I juggled being a mom with two kids and my career, as a teacher, so I had no time for myself. When I did get the chance to pick up a book, I craved stories that whisked me away from reality—books that were full of action and kept me turning the pages. Even though I enjoy other types of genres, my heart always goes back to dystopian books, which is why I eventually wrote my own series.
My favorite type of books are ones that blend dystopian, science fiction, and scientific facts together, and a lot of mystery.
In Maze Runner, a teenage boy wakes up in a box surrounded by a bunch of other boys that he doesn't know. Then they have to work together to find a way out of the maze before things become even more dangerous. Yup, a lot of suspense and mystery, and the author had my heart pounding.
The Maze Runner has such an interesting premise and though it's a YA book, readers of all ages will enjoy it.
The first book in the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series - now a series of major movies starring Dylan O'Brien!
SEE THE FILMS. READ THE BOOKS. ENTER THE MAZE ...
When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas remembers is his first name. But he's not alone.
He's surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade - a walled encampment at the centre of a bizarre and terrible stone maze. Like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they came to be there - or what's happened to the world outside.
As a former teacher, I loved the idea of the aptitude test, but of course this test is different.
Divergent follows the story of Tris, who has a choice to make among the different factions of her nation. I love this plot. I also enjoyed the twist and turns of the day of her choosing. I might not have been brave as her. LOL.
Also, I appreciate that Tris and Four had a slow-burn romance. The world felt believable, and Tris learns her decisions can bring consequences, not just to herself but also to those she cares about. Sometimes we need to be reminded of that as well.
The explosive debut by No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth.
DIVERGENT - a major motion picture series.
For sixteen-year-old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs.
Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead....
The Hunger Games have everything I love in books: action, romance, friendship, suspense, and most importantly, strong female characters.
Katniss is the epitome of strength and determination. She volunteers the games knowing her young sister would not survive if her sister enters. Something I would do too. Once she enters the games, a whole new world opens, a world where survival depends on cunning and courage. The trope—fight to survive—reminded me of Lord of the Flies.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before - and survival, for her, is second nature. The Hunger Games is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever...
This book hooked me from the first page, and The Union has all the exciting elements I love in a book—fast-paced, danger, action, and romance.
I didn’t want to put the book down, so I stayed past my bedtime, especially since I wanted to know about the protagonist’s love interests. It was easy to get lost in the book. The author did an amazing job with the details of the characters and the world-building.
After global warming and a second civil war devastated the former United States, two different societies rose from the ashes – the Union, a towering high-tech utopia, hugging the perimeter of the continent, and the devastated, untamed midsection known as the Ruins.Seventeen-year-old Evan Taylor has an easy, privileged life in the Union. What she doesn’t have is any idea what to do with the rest of her life. She only knows she wants to do something meaningful, to make a difference in the lives of others.When she’s kidnapped and taken into the Ruins as a pawn in a dispute involving…
Fourth Wing was my most recent read and boy did I devour this one. To me, the book is a mixture of Divergent, Hunger Game, Ember in the Ashes, and How to Train a Dragon, but steamier, and there is nothing wrong with that.
If you’re not into college romance and enemies-to-lover books, then stay away from this one, but for all the fantasy and romance lovers, you will be glad you read it.
An Instant New York Times Bestseller A Goodreads Most Anticipated Book
"Suspenseful, sexy, and with incredibly entertaining storytelling, the first in Yarros' Empyrean series will delight fans of romantic, adventure-filled fantasy." --Booklist, starred review
"Fourth Wing will have your heart pounding from beginning to end... A fantasy like you've never read before." #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout
Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history.…
Meteors devastated the Earth. World governments developed plans to help surviving citizens. The United States disbanded and salvageable land was divided into four quadrants - North, South, East, and West - governed by The Remnant Council.
Struggling to survive, 17-year-old Ava ends up in juvenile detention, until she is selected for a new life - with a catch. She must be injected with an experimental serum. To receive the serum, Ava agrees to join a program controlled by ISAN, the International Sensory Assassin Network. While on a training mission, she's abducted by a rebel group led by Rhett and told that her entire past is a lie perpetuated by ISAN to ensure her compliance. Unsure of who to trust, Ava must decide if her strangely familiar and handsome captor is her enemy or her savior.
From the time I was a girl, I’ve loved stories that put a lump in my throat even as I’m laughing. As a fiction writer, that funny-sad tone is the one I go for in my own work. I gravitate toward female protagonists of all ages who break the mold—women who are intelligent and strong but who also have unconventional, quirky personalities. Women who can be hilarious, infuriating, and heartbreaking—sometimes all at once. Because they are complex and unique, these women tend to struggle with life’s challenges more than their contemporaries. That’s what makes their stories so interesting, and why I have chosen the books on this list.
When Mar’s husband divorces her, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy starting over, she’s ready for new adventures—as long as she can keep things casual. Each month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical consultant. . . and a handsome novelist who wants more than she can give. Mar learns from each encounter. But can she open herself up to true connection?
Surrounded by quirky, endearing characters, Mar navigates her…
"A fun, entertaining novel! I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't enjoy this book as much as I did." -Leslie A. Rasmussen, award-winning author
When Mar Meyer's husband divorces her for another woman, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy to start over, Mar is young-looking, fit, and ready for new adventures-as long as she can keep things casual.
With each passing month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next. Among them: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical…
