. MaasThrone of Glass

High fantasy for young adults. They said it was impossible, but Maas did it. ALL OF THE LOVE. Another review with too much excitement.

The Golden Lily9. The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

It’s Richelle Mead and Adrian. I love Adrian. I love him so much I might almost love him more than Dimi– oh dear, I feel the fan girls descending. Go read my review for more!

10. What’s Left of Me by Kat ZhangWhat's Left of Me

The main character is two girls in one body. That is all. For more, read my review.


Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

This is a really hard topic for me this week. How do you pick FAVORITES? I mean, I liked this book for this or that book for that… I love so many books. I’ve been doing this for YEARS. However, I guess the simplest way would be to start with the ratings system… (All title links go to the reviews.)

1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

This was the first five star review I ever gave, and … oooh boy is it embarrassing. There is so much squealing and CAPSing going on. Still, I love it lots, and it would be faster to list the TTTs that I HAVEN’T listed Anna on than haven’t because SO. MUCH. LOVE.

2. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Holy moly guys. Sometimes I give out 5 stars because I just lovey dovey squeal over a book. I did that with this one for sure but … wow, it was something else. This was one of the most powerful books I’ve EVER read. 5 stars doesn’t even begin to cover it.

3. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

I am a huge fan of historical fiction, but it’s not often that I find it done well. Grave Mercy was not only historical fiction, it was fantasy historical fiction and IT WAS AMAZING! It’s also a huge book AND it can be read as a stand alone, which made it the answer to so many of my prayers it was unreal. 5 stars.

4. Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Guys, it’s Insurgent. If I have to explain this, you haven’t been paying attention. 5 stars.

5. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Though I still haven’t entirely forgiven her for taking a perfect trilogy and making it into 6 books, City of Lost Souls at least redeemed the series for me, if not the idea to turn it into 6 books. 5 stars.

6. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

GUYS. HAVE YOU NOT PICKED THIS UP YET? What’s WRONG with you? This was the PERFECT book. I ADORED IT. It was funny, there was a kick ass heroine, the love triangle WORKED and wasn’t cliche to death, the world was epic and the builiding flawless and– guys. Just read it. 5 stars.

7. What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang

This book actually hasn’t been released yet, but I’m going to tease you anyways. This book was GREAT, guys. It was mysterious, it was exciting, it had great writing and fantastic characters. Zhang somehow managed to ROCK writing two characters inside one body. 5 stars.

8. Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

My feelings about this book can be summed up into what I “retitled” it: a rapid machine gun of awesomeness. Seriously. It NEVER STOPPED MOVING. I knocked it down to 4 1/2 stars for reasons that CAM later dispelled over Twitter, so … I should probably actually file this under 5 stars.

9. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The first major book NetGalley ever got me, with FANTASTIC results. I’d never read Kagawa before, and now I’m DYING for more. This is the best YA vampire book I’d read in terms of the dark side of vampires, hands down. 4 1/2 stars.

10. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Beautiful cover. Beautiful book. Beautiful author. (Twitter is the best place.) Words cannot describe how awesome this book is. I even themed my prom dress around the cover because YEEEEES!


Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is actually pretty straight forward. This is a YA blog, and I could say some profound things about world building in YA, but instead I’m going to focus on GOOD world building this time around. Ready? Here we go!

1. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

If you haven’t picked this up now, I don’t know what’s wrong with you. I believe I said that in my 5 star review. This world is as fantastically built as Game of Thrones, without all the things I don’t like about Game of Thrones, all the way through the characters and the dialogue. EVERYTHING about this book is amazingly awesome.

2. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Though I made many comments about the characterization in this novel in my review, the world absolutely knocked me off my feet. Russian magic? With clothing that’s describes like costumes you just HAVE to own? FANTASTIC images that pop off the page? This has it ALL. I recommend this to all those looking for a unique read.

3. Divergent by Veronica Roth

Don’t really think I have to explain this to most folks. I mean, is there anyone left on the planet that reads YA but hasn’t read this? Well, for you guys, best dystopian novel out there, hands down.

4. The Girl of Fire of Thorns by Rae Carson

I basically bought this book for a unique world, and I wasn’t disappointed. The characters were awesome and at the end Carson dropped a BOMB OF FANTASTIC on the whole plot line. I loved every little bit of this, and it was one of the first books I reviewed!

5. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

If you missed my review of this, you missed a whole heck of a lot of CAPS. It was just as beautiful as the book’s cover. From the dragons to the city to the notion that love does not depend on gender, Incarnate was a work of art that everyone should read.

6. Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

This one I was reminded of because I’m currently hosting a giveaway for this entire series, but basically it’s a fantasy world made up of shapeshifters that is amazingly awesome.

