Top 10+ YA Reads for 2012

2012 has gone by in a flurry of days. I can't believe it's nearly over. About this time last year, I started an amazing debut by Tahereh Mafi and finished it just as 2012 began. It has remained among my top reads of 2012 (even though it released November 15, 2011), although I don't count it in the top 10 since it was technically a 2011 book. Still, if you haven't read SHATTER ME, DESTROY ME, and aren't absolutely SALIVATING for UNRAVEL ME, what are you waiting for??? If my first read of 2012 was any indication, 2012 proved to be an amazing year in YA books.

Disclaimer: My list is my list, and probably missed at least one of your top picks for 2012. There are MANY books that came out this year I'm still kicking myself for not reading yet. See my next blog post for that.

To celebrate the awesome words, the shiny covers, the carefully crafted characters, the scintillating world-building (read: not info dumping), and the twisty plot twists that kept me gasping for more, I've compiled my list of the top reads of 2012. Let's get to the list:

10. A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS by Michelle Zink

9.  THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT by Jennifer E. Smith

8. BURNING EMERALD by Jaime Reed

7. DROWNING INSTINCT by Ilsa J. Bick

6. TOUCHING THE SURFACE by Kimberly Sabatini

5. SLIDE by Jill Hathaway

4. UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi

3. CINDER by Marissa Meyer

1 & 2. TIE: STORMDANCER by Jay Kristoff

1 & 2. TIE: SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

• SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi (this is a 2011 debut, but I read it over the cusp of 2011/2012).

• LIVING VIOLET by Jaime Reed (published 12/27/11), although I read this in 2012 and loved it. Book 3 just came out, FADING AMBER and I can't wait to get to the end of this great paranormal series.

• OF POSEIDON by Anna Banks (definitely in my top reads of 2012)

• THE DUFF by Kody Keplinger (I'm SO very late to the party, released in 2010, but I don't care! It was TOTALLY worth the wait!)

• INSURGENT by Veronica Rossi (definitely in my top reads of 2012)

• BEASTLY by Alex Flinn (confessions of a slow reader, debut in 2007)

• BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver (released 10/2011) A fantastic read, I HIGHLY recommend.

• TWIN SENSE by Lydia Sharp (amazingly quick read...I wish it was longer...it ended too soon). You might have noticed this one is also on my sidebar. Yep, it's that awesome.



 

 

So, there you have it. I'll do another blog soon on all the books I'm currently reading (slowly), and ones I SHOULD HAVE read in 2012, but I'm definitely reading in 2013. Also, books I'm dying to read that come out in 2013. That's all for me, so tell me in the comments what books you read in 2012 that you loved (especially if they're not on my list, but even if they are), and books you wished you read in 2012, but plan to read in 2013. Happy New Year!