Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

December 1, 2009; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

I read Beautiful Creatures a year and a half ago and adored it. In anticipation of the release of Beautiful Chaos, the third book in the Caster Chronicles series, I'm re-reading the first two books. Beautiful Creatures was not only as good the second time around, but I loved it even more. The story has everything that I consider essential in a good book: a likable narrator, heart-stopping romance, well-developed secondary characters, strong villains, a complex yet understandable paranormal element, and a good balance between character development and plotting. It is a mixture southern traditions: charm, history, and Gothic storytelling.

A highlight of the series is Ethan, our narrator and main character. It is always refreshing to have a male narrator and Ethan is particularly pleasant. He is smart, sensitive, and thoughtful. While he is extremely passionate about those he cares about, he manages to hold to his beliefs during times of turmoil without the inner angst of a typical female narrator.

Lena is Ethan's opposite in many ways. Angst to the extreme. And who wouldn't be if they thought they were cursed? Lena is a Caster - a witch. In her family, Casters turn light or dark at the age of 16. They have no choice in the matter. Lena is terrified that she will turn dark and is counting the days down to her sixteenth birthday like a prisoner ticking off days leading to his execution. Lena is an eternal pessimist. She is an emo poet. On the surface, she seems insufferably sullen. But the reader can't help but empathize with her fears and love Lena for her underlying kindness and intelligence. I loved that she had an edge - whether dark or light - she had the gall to get some revenge on those who wrong her.

My favorite part of Beautiful Creatures is the strongly developed parental figures. Both Ethan and Lena are your stereotypical orphans. Lena's parents died when she was young. Ethan's mother died last year and his father is so distraught that he might as well be dead. Ethan is essentially raised by his housekeeper Amma and Lena is raised by her uncle Macon. Both Amma and Macon play crucial roles in the story. I adored Amma's fierce love for "her boy," her crossword hobby, her cooking talent, and her role as intercessor between the Spirits, the Casters, and Mortals . I became extremely attached to Macon as I came to understand his particular mixture of elegance, arrogance, strength, and love for Lena. Amma and Macon serve as foils for Ethan and Lena as they strive to keep them apart and hinder their attempts to learn more about the Caster curse. Their actions are frustrating but the reader can tell they are done out of love.

Beautiful Creatures is a long book - 563 pages. I thought the plot flowed smoothly and rarely dragged. However, some reviews disagree. The book admittedly covers a lot of material. Here are the various major plot points of the novel: Ethan and Lena's romance, Ethan's family problems, Lena's family dynamics, the Civil War element of the Duchannes Caster curse, the "witch-hunt" Lena faces from the cruel, ignorant students and townspeople, Lena's struggle between dark and light, Ethan's friendship with Link, the explanation of what a Caster is, and more. Clearly, this is not a simple book. The story was a little easier to comprehend the second time around, but I remember being nearly as captivated on the first read.

I highly recommend Beautiful Creatures. It's one of the best paranormal romance series I've read. Ethan and Lena are two of the most endearing YA characters, the side characters are very strongly written, and the world of the Casters is absolutely fascinating. While the story is long and not overly speedy, if you're willing to be patient and take the time to absorb the myriad of things going on in Beautiful Creatures, it is a rich and satisfying book.

Rating: 5 / 5

Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

August 1, 2011; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Summary

The adventures of Tam and Gabriel continue with more time travel, Talents, spy work, and of course, the evil Knights.

Since the gripping conclusion of Once A Witch, Tamsin Greene has been haunted by her grandmother's prophecy that she will soon be forced to make a crucial decision—one so terrible that it could harm her family forever. When she discovers that her enemy, Alistair Knight, went back in time to Victorian-era New York in order to destroy her family, Tamsin is forced to follow him into the past. Stranded all alone in the nineteenth century, Tamsin soon finds herself disguised as a lady's maid in the terrifying mansion of the evil Knight family, avoiding the watchful eye of the vicious matron, La Spider, and fending off the advances of Liam Knight. As time runs out, both families square off in a thrilling display of magic. And to her horror, Tamsin finally understands the nature of her fateful choice. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Once A Witch and Always A Witch are two of the best paranormal/fantasy books I've read in quite awhile. Always A Witch begins just where Once A Witch left off. Alistair Knight has traveled back in time to prevent the creation of the Domani and the loss of the Knight family's power. For awhile, it looks like he is going to prevail. The future in the Greene family's book of prophecy is changing, or rather, disappearing. When a strange man travels forward in time to the Greene home and recognizes Tamsin, she knows that she needs to go back to 1887 and stop Alistair from destroying her family's future existence.