7. The City’s Son by Tom Pollock

You guys have no idea how much I could link to this review, but it’s not out yet. If memory serves, it’ll be up next week or the week after, since this book doesn’t come out til September. The important thing, though, is that this was the most amazing description of urban fantasy I’d ever read.

8. Eon by Alison Goodman

Japanese based world with huge country and DRAGONS. Seriously, what else do you need? Nothing, it’s nothing. The characters were also just as unique as the setting, which was awesome.

9. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

How many times have I talked about this book? I know it’s a lot, so I’m not going to stay very long here…

10. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Talk about a fantastic world building and a unique concept. I didn’t really like the following two books, but this one was pretty fantastic.


Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by the Broke and the Bookish!

You guys may or may not know that Anna and the French Kiss was my first 5 star review. This was even more shocking because I haaaate teenage romances. Usually. Unless they’re done REALLY WELL. So I decided to take that book to show you just how picky my tastes are!

1. Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

This one made me laugh and cry. It was absolutely fantastic. I just…I just can’t even put my feelings into words. Oh wait, yes I can. I reviewed it.

2. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Alright, alright, I know this one isn’t a contemporary, but bear with me. I’m going with the criteria of FANTASTIC ROMANCE with this one. This one doesn’t have a love triangle or a cliché ANYWHERE. It’s just … awesome. See my review for more.

3. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Yeah, this one is a semi cop-out, but c’mon. You know it’s true! (Although, I don’t actually think this one measured up to Anna…)

4. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

No, this isn’t a contemporary EITHER. I didn’t say they all would be, did I? This was a fantastic ride on several levels, not to mention the cute romance to be had. I’ve gotten several people hooked on this series and I’m proud of it!

5. Streams of Babel by Carol Plum-Ucci

Okay, so, these aren’t particularly romance heavy, but the romance in them is done really well. They (it’s a duology) are also ridiculously powerful books that I’ve checked out multiple times from my library. They are just EXCELLENTLY written.

6. All-American Girl by Meg Cabot

Again, cop out, because Meg Cabot is like the queen in certain circles, but to be honest I never really enjoyed much of hers. This one, though, is SO EXTREMELY CUTE I COULD DIE. I love it. It’s like candy.

7. When it Happens by Susane Colasanti

Again, cop out, because it’s SUSANE COLASANTI. But still. This book. SO CUTE. I love it. It’s amazing. It makes me SO HAPPY.

8. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Not a contemporary, but people who’ve read both series can’t tell me that Anna and Sophie wouldn’t be BEST FRIENDS FOREVER if they met in “real” life. I certainly think they would. :D (Plus, Archer? HELLO SEXY. He and Entienne could burn down buildings just by walking into them.)

9. Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

This is actually a second book of a series that is connected but doesn’t particularly have to be read in the same order, but I think it’s the best one for Anna fans.

10. Trickster’s Choice by Tamora Pierce

No, not a contemporary. But I still think Anna and Aly would make fiiiiine friends. OHMYGOD, SOPHIE, ANNA AND ALY. THIS WOULD BE THE BEST BOOK. Someone help me get these guys on that…


Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

It should probably be noted that my idea of a beach read is, uh, anything. Even if it’s dark and dangerous and depressing. That said, I’m going to TRY to give you guys what it is you’re looking for. I think. Uh. Well, here we go! (All title links go to Goodreads)

1. Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

I have not posted my review of this one yet, but GUYS. One of the best contemps I’ve EVER read. Seriously. It’s a little lacking on the fluffy, fun side but … I don’t care. I reread this one any day.

2. The Selection by Kiera Cass

There are few books that are total and utter mind candy, sparkly and airey. This, this is one of them. And I loved ever second of it.

3. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Gorgeous cover. Gorgeous read. And not too heavy to cart around. (Did I mention ONE OF MY FAVORITES EVER?) :P

4. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Alright, so, this one will try to take you away to France, but c’mon. Would you rather just be on a beach or on a beach IN PARIS? Be truthful now. (Plus, there’s a reason my review includes so much squealing.)

5. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

A quirkier, spunkier read I’ve rarely come across.  Plus, the last book comes out in August, I do believe. It’s a PERFECT time to read or reread this series.

6. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

SHH, we’re sneaking in a non-YA read. That’s pretty okay with me. I LOVE THIS BOOK. UNRESERVEDLY. Perfect summer read right here.

7. Pants on Fire by Meg Cabot

Oh man, I’d almost forgotten about this one. How, I do not know. Thank you, Goodreads. This might literally end up being my beach read!

8. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

HELLO HOTNESS. My favorite Simone Elkeles book of all time right here. A staple of any summer.

9. A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson

A CLASSIC. I adore these books, and adored even more the decision to rerelease them with new, gorgeous covers. My old ones were falling apart.

