Top Ten Tuesday: 2013's New-To-Me Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful ladies over at

The Broke And The Bookish!

This Week's Topic:
Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2013

Writing this list and going through the books I've read this year, I realized I really didn't read that many new authors.  I read a lot from authors I already enjoyed.  Hellooooo goal for 2014.  I love finding those new authours.  Last year, Jennifer L. Armentrout was my favourite new-to-me author.  This year, I have to say it was Rae Carson.  Guys, the Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy did terrible things to my heart.  I just loved it.  I cannot wait to read more from Rae, as well as these 9 other awesome authors!

Links to my reviews (if available):

The Girl of Fire and Thorns | The Crown of Embers | The Bitter Kingdom

Anna and the French Kiss | Partials | Fragments

The 5th Wave | Pivot Point | The Distance Between Us

Fangirl | The Summer I Turned Pretty | Burn for Burn

Fire With Fire | Golden

Reviews coming for Ann Aguirre's Razorland Trilogy

Who was your favourite new-to-you authour this year?  Who do I need to check out?

Review: Fire With Fire by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Published August 13th, 2013
Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
528 pages (Hardcover)

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Lillia, Kat, and Mary had the perfect plan. Work together in secret to take down the people who wronged them. But things didn’t exactly go the way they’d hoped at the Homecoming Dance.

Not even close.

For now, it looks like they got away with it. All they have to do is move on and pick up the pieces, forget there ever was a pact. But it’s not easy, not when Reeve is still a total jerk and Rennie’s meaner than she ever was before.

And then there’s sweet little Mary…she knows there’s something seriously wrong with her. If she can’t control her anger, she’s sure that someone will get hurt even worse than Reeve was. Mary understands now that it’s not just that Reeve bullied her—it’s that he made her love him.

Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, burn for a burn. A broken heart for a broken heart. The girls are up to the task. They’ll make Reeve fall in love with Lillia and then they will crush him. It’s the only way he’ll learn.It seems once a fire is lit, the only thing you can do is let it burn... (From Goodreads)

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A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence my opinions in any way.

Holy amaze-balls.  This book was SO GOOD!

Fire With Fire continues where Burn For Burn left off (you can see my review here) with the character recovering from the events of homecoming.  While they followed through with their original plan, more revenge plots are brewed and the group continues to take it out on one of the original victims.  

I love how there isn't a love triangle, but rather a crazy mess involving everyone (aka what happens in small communities).  This could suck, but it's woven together so well that I would be upset, followed by intensely hopefully, and then heartbroken.  I enjoyed every second.

Mary, Lillia and Kat are still fantastic characters.  The alternating POV is done very well.  We're also given a little more back-story on each character, and get to see each develop and grow.  The characters are definitely a strong point in this series.  I loved getting some of my questions about Mary answered, only to end up with even more!  Like I said last time, I think everyone will fall for at least one of the girls.

The ending is killer.  Literally.  I sat in bed with my jaw on the floor for the last 30-ish pages and I am not even exaggerating here.  Then I sat in bed dumbfounded.  The ending is THAT GOOD.  The whole book is like this though, drawing you in and refusing to let go.  The storylines are woven so well that every little detail has the potential to mean something much more significant!

Fans of Burn For Burn should pick up Fire With Fire immediately, and any fan of contemporary should get started on this series!  Hell, I would recommend this to anyone at all!

Review: Burn For Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Published September 18th, 2012
Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
358 pages (Hardcover)

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BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY...
THEY GET EVEN.

Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister.

Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him.Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste. (From Goodreads)

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Burn For Burn is a great read with revenge, drama and just a little bit of mystery thrown in.

The story is told from three different perspectives.  At first I thought that this would be annoying, but the three voices actually worked wonderfully together and were pretty seamless.  The three main characters are all very different, and I loved that!  There is something there for virtually any reader, and most people can likely connect with at least one of our three main girls.  Mary is the quiet, sweet one with a darker past.  Lillia is beautiful, popular and rich, but feels disconnected with this.  Kat used to be popular, but since the death of her mom, has strayed to a less ideal crowd.  There is something in each girl that is so alive and true that they really come to life.  I loved all three, but definitely saw little pieces of me in Mary.

And who doesn't love a little revenge?!  This plot is so good and I like that not everything is what it seems.  Little twists pop up here and there, and then there is that one big question about Mary that left me confused and curious about her!  No spoilers, but I can't wait to see how this works out in Fire With Fire.  The ending is just right, leaving the reader curious about what will happen next in this whole quest for revenge, but not suspenseful enough to make you throw the book through the window (or, in my case, Kobo, which would have been very bad).

I figured I should finally read Burn For Burn in preparation for Fire With Fire next month (August 13th, 2013).  I did not expect to love it as much as I did.  Any fan of YA contemporary/drama/revenge should read this immediately!

Book Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Published May 5th, 2009
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
276 pages (Hardcover)

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Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along. (From Goodreads)

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Disclaimer: This is definitely an emotion-influenced review.  I tried to rewrite it, but couldn't make it work.  If you don't like reviews that bring in too much "personal baggage", I don't recommend this review.

Overall, The Summer I Turned Pretty is the perfect read for a lazy day at the beach or cottage this summer.  Unfortunately, I chose to read it on a day when my mood was less than stellar, which may have wrecked the experience for me a little.

Belly has been added to my list of annoying characters.  Maybe it's just her age but OMG she is so whiny.   She threw a fit over every little thing and I just wanted to tell her to shut up and calm down.  She also showed no development, with the book culminating in one giant temper tantrum.  It's a good thing Jeremiah and Conrad were a little more "likable".  Both felt more down-to-earth and balanced out the emotional nature of Belly.

I've always wanted to have a beach house, but you don't see a lot of those in farm country.  This allowed the setting to really draw me in, although I wish there had been a little more beach.  It felt real enough without an excessive amount of description.

I might give It's Not Summer Without You a read, but I'm definitely waiting until summer to do so.  I think if my mood had been better, I would have enjoyed this book far more.

Much love, Samantha