My Favorite.. is a weekly meme hosted by Maureen’s Books. In this meme we share every week something we love with each other. Because let’s face it.. The world can be a dark place and it’s time to share something positive. For more info: My Favorite Meme.

I don’t read much YA, so I looked at the books I have categorized as YA on Goodreads, all 17 of them from the past 9 years. Some I remember reading, most I don’t. I think my favorite though is Briar Rose by Jane Yolen.

“[Briar Rose] is a powerful, touching retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story. Before reading it, I couldn’t imagine how Yolen would connect the fairy tale with the Holocaust, but the wall of thorns becomes barbed wire, the prince has a real-life counterpart and the truth of the sleeping spell is a horrible reality.

I shy away from Holocaust literature in general. I’m always worried that it will be too depressing, although so many of the stories, like Briar Rose, end in redemption and hope. Gemma, as the princess, is both a victim and a heroine, as were so many individuals. She loses everything in the sleeping wood, her memories, her identity, her true love, but manages to build a new life for her and her daughter.

I was enchanted by the story from the beginning. Even though it dealt with a horrific subject, it was short and simply told. Beautiful, really.”

What’s your favorite YA novel?

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