With thanks to Mogsy for alerting me to the fact that the third book in Maggie Steifvater's Raven Cycle finally has both a cover and a title and will be coming out just in time for my birthday! Well, the day after, but that's fine! There's no information posted for the book yet, so you're just going to have to settle for my bookflail!
I'm very picky about my YA, especially after reading the Raven Cycle where Stiefvater paints characters that capture the beauty and difficulty of adolescence, without making the young adults seem to whiny and annoying for me to deal with. In fact, I adore all of the characters in these books, but most especially, Noah and Ronan.
Here's what I had to say about the previous books in the series:
Every now and then, a book attacks me and holds on tight and when I finish with it, it refuses to let me go. That’s the case with the first book in the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, whom I declare to be my new favourite author. I came to this conclusion not far in, primarily because of her unique way of moulding her characters and settings, bringing everything literally to life
Once again, I have to praise Stiefvater’s skill at painting her world. She manipulates descriptions such that they don’t simply invoke an image, but a feeling. This is most evident in my favourite character, Ronan Lynch, who takes a greater lead in the second book, after announcing his ability to take things from dreams. The Dream Thieves begins with the description of Ronan’s father, and subsequently his sons, where she depicts Ronan as “molten eyes and a smile made for war.”
Mogsy's Pick:
The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon - October 21, 2014 (Bloomsbury)
The second book the The Bone Season series. I admit, I fell into the hype for the first book last year -- and I know it usually doesn't bode well when someone starts a sentence like that, but the book was actually pretty good! Officially, I don't believe it was marketed as a Young Adult novel, but it's not surprising to see that a lot of readers categorize it as such. It nicely straddles that sweet spot where it can find wide appeal among all audiences. I'm pretty curious about what the sequel might bring.
"Paige Mahoney has
escaped the brutal penal colony of Sheol I, but her problems have only
just begun: many of the fugitives are still missing and she is the most
wanted person in London.
As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on Paige, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city’s gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take center stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner.
Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided. Will Paige know who to trust? The hunt for the dreamwalker is on."
As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on Paige, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city’s gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take center stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner.
Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided. Will Paige know who to trust? The hunt for the dreamwalker is on."
