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This is great - thanks. I'm looking forward to trying several of these!

~Jeccaess

I am delurking to recommend a book titled "The Grimm Legacy" by Polly Shulman. It has two of my favorite things in it, a library, and fairy tales. It was a quick, fun, interesting read that left me wondering when (or if) a sequel is coming out.

Thank you thank you! I have found some awesome books through your recommendations as well as through the comment section. This will make it much easier to navigate.

Do you really read all of the books people recommend?

I have to recommend that you read Graceling, Fire & Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore. YA, but chunky, these books were awesome! :) Each one had their good and bad points, in Graceling you get a strong but tormented heroine who doesn't want to marry (and doesn't!) but still has an adult.... um, never mind. Let's not spoil it!
Fire is yet another heroine that is completely believable even though she is much, much different than the heroine from Graceling. Gorgeous storytelling and SHE gets to save the prince!
Bitterblue has a special place in my heart. One of those books where the main character is confused (and so are you) by what's happening around her. A continuation of Graceling, although Fire is also tied neatly into the plot. I couldn't tell if I loved it or hated it at first... decided on love finally!

Thanks Jen and please keep the book reviews coming!

You really should put The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente on your list. In fact you should put it at the TOP of your list! It's another one of those YA books that's just simply amazing.

Along the lines of Chronicles of Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz, it's keeping with the "child in a strange land" plot without seeming trite or overdone. There are a ton of allusions to other works which I appreciated and the prose is charming and witty.

I actually listened to the audio book which is read by the author and was fell so much in love with it that I started it over as soon as I had finished. Based on your reviews I can't imagine that you wouldn't enjoy it.

I was going to recommend the Graceling series but someone else already did, so I will instead suggest A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Currently, 2/3 books of the trilogy are out and I can't wait for the third. Without spoiling anything, they are romance with a lot of magic and history thrown in. Or maybe they are magic with romance thrown in. Either way, I really enjoy them and think you might too.

One of my favorite authors is Christopher Moore. 'A Dirty Job' and 'Lamb' are probably my favorites. Not YA, but outrageously hilarious and well-written to boot. I highly recommend him!

*SQUEE* Just pure joy. I love handy dandy book lists.

This isn't really a recommendation for one book in particular, but my uncle is about to be published by this new company and from what I know of his book, I think y'all might dig their style.

http://strangechemistrybooks.com/2012/08/21/extracts-from-strange-chemistrys-first-four-titles/

Sorry for another comment, but here's my uncle's page-- I think the rest of the books the company is publishing look great as well, but you know, gotta promote my family :) http://strangechemistrybooks.com/books/zenn-scarlett-christian-schoon/

Talk about a strong female heroine!!

i have a recommendation for you, it's a series of books by Kristine Kathryn Rusch called the Fey. it comprises the most amazing, imaginative story lines, with fleshed out characters you root for and ultimately become conflicted about. Great YA reads.

I recommend "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

for a quick read, try the cat royal series by julia golding. pretty strong girl protagonist set in victorian london (but she does travel a bit). i think there's six books in the series. the only tricky part is having to hunt them down on amazon. my library only had the first book, and by book four, i couldn't wait for the american version to be put on the market. hence, royal air mail delivery! great book list btw.

More recommendations! :D

Seconding the recommendation of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente.

Also, anything by Seanan McGuire, either under her name (more urban fantasy) or her more horror-oriented pen name, Mira Grant. The NewsFlesh books under the Grant name are really good - a mix of sci-fi/horror/political thriller.

I highly recommend Lynn Flewelling's books. Her nightrunner series is a fun read (Intrigue, hijinks, necromancy and more!), while her Tamir Triad is possibly my favourite series ever. It's about a girl who grows up believing she's a boy (because of Prophesy!), and in the end has to fight to take her rightful place as queen. What makes the story special is how well Flewelling shows Tobin/Tamir dealing with suddenly finding out he's actually a girl. Plus the supporting cast are great!

A series I've particularly enjoyed was the Mortal Instruments and its companion series The Infernal Devices which is decidedly steampunk in its leanings. Both are by Cassandra Clare. Start with City of Bones and read them in order of publishing date. The two Infernal intertwine within the Mortals so getting the order right is extremely helpful.

Another is Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series. These aren't your Disney faeries.