Tamsin travels back to 1887 and poses as a maid for the Knight family. I love how the fantasy world expands in this book. We see a whole new range of talents, and also see just how they can be used for evil as opposed to good. We understand why it was necessary for the creation of the Domani. The story is consistently interesting. This isn't one of those books that has you plodding through the first 3/4 and then glued to every page for the last 1/4. Instead, the entire book reads at a steady pace, with new plot twists, character development, and world-building that keeps you fascinated.

I love Tamsin. She was a strong character in Once A Witch, but is even stronger in Always A Witch. I liked seeing how her personality changed once she realized that she is, in many ways, the most Talented member of her entire family. It's given her a lot of self-confidence. But she still has some humility and insecurities that came from thinking she was a failure in a family of successes for most of her life. The mixture of qualities is actually a good thing for Tamsin. I love how courageous and smart she is. She isn't afraid of standing up to anyone - the Knights, her family, or the 1887 Greenes. But instead of just charging at them and losing, she positions herself to approach people at the time when she is most likely to get what she needs from them.

The romance between Gabriel and Tamsin is still here. I love Gabriel. He is handsome and loves teasing Tamsin by turning anything she says into a double entendre. He has a very useful Talent, but his family problems have kept him humble. The two of them are made for one another. I love how Gabriel wants to help Tamsin and Tamsin wants to protect Gabriel - rather than the other way around as most boy-girl stories go. I also like that the romance is not the most important thing to this story. It adds to it rather than defines it.

Always A Witch is a satisfactory conclusion to Once A Witch. The ending ties up the series nice - I loved how the book ended, even if it was bittersweet. The only thing that disappoints me is that there will not be another book.

Rating: 4 / 5

Manga Mondays (63): Sand Chronicles vol. 2 - Hinaki Asihara

Sand Chronicles vol. 2 - Hinaki Asihara

Summary

Just when Ann has adjusted to life in the countryside--and even has a boyfriend!--her father invites her to move back to Tokyo to live with him. Now she must choose between a father she hardly knows and a young man she is just beginning to know. But she soon discovers they aren't the only ones vying for her affections!(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

I'm two volumes into Sand Chronicles, but I already think it's my favorite of all the manga series I've read thus far. Perhaps because it's realistic fiction. It seems reflective of a real teenager's life in Japan.

Everything is going well for Ann. She's adjusted to small town life, loves her boyfriend Daigo and her friends Fuji and Shika. Just when everything is perfect, Ann's father shows up to throw a wrench in things. He explains why he disappeared without a word years ago and does actually have a good reason. He asks Ann to come to Tokyo to live with him and go to high school. She agrees.

Ann is horribly lonely without Daigo. But she lucks out. Fuji also moves to Tokyo to attend a fancy prep school. And Ann's friends from elementary school are now at her high school. There is much to miss about Shimane but much to love in Tokyo.

Fear not, Daigo still appears in this volume. I love the moments between him and Ann. They are sweet and innocent together. Very much the feeling of first love. It's not an otherworldly, all consuming love. It feels real.

Fuji plays a larger role in this volume than in the first on. We get a few details on his life, which isn't as idyllic as it seems. And he's part of a huge surprise at the end of the volume.

On another bright note, I finally figured out how to tell apart Daigo and Fuji. Daigo's hair is drawn messy and light. Fuji's hair is straight and dark.

In My Mailbox (47)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

I'm Alison (on the off chance you couldn't guess that from the name of my blog). I review Young Adult novels with a few Middle Grade books and a weekly manga feature.

For Review

*I've had both of these for a few weeks and kept forgetting to post them on IMM.

Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

*Already finished - It's wonderful!!!

*Thanks for NetGalley

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley

*Finished. Very enjoyable.

*Thanks to Galley Grab

Bought

Dream Dark by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

*Because I can't wait until Beautiful Chaos comes out!

Library Stash

My first Sarah Dessen novels!!!

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

*Already finished and adored it!!!

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Sand Chronicles vols. 4 - 10 by Hinako Asihara

Kekkaishi vols. 4 - 8 by Yellow Tanabe

CD Stash

Follow Me Down by Sarah Jarosz

Feature & Follow Friday #58

Welcome to Feature & Follow Friday (err Thursday) on Parajunkee.com

If you are new to the #FF fun, Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, Rachel of Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

*Thanks so much to Rachel for allowing me to be part of the Follow Friday fun. Parajunkee is one of the best blogs out there and FF is a highlight of the blogging community. The FF has been one of my favorite parts of my week for over a year and I'm so excited to help my fellow book bloggers get to know each other better.

