Michelle Recommends: 5 Underappreciated Books/Series

Happy Wednesday everyone! Today I thought I would do something simple and fun. The following are 5 books I believe are under-appreciated in the YA genre. If you haven't read these yet, I urge you to do so.

If you have read any of these books, I would love to hear what you thought of them? What other books/series do you think are under-appreciated?

Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith (Escape from Furnace #1)

“You don't have friends in here, you'll soon come to understand that. You get attached to someone, then you'll just lose them. They'll get shanked or they'll jump or they'll be taken one night.”

Synopsis:

Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn't commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison.

Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world.

Check it out on Goodreads!
 

Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey (Witch Eyes #1)

"Days could have passed, and I wouldn't have known. I tried to focus on something, anything other than the pulsing, but the pain was merciless and wouldn't let me forget."

Synopsis:

Braden was born with witch eyes: the ability to see the world as it truly is: a blinding explosion of memories, darkness, and magic. The power enables Braden to see through spells and lies, but at the cost of horrible pain.

After a terrifying vision reveals imminent danger for the uncle who raised and instructed him, Braden retreats to Belle Dam, an old city divided by two feuding witch dynasties. As rival family heads Catherine Lansing and Jason Thorpe desperately try to use Braden's powers to unlock Belle Dam's secrets, Braden vows never to become their sacrificial pawn. But everything changes when Braden learns that Jason is his father--and Trey, the enigmatic guy he's falling for, is Catherine's son.

To stop an insidious dark magic from consuming the town, Braden must master his gift—and risk losing the one he loves.

Check it out on Goodreads!

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (The Pledge #1)

"I loved voices, I always had. Words held meaning, but voices held emotion."

Synopsis: 

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.
Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

Check it out on Goodreads!

When We Wake by Karen Healey (When We Wake #1)

“No one can take your soul from you. You have to give it away. Here's my soul. I'm giving it to you. I hope you're listening.”
Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Tegan is just like every other girl living in 2027—she's happiest when playing the guitar, she's falling in love for the first time, and she's joining her friends to protest the wrongs of the world: environmental collapse, social discrimination, and political injustice.

But on what should have been the best day of Tegan's life, she dies—and wakes up a hundred years later, locked in a government facility with no idea what happened.

The future isn't all she had hoped it would be, and when appalling secrets come to light, Tegan must make a choice: Does she keep her head down and survive, or fight for a better world?

Check it out on Goodreads!

The Prophecy by Erin Rhew (The Fulfillment Series #1)

"Beware of gray skies; they can be an omen."

Synopsis:

Growing up on a small farm in the kingdom of Vanguard, seventeen-year-old Layla Givens lives a deceptively tranquil existence. But her carefully constructed life quickly falls apart when she’s abducted by a religious zealot who proclaims her The Fulfillment of an ancient peace prophecy and whisks her away to marry her greatest enemy.

Wilhelm, Prince of the Ethereals, is reluctant to meet his new bride. He's grown up believing Vanguards are evil, an enemy to fight and fear...not love. Can he set aside his prejudices and work alongside Layla to bring lasting peace after centuries of war?

Nash, a loner who has never fit in, carries a huge secret, one big enough to destroy both kingdoms. When he accidently meets Layla, he’s no longer content to live in the shadows, but he must resist his growing attraction—for her safety and for the longevity of the two kingdoms.

When Nash's secret is revealed, a firestorm sweeps through both realms, with Layla at the center. Now she must choose between duty and desire while the fate of two nations hangs in the balance.
Check it out on Goodreads!

Review: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Synopsis:

As the Dark Lord’s sinister forces amass, a spirit of gloom and fear is sweeping the land. Harry Potter waits nervously in his bedroom at the Dursleys' for Professor Dumbledore to arrive. One of the last times he saw the Headmaster was in a fierce duel with Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic. Why is the Professor coming to visit him now? What is it that cannot wait until Harry returns to Hogwarts? In his sixth year, Harry will discover the secret behind the Half-Blood Prince, as Professor Dumbledore prepares him to face his destiny.

