33. Neal Shusterman, Bruiser -- this was a weird book. I quite enjoyed it, but it was weird. I wasn't sure if it was going to have a fantasy element or just be a troubled teen sort of YA novel, and ( Spoilers )
The Price is one of my favourite stories by Gaiman. It does sound like I've read most or all of these - I recognized a lot of the titles. Troll Bridge was another one I liked a lot, as I recall.
I've been pondering the Holly Black ones. I know I would like to read the fae books she wrote, and if I like her style, I'll probably try this other series.
... I really should write reviews of the stuff I've read recently!
The Price was really neat -- I think this was the one story in the collection that positively surprised me, which was great.
I highly recommend Tithe and the other Modern Faerie Tale books! They are not perfect, but they stick with you, I found -- there is enough striking about them that they worked really well for me despite the bits I didn't like as much.
Also, since it sounds like you enjoy short stories, I think Holly Black is quite good at writing them. I recently read a collection -- The Poison Eaters -- and was impressed by almost every story in there, which is quite rare for me for short storry collections.
<3! I was happy to discover it was one of those kid books that only get better if you read them as an adult. And being able to share it with L was an extra bonus.
It's one of my favorite things about his stories, too :)
I would definitely recommend White Cat if you like YA urban fantasy in general. Original worldbuilding, the writing is good, and the plot is quite exciting once it gets going!
I'm glad you enjoyed The Westing Game! The characters definitely drive the plot there, which is my favorite kind of story. BOOM!
I keep hearing about Holly Black, but I never actually get interested enough to go find any of her books. Even though they all sound like stuff I'd really enjoy.
BOOM! XD (And character-driven is my favorite kind of story, too.)
I think Holly Black is a very good example of the YA urban fantasy genre -- I would say her books and short stories are the most consistent of the current crop of YA fantasy authors, for my taste anyway. Not perfect, not brilliant, but good and solid on writing and characters and plot, gritty without being depressing, funny without being fluff. Not the sort of characters I fall in love with, necessarily, but memorable books on the whole and always enjoyable.
Tithe is great if you like urban-fantasy-with-Faeries, and White Cat has an original magic system. I recommend them basically without reservation to anyone who doesn't mind a bit of darkness in their YA fantasy.
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I've been pondering the Holly Black ones. I know I would like to read the fae books she wrote, and if I like her style, I'll probably try this other series.
... I really should write reviews of the stuff I've read recently!
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I highly recommend Tithe and the other Modern Faerie Tale books! They are not perfect, but they stick with you, I found -- there is enough striking about them that they worked really well for me despite the bits I didn't like as much.
Also, since it sounds like you enjoy short stories, I think Holly Black is quite good at writing them. I recently read a collection -- The Poison Eaters -- and was impressed by almost every story in there, which is quite rare for me for short storry collections.
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Yes! Agreed, that's one of the things I love most about his stories. ♥
White Cat sounds pretty good, actually!
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I would definitely recommend White Cat if you like YA urban fantasy in general. Original worldbuilding, the writing is good, and the plot is quite exciting once it gets going!
Reply
I keep hearing about Holly Black, but I never actually get interested enough to go find any of her books. Even though they all sound like stuff I'd really enjoy.
Reply
I think Holly Black is a very good example of the YA urban fantasy genre -- I would say her books and short stories are the most consistent of the current crop of YA fantasy authors, for my taste anyway. Not perfect, not brilliant, but good and solid on writing and characters and plot, gritty without being depressing, funny without being fluff. Not the sort of characters I fall in love with, necessarily, but memorable books on the whole and always enjoyable.
Tithe is great if you like urban-fantasy-with-Faeries, and White Cat has an original magic system. I recommend them basically without reservation to anyone who doesn't mind a bit of darkness in their YA fantasy.
Reply
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