five: books i didn't expect

There are always books that surprise me: ones that are better or worse than expected, ones that end different than I ever would have thought. Here are the five books I read in 2012 that were the most surprising -- in a good way.

1. Mothership

Martin Leicht & Isla Neal

I was all set to give this sci-fi comedy up in the first ten pages, but to my complete surprise it was not only entertaining, but also really really great, with a totally kick-butt main character who reminds me of Agent 99 more than quite possibly any other YA character I've come across. I'm hoping this one -- set to be the first in a series -- gets the sequel it so much deserves.

2. Fangirl

Ken Baker

I so wasn't expecting this cliche teen romance to have such fully realized characters or be as emotionally complex as it was. Totally one of the stand-outs of 2012's contemporary YA.

3. Out of the Easy

Ruta Sepetys

Pub date: Feb 2013

I managed to get an ARC of this 2013 release at ALA and wow did it blow me away! While I liked Sepetys' first book (Between Shades of Grey) and objectively realized how brilliant and beautiful it was, my personal connection to it wasn't as strong as many others' were. So I expected Out of the Easy to be along those same lines: objectively great, but maybe not my favorite. However, this one hit me just right and became the rare historical fiction that I totally, totally fall for.

4. Flawless Ruins

Kieryn Nicolas

To be perfectly honest I'd read and liked Kieryn Nicolas' debut novel (Rain), but dystopian novels like Flawless Ruins are hard to get right; I think they come with a different set of obstacles than most other novels, and I didn't think Nicolas could pull it off. But this book was a lot, lot better than I was expecting it to be.

What books surprised you this year -- whether positively or negatively?