We are one-quarter of the way through 2013 and … I have not been on my reading A-game lately. Usually with the amount of traveling I’ve been doing I would be getting plenty more reading done (I love airplanes for this very reason), but with deadlines approaching and vast amounts of promotion obligations, I’ve had to actually work during my travel time lately. Ugh.

But even though I haven’t read a whole lot yet this year, there have been lots of gems! The two that really stood out to me were:

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson

This is one of those books that caught me off-guard in every way. I can honestly say it’s like nothing I’ve ever read before, which I don’t say lightly! The world Alaya has created is high-tech and futuristic, but with old-world, almost tribal undercurrents to it. (I.e., there are human sacrifices!) I could never guess where Alaya was going to take the story next, and the ending was both shocking and absolutely perfect. Also – the writing. The writing. Be still my writer’s heart.

Prodigy by Marie Lu

You’ve all read Legend by now, right? Right?! If not, what are you waiting for? Marie has created a war-torn dystopian society that is smart and fascinating, a story that is filled with suspense and intrigue, and two main characters that I absolutely love. I can’t wait to see what happens in next year’s big finale!

Complete 1st Quarter Reading List

1. Style, by Lauren Conrad
2 Perfect Chemistry, by Simone Elkeles
3. The Archived, by Victoria Schwab
4. The Madman’s Daughter, by Megan Shepherd
5. For Darkness Shows the Stars, by Diana Peterfreund
6. Shades of Earth, by Beth Revis
7. Suite Scarlett, by Maureen Johnson
8. The Summer Prince, by Alaya Dawn Johnson
9. Fair Coin, by E.C. Myers
10. First Frost, by Liz DeJesus
11. Prodigy, by Marie Lu