Bookshelf Tour, Pt. 21 | YA (continues)

In part 19 of my Bookshelf Tour posts, I talked about the cat I live with. And yes, my living situation has now become me (and the rest of us humans here) living with the cat. The cat does what he wants (for the most part) and we have to adapt to him.

Well, Laila asked for a photo of Sir Kitty (one of my many nicknames for him) and I thought I’d comply because, if you follow me on IG, you’ll see that I enjoy serving as his paparazzi. So here he is, the Shadow Cat:

I now serve as his personal camerawoman and backscratcher/petter. It’s my job to pay attention to him by petting his back, head, neck, ears, and belly to send him into deep purrs of pleasure whenever he begins to wind himself between my ankles to trip me up while alternately looking up at me demanding attention with his unblinking stare.

And before y’all get the wrong impression — no, this is not my cat. He belongs to my brother but has attached himself to the rest of us by nudging his way into our affections. It’s hard not to like him, even when he’s annoying.

Well anyway, let’s get back to books. We’re touring my second bookcase:

And now we’re on the fourth shelf from the bottom that’s dedicated to only YA books. Let’s take a look at it:

I may not read many YA novels these days, but this is one of my favorite shelves. I just like the look of it, which is expected, I guess, since 95% of the time I buy YA books because of the cover. Plus, I think I have a nice collection of books here.

I have two Funko Pops on this shelf — Warrior Mulan facing off with Kitara of the Southern Water Tribe from Avatar: the Last Airbender. I wonder who would win in such a fight. They are standing in front of a little poster I got from a Book of the Month box when I was a subscriber. Further down is a coaster a friend got me when he visited London.

SITTING ON TOP

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie

Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie

Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen (illus.)

Splintered by A.G. Howard

Cinder by Marissa Meyer ★★★★★

It’s the first novel in the Lunar Chronicles, a sci-fi/fantasy series inspired by fairytales. So far, I’ve read the first three books in the series, but Cinder was the only one I really liked. The others annoyed me. I don’t think I’ll complete the series.

The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak ★★☆☆☆ ½

Historical fiction novel set in the 1980s about a teenage boy and his friends trying to get a copy of Playboy magazine. It was a decent read and funny in some spots. The copy I have and the cover below is of the ARC copy, which I think looks tons better than the actual cover.

STACKED: LEFT TO RIGHT

I really enjoyed reading Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina duology. They are fantasy novels set in a world where dragons can take on human form. It’s about a girl who’s half dragon trying to figure out who she is and her place in the world. I loved the writing in these books and the world building. I didn’t like Tess of the Road, which is set in the same world, as much, but I’m eager to read whatever Hartman publishes next.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman ★★★★☆

Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman ★★★☆☆

The Chronicle of Secret Riven by Ronlyn Domingue

The Mapmaker’s War by Ronlyn Domingue

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

I’ve only read two books in Rick Yancey’s Monstrumologist series, but I enjoyed them both (the first book is a favorite) and intend to complete the series. It’s a historical fiction, supernatural horror series about an orphaned boy who is an assistant to a monstrumologist, a scientist who studies monsters. The writing is so detailed and the world so rich that I quickly sink into the story. I wish they’d make it into a TV show or something.

The Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey

The Final Descent by Rick Yancey

The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey ★★★☆☆

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey ★★★★★

I really intend to complete Alison Goodman’s Eon duology, but I’ve yet to do so. I liked the first book, Eon, which is about a girl who disguises herself as a boy so that she can train to become Dragoneye, a powerful person in the kingdom who’s spiritually connected to a dragon. The world and fantasy is inspired by East Asian astrology. I liked the story and was very interested in the fantastical parts of it.

Eon by Alison Goodman ★★★☆☆ ½

Eona by Alison Goodman

STACKED: LEFT TO RIGHT (CONTINUED)

The Raven Boys series was a fun read for me. It’s a supernatural story set in Virginia about four friends trying to find the grave of a dead Welsh king so he can grant them wishes. I liked the writing and the psychics.

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater ★★★★★

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater ★★★☆☆

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater ★★★☆☆

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater ★★★★☆

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ★★★★★

Here’s another one of my favorite books. It’s a historical fiction, fantasy novel about a circus that’s only held at night where two magicians compete to see who’s best. I love the writing and imagery in this story and love how Morgenstern brings the circus to life. Sometimes it was as if the circus is also a character. It’s one of many fictional places I’d love to visit.

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Sphinx’s Princess by Esther Friesner

The Chaos by Nalo Hopkinson

Serpentine by Cindy Pon

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton ★★☆☆☆ ½

YA fantasy set in a society that values beauty. I read it about a month or so ago, but it didn’t work for me and I don’t intend to complete the series. I think I’ll unhaul this.

Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit ★★★★☆

It’s YA historical fiction with a hint of magical realism. It’s set in 1939 Poland and is about a girl who becomes orphaned when her father is taken by the Germans. A mysterious man takes her under his protection and she learns much from him. That’s a sucky summary of it. The story is so good and wonderfully written. I really liked it and am planning to start on Savit’s new book soon — The Way Back, which will be published on November 17.

Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Mother of the Sea by Zetta Elliott ★★★☆☆ ½

It’s a slim book with a dark spine, so it’s hard to make it out in the photo above. It’s a bit of a mermaid story about a girl from Africa who’s sold into slavery and encounters the Yoruba deity Yemoja when traveling the Middle Passage on a slave ship. The story was interesting. I like it; I just wish it was longer.

House of Purple Cedar by Tim Tingle