The Hunger Games Trilogy, by Suzanne Collins

I recently included the first book of this trilogy in my Young Adult Literature class at the University of Texas at San Antonio because I truly admire the world and complexities created by Collins. The characters are multidimensional and believable and their futuristic dystopian society has just enough similarities to our own with its use of television and propaganda, class striation, and exploitation of the poor to be relatable.

I know many parents have criticized the level of violence in this series, but the ultimate message is similar to the one in Jonathon's Swift's Modest Proposal: We need to stop sacrificing our children in our political conflicts. It's no accident that Katniss is seventeen years old when many soldiers in our country and others recruit that age so that they are prime for enlisting by age eighteen. And families who pride themselves on serving their nation for generations in the armed forces are not unlike the career tributes.

Collins's trilogy is anti-war in the same vein as Small Soldiers, a partially animated movie in which technologically advanced toys go to war with one another. But it is also fatalistic in that the rebellion and the Capitol soon become indistinguishable from one another in the same way as Orwell's men and pigs in Animal Farm.

I highly recommend this heart-wrenching, fast-paced series to young and old alike.

City of Lost Souls, by Cassandra Clare

Overall, I LOVED this series. The character and world building were well done. I adored Simon, Izzy, Luke, Alec, and Magnus. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Alec and Magnus. The relationship between Jace and Clary is steamy, and their love for one another is believable.

This fifth book was a bit disappointing to me in terms of plot and pace. Some places dragged, and the ending didn't live up to my expectations. In spite of that, I'm glad I read the book, because I truly enjoyed being with these characters in this world and would highly recommend the series.

In the Arms of Stone Angels, by Jordan Dane

Jordan Dane has crafted a fast-paced, emotional roller-coaster of a ride with the story of sixteen-year-old Brenna Nash and a two-year-old unsolved murder in a small town. When Brenna and her mom return to the town to sell Brenna's grandma's house, Brenna is sucked into the case after visiting the friend she turned in for the murder--a half-breed orphan boy with gorgeous, soulful eyes named White Bird. He's been catatonic in a hospital since the murder, but when Brenna shows up, something happens...

The characters and their voices are palpable and distinct. The plot never slows down and, despite the infusion of Native American magic, seems utterly believable. I highly recommend this story.

City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare

This book was hard to put down from the moment I picked it up. The plot was very well orchestrated from beginning to end. I especially found the use of Madam Dorothea clever. I also liked the contrast between Luke and Valentine as father figures and leaders. The love Clary felt for Luke was so real.

All of the characters were believable, distinct, and memorable, and I could picture them vividly. Both the more-than-friends relationship between Clary and Simon and the blossoming romance between Clary and Jace were palpable. But the ending...

Without giving anything away, I just want to say that I don't believe it. I think Valentine is trying to manipulate them and that even Luke and the others are mistaken. I just can't accept the cruel twist, and find it hard to believe that Clary and Jace do...

I hope I'm right as I enter into the world of the second book.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor

The unique characters pulled me into the story right away. I enjoyed learning about Isa and Brimstone and the other chimera. I also took pleasure in Carou's everyday life as an art student in Prague with her friend juxtaposed with these strange errands she ran through portals getting teeth for a ram-horned beast--albeit a fatherly one.

I love stories that take a preconceived idea only to turn it on its head. In this case a "devil" falls in love with an angel. But devils are not evil and angels aren't all good.

I look forward to reading the next book.

The Host, by Stephenie Meyer

Wow. Talk about a wild ride. You get on and there's no getting off. You can't even stop to breathe! The tension is unrelenting. You have to keep going till the end.

I loved the concept of alien parastites taking over humans for "the greater good," at first emphasizing the tendency for humans to be violent and unreasonable, and later defending us as the most desirable companions in the universe.

I also loved the concept of two enemies sharing the same body, forced to get to know one another and eventually coming to love one another. I loved how the two identies occupying the same body have distinct personalities, which is underscored by their being in love with different men. The conflict of the two men both wanting the same body but being in love with two different persons is brilliant.

The ending might have gone on a little too long, but that's my only complaint about this exciting, interesting, and moving read that has made its way up to one of my top picks!

Starters, by Lissa Price

Starters is a  dystopian novel about a war-torn society in which unclaimed minors struggle to survive without getting caught by marshals, who want to institutionalize them. Because most of the middle-aged citizens were wiped out in the spore wars, the society consists of minors and the elderly. A power-hungry entrepreneur has developed a company called Prime Destinations at which impoverished minors, also called starters, can make money by renting their bodies out to elderly folks referred to as enders. Callie, desperate to help her sick younger brother, becomes a renter when things go wrong. The person renting her body pulls her into an investigation of Prime Destinations and she gets caught in the crossfire where she can't always tell who her friends are.

There were a lot of things I loved about this book. I loved the concept, and thought Price did an excellent job making the technology believable. Other areas weren't quite as believable, in my opinion, and at times I felt like some of the language describing emotional scenes was a bit heavy-handed, but the logistics of switching bodies was well presented. The plot was also compelling. There was never a dull moment.

Overall, I would recommend this story and look forward to the sequel.