Re: Redshirts. :) Personally, I enjoyed the codas, although as Scalzi himself points out, it's not something that will work for everyone. My personal favorite out of all his books has to be Old Man's War, which... I picked it up at the bookstore, started reading, and was so thoroughly hooked in the first five pages I forgot I'd gone to the store with a four year old in tow (who I then had to chase down). It's philosophically meaty, the way good Sci-Fi always is. Highly recommended.

Have you read Darkbeast by Morgan Keyes? I just finished it and have handed it over to my preteen to read. It's an excellent YA fantasy book. Also, The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge is an awesome steampunk/Cthulhu mashup. A little difficult to bite into, at first, but by the end it had its teeth in me, instead.

here's a list of suggestions:

http://www.manhattan.lib.ks.us/littleapple/?cat=23

I've read about a third of these and liked them so I figure I'll probably like the others too.

There's a new book out of a tiny publishing house called "Mary of the Aether." I don't like misrepresenting myself, so I'll be up front that the best man at my wedding wrote it. That said, I also don't like shameless promotion of crap. I genuinely enjoyed the book, as did several people I've recommended it to who have never met the author. Plus, it's super cheap for Kindle! I'd classify it as maybe about 3/4 as good as Hunger Games but about 7-10 times better than Eragon.

Our reading lists look the same. That's awesome.
May I suggest Janine Spendlove? Last book I read that I couldn't put down was hers. She's got a couple novels and a couple long stories out.

I would like to suggest Melanie Rawn's "Exiles" stories. There are only two ("The Ruins of Ambrai" and "The Mageborn Traitor" - in that order) and they are not available electronically. They are such an intricate story with lots of magic, love, and twists. The characters get confusing, but don't let that stop you!! The third book in the trilogy doesn't look like it will ever come to fruition, which is a shame. They are still worth reading even without a solid/satisfying ending.

I'm still plowing through your list...with 3 kids, I don't find much time for reading anymore. I do love your suggestions, so keep it up. I am always trying to find a new author! - Ruth

Have you read any of the Harry Dresden novels by Jim Butcher. A modern day wizard in Chicago with everyday issues like paying rent and broken down cars. Very entertaining.

Also good is The Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy by Carrie Ryan.

The Doomsday Vault by Steven Harper, you will love it!

I just finished a book called The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Based on your list, I think you might like it. Also, I don't remember if I've seen them mentioned already, but have you read the Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke? I love good book recommendations!

I highly recommend "Thirteenth Child" and "Across the Great Barrier" by Patricia Wrede.
I gobbled up these two books. You won't be able to put down the first book once you start. Called young adult fiction, it is just amazing.
I can't wait until the third book comes out in paperback.

I recommend Marissa Meyer's Cinder. I just read the whole thing in one sitting and then pre-ordered the sequel. It's a retelling of Cinderella, and a good one. She's a cyborg mechanic and she's awesome.

Awesome. Can't wait to read some of these. I really encourage you to check out Wildwood. It's written by the lead vocalist of the Decemberist's, Colin Meloy and includes some amazing illustrations by Carson Ellis. And the best part is...it's about a fantastical adventure in my own hometown, Portland, Oregon.

I don't think anyone's suggested it yet, but I have a feeling you would enjoy the

Monster Blood Tattoo Trilogy
by D.M. Cornish.

i second the monster blood trilogy reccomendation; and would also like to suggest you read

The Night Circus
by Erin Morganstern

one of the best books of magic I have ever read.

I think you should try Stephen Lawhead's Robin Hood series (Hood, Scarlet, and Tuck). They're not YA, but they're fun enough that I was totally picturing the characters as foxes, lions, etc (circa Disney's version). I also think you might like his Bright Empires series. There's a lot of travel between times and places, with some fun historical elements. They are long, because he tends to go into a lot of detail, but some of his books would be hard to keep up with if he didn't.

-Jackie B

Here's more non YA for you, but it's steampunk, so that should make up for it. "The Constantine Affliction" by T. Aaron Peyton. It's a new book, and as far as I can tell, the author's first. It's set in steampunk Victorian London with lots of literary references that I enjoyed. Hope you like it!

Not sure if it's on the list already but try "The Dark is Rising" series by Susan Cooper. I loved them when I was younger and still do. Just ignore the movie version, it's a hot mess that has almost nothing to do with the book.

Oh, also "Redwall" series by Brian Jacques is super fun. There are around 20 of them, but I recommend reading them in the order they were written. They are at the younger end of YA lit, but I still enjoy reading them. Smiler to "Watership Down" but mostly less depressing and violent. And hey cute woodland animals! They made an animated series of three of the books that is super close to the books and so cute. I recommend reading the books first.

