YA, We Read It!

The final trilogy in the Vampire Diaries series is ON! Meggie & Laura are loving the new writer's sweet hashtags that line the chapters so they can stay in touch with other readers on Twitter circa 2013 (we love the world wide web!). We're picking up 4 years after the last book ended and all has been relatively peaceful since we said RIP to vampire daddy Klaus. Everyone's in relationships and...

The Hunters trilogy is coming to a lukewarm close as unfortunately the quest to obliterate Klaus is overshadowed by Elena's Guardian transformation. Her quest to complete her destiny? To kill Damon Salvatore (uh-oh). And Stefen doesn't really seem to care that much (double uh-oh). And Klaus, instead of going on a murdering spree, decides to spend most of the book looking for Elena's deep dark secr...

It's the last installment of the Hunter's trilogy: Destiny Rising! Meggie and Laura are in the final 4 books for the Vampire Diaries series and Klaus, the ultimate villain, has been resurrected! That's right, just when we thought the Vitale were getting stopped in their tracks, a much bigger/scarier foe has ARISEN and the only thing that can make this worse? He's building an army! Can our ragtag g...

Laura and Meggie are BACK from their week-long break and are ready to wrap up the elite Moonsong! The mystery of the Vitale is slowly unraveling in tandem with whatever is going on with Zander and his friends. On top of that? Elena still can't pick between Damon and Stefan, which is unfortunately still a (boring) plot point 9 books in. Can our cast of characters figure out what's causing all the m...

The time has come for our Vampire Diaries teens to FINALLY leave Fell's Church (thank God) and go off to college. Everyone's decided to forgo their dreams and aspirations to all attend college together (which is kind of cute but mostly a bummer). The college vibes in Moonsong have Meggie and Laura living through some sweet nostalgia and they are extra hyped that Bonnie and Matt are leading our mai...

It's Phantom Time BABY! The Phantom we've all been waiting for has finally arrived in this gripping conclusion to Book 8: The Hunters: Phantom. Also Damon is back and looking to kiss on Elena a whole bunch. And our squad is running around trying to find ways to stop the phantom. This phantom's power? Jealousy! That's right, jealousy is raging inside all our Fell's Church teens and the only way to...

Move over LJ Smith, a ghostwriter has taken over (literally! the next three books and rest of the series are all written by a ghostwriter). Laura and Meggie are absolutely here for the change of pace as this book starts off with a complete reset of the entire series, thanks to Elena and the deal she made with the Guardians at the end of book 7. So, all is well in Fell's Church, or is it? Only time...

Vampire Diaries author LJ Smith really goes full throttle with plot points as Meggie and Laura flip through the remaining pages and are once again left piecing it all together. Can the gang save Fell's Church and defeat the fox spirits that have been lurking for the past 3 books? Will Elena finally tell Stefan she's kissing his brother behind his back? Meredith's a vampire hunter now? All this and...

What's better than a main plot with some side plots mixed in? Laura and Meggie have no idea! This book has no shortage of major plot elements that are all independent of each other, which has your hosts literally begging the question "why?" Kicking things off: Fells Church is still in chaos-mode, Damon needs to be a vampire again, Bonnie ends up accidentally in the Dark Dimension again, Matt is st...

It's that time of week for Meggie and Laura to dive back into Young Adult world, and this time we're still in the Dark Dimenstion. From rags to riches (in quite literally 10 pages), we discover that Lady Ulma is the heir to a jewel fortune. Instead of using her money to get Stefan free, instead and our group of rescuers can climb the social ranks as they party it up through the realm and search fo...

Hoping to move on quickly from the mess that was book #5, Laura and Meggie are relieved that the book #6 vibes are far superior than what they once were. Elena is stuck on the run with Matt and Damon as they race to get to the Demon Gate that will let them into the Dark Dimension to finally rescue her one true love Stefan, but UH OH, Damon's looking extra in Elena's eyes lately. The ultimate love...

Wherever Meggie and Laura expected this book to go, they were completely wrong because the latter half is plot points on plot points and not in a concise way. The fox spirits are still wreaking havoc on literally everyone, Mrs. Flowers is now a witch and ready to fight, Stefan is still gone, Dr. Abbot's along for the ride, and our friends are doing their best to get everything under control. Get r...

