Which HarperCollins YA Imprint Is My Favorite?

A couple months ago, I wrote a post about which publishing houses I read the most from and which I have the most interest in. My results were basically that I'm a HarperCollins book whore, and while I love a lot of other publishers, I read the most (and have the most interest in) Harper books.

So this got me thinking: within HarperCollins, do I have a favorite imprint? Is there a specific imprint that I'm just really drawn to their books?

I have therefore decided to break down my GR bookshelf full of HarperCollins books into imprints, and I'll tell you how many of them I have on my shelves, whether read or TBR.

Harper Collins / Harper Collins Children's

Total Books: 26

I was actually a little surprised by this one, just because I feel like I don't notice this imprint much. I tend to lump these under the wide umbrella of "Harper Collins," as opposed to thinking of it as a separate imprint.

But "Harper Collins" publishes two of my favorite Harper authors: Amy Plum and Anna Godbersen. For that reason, my average rating of Harper Collins books that I've read is fairly high. This is definitely an imprint that I like!

Greenwillow

Total Books: 16

Greenwillow just doesn't have as many books coming out each year as Harper Collins or HarperTeen, but the books they do produce are high quality, I think. I tend to be really drawn to their unique concepts and intriguing voices. And often, Greenwillow books are some of my favorites.

Besides Rae Carson and Cindy Pon, Greenwillow has authors like Bethany Griffin (Masque of the Red Death), Leah Cypress (Mistwood), Heather Dixon (Entwined), and upcoming debut authors Elisa Sussman (Stray) and Alexandra Duncan (Salvage).

Katherine Tegan

Total Books: 8

This small number isn't that surprising to me, considering I've yet to actually read a Katherine Tegan book ever. A lot of them are futuristic sci-fi novels, and I'm not as into those. However, I have quite a few of them on my Kindle, and I intend to dig into this imprint as soon as possible.

Notable Katherine Tegan authors include Veronica Roth (Divergent), Mindy McGinnis (Not a Drop to Drink), Eve Silver (Rush), Jodi Meadows (Incarnate), and Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam (Elusion).

HarperTeen

Total Books: 73

HarperTeen is probably the largest YA Harper imprint, so this number isn't surprising either. There's lots of diversity in subject matter and genre, and my ratings have been just as diverse. HarperTeen tends to be hit or miss for me, just because I read so many of them and I read the good ones and not-as-good ones.

Some of my favorite HarperTeen authors are Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me), Josephine Angelini (Starcrossed), Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely), Lesley Livingston (Wondrous Strange), Susan Dennard (Something Strange and Deadly), and Kiera Cass (The Selection).

Other big authors at this imprint are Kiersten White (Paranormalcy), Aprilynne Pike (Wings), Sophie Jordan (Firelight), Louise Rennison (Withering Tights), and Claudia Gray (Evermore).

Balzer + Bray

Total Books: 20

Let's be real: Balzer + Bray is my jam. I think they have some of the coolest books with the coolest ideas, and their covers are basically the best ever. Like with Greenwillow, I think there's just something really cool about Balzer + Bray, and I tend to really like their books.

Some of the biggest Balzer + Bray authors are Diana Peterfreund (For Darkness Shows the Stars), CJ Redwine (Defiance), Sarah Strohmeyer (Smart Girls Get What They Want), Gretchen McNeil (Ten), and Elizabeth Norris (Unraveling).

Balzer + Bray also has some great-sounding books coming out soon that I'm dying to read, like Snow Like Winter, a high fantasy by Sara Raasch, and Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman, a historical about a German girl who grows up among Nazis and begins to question all she's been taught.


So the data says I'm most interested in HarperTeen and Harper Collins Children's, but those numbers are a little stilted, since those two imprints post the most books.

Of the three smaller imprints, I'm definitely most interested in Balzer + Bray, then Greenwillow, with Katherine Tegan pulling in at the end, mostly because they publish a lot of sci-fi and that's not my favorite genre.


I'd like to do something similar to this post with other publishing houses, but I'm not sure I read enough from other publishers to gather enough data. Maybe I'll try and do it for Simon & Schuster and Penguin. We'll see!

Do you have a favorite Harper imprint?

What is it?

Let me know in the comments!

Review: For Darkness Shows the Stars, by Diana Peterfreund

Author: Diana Peterfreund
Title: For Darkness Shows the Stars
Series: For Darkness Shows the Stars #1 (companion series)
Genre: YA sci-fi
Pages: 402
Released: June 12, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Bought

It's been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family's estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth--an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret--one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she's faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

Persuasion is one of my favorite Jane Austen novels. I love how intense the story is, how you just ache for the characters. I was really excited to see a YA reinterpretation of this novel, and it seemed like such an incredible concept. And while I did enjoy it, I had a hard time connecting with the romance, which was my favorite part of the original novel.

