RTW: Book of the Month for January, 2012
Today’s Road Trip Wednesday question at YA Highway is: What was the best book you read in January?
This is an easy one for me–and perhaps not surprising to those that frequent this blog:
This is the concluding book in the LEVIATHAN trilogy, and, in my opinion, it’s every bit as good as its two predecessors. There’s a mad scientist, secrets are revealed, thrills and excitement, and a nice ending. The thing that impresses me most about this series is–again, my opinion–that it maintains momentum throughout all three books. If you were to ask me to pick a favorite, I seriously couldn’t. Westerfeld’s writing is the best I’ve seen from him so far, the story is compelling, and it remains so for the duration. I might say this is the best series I’ve read since Harry Potter, and while this is true, I really haven’t read enough series for that to be a useful statement. But I would have no problem recommending this series to anyone who loves a good story.
And if you’re wondering how good steampunk can be, read LEVIATHAN, and work your way through BEHEMOTH to GOLIATH.
If you want an idea of what the series is about, here’s my review of LEVIATHAN.
What was the best book you read in January? Join in the blog carnival fun at YA Highway!
I’ve heard great things about this series, but I’ve never read any of the books. I hope to soon, though. Thanks for recommending it!
You’re welcome, Cindy. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. 🙂
Sounds like a great series! I haven’t read much steampunk, so it’ll be a fun series to check out.
This was my first steampunk, and if all steampunk is this good, I’ll definitely be reading more.
I’ve been wanting a good steampunk! Thanks so much for posting this. I chose a sci-fi dystopian for my RTW. 🙂
You’re welcome, Liz! I can’t recommend this series highly enough.
I love the Laviathan series, and I agree that all three books are amazing. It’s so common for the first book in a series to be great and then the later books to fall flat. That is not the case with this series.
I also recommend reading the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. It is dystopian, but takes a very different spin then a lot of the other ya dystopian currently flooding the market.
I’ve read the first three of the UGLIES series, and you’re right, it’s an interesting concept, which is why I wanted to read it; but I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much. UGLIES was great, PRETTIES was good, but by the time I read SPECIALS, I had started not caring as much about the characters. I have EXTRAS, but I can’t say it’s on the top of my TBR list. Sorry–just my opinion.
I haven’t read these books yet but with such a good review I might have to check them out.
I hope you do, Eve–they’re worth it. 🙂
I’ve been meaning to read these books for a while. Glad to hear you liked them.
Thanks, Carrie. My book of the year for 2011 was close between LEVIATHAN and DIVERGENT. Clearly DIVERGENT won, but it was close.
Yet another reminder that I need to get up off my arse and get reading this series already. Book 1 is burning holes in my back from the bookshelf behind me. Thanks for the reminder! 🙂
Yes. You do. As I reminded you on your blog. If only to get me off your back about it, go read LEVIATHAN. 😀
Steampunk’s a genre I hope to read more of this year. I’ll start with Westerfeld then!
Seriously, the whole steampunk community (assuming there is one) should give Scott Westerfeld an award for being such a great ambassador for the genre. I’m certainly open to reading more steampunk now than I was before.
It’s awesome to see steampunk getting some love! I have got to pick up this series—I hear such good things, and the covers are so cool. Thanks for the recommendation!
You’re welcome, Sarah. And not just the covers. Keith Thompson’s illustrations throughout are awesome! The books stand on their own without the pictures, but the pictures are cool. 🙂
You talk so much about this series, I think it’s time for me to check it out!
Thanks =)
You’re welcome, Juliana! Yes. GOLIATH is probably my first “Book of the Year 2012” contender. The book that beats it will have to have been printed with awesome ink. 🙂
I just started that book today! Can’t wait for the time to read!
I hope you enjoy it at least as much as I did, Melanie! 🙂
Hmm… I don’t think I’ve read ANY steampunk–I don’t know why. I loved Westerfeld’s UGLIES series, but I still haven’t gotten around to trying this one. Honestly, the scope of the books is sort of intimidating to me, lol.
If you’re thinking about the fact that the story is set against an alternative version of WWI, then that does seem pretty intimidating. But ultimately, it’s the story of two people. All I can say is, if you enjoyed UGLIES, I think you’ll love LEVIATHAN.
You should give Extras a chance–I agree that Pretties didn’t have quite as much impact as Uglies, and Specials was just kind of tying up loose ends. But Extras is good again, and particularly timely, I think.
Thanks for that encouragement, Angelica. I will certainly give EXTRAS a try. 🙂
Oooh, I’m reading Leviathan right now, mainly because of your raves about it!
Cool! I hope you enjoy it, Mandy. 🙂
I cannot wait to read this series! It’s on my TBR for the year. (Mostly from how much you’ve talked it up! So, good job!)
Thanks, Kris. I really hope you enjoy the series as much as I did. LEVIATHAN, BEHEMOTH, and DIVERGENT were the best fiction books I read last year. If GOLIATH ends up as my book of this year, I might have to save up and offer the set as a giveaway next January. But don’t hold your breath on that one–the year is still young, and I have some great books on my desk. And INSURGENT comes out in May. 🙂
I haven’t read any steampunk either. Feel like i might be one of the last to the cool thing everone loves… But it means my expectations are high!
I would like to say this is the perfect introduction to steampunk, but since it’s the *only* steampunk I’ve read so far, that’s hardly a meaningful commendation. However, I will say that I was hesitant to read any steampunk before I read LEVIATHAN, and really only decided to read it because it seemed everyone else was talking about the genre and I hadn’t read any. Now I’m glad I did. 🙂
I’m thinking maybe I will tackle this series all at once over my upcoming break. I read the first one a while back and really loved it–but then fell into the commuter’s trap, where I pre-ordered the second one, which meant that it arrived as a great hulking hardback, and then I didn’t want to try to fit it into my overstuffed school bag on the train, which meant that I kept putting off reading it…anyway, a week at home on the couch with this trilogy (in between sewing sack dresses for the umpteen orphans in our school’s production of Annie, and writing a new elective curriculum) sounds just about right!
If I’d bought the complete trilogy when I bought LEVIATHAN, I probably would have done the same–well, apart from sewing sack dresses and writing an elective curriculum. As it was I forced myself to wait for BEHEMOTH by putting it on my Christmas list. 🙂
Ooh, I loved this trilogy–especially Behemoth. It’s far and away my favorite Westerfeld.
The only Westerfeld I’ve read aside from this is the UGLIES series. I think this series is better, though I’m intrigued to read more of his stuff. Thanks for commenting, Joe. 🙂