You’ve seen Sara and Steph‘s lists for the Best Young Adult Books of 2010; now here are Taylor’s favorites:
The waiting and anticipation for the final book of the Hunger Games Trilogy was well worth the wait! It wasn’t pretty, but it was real. Mockingjay is the perfect ending to the story of Katniss, the Districts and Panem. If you haven’t read it yet, get cracking! You have the perfect opportunity to read all three books (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay) back to back before the movie debut, which is scheduled to begin production in late spring 2011. Since all three books are already out, you’ll be spared the nail-biting wait for the next book to be released to find out what happens next.
Check out Sara’s spoiler free review to find out more about Mockingjay.
The Mermaid’s Mirror by L.K. Madigan
One of my favorites of the year, Mermaid’s Mirror is a fantastic read! I love how real the characters are. And who doesn’t want to read about summer, beaches and surfing? Throw in some secrets, a mermaid or two, a touch of romance and some great friends and you’re all set. Madigan’s writing is excellent. Lena’s family is present in a way that tends to be uncommon in YA literature, and although they have their secrets, there is real love demonstrated in the relationships, which really makes this story so excellent. The mermaid world is refreshing and different from what you’d normally expect when there’s any type of magic involved.
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Claire
I was a late comer to The Mortal Instruments series, but once I got hold of them I couldn’t put them down. It only stands to reason that I would be equally excited about the first of The Infernal Devices series. An excellent compliment to TMI, this very cool, steampunk story fills in some gaps and builds some excellent connections to the TMI storyline. The magic mixed with technology is creepy and fascinating. One of my favorite TMI characters also makes an appearance – bonus!
Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
Another vampire novel, totally worth the read. A little romance, a lot of drama and over 500 years of “life” gives the reader an interesting character to follow. Lena, the main character, is one of those characters that you love to hate, and maybe – just maybe, you’ll find a redeeming quality in her along the way. The cast of characters vying to be Lena’s love interest make the story all the more interesting. Maizel’s spin on the vampire story is new and interesting, giving you a look at the cold ones from a different perspective than we’ve seen in past novels involving vampires.
Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl
Not your typical dry, boring historical fiction. The characters are great and I love the multi-genre presentation that includes letters, journal entries and newspaper articles among the chapters. You get a good chunk of Victoria, based largely in fact, and another very interesting (and totally fabricated) story from the perspective of Liza the “servant” girl who becomes Victoria’s friend after her own set of unfortunate circumstances pull her away from her nearing debut in society and toss her instead into the working class.
Check out our review of Prisoners in the Palace.
I read a lot of excellent books this year and I chose just a few to highlight here, but there are many more good ones, including: Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick , Linger by Maggie Stiefvater and Paranormalcy by Kiersten White.
My “to read” list includes Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly and Matched by Allie Condie. What books do you think are The Best of 2010?
Novel Novice 
Erm, you forgot one. When I Was Joe by Keren David should, surely, be up there? The way it’s written, the Plot, the characters are all so intricate and amazingly created, it surely is meant to be up there.
This is a title I haven’t heard of, but I’ll be sure to check it out!
Still, when I took a closer look at the 100, I’m underwhelmed. “Young Adult” books including ‘Harriet the Spy’ ‘One Crazy Summer’ and ‘Island of the Blue Dolphins’? Guess that covers ‘young.’ Can Block’s ‘Dangerous Angels’ really be counted as one book?