My Initial Expectations: 

After having such a difficult time reading the last Harry Potter book, I wasn't that excited to pick this one up. Nevertheless, I was already more than half way done with the series and I knew I couldn't just stop without all my questions having been answered. 

In addition, the film adaptation for this one was the only Harry Potter movie I had seen prior to starting the series. I knew the big event that happened at the ending. I even laughed so hard during the ending that me and my friends almost got kicked out of the theater. (Before you hate my guts, please know that I wasn't laughing because of what happened. I was laughing because of a sarcastic comment one of my friend's made regarding it. No, I can't remember what she said. The me from back then was clearly an ignorant twat that is nothing like the me from today.)

My Thoughts: 

This is the first Harry Potter that a thoroughly enjoyed. Of course I loved the last two; but this one was the first to truly fit in with the image of the Harry Potter series that I had built up in mind over the past several years. 

For the first time, Harry was not only tolerable, but admirable. I was so glad that he stopped screaming at everyone every five pages. Even when he did go on a bit of a screaming rampage, it was justified and the people he screamed at definitely deserved it. Harry was finally being the leader people told me he would be. The only disappointment was that it took six books for him to grow from his mistakes. His maturity made me take both him and the plot much more seriously than before, because up until this book I wasn't as invested as I wanted to be. 

Another big thing that I loved about this book was the insight we finally got into the lives and minds of some of the bad guys. Up until this book, the Death Eaters were made out to be pure evil. I saw them as barely human-their lives basically worthless. But after getting just a few minor glimpses at their lives and their relationship with others, I find myself pitying them. No matter what they've done, they are all human at the end of the day. They have family that they love and want to protect just as much as the good side. 

In the end I don't blame Draco for the way he acted. He had no other choice-or at least that was what he was raised to believe. 

On a lighter note, I was also relieved to get some legit romance. One romance I obviously saw coming from a hundred miles away; the other I was surprised at how much it made sense. I knew that both couples were going to get together eventually, but the latter involving Harry was something that I just never understood until now. 

Overall, this book finally got me hooked. I felt more connected to the characters, good or bad, than I'd ever imagined I would be. When I finally got to the event at the end, the event that I had once laughed at uncontrollably, I cried so hard it took me quite a few hours to compose myself (and an ungodly amount of ice cream sandwiches.) 

Favorite Chapters:

Chapter 5, An Excess of Phlegm 

Chapter 7, The Slug Club

Chapter 14, Felix Felicis 

Chapter 16, A Very Frosty Christmas

Chapter 18, Birthday Surprises

Chapter 24, Sectumsempra

Chapter 30, The White Tomb

Reading Progress:

I gave this book 5/5 stars on Goodreads!

Would I recommend it? Hell yeah! 

Would I re-read it? Of course! A thousand times over.

What did you guys think? Did your feelings about the Malfoys change after reading this? Did you cry as much as I did at the end?

Review: Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Synopsis:

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

My Initial Expectations:

When I picked this up I had already read the first Beautiful Creatures book. Though I didn't love the plot of that series and decided to abandon it, I did enjoy the writing style. Therefore, when I found out Kami Garcia had gone out on her own to write a new series, I thought I would try it out. Since I read this book a while after it was released I read through a ton of reviews by other readers. Almost every review I came across talked about it being a copy cat of the hit television show Supernatural. For those that don't know me, I am a huge fan of Supernatural. Dean Winchester is basically my spirit animal. That being so, I was both excited and wary to read this. I never like obvious copy cats, but I was hoping there would be a unique twist to this book that would make up for its unoriginality. 

My thoughts: 

My main problem with this book was that I was never once scarred. This is saying a lot since I am one of the easiest people to scare. I get that it's a YA book and so it can't be too gory or intense, but it could've at least made me a bit jumpy. The only time I was really on the edge of my seat was when my favorite character was in trouble. 

Speaking of the characters...I think the two brothers that are close but not close at the same time was a bit too close to Supernatural's Sam and Dean Winchester for me to be comfortable with them. Because it was obvious who these characters were based off of, everything they did was so predictable. 

