Feature and Follow Friday #139

 This weeks question:

Q: What is a book you didn't like that all your friends raved about or what book did you love that wasn't popular?

 What book didn't I like that everyone was raving about?

Easy, Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

There was so much love for that book, it was even on NPR's list of 100 books for Young Adults last year... so I read it, and from the reviews, I expected great things, and what I ended up with was a boat load of disappointment.

I'm not saying there weren't aspects of that book I enjoyed. I think Ms. Blake did a truly excellent job writing up the horror scenes. They were vividly described and managed to etch their haunting imagery in my mind for hours, days and weeks after I'd read the book.

Unfortunately, that's where my enjoyment ended. There were situations that were just *too* convenient for me to be able to enjoy this story (feel free to check out the link to my review above), and the main character was really kind of an a-hole... but not the endearing kind.

 What book did I love that wasn't that popular?

 The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

This one is simple. It's a series by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell called The Edge Chronicles. This is probably one of the most twisted, wicked Middle Grade series I've ever read. The illustrations are gruesome and beautiful, the writing is engaging and vivid, and the world created is full of history and depth. I've read 1-9 of this series, which follow three different characters. I plan on going back and rereading all 9 of the first books before I attempt the last one, which is supposed to wrap up the stories of all three main characters.
Now, admittedly, I have no idea how the initial book in this series was received, I wasn't really following book blogs back then, but I was when the last book came out, and I can honestly say I didn't see anyone mention it anywhere (I didn't even know the book HAD come out, I found it by happy accident in the book store). Now, maybe I was just following the wrong blogs, but in my opinion, this series is shamefully under-sung, and deserves much more hype than I've ever seen it get.