My Favorite Multi-POV Novels

Writing multi-POV novels is a tough business. Between writing a fully-formed plot with multiple characters who are all (somewhat) equally involved and invested in the narrative (and thus deserving of their perspective), keeping all the voices distinct, making sure the multiple character arcs line up, and everything else involved, it can be a lot. I've already written posts on how to write multi-POV novels, dual-POV writing tips, choosing POV characters, etc., but one tip I give a lot is to read what you want to write. So if you want to write multi-POV novels, reading them can be really helpful.

I haven't, however, really talked much about multi-POV novels I've enjoyed, so I'm going to fix that now with a list. So if you're looking for multi-POV books, take a look at these:

Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo

What's extra great about this one (besides, you know, everything) is Bardugo mastered not only third-person multi-POV, but she did it while also honing each POV character's distinct voice. It is excellent.

Illuminae Files trilogy by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

This one's an interesting example, because there are SO many POV characters. In Illuminae, there's Kady, Ezra, AIDAN (the AI), people transcribing video files, and probably more than I'm forgetting. The trilogy is told in a found materials format, which is unusual, and awesome, and the way multiple POVs are balanced and played with makes for super interesting reading.

Shades of Magic trilogy by V.E. Schwab

Another excellent multi-POV in third person trilogy. Also I just really love V.E. Schwab's third person voice like whoa.

Across the Universe trilogy by Beth Revis

This is the first dual-POV YA I read and wow, I loved it. It's an old example but remains the book that taught me how effective first person dual-POV can be, so I will continue recommending it forever.

Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis

This is a great one because not only is it dual-POV chock full of great representation, but the two POV characters literally live in different worlds. So that's pretty neat.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

This book is really beautifully written and another great example of distinct YA third person dual-POV voices.


Others (both that I've read and haven't): The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, Carry On and Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, Faking It by Cora Carmack, Starbound trilogy by Amie Kaufman, Under the Never Sky trilogy by Veronica Rossi, Legend trilogy by Marie Lu, This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp, and Mind Games by Kiersten White.

What are some of your favorite multi-POV novels?

Twitter-sized bite:

What are some of your favorite multi-POV novels? @Ava_Jae shares some picks & kicks off the discussion on her blog. (Click to tweet)

Holiday Book Recommendations of 2014

So I came across Victoria Schwab’s holiday book recommendation post on tumblr the other day, and I immediately knew I wanted to do something similar, because what mixes better than books and Christmas gifts? (Rhetorical question. The answer is nothing).

The books listed below are the ten best books I’ve read (thus far) this year. Not all of them were released this year, but they’re all amazing and definitely recommended.

In the order I read them (from beginning of the year to end)!

• For those looking for some really wonderful magical realism, with a non-binary protagonist: EVERY DAY by David Levithan.
• For those who love poetic prose, complicated character development, kissing and action: IGNITE ME by Tahereh Mafi. (Review here)
• For those who want a gritty, badass, non-Contemporary Romance NA read: THE WICKED WE HAVE DONE by Sarah Harian. (Review here) 
• For lovers of fantasy, snark, memorable characters and epic worldbuilding with a steampunk-ish twist: RUIN AND RISING by Leigh Bardugo. (Review here)
• For those who love gory, action-packed dystopias: THE MURDER COMPLEX by Lindsay Cummings.
• For fantasy lovers looking for a fresh new take on witches and a haunting voice: HALF BAD by Sally Green. (Review here)
• For those looking for a unique magic system, imaginative setting and diverse cast:  OTHERBOUND by Corinne Duyvis. (Review here)
• For paranormal lovers who want awesome world-building, a strong female protagonist and a dark, captivating story: DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE by Laini Taylor.
• For contemporary lovers looking for great mental illness representation: FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell. (Review here)
• For those who want a thrilling QUILTBAG NA read: HUSHED by Kelley York. (Review here)

What are some of the best books you’ve read this year? 

Twitter-sized bites: 

.@Ava_Jae shares her top ten favorite reads of the year. Have you read any of these excellent books? (Click to tweet)  

What are some of the best books you've read this year? Writer @Ava_Jae shares her top ten list. (Click to tweet)

Vlog: Harry Potter Spells Book Rec Tag

Slightly longer vlog today because my CP Vicki Leigh tagged me in a Harry Potter spells book rec tag! And so I thought I'd have some fun and join along.

Happy viewing!

THE BOOKS:

• Artemis Fowl Series by Eoin Colfer
• Half Bad by Sally Green
• My review
• Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis
• My review
• Losing It by Cora Carmack
• The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
• My review of Siege and Storm
• and Ruin and Rising
• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
• Beautiful Boy by David Sheff
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• My review
• BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker
• The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker
• Adam by Ted Dekker

Twitter-sized bite: 

Writer @Ava_Jae participates in a Harry Potter spells book rec vlog tag. Have you read these awesome books? (Click to tweet) 

Book Review: OTHERBOUND by Corinne Duyvis

Photo credit: Goodreads

I always love when I read a book from a nice person on Twitter and it turns out that along with being really super nice, they’re actually totally awesome at the whole book-writing thing, too.

Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis is one of those examples.

Before I go into why, however, here’s the Goodreads summary:

“Amara is never alone. Not when she's protecting the cursed princess she unwillingly serves. Not when they're fleeing across dunes and islands and seas to stay alive. Not when she's punished, ordered around, or neglected. 

She can't be alone, because a boy from another world experiences all that alongside her, looking through her eyes. 

Nolan longs for a life uninterrupted. Every time he blinks, he's yanked from his Arizona town into Amara's mind, a world away, which makes even simple things like hobbies and homework impossible. He's spent years as a powerless observer of Amara's life. Amara has no idea . . . until he learns to control her, and they communicate for the first time. Amara is terrified. Then, she's furious. 