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you! Now to make this #FF interesting we do a FEATURE blogger. If you are interested in becoming a Feature click on the drop down link above FEATURES > Feature & Follow Friday and get on the waiting list! It is also required, that if you participate you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) and the two Feature blogs.

Our Feature - StephLikesBooks

Hi! I'm Steph :) I'm 18 and 3/4's. I live in the UK at the moment -I'd love to travel! I'm obviously very passionate about reading, I always have a book with me wherever I go. I'm one of those people that drags others into a bookstore just to have a peek at all the books :) (Yes, I am one of those people who smells books :D) I started blogging because I wanted to share my opinions and thoughts with other readers.

I have A LOT of favourite books e.g. The Hunger Games, Divergent, Harry Potter -ofc! :) The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, Vampire Academy, Blue Bloods, Poison Study novels etc. :) I'm currently reading a few books, Coexist by Julia Crane, Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead, Dead Beautiful. Something that makes me an interesting person is..... I can twist my hand all the way around :) I know, I know, gross! :D

Q. How has your reading habits changed since you were a teen? or If you are still a teen what new genres are you in love with currently?

I've always enjoyed reading. I never went anywhere without a book as a little kid. That slowed somewhat when I was a teen. I always had a book that I was reading, but I wasn't nearly as passionate about it as I had been when I was younger. I spent most of my free time watching TV. My reading habit picked back up around my sophomore year of college. By my junior year, I was completely obsessed and the amount of books I read has only increased since then. I went to law school after college. One handy trait gleaned from law school was a fast reading ability. I can now get through books much faster than I could when I was younger. Currently, I estimate that I'll read about 200 books this year.

Also, the types of books I read has changed a lot. As a teen, I read mostly non-fiction. I was really into politics. I read tons of Bob Woodward's books. Ironically, now I'm so jaded about politics that I don't know who my Congressman is. Sad. For fiction, I read almost solely contemporary fiction and historical fiction. Now I read a mixture of contemporary, historical fiction, paranormal romance, and high fantasy...plus non-fiction. I wouldn't have touched fantasy or paranormal with a ten foot pole when I was a kid.

Now for the Follow Fun!

<center><a href="http://www.alisoncanread.com/search/label/FF" target="_blank" ><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4710921228_e3140444bf_o.png" /></a></center>

RULES To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - We Fancy Books & The Little Book Blog
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Happy Follow Friday! Follow it up with your twitter address if you want to get that one out!

*********

Cascade (River of Time #2) by Lisa Bergren

Cascade by Lisa Bergren

June 1, 2011 by David C. Cook
*I was provided a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Read my review of Waterfall (River of Time #1)

Summary

Gabi knows she’s left her heart in the fourteenth century and she persuades Lia to help her to return, even though they know doing so will risk their very lives. When they arrive, weeks have passed and all of Siena longs to celebrate the heroines who turned the tide in the battle against Florence—while the Florentines will go to great lengths to see them dead.

But Marcello patiently awaits, and Gabi must decide if she’s willing to leave her family behind for good in order to give her heart to him forever. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

An excellent follow-up to Waterfall. Cascade escapes the pitfalls most second books fall into. There's no love triangle. It never drags. The happy couple remains, for the most part, together and happy. It's refreshing to see an author who didn't feel obligated to stick to the formula for a second book.

Lisa is a masterful plotter. There is never a lull in the action in Cascade. The She-Wolves of Siena return to a hero's welcome (with their mom in tow). But the opportunity to bask in happiness is short-lived. There's two enemies brewing against Siena: plague and the Firenzes (sp?). Gabi, Lia, Marcello, Luca, and the rest of the crew are soon in the middle of impending disaster. While Cascade is action packed, it also flows smoothly. Too many books either have long periods where nothing happens or shifts from adventure to adventure so quickly that it feels choppy. We ride the wave up to the action scene, but have enough (but not too much) time to recover before the next adventure arrives.

The romance between Marcello and Gabi is perfect. They're happy, incredibly passionate, and selfless. Marcello is wonderful in that he lets Gabi shine. Too many heroes are so terrified that their ladies will get hurt that say lock them away (*cough* Edward *cough*). Marcello tries to protect and shield Gabi from danger, but he is quick to realize that it's best if she stands up and fights alongside him. That said, their relationship doesn't do it for me. I like both characters, but I don't swoon at Marcello and I don't get googly eyed at their (well-written) passion scenes. I can't figure out why. It's everything I should love.

