The Literary Horizon: Imaginary Girls, The Fault in Our Stars

Is it weird that I associate young adult fiction with presentation as much as with its audience? There’s something about those slim, smooth volumes with appealing cover art that’s so particular to them. Is it because young adults are the new hip audience? Is it because older readers will power through lackluster cover art? I don’t know, but that’s really all that links today’s selections from my bucket of recommendations—they’re young adult fiction and they look gorgeous.

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Chloe’s older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can’t be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby’s friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about.

via Amazon

Becky Allen at the fantastic Active Voice reviewed this in January, and the story grabbed me. I don’t have a sister and my brother is significantly older than I am, so sibling drama is particularly intriguing to me. Also, teenagers and murder is always a good thing. (…in fiction. In fiction!)

Becky gave it four cupcakes in her review; Lenore at Presenting Lenore found it beyond gripping.

Imaginary Girls was published on June 14, 2011.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

via Amazon

I’ve never read John Green. I’d never heard of him until I got to college, and then his books never particularly interested me. But The Fault in Our Stars has been blowing my friends away one by one, so I think it might be time to give him a shot, especially after Fyrefly’s awesome review.

Over at Fyrefly’s Book Blog, she gave it an absolutely glowing review; Ana at things mean a lot also loved it, pointing out how Green treats teenagers as people.

The Fault in Our Stars was published on January 10, 2012.