Summer Reading - 2013 Edition (3)

Among my friends, I'm known as the book person. As a result, whenever someone is looking for a book recommendation they come to me. This time of the year, this happens a lot since summer is fast approaching and a lot of my friends are typically seasonal readers--as in they read when they have time to do so and that time is often summer. Like I did last year, I thought I would post these recommendations--by genre--here on the blog as well. Up this week, some fantasy and science fiction recommendations.

- The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - If you haven't heard of Cinder and Scarlet, you are seriously missing out. The Lunar Chronicles are fairytale retellings set in a futuristic world where humans, cyborgs and androids co-exist. Believe me, it's just as awesome as it sounds. Cinderella is Cinder, a cyborg and Little Red Riding Hood is Scarlet, a girl who runs a farm with her grandmother. With the Lunar Chronicles, be prepared to rethink a lot of what you know about fairytales and that's what makes them so awesome.

- Unremembered by Jessica Brody - When I read it, Unremembered wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. But it turned out to be quite the sci-fi read. If you choose to read Unremembered, be prepared to be surprised because for much of the book it doesn't feel like you're reading a sci-fi story. So if you're looking to read some sci-fi that doesn't feel too much like a sci-fi story, then Unremembered is a good option. The only downside is that it's the first in a trilogy and the two sequels aren't out just yet.

- Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes - Even if you aren't a particularly big fan of fantasy, you should still read Morgan Rhodes' Falling Kingdoms. I can't really say whether or not this is a valid comparison or not, but this book has been compared to Game of Thrones. Though I can say that it is a truly fantastic story (no pun intended). Falling Kingdoms is the kind of book that will grab your attention right from the beginning. Though a word of warning, characters have a tendency to die…especially the ones you get attached to.

- The Gypsy King by Maureen Fergus - Again, even if you aren't that into fantasy, The Gyspy King by Maureen Fergus is s story that will grab your attention right away, or at least it did for me. The story was very different from what I thought it would be and from other fantasy stories I've read (not that I've read all that many). And if you still need some convincing that The Gypsy King is a book to pick up, the sequel is coming out this fall, so you won't have to wait that long to find out what happens next. Though if you are outside of Canada, it might be a little trickier to get a copy of this book.

- Witchlanders by Lena Coakley - Witchlanders was one of my summer reading recommendations last year and I still stand behind that recommendation. The story in this book felt incredibly real despite the clear high fantasy elements and the characters were memorable. And for a nice change in YA, the two main characters are boys. Even though Witchlanders is not quite as recent as some of the other recommendations on this list, it's still a great fantasy read if that's what you are in the mood for.

So these are just a few fantasy and sci-fi recommendations and is not an extensive list. If sci-fi/fantasy isn't what you are looking for you can always check out my contemporary and paranormal recommendations or come back next week for some post-apocalyptic and dystopian recommendations.