Lauren Oliver, You've Done it Again

I was 13 when I did NaNoWriMo for the first time. That was before I had ever read any Young Adult books, before I had ever finished a draft of any of my novels, before I began telling myself, "I want to be a published writer."

For those of you unfamiliar with Nano, they have a list of special pep-talks sent to the Wrimos (participants) by successful authors. Lauren Oliver was one of the pep-talkers the first year I ventured to do Nano. I really liked her pep-talk, so I decided to check out her books.

I was instantly hooked by Delirium. I remember lying on my bed, my eyes rapidly moving across page after page, devouring the words as quickly as possible to find out what would happen. Oh, geez, I wish I could go back to that first time I read the book. To be sure, I've re-read it multiple times, but there's something about the first time you read a book that you can never get back no matter how many times you re-read it.

Pandemonium was awesome, too. I didn't think it was as good as Delirium, but I honestly wasn't expecting it to be. That being said, I was not at all disappointed in it. It was still way better than most books. And that dang cliff hanger ending. . . even worst than the first=)

One thing I really like about Lauren Oliver is that her books aren't "video game books." That's what my dad calls books with action scene after scene. Even though her books are crazy exciting, Lauren knows how to write those mellow, everyday moments that everyone has. Though the Delirium trilogy takes place in the future, it is still so normal. People are still people, as they are today, and as they were a thousand years ago. People who are still making their way through life. People succeeding and failing, loving and hating, laughing and crying.

I just finished Requiem. As I closed the book, I was left with a strange array of emotions. The first one, I can't tell you, because it's a spoiler=) But after that feeling, I was like "Oh. My. Goodness. I just finished Delirium." The fact that I had finished the series made me want to cry more than the book actually did! And yes, my eyes did tear up multiple times while reading it. I was/am filled with a total awe of Lauren Oliver. She is such a talented writer who deserves all the attention and success that she is receiving and more.

Requiem was utterly beautiful. If there's one word that would describe the Delirium series, it's beautiful. So real, so honest, so soulful, so beautiful. Lauren Oliver, you've done it again. I hope someday I will be able to write as beautifully as you can.

(I would give the Delirium series a PG14 rating as a whole– probably PG13 for the first book, but PG14 for the last two. The books deal with some mature subject content, some language, and there is some sexual content.)

I Loathe, I Like, I Love

I cannot believe that today marks the beginning of a new year. I'm sure many of you are experiencing similar feelings about 2013. Time truly flies by so fast, does it not?

For me, 2012 was the year of the YA books. I have been introduced to so many different characters and authors. Here are the first annual "I Love, I Like, I Loathe" awards for AM Station!

NOTE: Not all these books came out in 2012, but I that is the year in which I read them.

The Dynamic Duo Award for Best Movie/Book Goes To: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I still remember where I was when I read this book for the first time. It was in January or February and I was at back-to-back basketball games that my siblings were playing in. I was so engrossed in the book that I could not lift my eyes from it's pages!

(PG14 for heavy content, brief violence, language, and some sexual content)

The Most Amazing/Disappointing Award Goes To: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I read this book this past August and was extremely impressed by Green's ability to capture real life circumstances. This book was heartbreakingly beautiful. However, the book contained unnecessary sexual content, making it unable for me to give it a full five stars.

(PG14 for mature subject content and sexual content)

The Heartbreaker Award Goes To: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

I finished this book a few weeks ago and was so touched by it. I shed a good deal of tears over this one. The characters in this book are some of the most intriguing I have ever meet. Seriously. In fact, they are too good to be without a long review, so more on them later! Anyway, this story literally broke my heart with everything that transpired in its pages.

(PG14 for mature subject content)

The Disappointing End to a Series Goes To: Reached by Ally Condie

Matched was amazing. Crossed was ok; at the very least tolerable. I was barely even into the first few chapters when I couldn't take it any more. I tried and tried to keep reading, but I found myself reading and re-reading each word. Each page I read felt like two. I was very disappointed, to say the least.

(Rating is NA because I didn't finish it)

The Highest Expectations 2012 Award Goes To: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

After Delirium ended in such a cliff hanger fashion, I was DYING to read Pandemonium!! Though I wasn't as impressed with Pandemonium, (it kind of dragged in some parts) it was such a exciting read. Ugh, and the ending was WAY more of a cliff hanger that Delirium. ALEX!!!!!!!

(PG14 for mature subject content and brief sexual content)

The I Loathe Award for Worst Book I've Read Goes To: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Part of the reason why I disliked this book/series was probably because my expectations were so high. I thought that though the plot was good, but the characters and their actions didn't seem very realistic and I didn't care about them very much. There also didn't seem to be a whole lot of character development.

(PG13 for the first book, PG14 for books 2 and 3)

The I Like Award for Most Ok Book I've Read Goes To: Tiger's Destiny by Colleen Houck

The Tiger Saga was the first YA series I read, recommended to me by Jen Wagner, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Since then, I've read better written books, but these are still a fun read. That being said, this book lacked a certain pizazz. In my opinion, the characters didn't react the way real people would have when facing certain situations. Another reason why I wasn't very impressed could also be because my expectations were so high following the previous books in the series.

(PG12-- As a side note, the series is great for older preteens to younger teens, but also a great adult read.)

The I Love Award for Best Book I've Read Goes To:

*drum roll please*

Divergent by Veronica Roth!

Since I have already written a review of this novel, there is little left to say. But this was seriously one of the best books I've ever read. There are so many lessons to be drawn from this story. The characters were so real and and relatable. The plot was amazing and there were so many surprises within Divergent's pages! Almost needless to say, I can't wait for the last book in the series to come out in Fall 2013!!

(PG13 for a mild romance, mature subject content, and brief language)

Happy New Year, everyone!! I would love to hear your favorite book/books of this past year!!

(Pictures from Google images)