Ten years after the fourth book ended, the fifth book of Vampire Diaries came into the world and picked up right where it left off. Elena is alive! Weirdly she has some baby energy as she's learning to be human again? Something is once again amiss in Fell's Church and Damon is too busy brooding to help at all. He's too busy focusing on how to get Stefan out of the picture so he can make Elena all...

Okay, we'll admit it: we didn't expect the main character to die at the end of the third book! Bonnie takes over as our main point of view and she even starts keeping a diary to cope with Elena's death (aw cute!). Just when we thought the people of Fell's Church were destined for some peace and quiet, more trouble is brewing in the shadows and Bonnie's powers might be the only way the gang can get...

Rejoice dear listeners! Meggie and Laura are back to talk about the third book in The Vampire Diaries series: The Fury. Elena is a freakin vampire now! And it's finally discovered that all the badthat's been going down around town might not be Damon's fault at all? It's the ultimate mystery turned boss battle brawl as Elena, Stefan, and Damon team up to tackle the evil force that's haunting Fells...

This week on YA, We Read It! Laura and Meggie are amped to continue right where the first book left off. Our new favorite protagonist Elena is not having ANY of Damon's bullshit. So what's the struggle here? Literally everything! We've got Elena trying to prove that Stefan didn't murder their history teacher, we've got the intro of creepy new teacher Alaric Saltzman, and we've definitely got jealo...

Awakening from their short break between seasons, Meggie and Laura are flying high into season 5 where they are set to tackle The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith. Originally coming out with the first 4 books in the 1990s before continuing the series in the 2010s and inspiring a hit tv-show, this YA series is anything but ordinary. This episode, your hosts and best friends cover "The Awakening" where w...

Let the final thoughts of YA, We Read It's 4th season begin! Join your resident hosts + best friends Laura and Meggie as they rehash their favorite thoughts and feelings about The Hunger Games trilogy and prequel. We're talking things we would have loved to see in the prequel, Katniss as a relatable protagonist, and (most importantly) Team Gale v. Team Peeta. It's safe to say that this series that...

Meggie and Laura are once again joined by Brooke Smith and Ryan Stevens (hosts of Nation of Animation) to wrap up all their thoughts and feelings on the second half of the Hunger Games prequel. Coriolanus Snow really wants just three things: Lucy, Sejanus to leave him alone, and all the birds to go away. Let's just say it's a ... unprecedented turn for the story to take? Either way you don't want...

The Hunger Games adventure continues on YA, We Read It! Joining in on this episode are special guests Ryan Stevens and Brooke Smith (hosts of Nation of Animation) to break down the newest novel by Suzanne Collins. This book details the origin of our antagonist in the original trilogy, President Snow, as he deals with life after the war in The Capital. Described as a popular pretty boy, can Snow ri...

Katniss wakes up once again in the hospital and soon springs into action. We're talking training for war, befriending Johanna, still dealing with Peeta's hijacked brain, and in general not trying to think about her suitors (literally leave her alone Gale!!!). When her and the star squad go out into combat to shoot another promo, things quickly turn dire and Katniss leads everyone through a chaos m...

You already know what time it is: Time for Katniss to be the face of the revolution!!! The good news? Katniss and her family and Gale are safe and sound and building new lives in District 13. The bad news? District 12 was bombed into oblivion, Peeta has been captured, and Katniss has to film a bunch of promotional videos and is pretty lackluster on camera. The dance between Katniss doing promos an...

The Quarter Quell just got a whole lot more destructive as the victors prep for their unexpected return to the games. Katniss and Peeta adjust to their new strategies and work to make alliances, but are unsure of who they can really trust. Meanwhile, the looming rebellion seems to be taking hold of all the districts with whispers of uprisings ringing through everyone's ears. Meggie and Laura are p...

You already KNOW that this is Laura and Meggie's favorite book in the franchise. This week, your beloved besties and hosts are tackling the first half of it! Post Hunger Games, Katniss is adjusting to life in Victor's Village, life with Gale working in the coal mines, and life with Peeta and her not on the best of terms. The Victory Tour is just around the corner and obviously Katniss once again h...

Meggie and Laura are ready to wrap up the first book of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games, and boy are things getting exciting! The games are starting and Katniss is unsure of what she should make of Peeta's public confession that he loves her. Tbh, we get it—she literally is about to be hunted by 23 other people! It's no time for boys!!! Once she's in the arena, Katniss must fend for herself, impress...