Book Battle: Round 2 Series 1 Winners (Part 4)

So this is going up a little later than I wanted it to, but I was waiting on one last post before I put it up. So now it's up, and we can announce our final Series 1 winners! Just in time for Series 2. :)

Bracket 1:
Intrinsical by Lani Woodland VS. Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund Judged by Christie by of The Fiction Enthusiast and Haley from The Life (and Lies) of an Inanimate Flying Object

Despite some difficulty in getting ahold of it, Intrinsical has been highly praised. On the other hand, Anne Osterlund and her books are some of my favorites, and Academy 7 seems to be the more popular of her titles (at least with people I know). But only one book can move on...

Here's a sample of what Judge Christie had to say about both books

"Both books featured a romance that developed at a pace that just might be considered slow by YA standards. This was so refreshing and an element I truly appreciated. One other thing these books have in common is they left me wanting more. I know Intrinsical is a series debut, and I hope that becomes the case with Academy 7 as well."

So which book moved on? I'll let Judge Haley make that announcement...

"After discussing the books and considering plot, writing, introductions, characters, and readability, we have decided that Intrinsical by Lani Woodland will be the book continuing on to the next round!"

So Intrinsical by Lani Woodland moved on to Bracket 13, where it will go head to head with The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman and battle it out once more.


Bracket 5:
Polly and the Pirates, Volume 1 by Ted Naifeh VS. Storm Thief by Chris Wooding
Judged by Julie from Manga Maniac Cafe and Courtney of Stiletto Storytime

If I had to pick a bracket of underdogs, this bracket would be it. Both books were only read by one, maybe two of the Round 1 judges, and yet both books came hugely recommended by those who did read them. And just because they are underdogs doesn't mean you should count them out yet. One of our "underdog" books from last year actually made it quite far.

Here's what Judge Julie had to say about one of the contenders:

"I loved the world building in Storm Thief. Rail and Moa are young thieves, living in shocking poverty and struggling every day to feed themselves. To make their lives even more difficult, random, destructive storms roil through Orokos, changing everything they touch. Nothing ever stays the same after the storms, and getting caught in one can change a boy into a girl, turn a person into crystal, or turn you inside out."

So which of our underdogs is moving on? Not surprisingly after Julie's glowing review, the winner for this bracket is...Storm Thief by Chris Wooding!


Bracket 6:
Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth VS. Song Of The Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell
Judged by Evie of The Book Fiend and Michelle of Pineapples and  Pyjamas

Yet another interesting bracket. Keeping corner is one of our strongest multicultural titles, while Song of the Sparrow is our only verse novel. I've noticed that verse novels seem to be so love/hate. So which one did the judges pick?
Here's what Judge Michelle had to say about both books

"Prose vs. verse… The verse written by Lisa Ann Sandell was beautiful, it flowed and was very easy and quick to read. Keeping Corner, the introduction of so many local terms made it difficult to follow at times (I didn’t discover the Glossary till I was finished the book). Both books are well worth a read!"

But despite the fact that both books deserve a good read, the pair had no problem picking the winner, which is... Song Of The Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell!  This verse novel will move on to Bracket 15, which it is matched up to compete with Storm Thief by Chris Wooding in Series 2.

And that's it for Series 1!  Look for Series 2 announcements starting to come out over the next week or so.  If you missed any of the announcemnets, check out the bracket winners page for links to all the decisions.  And as always, don't forget to click through to the judges' blogs to read their full posts.  You'll be sure to find some hidden gems.  :)

Happy reading everyone!