First and foremost, I feel like I need to express my love for Elliott, the MC. I loved this girl! She's become one of my favorite YA heroines for sure. I feel like she is truly a "strong heroine." Not because she can physically beat up anyone but because of her endurance and perseverance, because she is a survivor. She has so many disappointments thrown her way and yet she keeps on keeping on. She doesn't let the setbacks immobilize her, and she fights for the people she loves. I was just really impressed with her character and would love to see more heroines like her in YA.

However, I think my love for Elliott actually made me dislike Kai more than I would have if I hadn't liked her so much. In the original book, Persuasion, Captain Wentworth is cold and aloof, but he is never cruel. Kai is cruel. And confrontational. And just flat out mean, especially to Elliott. I had a really hard time connecting with him or feeling bad for him or feeling really anything besides dislike. Yes, he gets nicer, but for me, it was too little too late. I feel like he never truly apologized for what he said and did to her, just acted like he was totally right and she was totally wrong. That didn't fly with me.

And because I didn't like Kai, I didn't care for the romance. I kept wishing Elliott would just run off with one of the other boys. I didn't understand how she could still love Kai after four years and now he's treating her so terribly.

Thankfully, there are a lot of scenes that don't involve romance. I liked these a lot! I enjoyed watching Elliott struggle with her family and trying to take care of the "Reduced" and "Posts" that worked the family's estate. And I loved her character arc in this regard - how she matures so much in relation to her family and friends.

I also thought the worldbuilding was great! It's a really interesting concept, and it felt like it fell between post-apocalyptic and dystopian. You could argue that it's dystopian since the Luddites are in control and oppressive, but you could also argue it's dystopian since there's so much destruction and society is so fragmented. I don't know. I think it could go either way, depending on how you interpret it.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was a slower-paced read, but I was interested enough to keep reading. Also, Elliott is definitely a great character, and I appreciated that the story is told in third person (as that's so uncommon in YA now). I'm really looking forward to Across a Star-Swept Sea, the companion novel, because it's a retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel - and I now know that Diana Peterfreund has a great writing style and creates fabulous heroines! :)

In Which Sci-Fi YA Covers Beat Out All Other Competition

Maybe you've seen my recent series of posts that I've been doing about the best covers in particular YA genres. I've had so much fun with these, sharing the cover love and drooling over my favorites all over again.

If you'd like to see my other posts, you can check them out:

Contemporaries

High Fantasy

Dystopian/Post Apocalyptic

This week I'm posting about the mother of all YA covers - the sci-fi cover. I said last time that I think dystopian and science fiction get the best pretty wrappings, but I think if you had to narrow it down to just one, I'd go with sci-fi. I don't know what it is about this genre that lends itself to prettiness, but it's there.

And it's glorious.

Clearly, Marissa Meyer has hit the jackpot on the cover lottery. All her covers, whether US or international, is absolutely fabulous. Even her novella covers are BA!

*slow clap for Macmillan*

One of my favorite part of sci-fi covers is definitely stars. I like stars, more stars, and even more stars. Which is why I so adore the original Across the Universe cover and why For Darkness Shows the Stars and These Broken Stars tickles my fancy. It just screams, "This book is about space and it's gonna be awesome!"

I also feel like we should take a moment to appreciate the incredible awesomeness of BOTH Lenore Appelhans's covers. Typically, I don't like the repackage of a book, but I honestly think this one is an improvement. And that's pretty hard to do, considering the first one is absolutely fabulous.

My favorite YA sci-fi cover might always be Across the Universe, but These Broken Stars, Across a Star-Swept Sea, Vitro, The Memory of After, and Incarnate might be close to surpassing it. I haven't decided yet.

What are YOUR favorite science fiction covers?

Like my choices? Disagree with them?

Let me know in the comments!

Waiting on Wednesday: Descendant, by Lesley Livingston

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a meme created by Jill at Breaking the Spine that
features books yet to be released that we're looking forward to reading.

Author: Lesley Livingston
Title: Descendant
Series: Starling #2
Genre: YA urban fantasy
Pages: 320
Released: Aug. 27, 2013
Publisher: Harper Teen

The last thing Mason Starling remembers is the train crossing a bridge. An explosion . . . a blinding light . . . then darkness. Now she is alone, stranded in Asgard—the realm of Norse legend—and the only way for her to get home is to find the Spear of Odin, a powerful relic left behind by vanished gods.

The Fennrys Wolf knows all about Asgard. He was once trapped there. And he’ll do whatever it takes to find the girl who’s stolen his heart and bring her back—even if it means a treacherous descent into the Underworld. But time is running out, and Fenn knows something Mason doesn’t: If she takes up the Spear, she’ll set in motion a terrible prophecy. And she won’t just return to her world . . . she’ll destroy it.

