M E R I D I A N     M A G A Z I N E

Books for Valentine Sentiments
By Hollie Parry

“There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment." (Sarah Dessen, The Truth about Forever)

In honor of Valentine’s Day, here are four of fantastic love stories. You’ll be surprised that some of these books are not necessarily classified as romantic fiction. Nevertheless, look forward to books you’ll LOVE to read.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

This book was definitely one of my recent great finds. Not only did I think it was cleverly written, but I like the way the author adds a love interest from an unlikely source — “Beauty and the Beast.”

The heroine of the book is known as “the Lass.” The Lass is the youngest daughter to a selfish, lazy mother who doesn’t see any reason to give her unwanted child a name; thus the family just calls her pika or the girl, which morphs into “the Lass.” As seems to always be the case in fantasy, the terrible mother is offset by a kind father, who loves his children and tries his best to provide. The Lass finds joy in her simple life and spends her childhood working hard and struggling to help her family survive.

One day, things all change for the Lass when a stranger comes to the door and gives her proposition that will change the destitute circumstances of her family. If she will travel to a faraway land and agree to live in an enchanted castle for one year, her family will have the things they need and desire and she will be able to return unharmed. Despite the pleadings of her older brother to stay, the Lass reluctantly takes the opportunity to help her family and agrees to go with the stranger.

Once in the castle, she finds that although she is treated well and has every need satisfied, there are mysteries that beg to be solved. Little does she know that as behind all those secrets is a love that just might be worth fighting for. I recommend this book to fantasy lovers, old and young alike.

The Queen of Second Place by Laura Peyton Roberts

A fun, easy read, The Queen of Second Place by Laura Peyton Roberts has all the ingredients for a perfect romance novel. Start with one average high school girl, Cassie, who is crushing hard on the new hot guy in the school, Kevin. Add the beautiful, popular, nasty, socialite, Sterling, who happens to be crushing on Kevin at the same time. Mix it together with a quirky, wild first person narrative, laugh out loud antics, many essays written from detention, and a little homework, lunchroom drama, and a dance and you’ll come up with a book you will not be able to put down until you find out just who gets the guy.

I loved this book as much as its sequel Queen B. I highly recommend this book to all teens.

The Faerie Path by Trewin Jones

In this fantasy novel, Anita can only think of one thing, constantly — her beautiful new boyfriend, Evan. He is romantic, handsome, and makes Anita feel happier than she’s ever felt. She can hardly believe that her first boyfriend is someone so amazing.

For her birthday Evan surprises her with a boat ride on the river. As they skim along the water, he starts to tell Anita something important. But just as he begins to talk, a dark, ominous feeling comes over the water. Evan’s face fills with fear and the boat crashes into a bridge. Anita wakes up in the hospital to find that although she is not seriously hurt, Evan is alive but asleep in the next hospital bed. That night strange things start happening. Whether by a dream or in reality, Anita finds herself transported to a world where the people she meets think that she is the lost Faerie Princess. Although being a Faerie Princess is flattering, being engaged, as a teenager, to a man she doesn’t even remember, whose name isn’t Evan is NOT.

I enjoyed reading The Faerie Path, not only because it was a great read, but also because the story had a new and fresh plot that kept my interest. I recommend this love story to readers who like fantasy and mystery.

Uglies by Scott Westerfield

Although typically considered a science fiction novel, I found the ever-popular Uglies to have a surprising romantic subplot. The main character, Tally, anxiously awaits her sixteenth birthday as the day when she will turn from an Ugly to a Pretty. In Tally’s world, advanced technology allows for surgeons to work their plastic surgery miracles and make everyone dashingly handsome or strikingly beautiful. After the teens are turned into their pretty selves, their worlds become one big, constant party. Pretties are happy, pretties are popular, and pretties are living the high life that is the envy and aspiration of every young Ugly. Or at least this is what Tally thinks, until she meets Shay.

Shay introduces Tally to the idea that there are people who would rather be normal and considered “Ugly” than to undergo the popular trend of transformation into beautifulness. She even talks about a world where Uglies can escape the city and live free among others who want to be neither pretty nor ugly but normal. While Tally does think she’ll ever consider joining Shay in such a place, she wonders what life on the outside might be like.

In a terrible twist of fate, Tally finds herself seeking Shay and the forbidden land called “Smoke,” where the “normals” live. She doesn’t come as a friend, but as a spy to uncover “Smoke” and help the authorities capture the rebels and make them pretty. What Tally doesn’t consider is that she might like living in “Smoke” or that she might meet the one person that she just can’t leave behind.

I picked Uglies up after strong recommendations from my fellow readers on goodreads.com. This is one of my favorite websites because is a place where readers of all ages and genres come to review, recommend, and discuss the books we all love to read. I highly recommend www.goodreads.com.

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