This is a really good list, I've read so many of the books on here already! An amazing one I'd really recommend, in terms of traditional fantasy, is called 'The Name of the Wind', and it's sequel 'The Wise Man's Fear' from the Kingkiller trilogy written by Patrick Rothfuss. There's a large emphasis on story telling and the idea of a story within a story, and they don't include anything graphic or disturbing. Honestly, they are some of the most beautiful books I have ever read, and I can't recommend them highly enough.

I'd like to second Dealing With Dragons. It's a fantastic book, totally subverts the 'damsel in distress' trope. You'd love it.

I would recommend the Discworld series. It's a giant series, but each book can more or less stand on its own. It ends up being completely bizarre and also hilarious. Some of the books are a bit more in the teen range, but there's nothing too incriminating.

I highly recommend "Ruins," by Orson Scott Card. It is book two of the Pathfinder Series -- I actually haven't read the first one yet! Oddly enough, in this case, I'm going to recommend that you *start* with the second book, not the first. It provided enough information that I wasn't totally in the dark (and it stood well enough on its own,) while at the same time making me want to rush to the first book as fast as I could. A great read!

Cold Magic (The Spiritwalker Trilogy, #1) by Kate Elliott: magic and the industrial revolution- what else is needed?

I would suggest "A great and terrible beauty." There are three books, A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels and and The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray if you haven't read them. There are some of my favourites. Magic, romance, boarding schools, a whole lot that I love. It has a lot of elements similar to Harry Potter that I never understood why AGATB never took off as much. i love both series, and AGATB is a bit more mature. I would highly suggest them. :D

I just finished "The Friday Society" by Adrienne Kress. It was a fun read. Girls + swords + steampunk = awesome.

I also can't say enough about "The Girl of Fire and Thorns" by Rae Carson. I'm telling everyone I know to read it. Elisa starts the book off as a weak pawn but manages to come into her own by the end of book 1. It is very well written and I had a VERY hard time putting it down!

"the night circus" is the best book i have read in a long time and certainly the best i've ever read about magic. the imagery in it is simply stunning. for an amazing steampunk book i highly recommend "boneshaker." it is a steampunk alternate history of seattle. with lots of airships. and zombies. <3

I've read many of the books from your list. Gotta love steampunk! Did you know that Ender's Game is coming out in a film version this year?!??!! And also one based on Orson Scott Card's Seventh Son (a book I highly recommend to you considering your preferences that come through from your list). I think it's great that Hollywood seems to finally be recognizing OSC's talent. They have so much wonderful material to choose from! I also think they could get a lot of mileage out of Stephen R. Lawhead's novels.

Another favorite of mine that I think you would enjoy is Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey.

Regarding Ender's Game movie- Harrison Ford is playing Col. Graff, and Ben Kingsley as Mazer Rackham.


While not really a YA fan, I have a few books to recommend as well:

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Steampunk:

The Difference Engine - William Gibson (the guy who coined the term cyberspace and practically invented the genre) takes a good stab at steampunk.

Boneshaker - Cherie Priest. Not as much a fan of the others in the series, the first one is a perfect example of western (not Victorian) steampunk. Not too blatant about hitting the popular conventions, though not really that subtle either. Has a definite horror undertone, and absolutely NOT campy or cutesy. She's got a quite a following now, but IMO this one is the best by far. Plus, as a Floridian, I'm happy to see Seattle turned into a fetid zombie pit.

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Fantasy- I'm not a fan of happy elf/dwarf stuff thats totally ripped off from Tolkien over and over. Nor am I a fan of the neverending series fluff filled junk like Terry Goodkind, or Margaret Weiss. Here's a few that are NOT derivative and well worth the time:

The Dying Earth - Jack Vance (my fave author ever). The original of its genre- this has been ripped off, err inspired, so many other authors it will feel almost familiar.

Lyonesse - Jack Vance (trilogy) - clever mix of classic western fairy tales set in a just-pre Arthurian setting. Many many characters that are all interwoven over the 3 volumes.

Book of the New Sun - Gene Wolfe - tough read, not for kids. Rewarding as a reader once you start to figure out the author's real references. I think people get PHD's analyzing this book.

....and for a fun, modern one!

The Lies of Locke Lamora - Stephen Lynch. Probably the most clever recent fantasy I've read. Almost an "Oceans Eleven" in fantasy setting. Lots of rewarding twists and turns.