Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!
This week's theme is 'Top Ten Hyped Books I've Never Read' or, in my case, in which Jess has read basically none of the most popular YA books out there.
I have nothing against YA. In fact I think YA's pretty great, but I definitely haven't read mainly YA in a while. I don't want to say I've 'grown out of it' because a) I don't think it's possible to grow out of books and b) I think saying something like that sounds as though you're saying YA is a juvenile genre, when actually there's a lot of really important YA out there.
However, as a reader who primarily reads speculative fiction I find it very hard to read YA that isn't the same as the last YA book I read. I think the genre is definitely starting to change, in fact it's always changing, but what I mean is it does seem to finally be growing out of the constant love triangles between the heroines who aren't like other girls, who are plain but stunning, and the two guys who are either the friendzoned best friend or the dark, brooding asshole.
Anyway. There's a lot of YA I haven't read, despite how popular it might be, because it falls into that trend and, not to sound too much like a hipster, I really hate that aspect of YA. I hate the sameness to so many books in the genre, though I fully understand there are plenty of YA books that are completely different.
(I should also say that if the books I just said I didn't like are the books you do like, that's fine! I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad about what they read, this is just how I personally feel.)
I also find myself reading a lot more standalones than series nowadays, and it's so rare to come across a YA book in the speculative fiction category that doesn't get stretched into a series.
So some of these hyped books I haven't read for the reasons above, and there's nothing wrong with that, and some of them (not all of them are YA!) I haven't read because I just haven't gotten to them yet!
On with my list!
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell: This has been on my TBR for a long while, and now I even own a copy so I will get around to it at some point, but I'm very hesitant to go into it. On the one hand I love that this is a YA book with an overweight protagonist, but on the other hand I've seen many reviews that have talked about the blatant racism and fetishism surrounding Park that have made me really reluctant to pick it up. The reviews I've seen in which they've pulled direct quotes from the book have made me cringe.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins: I know a lot of people love this book and the two books that follow it, but it's just never interested me. I did enjoy Stephanie Perkins' story 'It's a Christmas Miracle, Charlie Brown' in My True Love Gave to Me, but I still have no real interest in picking up any of her novels.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas: Maas and I just don't get along. I have nothing against her personally, of course, but I just have no interest in her stories. I picked up a copy of Throne of Glass and then ending up DNFing it after a couple of chapters because I just wasn't feeling it, and I have no interest whatsoever in A Court of Thorns and Roses. I think it's amazing that she has such a huge fanbase, it's really lovely, but sadly I'm not one of those fans.
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare: Again, I just have no interest in reading this series. See? YA blasphemy. I know Cassandra Clare has an even bigger fanbase than Sarah J. Maas, but I've just never found any of her books that appealing. Plus I don't like the way she speaks to some of her readers.
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi: Yet another series I have no interest in. I don't like love triangles and, even though a lot of people seem to love him, Warner puts a bad taste in my mouth and I really don't like it when a character's behaviour is excused because they have daddy issues.
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead: Now this one I would quite like to read, I've just never gotten around to it. Since Twilight I've stayed away from YA vampire stories, but I don't think that's fair because I imagine there are plenty of YA vampire stories that are amazing. Though I must admit I've never found vampires that interesting; when it comes to fantastical creatures I'm a lot more interested in witches and werewolves. I've heard a lot of great things about this series, so I'd like to give it a try eventually!
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: I've owned Fangirl since it was released because I'd heard such wonderful things about it, but ever since I came across those reviews of Eleanor & Park I've been hesitant to go near any of Rowell's writing. The only novel of her's I've read is Attachments, which I thought was only okay, and I read her short story in My True Love Gave to Me which, while I enjoyed it, wasn't one of my favourites. Not only that but I've been nervous to read a book about a girl starting uni now that I've left, because I'm worried I'll feel really sad.
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: I own this and I can't wait to get to it, I just haven't read it yet!
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab: Same goes for this one, I haven't read it yet but it's waiting on my shelf for me!
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson: I own this one too, in fact I own the whole Mistborn trilogy because I heard such amazing things about it, but I'm slowly getting back into high fantasy and I don't feel quite ready to tackle this one yet. I will, though!
Which books made your list?
