Guestpost: Top Ten Fav YA Books by Elisabeth Wheatley (Author of The Secrets of the Vanmars )

Today, I'd like to introduce ya'll to a 16-year-old author and her fantasy book called The Secrets of the Vanmars. Check out her fav YA books below :D 

Top Ten Fav YA Books

by Elisabeth Wheatley

My 10^th favorite book of ALL TIME is Wolf Wing by Tanith Lee. I love all the books in the Claidi Collection, but I think this one was the best. I love the dry wit of Claidi, the light-hearted tone, the unpredictability of the plot, and the original world that the author created for the story.

My 9^th favorite book of ALL TIME is The Squire’s Tale by Gerald Morris. This book takes a story that has been re-hashed enough times to put mashed potatoes to shame and weaves a tale that is original and funny, yet also true to the old Arthurian Legends.

8^th place goes to The Horse and His Boy by (you better know this one!) C. S. Lewis. I love horses, I love Narnia, and Shasta is so adorable...it’s no surprise this book is on my list.

In the 7^th place slot, we can find The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. Again, my passion for horses may play a role in why I like this book, but it is excellent.

Neatly in the 6^th place position is River Secrets by Shannon Hale. A later book in the same series as The Goose Girl, this book follows the story of young, pitifully short Razo as he tries to prevent war while dealing with people who can control fire.

5^th place goes to Ever by Gail Carson Levine. Normally, I’m not too keen on the idea of a “romance” book—I mean, I like romance, but I just prefer it as a condiment. Like wasabi. But Ever is definitely in a class by itself.

Situated in the not-too-shabby 4^th place position is Inkspell by Cornelia Funke. Not sure why I enjoyed this one so much more than the other two books in the series, Inkheart and Inkdeath. Inkspell has a menagerie of original magical creatures, re-invented classical ones, political intrigue, and a healthy dose of action.

Many Waters by Madeleine L’Engle takes 3^rd place. This story is labeled as “Sci-Fi,” but it’s really more of a fantasy. Fifteen-year-old twin brothers play with the computer of their astrophysicist father and find themselves flung through time to pre-prehistoric earth. There they meet Noah and his sons—hey, don’t roll your eyes! This is the Bible story of Noah with manticores, unicorns, griffins, mammoths the size of lap dogs, two or three love stories, and time-travel! Not to mention Nephilim and Seraphim that shape-shift into assorted desert animals. So...yeah. Not the usual thing.

In the cushy 2^nd place seat, we find The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady by Gerald Morris, the second book following The Squire’s Tale. This is a retelling of the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It is very funny while being in-depth at the same time.

 

And the coveted 1^st place...my favorite book of ALL TIME is...(drumroll, please)...

An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L’Engle. This is the fifth and final book in Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quintet. Three thousand years ago (approximately) a druid and a Celtic warrior were banished from Europe to what would become New England. Fast-forward to present day—a girl named Polly is spending the autumn with her grandparents in their cozy New England home when her stay is made unusually interesting by visits from a time-traveling druid, a Native American girl trained as a druid, and a Celtic warrior. The latter decides that Polly should be sacrificed to end a drought back in prehistoric New England...and then things get really interesting..... This series has the honor of being the only one I have ever read cover-to-cover more than once. I have the attention span of a gopher and this series is the only one awesome enough to keep my eyeballs from wandering off the page when I read them again. An Acceptable Time is my favorite in the series and for that reason, it’s my No. 1. : )

Synopsis: After her adventures with the Key of Amatahns, sixteen-year-old Janir Caersynn Argetallam returns home to find Brevia on the brink of war with a neighboring country, Stlaven. Her foster-father and even Saoven—a brave young elf warrior—think it will be safe at the castle where Janir grew up. However, while trying to unravel a looming mystery, Karile—self-taught wizard and Janir’s self-appointed best friend—becomes certain that there is danger in the mountains surrounding Janir’s childhood home and that it has something to do with Stlaven’s most powerful family, the Vanmars…


Find the author and book here:
The Secrets of the Vanmars in hardcopy: http://www.amazon.com/The-Secrets-Vanmars-Volume-2/dp/0615615813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338572090&sr=8-1

The Secrets of the Vanmars for Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Vanmars-Argetallam-Saga-ebook/dp/B00822WS1W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1338572090&sr=8-2

The Secrets of the Vanmars for NOOK: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-secrets-of-the-vanmars-elisabeth-wheatley/1109524398?ean=2940014411615

The Author at Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5139754.Elisabeth_Wheatley

The Author at Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Argetallam