Now Luca and Lia...that I love even though there's only inklings of romance. Luca is always upbeat and good for a laugh. Lia plays a much bigger role in Cascade. I admire her precision and skill with the arrow and bow. I also like how she puts forth rational thought and caution to dampen down Gabi's tendency to act without considering the consequences. It's almost like she's the big sister.

Another intriguing new character is Lord Greco. I love the uncertainty and tension of a character who seems evil but may be good. I expect great things for Lord Greco in the next book.

I mentioned in my review for Waterfall how well Lisa established the medieval Italian scene. This continues in Cascade. We see the dark beauty of the castle as well as the color and vitality of Siena and Firenze. We even see the contrast between the wealthy and poor. Gabi and Lia do a wonderful job of cultural adaptation. They embrace the idea of "When in Rome"...except for the dainty ladylike parts. Lisa doesn't skimp over the violence and danger of this time. Gabi and Lia are willing to do things like kill, main, and impart justice that would be unimaginable in modern times. Similarly, both girls are subjected to terrifying, dangerous experiences. There's no skimping on the violence.

A few complaints. It bothers me that Marcello and Luca have a pronounced lack of curiosity. Call me crazy, but if two people showed up at my doorstep from 600 years in the future, I'd have a few questions for them. Marcello and Luca don't seem to wonder about the world that Gabi and Lia come from. Or if they do ask questions, it's off the page. Also, Gabi is a great kick-butt, passionate, act-and-think-later character. Kind of like Rose from Vampire Academy but without all the anger. It's exciting to view her from the outside, but rather boring having to sit inside her head throughout the whole book. Her thought process is dull and doesn't make me feel connected to her.

Cascade is not a perfect book, but it is thoroughly enjoyable. It has great plotting, great character, great references to history, and great issues of faith. Yes, the Christian aspect is still there. I like that it's more geared toward a gradual building of faith than any great miracle or endless prayer. I highly recommend Cascade.

Rating: 4 / 5

Check out the book trailer for Cascade

Stand-Alone Books vs. Series

Young adult authors can't stop with just one. It seems like every successful book out there nowadays is followed up with a sequel, then often more books after that. If there's not a straight sequel, then you often find companion novels (such as Stephanie Perkins' Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door or Leah Cypess' Mistwood and Nightspell). Stand-alone novels are becoming as rare as penguins in Florida.

Why So Many Series?

If you want to be cynical, and I often do, you can answer this question with one word: Money. If a book is successful, subsequent books with the same characters probably will also be successful. Ka-Ching for publishers, authors, and booksellers.

Of course, most of the authors I've met do enjoy eating. And with the dominance of Amazon and the rise of e-readers, it's harder and harder to earn enough off a book to put dinner on the table. Who can blame them for trying to make a living?

The temptation to write more than one book is motivated by more than money. Authors love their characters. It's hard to say goodbye after just one book. Plus, many authors are like me in that their intention to write three paragraph quickly turns into three pages. If they put their plot ideas into one book, it would be 2,000 pages. Better to break it up.

Series: Bad or Good?

A lot of bloggers note stand-alone books with admiration. They stand out due to their rarity. But being a series is not necessarily a bad thing.

On the Pro-Stand-Alone side, it is a talented author who can fully develop characters, build a world, and craft a plot from beginning to end in a single novel. Three or four hundred pages isn't that much to make readers fully understand the characters' world. Authors must be able to pack a lot of information into relatively few words.

Back to the "it doesn't really matter" side...As much respect as I have for a well-done stand-alone novel, for many story arcs it simply isn't practical. For example, could the Lord of the Rings be fully set out in one novel? Could Harry Potter? Could Twilight?

Pro-series: A series can be so much richer than a stand-alone novel. Assuming the plot and characters develop more with each novel, the reader becomes immersed in a world for a much longer period of time. Let's consider Maggie Stiefvater's The Wolves of Mercy Falls series as an example. We got to know Sam, Grace, and the idea of the werewolves in Shiver. Alone, Shiver is a wonderful book. But it becomes so much more with Linger and Forever when Isabel and Cole become main characters and the idea of a cure for the werewolves becomes a possibility. Plus, the romance between Sam and Grace has time to be challenged and to grow stronger.