All Amara and Nolan want is to be free of each other. But Nolan's breakthrough has dangerous consequences. Now, they'll have to work together to survive--and discover the truth about their connection.”

So I began reading Otherbound thinking it would be a cool fantasy story with a diverse cast and an interesting premise. I was right, but wow, I didn’t realize how impressive this book would be.

The world building and magic system alone makes the unique world of Otherbound so very interesting—I’ve never seen a magic system quite like what Duyvis put together in Nolan and Amara’s intertwined worlds, and it was totally refreshing to see a fantasy world where there are consequences to magic use (can you say FINALLY?). Combined with the intricate details of the cultures (yes! more than one! thank you again!) and norms of Amara’s world and the totally fascinating epilepsy-not-really-epilepsy-like attacks Nolan gets in his reality when slipping into Amara’s world, and it all makes for one really interesting story.

I will say that there were some aspects of Amara’s world that confused me and/or I had trouble grasping, but all in all, the world building was really well done and I totally admire the way Duyvis wrote Nolan and Amara’s worlds.

Oh, and have I mentioned the diverse characters? This made me so happy. Nolan is a latino amputee with “epilepsy” (and even though we know it’s not epilepsy, the way Amara’s world affects him in a way that totally breaks your heart) and Amara is a mute bisexual girl. Not only that, but the full cast beyond the protagonists are so very diverse and it really was an extra bonus in an already fabulous book.

I totally recommend this book to those who enjoy YA Fantasy, and I look forward to more books from Duyvis!

Twitter-sized bites: 

.@Ava_Jae gives 4/5 stars to OTHERBOUND by @corinneduyvis. Have you read this unique YA Fantasy? (Click to tweet)   

Want a diverse YA Fantasy w/ unique magic & fabulous worldbuilding? Try OTHERBOUND by @corinneduyvis. (Click to tweet)

Upcoming Books I’m Psyched to Read

There are so many amazing books coming out! And like the bookaholic I am, I have a running list of books that I can’t wait to read (that will all be out this month!). And so I thought I’d share some with you. :)

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

Photo credit: Goodreads

Technically, this isn’t upcoming because it was just released this Tuesday (Congratulations, Lindsay!), but my pre-order hasn’t arrived yet, so it’s upcoming to me. Anyway. The cover is gorgeous and the book sounds so frickin’ awesome and—forget it, let me just give you the Goodreads summary: 

“An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna. 

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision. 

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family? 

Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.”

Hanna the movie was awesome, I never get tired of books and movies about assassins and this sounds like a ridiculously exciting, action-packed book. Now where is my copy?

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo (June 17th, 2014) 

Photo credit: Goodreads

“The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne. 

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army. 

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives. 

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.”

UGH, you guys. This is the final book to one of my favorite fantasy series ever. I cannot wait to read it—and I’ll be re-reading Siege and Storm before I do to make sure I don’t forget any extra details. I can’t wait to get my Darkling—err, I mean, Mal—fill! 

Otherbound by Corrine Duyvis (June 17th, 2014) 

Photo credit: Goodreads

“Amara is never alone. Not when she's protecting the cursed princess she unwillingly serves. Not when they're fleeing across dunes and islands and seas to stay alive. Not when she's punished, ordered around, or neglected.
She can't be alone, because a boy from another world experiences all that alongside her, looking through her eyes. 

Nolan longs for a life uninterrupted. Every time he blinks, he's yanked from his Arizona town into Amara's mind, a world away, which makes even simple things like hobbies and homework impossible. He's spent years as a powerless observer of Amara's life. Amara has no idea . . . until he learns to control her, and they communicate for the first time. Amara is terrified. Then, she's furious. 

All Amara and Nolan want is to be free of each other. But Nolan's breakthrough has dangerous consequences. Now, they'll have to work together to survive--and discover the truth about their connection.”

I’ve been excited about Otherbound ever since I heard about this awesome-sounding book. Not only is the premise fabulous and the Fantasy aspect totally sweet, but it features not one, but two super diverse characters, which we don’t see nearly enough of. 

Rain by Amanda Sun (June 24th, 2014) 

Photo credit: Goodreads

“American Katie Green has decided to stay in Japan. She's started to build a life in the city of Shizuoka, and she can't imagine leaving behind her friends, her aunt and especially Tomohiro, the guy she's fallen in love with. But her return is not as simple as she thought. She's flunking out of Japanese school and committing cultural faux pas wherever she goes. Tomohiro is also struggling—as a Kami, his connection to the ancient gods of Japan and his power to bring drawings to life have begun to spiral out of control. 

When Tomo decides to stop drawing, the ink finds other ways to seep into his life—blackouts, threatening messages and the appearance of unexplained sketches. Unsure how to help Tomo, Katie turns to an unexpected source for help—Jun, her former friend and a Kami with an agenda of his own. But is Jun really the ally he claims to be? In order to save themselves, Katie and Tomohiro must unravel the truth about Tomo's dark ancestry, as well as Katie's, and confront one of the darkest gods in Japanese legend.”

Amanda Sun’s Paper Gods series, is, in my opinion, a highly underrated series. Or at least it’s not talked about nearly as much as it deserves. I raved about Ink here, and I’m super excited to read Rain and see what happens to Katie and Tomo! 

So those are some books I’m looking forward to—now I want to hear from you: are you looking forward to any upcoming books? 

Twitter-sized bites: 

Looking for some great YA? Here are 4 awesome novels releasing this month that should be on your list! (Click to tweet)  

Are you looking forward to any upcoming books? Join the discussion on @Ava_Jae's blog! (Click to tweet)