1. Ignite Me by: Tahereh Mafi
Ignite Me is the third book in the marvelous Shatter Me trilogy, which follows Juliette, a girl with a lethal touch. Since Ignite Me is the last book in the series I am hesitant to give away much information about it because I don’t want to spoil anyone, but it was AMAZING! I loved it so much that I read it three or four times this year! I could always count on it to get me out of my reading slumps, therefore, it is no surprise that it was my favorite book of the year! Ignite Me is a neglect all your responsibilities and put down whatever you are doing right now kind of book! First, it not only is action packed, but it has hands down the most beautiful prose I have read in young adult literature. Also, we spend a lot of time with WERNER in this novel, need I say anything else? (As a side note, if you are reading the Shatter Me series, you must read the novella Destroy Me that comes between Shatter Me and Unravel Me because it is ESSENTIAL if you want to truly understand Werner’s character)
2. Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Opposition was the last book I read in 2014, and what a FANTASTIC book to end the year reading! Opposition is the last book in the Lux series, which follows Katy, a book blogger who moves across the street from a family of uber attractive aliens. Of course a relationship with a hot alien, Daemon, ensues! Their relationship had me hooked! I feel like I could read about these characters forever, and its so sad that this is the last book ever to be written about them. But don’t you worry if you don’t like romance ruling the plot, because Opposition is also extremely action packed and has twists I never saw coming!
3. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe By Benjamin Alire Saenz
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a moving story about friendship, family, culture, and coming to terms with who you are. This novel essentially does not have a plot, but rather it simply follows Aristotle as he lives out his life. There were so many aspects of this book which I adored. First, in YA literature, the parents of the main character are often horrible people or absent from their kid’s life, so I found it refreshing that a main character had supportive parents who deeply cared for him. Also, both Aristotle and Dante are Mexican, so this novel explores Mexican culture, which I loved! Lastly, the ending was perfect. Absolutely magical! (I did a review on his book in August so you can go see the review if you want to learn more information on it)
4. The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
The Retribution of Mara Dyer is the third novel in the Mara Dyer series, and what a conclusion it is! The Mara Dyer series follows a haunted girl, Mara Dyer, who wakes up one morning in a hospital and cannot remember the accident which killed all of her friends, but left her mysteriously unharmed. Mara suffers from severe post traumatic stress disorder after this accident, so you are left constantly guessing if what she is observing is actually happening or if she is just hallucinating. I waited years for this last book to come out and it did not disappoint me! A lot of people have problems with this novel and say that there were numerous plot holes in it, and while I can understand that, I typically rate books on how much I enjoyed them as I was reading it, and this one had me hooked! It may not be a perfect book, but it was action packed, kept me on the edge of my seat, and had a killer romance!
5. All the Light We Cannot See By Anthony Doerr
All The Light We Cannot See is an adult historical fiction novel set during World War II. It follows two characters, Maurie Laurie, a blind French girl, and Werner, a young German boy preparing to become a Nazi soldier. Through riveting flash-forwards and flashbacks, the novel follows the course of the two characters’ as they struggle trying to live their own lives without the interference of their bleak setting. This story is almost written in threads, and it is not until the very end that you can see how Maruie and Werner’s stories thread together. All the Light We Cannot See is a touching, well-crafted, and gorgeously written story, that I can’t wait to go back to and re read.
A Crease in the Spine 