Too Much or Not Enough: The Challenge of Finding Just Right

So you're an author and you're going to write a series. Do you write two books...three...seven? The ideal number of books in a series is tricky. Write too few and you might as well snatch my slice of chocolate cake out from under me when I've only had one bite. Write too many and you've served more and more cake until I'm ready to throw up and swearing that I'll never eat cake again in my life.

I think three is the ideal number. At two books, the reader is just getting to know the world and the characters. You end the series just as I'm primed and ready for more. For example, I was particularly disappointed that Once A Witch and Always A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough was only two books. I loved the characters and wanted to hang out with them longer. On the other hand, more than three books risks over staying your welcome. Like a TV show after eight seasons. Every plot point has been done to death and there's nothing new to learn about the characters.

There are series that demand more than three books. Harry Potter could not logically have been concluded in less than seven novels since it followed Harry through each year of school. Another series that I love, The Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita stretched out to six books. Six books weren't necessary for character development, but it did have multiple story lines that made each of the six novels unique and interesting.

On the negative side, I don't really think Twilight needed to be four books. Breaking Dawn definitely has a strong plot line and lots of character development - and unlike many people, I like the book. But I think the story-line could have been adjusted so that Bella became a vampire and she and Edward lived happily ever after by the end of Eclipse, and readers would have been perfectly satisfied (or perhaps more satisfied given the controversy of Breaking Dawn).

In another realm, are the sitcom books. Think the Babysitter's Club or Goosebump series. There can be hundreds of books. These series are the Seinfeld's of the book world. While there is some character development throughout the series, each book is mostly a stand-alone novel. The authors have every reason to keep writing these books as long as people will read them, even if they have to recycle storylines.

Types of Books

Paranormal Series and Stand-Alone

Series are most prevalent with paranormal novels. I can hardly think of a single paranormal romance novel that doesn't have at least two books in the series. Most have three or more. The only stand-alone book that comes to mind is Sunshine by Robin McKinley. Can you think of others?

Stand-Alone: Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Series: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer; Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead; Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater; Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl; The Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare; The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa; The Wings series by Aprilynne Pike

Fantasy Series and Stand-Alone

Fantasy also commonly has multiple books. The reason behind this is the same as paranormal - usually the author has created a detailed world and an evolving storyline and characters. One book won't do the plot justice.

Stand-Alone: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab; Princess Academy by Shannon Hale; Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine; Coraline by Neil Gaiman; Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
Companion Books: Mistwood & Nightspell by Leah Cypess
Series: Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce; Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis; Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien; Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Contemporary Series and Stand-Alone

Contemporary is where you most commonly find stand-alone novels. This is understandable. We all know the world that a modern 16-year-old girl (or whatever he or she may be) lives in. We need to be introduced to her family, her friends, and all the various challenges she faces...but it doesn't take a map and a list of characters to familiarize ourselves with the world. Similarly, the plots typically aren't complex enough to require multiple books. When there is more than one book, it's often another episode in that character's life, rather than a continuation of an ongoing plot.

Stand-Alone: Sarah Dessen's books; Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard; Elizabeth Eulberg's books; Epic Fail by Claire LeZebnik; Justina Chen Headley's books; Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Companion Books: Anna and the French Kiss & Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins; If I Stay & Where She Went by Gayle Forman; Perfect Chemistry books by Simone Elkeles
Series: Dairy Queen books by Catherine Gilbert Murdock; President's Daughter books by Ellen Emerson White; Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita; The Daughters series by Joanna Philbin; The Mother Daughter Book Club series by Heather Vogel Frederick

Historical Fiction Series and Stand-Alone

Historical fiction also usually has stand-alone novels. The reason is similar to contemporary, although I think that multiple books might be required to adequately establish a historical setting. And many significant events in history have plot lines that need multiple books. But typically the books come one at a time, unless there is a paranormal element to the novel (think Libba Bray or Michelle Zink). Perhaps money is the reason that there aren't more historical series. Historical fiction doesn't usually sell as well as other genres.

Stand-Alone: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys; Number the Stars by Lois Lowry; The Book Thief by Markus Zusak; Eva Ibbotson's books; Ann Rinaldi's books
Companion Books: The Upstairs Room & The Journey Back by Johanna Reiss
Series: The Royal Diaries series; The Dear America Series; The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen; The Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer

Do you prefer stand-alone novels or series? What are some of your favorite stand-alone books? What are some of your favorite series? Feel free to supplement my list