In this pulse-pounding sequel to Starling, Lesley Livingston delivers another electrifying blend of nonstop action and undeniable romance that will leave readers breathless.

If you know anything about me and my reading taste, then you know that I'm a huge Lesley Livingston fan. (I mean, I've only gushed about her in basically every "Top Ten Tuesday" post ever.) My favorite of her books that I've read is definitely Starling, the first book in this series, so I'm really excited to get my hands on the second one!

NORSE MYTHOLOGY FTW!!!


What book are YOU looking forward to?

Fabulous New Ebooks I've Acquired (That You Should Get Too!)

As you may have noticed (or maybe you didn't - that's cool too), I don't do a weekly feature about the books I've gotten that week anymore. There are no more In My Mailbox's or Book Haul's or what have you. I don't really accept review copies from publishers anymore, so I thought it was a little weird for me to be showing y'all the books I got...that I bought.

I mean.

Maybe it's not weird.

I don't know.

Whatever.

Anyway, since I don't accept review copies anymore, I've been going a little crazy with the digital books, and I'm accumulating quite the little collection on my Kindle.

I recently snagged some AWESOME books that I'd like to share with you. And I'll tell you where I got them too, so you can either buy or request them yourself! :D

Amazon Kindle

Peaches, by Jodi Lynn Anderson

I read Tiger Lily earlier this year and loved Anderson's writing.

Plus, this one takes place in Georgia, my home state.

Oh, and it's on sale for $1.99 right now!

Go buy it now!

Smart Girls Get What They Want, by Sarah Strohmeyer

I loved, loved, loved Strohmeyer's most recent book, How Zoe

Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True, and I've heard awesome

things about this one too.

Plus, I adore that cover.

It just screams "ADORABLE!" to me.

So excited to read this one!

:)

Legacy Lost, by Anna Banks

Y'all, I'm so weak.

I need Of Triton so badly, I resorted to buying the digital novella

that goes with this series.

I'm usually not into the novella thing.

*sigh*

I've got it bad for this series.

What Really Happened in Peru, by Cassandra Clare

Another novella I couldn't say no to.

I mean.

Come on.

Magnus + Peru?

Seriously?

A necessity.

NetGalley

Prep School Confidential, by Kara Taylor

I saw Suzie Townsend tweeting about this one on Twitter,

and I thought it sounded really cute and funny.

I'm not usually into this type of book, but Gemma Halliday

blurbed it, and she's funny.

So.

Thought I'd give it a try!

The Summer I Became a Nerd, by Leah Rae Miller

I couldn't say no to this adorable contemporary.

It sounds hilarious, right?

Plus, I've heard great things about it.

Also, indie pub!

Woohoo!

Rules of Summer, by Joanna Philbin

I'm so into "summer" books.

There's a beach?

Cute boys?

I'm in.

The Heiresses, by Allison Rushby

The only new adult books I've liked so far have all been historical,

so I'm hoping I'll really like this one too.

Plus, I think it's interesting that this was originally serialized

as digital-only, but now it's coming out in print all together.

Very cool!

When You Were Here, by Daisy Whitney

I've been dying to read this book for what seems like forever.

I love the cover.

I love the concept.

I'm just hoping it lives up to my expectations.

Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell

#SQUEE!

I mean, do you need an explanation?

Okay.

It's Rainbow Rowell.

Also, it's new adult.

I'm determined to find more new adult books that I actually like.

Edelweiss

Dance of the Red Death, by Bethany Griffin

I freaked out when I saw this was up on Edelweiss.

Like, freaked. out.

I've been waiting for this since I finished Masque of the Red Death.

Eeeepppp!!!

Across a Star-Swept Sea, by Diana Peterfreund

Holy awesome cover, Batman!

The Scarlet Pimpernel is one of my all-time favorite novels, so I was

really pumped to see that Diana's new book is based on it.

Plus, seriously, I'm in cover lust right now.

*oogles*

Rock and a Hard Place, by Angie Stanton

I love when self-pubbed books are acquired by big houses.

It's like the American dream, in publishing form!

Also, uhh...rockstar love interests.

Yes please!

Snapshot, by Angie Stanton

Yes, this is a companion novel to Rock and a Hard Place.

And I intend to marathon the heck out of 

these books this summer!

How to Love, by Katie Cortugno

This basically sounds like the saddest book ever.

I'm so into it!

Plus, I love the font treatment on that cover.

Once We Were, by Kat Zhang

I actually haven't read What's Left of Me, but I have it,

so I'm looking forward to being able to marathon

this series, as well!

So those are the fab books I've gotten recently! (It helps that I'm on auto-approve for Harper Collins titles on Edelweiss - but I feel sure you don't have to be as much of a HC fangirl as I am to get auto-approved. lol) I can't wait to sink my teeth into so many great reads!

What digital books have you gotten lately?

Snagged any of the same ones I did?

Let me know in the comments!