It's a fair bet that most of us have come across cliffhangers at one point or the other. A cliffhanger is when the story ends but the scene at hand does not, and is left to be continued in the upcoming book. The purpose? Suspense, which is a part of good storytelling. The results? Angry growls, excited cries, and extreme capslocking of fans.

Series: N/A
Genres: YA | Fantasy | Dystopia
Published: October 28th 2014
Publisher:  Dutton Children's
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My rating:
 2/5

Can you hear Atlantia breathing? 

For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamt of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all her plans for the future are thwarted when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected decision, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long hidden—she has nothing left to lose. 

Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the complex system constructed to govern the divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.

What if one day you wake and you're stuck in the scariest horror story you know of? Well, if you're anything like me, you'd look to your favorite characters for help. Just in case you actually do get stuck in a horror story (oh, the possibilities), here's a list of 10 YA characters that can help you survive.

Series: The Winner's Trilogy #1
Genres: YA | Fantasy | Romance
Published:  March 4th 2014
Publisher:  Farrar Straus Giroux
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My rating:
3/5

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love

 As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. 

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. 

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. 

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

By: Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Genres: YA | Contemporary | Romance
Published:  February 21st 2012
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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My rating:
  4/5

A lyrical novel about family and friendship from critically acclaimed author Benjamin Alire Sáenz.

 Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

We, bookworms, live a thousand lives. All of this makes us prone to a lot of things, like the ever so often urge to tear the eyelashes off of people who we think are a big hurdle to our life as a reader. A furious bookworm can be a little like a miniature version of your average five-year-old's monster. Miniature is mostly optional. So if you'd rather not have the added drama of a furious bookworm in your life...