It's 2018 and time to check out what is going on in this genre.   I've read these.  What have you read?

The Final Warning (The Protectors, #1) by James Patterson.  Exciting,quick moving and full of adventure.  I found the language too simple for the age since I know children reading more interesting novels for classes in school. Perhaps it's the characters and the plot that appeals to some children. Anyway if you have young readers this might be a choice particularly if they like science fiction. This one includes information and the theme of global warming so the readers will have this most important message.

The Enemy (The Enemy, #1) by Charlie Higson.  Author and series recommended by a young family member I see occasionally.  The plot finds only people 14 and under surviving a devasting disease.  They join in groups - gangs really - to fight off the adults who try to kill and eat them.  Again the characters, excitement, and adventure probably appeal to the young.  Me?  Not so much.

The Dark Hills Divide (Land of Elyon, Bk 1) by Patrick Carman.  Meet  Alexa Daley who yearns to know what lies beyond the ramparts that surround the city where she lives.  Then one day she leaves and discovers a whole different world.  This is the first of a trilogy although a fourth was written later with a prequel following.  According to the author, The Dark Divide #1, Beyond The Valley of Thorns #2 and The Tenth City #3 should be read in that order and Stargazer #4 read after the original trilogy. Otherwise is up to reader preference. Into The Mist, is a chronological prequel to the trilogy, but the story is told by characters on the boat where The Tenth City.   I liked the first book and may look at the rest as the year goes on..

The Porcupine Year by Louise Erdrich  This is the third of a series about an Ojibwe girl named Omakayas or Little Frog who lived in 1852 near Lake Superior.  The story follows her family and their experiences during that year.  In the novel she becomes a woman and is welcomed as such through tribal practices.  Omakayas is attracted to a handsome young hunter.  Nice little story.

I read the Dark Hills Divide series back in 2010 and I think it helped me get back into reading series more. I don't remember much about it, but I finished it and read the extra book about the two brothers as well.

This year I have finished the 5th book in The Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner, Thick as Thieves. I don't usually like books that focus on "journeys" since they often devolve into a bunch of chance meeting with weirdos that are poor attempts at metaphors. This was different and I liked the book.

It took me forever to finish Pieces and Players, the fourth book in the Chasing Vermeer series. I am not sure why, but I do know that two of the characters have such similar names that it was hard for me to keep them straight.

I started the year off with The Selection by Kiera Cass.  Pretty much read the entire series in a week and loved it.  The storyline was fast paced and kept my attention from the start.  I love an author who can keep me engrossed in the story so much that I don't want to stop reading.  Since I am hoping to clear off my YA shelf this year this was a great start for me.  A little bit of cinderella and dystopian thrown into one story.

I read the Delirium series next by Lauren Oliver.  Excellent series didn't move as quickly for me as the series above but still kept me engaged enough in the story line that I didn't want to put it down.  Love being treated as a disease was an interesting twist from other YA dystopian books I have read. 

Just finished The Memory of After by Lenore Applehans and the second book Chasing Before.  Very slow read for me, was difficult for me to get into. I think towards the middle of the first book it picked up and found a pace that I could follow along and keep up with the story line. The second book was more engaging for me than the first.  The book left me with wanting aswers to a few questions but overall it was a good afterlife storyline.