10. A Match Made in High School by Kristen Walker

Seriously, sometimes you have to enjoy a book for its cuteness. This is one of those times.


Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s TTT is actually a TTT Rewind, meaning I could pick whatever past topic I wanted. I chose this one because, a lot of times, I am ALL about the covers. I mean seriously. If it sparkles and sounds halfway decent, I am bound to pick it up. This has not always worked out for me, but sometimes it has been the best way to choose EVER. Get ready for some COVER EYE CANDY!

(All title links go to Goodreads. All links in the paragraphs go to my reviews.)

1. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

If you have to ask why, you must not have seen this cover. And this book is just as gorgeous as the cover. There is way too much squealing in my review.

2. Wilde’s Fire by Krystal Wade

In a world where most girls are wearing black dresses and looking depressed, this girl was moving and very blue with magic or something. It looked exciting to me! However, I was not entirely impressed.

3. The Shapeshifter’s Secret by Heather Ostler

This cover looks freaking amazing and you cannot tell me otherwise. The font, her make up … everything. If only they had spent more money on the editing department instead of the cover, maybe I wouldn’t have DNFed this book.

4. The Selection by Kiera Cass

Yeah, yeah, I know, opinions about this one abound. However, I picked it up because it looked like fun, sugary fluff and I was entirely right. And I enjoyed it too.

5. Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Look at that cover. How could that cover contain a book any less than awesome, right? Wrong. This book inspired a rant so fierce I was afraid to post it. But I did. Because *CUE ANGRY GRETCHEN*

6. Wither by Lauren DeStefano

I had actually had a friend whose opinion I respect tell me she hadn’t enjoyed this one, so I was rather wary about picking this one up. Then I saw the cover and decided to take a chance. And I’m so glad I did.

7. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

I have no idea if I picked this up more because of the gorgeous cover or because of the fact that Tamora Pierce’s blurb is on the front cover. Either way, it was a really spectacular decision. So much love for this book right here.

8. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Okay, I totally picked this up for other reasons too. HOWEVER, once I saw the cover, I just had to pick this up to ask the girl on the cover, “What in the name of all that’s chocolate forced you to put on THAT?” The book then went on to inspire the mother of all reviews, so I guess that was worth it too.

9. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Actually, I’m pretty sure it was the font that got me on this one. I just have a THING for this font. And the color purple. So that. And the book wasn’t half bad either! (The second one was better.)

10. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Yeah, so, sometimes the girls in dresses utterly and completely hook me. This is one of them. And the book was such a quirky, fun ride I was glad it caught me!


Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Let’s face it. Books-to-movies is a really touchy thing. I even blogged about it once, back when I really couldn’t find many things to blog about, it’s THAT important. :P However, I’ll make up this list with the hopes and dreams that studios could get a hold of these books and NOT demolish them. So is my faith in humanity. Some of these books might even have options on them or whatever, but I don’t keep track. I usually don’t even know until the trailer comes out. :P So here they are, in no particular order!

1. The Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins

Seriously, I want this to be a thing. I’d be very, very vocal about their casting choices because Sophie and Archer and, er, everyone would have to be JUST perfect, but gah. This would be a beautiful thing. Laugh out loud comedy AND magical action? I’d bankroll the project myself if I could.

2. The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

I know this already has on option on it, thank you very much. I’m even a fan of the movie’s page on Facebook. But that DOESN’T mean that it will actually be made into a movie, so just let me lend it some more support. It SHOULD be. For the only reason that I want to see Dimitri come to life.

3. The Angelfire series by Courtney Allison Moulton

THIS WOULD BE AMAZING. Nonstop action, sarcasm and supernatural butt kicking. This would be a spectacular movie; it already reads like one! I would shave my head to have this happen. (Just please don’t actually ask me to shave my head. That would be awkward. I have an oddily shaped head.)

4. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

How in the world would anyone NOT want to see giant dragons flying around spitting acid, a building that moves and talks AND THAT MASQUERADE. I would do ANYTHING to just see that masquerade come to life. Heck, I’d put one on. Any Incarnate fans want to help?

5. Divergent by Veronica Roth

Quite frankly, I’d be floor if something wasn’t already in the works for this, but hey. I haven’t heard anything about it, so HI LIST! I’d pay good money just to see the scene where they jump off the train. And the scene where their fears come to life. And the scene–er. Ahem.

6. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

This could be the darkest, coolest teen vampire movie ever. At least nothing would sparkle. Plus, those zombie-vamps? That’d be cool to see–especially the fight scenes. Now please?

7. The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare

I know they’re casting a Mortal Instruments movie, but I’m worried that if they screw it up we’ll never get to see the Infernal Devices come to life, which would be upsetting. The Mortal Instruments is awesome, but their supernatural world mashed with clockwork soldiers? Now that gets even cooler.

