Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten YA Books That Surprised Me

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. If you want to participate, click here. This week's topic is Top Ten Books That Surprised Me.

Regardless of whether the book was better or worse than I expected, below is a list of the top ten YA books that have surprised me the most! This list is in order of the books that left me the most surprised!

1. Believe by Sarah Aronson

This was definitely not what I expected, and I was surprised how much religion was involved with the story rather than the plot line of her magical powers. 

2. Bruiser by Neal Shusterman 

It was way better than I thought! I was surprised that the story was so deep and filled with emotion in an incredibly painful tone. I did not at all expect to be in tears with the story.

3. Elemental by Antony John

I was surprised at the lack of use for their powers. With being able to control an element, I would think they could do more than predict a storm or tell if water was safe to drink.

4. H2O (The Rain) by Virginia Bergin
I really expected the book to be better than it was, and it's safe to say I was disappointed. It started with all this excitement, and then just became a car running out of gas.


5. Genius: The Game by Leopoldo Gout
I was surprised at how short the book was, and there could have easily been another 100 pages to help the sloppy ending. While I liked the book, I wanted more.


6. The Year of Lightning by Ryan Dalton
 I was surprised at many of the major events, and there are few books I've read where I really had no clue what was going to happen!


7. The You I've Never Known by Ellen Hopkins
The book was written in prose, but yet was still extremely well-written and developed, even more so than other books that had less poetic restrictions. 


8. Champions: At Fire's End by Charlotte Jain

I pleasantly surprised with how it focused on the teens and their conflicts and their journey instead of just on the war. I loved how it combined fantasy and Greek mythology.

9. Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Verse Book 1) by Leigh Bardugo
This book was amazing and even better than I expected it to be! Alina is an incredible heroine, and her character development from shy and confused to brave, strong, and bold was phenomenal!

10. Survive by Alex Morel

I was pleasantly surprised! This isn't just a story of climbing a mountain, it's a story of climbing their own personal mountains of loss, pain, and heartache, and finding the hope and strength to keep going when all seems lost.