Top Ten Books I Loved But Never Wrote A Review For

I'm participating in the Top Ten Tuesday meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.
I started this blog towards the end of December, 2010. My first review was done in January, 2011. Of course, I've been reading for many years before that and there have been books that I'd have loved to review, but I decided to just review the ones I've read since the start of the blog. This week I'll take you through ten books that I've read in the past that I have absolutely loved! Have you read them? If so, let me know in the comments!

1. Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
   I read this trilogy in 2004 while waiting for the Half Blood Prince to be released. At the time it was controversial because there was ... well, I won't say, I don't want to spoil it, just know it was controversial. I read it and loved it. The idea that magical people had to use their magic or else go mad was not one I've heard about before. The down side of using magic? Well, you'll find out when you read the book.
   The trilogy is set in Sydney and New York City, the characters use a magical door to move from one country to the next - I wish this existed - and the story follows Reason and her friends as they try to figure out just what's going on with them. I loved it! It's one of my favourite trilogies and I think more people need to read these books!
    
2. The China Garden by Liz Berry
   This story has mystery, intrigue, adventure, fantasy and romance, all mixed up into a lovely little book, it's perfectly balanced and a great read. It's set in England and follows Clare as she unravels the secret behind her heritage. Absolutely lovely book, I had to get it used because I couldn't find it ANYWHERE! I see it pop up in bookstores every now and then. This book will always be on my bookshelf.
    
3. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
   Sometimes I feel as though this series is underrated - and the movie didn't do it justice. There is a subtle genius to the series. It's something I want to re-read because I'm sure I'd find a lot of things that I missed the first time around. One of the sad things about these books though, is that you really start feeling sad for the Baudelaire children. They can't seem to catch a break! I was cheering them along until the very end.
   I also loved the way the author defined words, there really should be a dictionary according to Lemony Snicket.
    
4. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke 
   I'm an absolute fan of this trilogy! Never have I seen the heros so flawed, the villans so dreadful and the story so thrilling. The movie did not do the book justice. I loved the idea that characters of a book could be read out of their story, or humans read into a story. I loved the development of the characters. I generally loved the books. This story sticks with you for a very long time. 
    
5. Magyk by Angie Sage
   I picked this one up on a whim and I'm so glad I did. There are wizards, magic (or magyk), ghosts, mysteries, seven children, princesses and many more awesome things. It's geared to young readers, but I think anyone could enjoy them - yes, them, it's a series of books! I haven't finished reading the books, but I'm planning on it! Love the way it's going. 
    
6. Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
   Sleeping Beauty retold and awesome. That's all I have to say about this book. It's just awesome. Oh and, go read it.
     
7. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
   Loved, loved, loved this book and series. It's smartly written and makes me wish I'd thought of the story first! Colfer has a way with words. Following Artemis, a genius child and criminal, as he makes deals with fairies and gets entangled into many crazy situations, it's a roller-coaster of awesome.
    
8. Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop 
   Not a Young Adult book, and definitely not recommended for young teens, however, this is one of my favourite fantasy books ever. The Dark Jewels trilogy follows the story of Jaenelle; a young girl and one of the magical race called Bloods. Yet, it's never told from the perspective of Jaenelle, only from others who interact with her.
   One thing that I loved about this trilogy is that there are different levels of magical ability among the Blood - you are born with a certain level of magic and you can mature up to a certain level, based on your original level. Jaenelle, a young girl in this book, is cast aside by the adults in her family because they do not recognise that her magic is above anything ever recorded. They believe that she failed her birthright ceremony; they think her eccentric, and so they ignore her, missing out on seeing the special girl living in their own household.
   The trilogy spans Jaenelle, from a young girl learning craft, to a young woman fighting for the survival of the Bloods. There is a lot of spinoffs to this book from Anne Bishop, but none - in my opinion - compares to this trilogy.
    
9. Dark Secrets: Don't Tell by Elizabeth Chandler
   I'm absolutely in love with this series. The town of Wisteria holds so many different stories and secrets. This series touch on some of those stories. Each book is a stand alone, but it's really fun reading them as it's set in the same town and some of the people are familiar to the reader. I really wished there were more books, but, alas, they've stopped publishing them.
     
10. Rampant by Diana Peterfreund 
    Two words: killer unicorns. What's not to like? 

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