Guest Post: Top YA Series Recommendations

Today's guest post is from the lovely Sophie from So Many Books, So Little Time.  Sophie is one of the first bloggers I ever met and she has a lovely blog that I'm sure you're already following but just in case you aren't make sure you go over and say hi! 

So I'll hand you over to Sophie so she can tell you about some of her favourite YA series . . .

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There are lots of things that are hugely common in YA: love triangles, gorgeous boys, angsty girls, impossible situations, and supernatural beings. And we fall in love with them all, usually over the course of a series. Now, I’ve been reading YA for a very long time and so I’ve managed to get myself hooked on far too many series. And, especially for Sarah while she’s hoarding books in the US, I’m going to highlight the series’ that never fail to keep me coming back for more.

The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine

As the title of this series suggests, it’s about vampires. But these vampires are hardcore. They feed only on human blood, burn in the sun, sleep during the day and run the town of Morganville, Texas. Our protagonist Claire is trying to survive studying at Texas Prairie University with the help from her friends and Morganville residents Shane, Eve and Michael. Rachel Caine’s novels pack a serious punch with non-stop action, life-threatening situations and lovable, relatable characters. But I should warn you: this series is seriously addictive and there are a mammoth ten books of this series on the shelves out of a proposed twelve.

(Glass Houses, The Dead Girls’ Dance, Midnight Alley, Feast of Fools, Lord of Misrule, Carpe Corpus, Fade Out, Kiss of Death, Ghost Town, Bite Club, Last Breath (11/2011), Black Dawn (2012))

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

I fell head over heels for Clary’s story within a few pages of City of Bones. The mythology of the Shadowhunters - humans with angel blood - and their demon killing antics is a unique and beautifully drawn world that captured my imagination. Clary is a completely kick-ass heroine who you’ll be rooting for all the way and Jace is, well, pretty much to die for, really. And then you have awesome action sequences, vivid and energetic writing and cliff-hangers that are truly evil. I was so excited when Cassandra Clare extended the trilogy to include another three books last year as I really can’t get enough of The Mortal Instruments series.

(City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls (5/2012), City of Heavenly Fire (2013))

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Man, I love this series! Richelle Mead has created a fantastically unique and complex mythology that is perhaps the best, and my favourite, of all the vampire lores I’ve come across in YA. It has so many tangents and dimensions that it feels so very real. But a mythology like that has no ground without brilliant characters to carry it and the Vampire Academy series revolves around a favourite of mine: Rose Hathaway. There are very few heroines who are as kick-ass as Rose. The hero, Dimitri, isn’t too shabby either; in other words, he’s a god. Even if you’re not a vampire fan, pick this up for the sizzling chemistry between Rose and Dimitiri. You won’t be disappointed.

(Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound, Last Sacrifice)

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Uglies was my foray into dystopia. A friend had recommended the series to me many times and each time I told her that ‘it’s not my thing’ and I couldn’t have been more wrong. Scott Westerfeld created a dystopian world so far away from our world and yet so close to it that it blew my mind. In Tally’s world, at age sixteen you undergo an operation to make you ‘pretty’, because no one cares about you when you’re ‘ugly’. Tally struggles to overcome this society will resonate with everyone trying to fit in. And Tally is a heroine who would stand up next to Katniss Everdeen and Rose Hathaway with ease. What’s not to love?!

(Uglies, pretties, Specials, Extras)

Modern Faerie Tales by Holly Black

Tithe was a book I bought on a whim because of the stunning cover. I’d never read about faeries before and I hadn’t even heard of urban fantasy, let alone read any, and I was intrigued. Holly Black’s writing is sparse, yet vividly descriptive and she paints a picture of the dark and dangerous world of Faery beautifully. When Kaye returns to her childhood home, a staggering secret about her identity is revealed and she becomes embroiled in faery politics in a way that will change her forever. Kaye’s life with her mother is grim and gritty and was miles away from what I was used to and I fell hard. This book triggered a love of the fey and their world.

(Tithe, Valiant, Ironside)

Diary of a Crush by Sarra Manning

This was one of the first YA novels I got my hands on when I was around eleven or twelve and just breaking out of Jacqueline Wilson and Karen McCombie. I never really looked back. I devoured this trilogy in days and fell in love with quirky, stylish Edie and the gorgeously toxic Dylan. Diary of a Crush also began a love affair with diary-style books that still holds strong now. This trilogy is so easy to get lost in and it feels so REAL! I’ve read them so many times that there are phrases of Edie’s that are ingrained in my vocabulary and I can’t thank Sarra Manning enough for such a brilliant introduction to the world of contemporary YA.

(French Kiss, Kiss and Make Up, Sealed with a Kiss)

There are still so many more that I love: Harry Potter of course, the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, The Luxe series, the Wicked Lovely series, The Hunger Games trilogy, Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy and I could go on and go...

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Thanks so much for taking the time to write this post for me Sophie!  The only one of your favourites that I've read is Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series which I absolutely loved (I can't wait for Bloodlines to come out!!).  Quite a few of the others you mentioned are on my to read pile though (The Morganville series, The Mortal Instruments series and The Modern Faerie Tales series) so I really need to find the time to get started on them.  My trouble is I have way too many books that are waiting for me to read them, which I'm sure is a big problem amongst bloggers lol.  I love the sound of the Uglies series too and even though I don't tend to read much contemporary YA I'm very tempted to give the Diary of a Crush series a try too.  Thanks for the great recommendations :o)

Are there any other series tht I need to get started on?  What would your favourites list include?