8. At least ONE of Tamora Pierce’s series

I mean, come on! You could pick anyone and have awesomesauce right there. They’ve been optioned, apparently, but the studio thinks they’d be too expensive to produce. Pardon me? I saw the Hunger Games. I can guess the fx bill for one SCENE. If there is interest, they will make it. HI, HERE’S INTEREST!

9. The City’s Son by Tom Pollock

Though I can’t share my review of this book with you guys until August, I CAN give you guys a teaser here so you know what I’m talking about. While I wasn’t impressed with some of the characterization, I’d pay money just to see this world come to life. Lightbulb people? Steel wolves? Mirror people? Yes please!

10. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Just finished this one, and it’s one of my new favorites of the year. Historical romance with a girl assassin? How can you go wrong? Plus, I’m a sucker for period pieces like this because I want to marry the costume department EVERY time. Can you blame me? Can you see the dress she’s even wearing on the COVER? This is a definite must for me.


Okay, so, if you’ve been following my blog then you’ll know that I’ve been quite angry at YA authors lately. I’ve been annoyed with the horrible way they portray relationships and love triangles and a whole bunch of other nasty stuff. Therefore, I figured it miiiight be time to do a post that is positive rather than not, because a great many authors DO write amazing relationships and–sometimes–even love triangles. Here’s my list:

Love Triangle Done Right – Will/Tessa/Jem from Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices trilogy

Seriously, guys. I have NO IDEA how Clare MAKES THIS WORK. Usually in love triangles, there is a clear guy who the author is pushing the torn female towards. Even if, somehow, they don’t, you seem to really start rooting for one and hating the other one. Or, at least, that’s what I think and, erm, do. A lot. :P However, I adore Will. I adore Jem. AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHICH ONE IS BETTER FOR TESSA. It’s inconceivable to me that I have just fallen in love with all three characters who have somehow made this love triangle possibly the best I’ve ever seen.

Love Triangle Done Right – Humberto/Elisa/Alejandro from Rae Carson’s The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Okay, I’m not entirely sure this counts as a love triangle because I never really thought Elisa was actually in love with Alejandro, but still. There was a definite love triangle set up here since she was married to Alejandro but fell in love with Humberto and well you can kinda figure out the plot line from there. OR CAN YOU? This isn’t on this list because of the relationships, or the fact that I totally couldn’t make up my mind which one I loved more, but rather HOW THE BOOK ENDED AND WHAT CARSON DID. GUYS. I want to build her an altar. She took everything cliché plotline I’d already thought up for how the book would end and THREW A BOMB ON IT. And therefore, this is here. See my review for more.

Relationship Done Right – Anna/Etienne from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

GUYS. GUYS. I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SPEAK WITHOUT CAPS LOCK. GO CHECK OUT MY REVIEW FOR MORE. Besides this book being AMAZING IN EVERY WAY, this relationship was so real I fell in love head over heels AND THEN SOME. Rarely have I ever seen teen romance done this amazingly. Actually, put this at the top of my list for top teen romance EVER. Sure, the setting is kinda out there, but screw it. Everything else about this book is the best thing ever.

Relationship/Love Triangle Done Right – Dimitri/Rose/Adrian from the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

It’s very rare when a series of books goes like this one. You know why? IT’S A REAL RELATIONSHIP PROGRESSION. I don’t want to ruin this for people who haven’t read the series, but trust me this one is totally swoon-worthy. Rose and Dimitri are obviously the couple pushed from the beginning, since Adrian isn’t introduced until about halfway through, but then he’s in love with Rose and you’ve got this psuedo-triangle on your hands because Rose is totally head over heels from Dimitri. But then something bad happens to Dimitri and Rose decides to try to move on with Adrian. And then Dimitri comes back and then HELLO. That’s a really bad description because I’m trying to avoid spoilers, but this point is this is real. Nobody here is perfect. All three of them try to fight the way they feel, do the best in the situation and then they all screw up in their own way. There is a real show of love triangle fallout which KILLED *spoilerhiding* fans, but come on. He came back in Bloodlines and was freaking awesome, so the readers aren’t left completely bereft and hating Mead.

Relationship Done Right – Sam/Ana from Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

If you know me, then you know there is nothing that I hate more than insta-love. Well, Incarnate was my answer – THERE IS REAL RELATIONSHIP BUILD UP HERE. I wanted to jump up from reading and shout “Hallelujah!” But couldn’t, because I was, you know, reading. They have a REAL relationship with REAL issues and it doesn’t happen instantly. Other people, take note. For more, see my review.

For sure, there are plenty of other examples out there, but those are my top 5 of the moment! How about you?



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