As for Kennedy, our underdog protagonist, I surprisingly enjoyed her. This was mostly because she was one of the most realistic YA characters I've come across in a very long time. She didn't just jump onto the paranormal bandwagon the second two hot guys came across her path. She was skeptical and she made sure to ask questions. 

While this book may be filled with countless cliches (love triangle, instant romance, resident bitch that eventual accepts the new girl, etc) and more than a few obvious parallels to one of my favorite television shows, I was an entertaining and fast-paced read (the chapters were never more than 5 pages). 

I gave this book 3.5/5 stars on Goodreads!

Would I recommend it? Sure. Maybe to someone who's just getting into the paranormal genre. 

Would I re-read it? Nah. There's nothing really worth looking over twice. 

What did you guys think? Do you think the parallels to Supernatural are as obvious as I think they are? Does that make you like it/want to read it more or less? If you were a member of the Legion, what would your specialty be? 

Review: Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Unpopular opinion time! 
(Also, I'm changing up the structure of my reviews for a bit, just because.)

Synopsis: 

Harry Potter is furious that he is stuck at the Dursleys’ house for the summer, when he suspects that Voldemort is gathering an army, and the wizarding authorities seem unwilling to do anything. Harry’s so-called friends are trying to keep him in the dark. But he knows that Voldemort’s forces can find him wherever he is; he could be attacked at any moment. Harry is finally rescued from Privet Drive by members of the Order of the Phoenix – a secret society first formed years ago to fight Voldemort – and discovers that maybe he is not alone in this battle after all.

My thoughts:

I'm pretty sure that this is the longest book I've ever read. Well, at least it's the longest YA book I've ever read. (I've read War & Peace and that's over 1000 pages) Surprisingly though, it felt as if this book just flew by. 

Let me start by saying that I loved this book. I loved the plot, I loved the setting, I loved every single character–every character except Harry. From the very beginning of this series I have had a lot of problems with the main character. As far as I've seen, he's been rude and selfish 70% of time to not just teachers, but to his friends as well. Up until this book I let it all slide though. 

It was with utter disgust that I pushed myself through the first the few chapters of this book. On almost every page of the first three or so chapters Harry was not so subtly complaining about how he wasn't getting as much attention as he thought he would get from his actions in the previous book. To make things worse, the second he actually started getting more attention, he complained. I don't think I've met a more hypocritical main character. I hoped that when he was finally reunited with his friends in the wizarding world they would be able knock some sense into him. I was wrong. 

It is so frustrating that it took the death the of a beloved character to finally knock some sense into him.

How did this boy become my generation's idol? Maybe he gets better in the next few books, maybe he doesn't. Still, Harry's escalating immaturity almost wrecked this book for me. It took a lot of will power to keep reading through until the end. 

Aside from Harry, I had no issues with the rest of this book. It was fantastic. I was kept on the edge of my seat all the time–a seemingly impossible feat for 800 pages. 

It was nice to see Harry and his friends facing an enemy unrelated to Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Praise to Rowling for changing up the scene for once. Umbridge's character was a perfect example of how evil doesn't always come dressed in black. Evil can come from anywhere, even from the organizations you are supposed to trust. 

Finally, I once again had problems dealing with death in this series. The last time a character died, which was in a previous book, it seemed so quick that I never really had time to grieve. It may have been a somewhat minor character, but I still loved them. I thought it would change when a more influential character passed on, but that was not the case. Usually, when I character I love dies I get emotional. With this death I once again felt nothing. I wanted to feel sad, but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to cry. I guess that's what happens when all it takes is one spell to take a life. There's no blood, no guts, no gore, no heart-wrenching goodbye. And I'm the biggest sucker for heart-wrenching goodbyes. 

I gave this book 4/5 stars on Goodreads!

Would I recommend it? Yes. This series, no matter how many problems I have with the main character, is absolutely amazing.

Would I reread it? Sure. I plan on re-reading this whole series at least once every 5 years. 

What did you guys think? Do you agree with me on Harry, or do you disagree? I'd love to hear your opinions. 

Hey everyone! Sorry that I haven't been able to post anything in a while. I've been really busy with mid-terms and job hunting. I pinky promise that I will have at least two new reviews up by Tuesday. Again, super sorry.