Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Young Adult Dystopian Books:

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I would be a failure of a blogger if I didn't put this book first. I put it off for a long time after this first book came out only because of the concept, but once I read it, I was completely and utterly hooked. This series is just about up there with HP for me!

2. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer - This is the only book in the series that ended up completely capturing me, but it did so in a way that has me loving it to this day. Written in diary form, we're given a first-hand account of one girl's desperate struggle for survival when the moon is knocked out of orbit.

3. Blood Red Road by Moira Young - There was such a strong divide on this book because of the dialect, but I was one of those bloggers that loved it. Once I became used to the voice of the novel, it became a complete strength, and the story was so strong and engrossing.

4. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - I actually don't think it's a cop-out for me to put two of the same series on this list because I feel they stand just as strong apart from one another. This one somehow managed to up the ante from an already intense book one, and I was hooked.

5. Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari - This was, again, one of those books where bloggers seemed to love it or think it completely missed the mark. For me, it was a complete win, however. With great characters, a fantastic storyline and a great writing style, I highly recommend it.

6. Partials by Dan Wells - There was something about this one that was just so sophisticated that made it stand apart from the rest. With a rich blend of military, science and political themes, it was more than just a tainted world. It was heartbreaking and fascinating.

7. Wither by Lauren DeStefano - When I first read this book, I honestly didn't love it. Perhaps I'd read a string of bad books, or I wasn't in the right mindframe, but it didn't work at the time. I gave it a re-read a month ago though, and I found it to be far more poignant and powerful than I remembered. This is definitely a success.

8. Pure by Julianna Baggott - Frankly, this should be higher on my list, but we'll just go ahead and say they're all on par with one another on this top ten. This was one of those books that just blew me away by the sheer enormity and originality of the story. It's one I recommend to everyone who asks!

9. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver - In an effort not to put series again and again on this list, I'm only putting book two, but Delirium is right there with it. Book two, for me, really stepped up its game and was even better than book one though, and that's what I look for in series as a book blogger.

10. Eden by Keary Taylor - Though this one wasn't originally a favourite of mine, I have to include it on this list because of the sheer originality of the world. It still possesses some of those YA cliches that drive me mad, but it is a fascinating world and concept, and it's one that gets better every time you read it.

In My Mailbox is an amazing weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren that features the books we have received during the week. It's so much fun because we get to see what our fellow bloggers stumbled upon this week and add even more to our piles of books! Without further ado, this week I received the following books:

FOR REVIEW:

Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne (ARC & Swag) - Thank you, Sara

Fracture by Megan Miranda (ARC) - Thank you, Ivy

Lightbringer by K.D. McEntire (2nd Copy - Finished) - Thank you, PYR

The Clearing by Anne Riley - Thank you, Anne

Vindicated by Keary Taylor, Thank you, Keary

Title: Eden
Author: Keary Taylor
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: June 6, 2011
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Pages: 408
Source: Author

Eve knew the stories of the Fall, of a time before she wandered into the colony of Eden, unable to recall anything but her name. She's seen the aftermath of the technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter, able to grow new organs and limbs, how it evolved out of control. The machine took over and the soul vanished. A world quickly losing its humanity isn't just a story to her though. At eighteen, this world is Eve's reality.

In their Fallen world, love feels like a selfish luxury, but not understanding what it is makes it difficult to choose between West, who makes her feel alive but keeps too many secrets, and Avian, who has always been there for her, but is seven years her senior.

The technology wants to spread and it won't stop until there is no new flesh to assimilate. With only two percent of the human population left, mankind is on the brink of extinction. While fighting to keep Eden alive, Eve will discover that being human is about what you will do for those you love, not what your insides may be made of.

Eve lives in a world that's devastated and ruins since the technology began having a mind of its own. Once made to be a cure, the tech now controls most of the Fallen world, leaving just a few bands of humans still alive and Eden as their one, true sanctuary. Their world is at war between the living and the machine, and Eve is at war with herself, fighting a constant inner turmoil to survive and reconcile her forgotten past with her present. But life is even more confusing when it comes to the two men in her life who give her a focus and a center. West might very well be for her, but Avian is a rock, and she's known him half her life. Will Eve's love for all those in Eden be enough to keep them all alive, or will they soon be a part of the Fallen?

Eden is, perhaps, the epitome of dystopian fiction, creating a world that's so devastated by mankind's greed and lust for advancement that it seems like there is very little hope left at all. The brainchild of indie author, Keary Taylor, Eden is her first stab at dystopian fiction after her popular and successful Fall of Angels series, including Branded, Forsaken and the forthcoming Vindicated. Well-written in the challenging first-person POV, Eden allows you direct access to Eve's mind as she makes her way through a crippled world where love is a luxury at best.

We all know how much I love dystopian fiction, and Eden has such an amazing premise that promises a dark, haunting story that is both painful and hopeful. The world within Eden is a series of stark contrasts, portrayed almost as black and white. You have the ruined world that's been consumed by technology and cybernetics with one goal - to eliminate humanity. Then, you have the lush gardens of Eden where the remaining humans are living at the base level of humanity, surviving on love, compassion and the mere basics. That, was the highlight of Eden for me. I did, unfortunately, have a few issues with Eden though. The story starts with a bang, then settles into a lull of backstory for a few chapters that, while necessary, could probably have been interwoven later in the story to better help the flow. I also felt that it took a long time to get into Eve's head. She had this whole life before Eden, but I struggled to get a grasp on it because she was so stubborn ad shrouded in mystery. Avian and West were both strong male characters with a great impact on the plot, but I felt the romance often overshadowed the action in the book, which is a struggle for me - especially if it's a bit of a triangle. All that said, though, I still want to remark on what an amazing world there is in Eden because it's one of the best I've read of in a while.

All in all, Eden is so, so close to being a really great dystopian, but because of some flaws, it ended up just being good for me. As far as I can see, this is a stand-alone book, so make sure you read it for that. I give it a strong 3 out of 5, and I'd recommend it to all YA fans, especially those who enjoy upper YA and dystopian fiction.

I received this book free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

In My Mailbox is an amazing weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren that features the books we have received during the week. It's so much fun because we get to see what our fellow bloggers stumbled upon this week and add even more to our piles of books! Without further ado, this week I received the following books:

FOR REVIEW

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

ARC - Thank you, Simon & Schuster

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

FOR REVIEW

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

ARC - Thank you, HarperTeen

I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.

Number Two in England.

And Number Three in Kenya.

They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.

I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.

And I'm ready to fight.

FOR REVIEW

Eden by Keary Taylor

Finished Copy - Thank you, Keary

Eve knew the stories of the Fall. She's seen the aftermath of the technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter, able to grow new organs and limbs, how it evolved out of control. The machine took over and the soul vanished. At eighteen, this world is Eve's reality.

The technology wants to spread and it won't stop until there is no new flesh to assimilate. While fighting to keep Eden alive, Eve discovers that being human is about what you will do for those you love. And even if it gets you killed, love is always what separates them from the Fallen.