The YA Scavenger Hunt is over!

That was ridiculously fun! Thank you to all for participating in the 72-hour marathon. Huge thanks to the one hundred and one readers who took time out of the hunt to comment on my blog. You made my first YASH even more special. I can’t wait to see who wins the grand prizes!

I ran a separate contest here on my blog. Commenters who named their all-time fave YA book had a chance to win a $10 Amazon e-card. (“This is the hardest question ever!” said Jordan.) The winner of this gift card will be announced October 10 along with the overall YA Scavenger Hunt prize winners. Be sure to check the official site then!

I was unable to respond to all of your comments individually, but I read every single one. Here's a summary of your responses.

Jay said picking a favorite book was “like asking me to pick my favorite cat.” Having two fabulous fur companions myself, I can relate to your dilemma!

"Ahh!!! This is me screaming because I'm absolutely terrible at picking favorites," said Jenn. 

Bethany said, “This is one of those questions where with different moods, I could give you different answers.”

I was especially touched by people who mentioned books that got them into reading YA. For Lisa and Rachel, it was theTwilight saga. Pamela wasn't a fan of reading until Stephenie Meyer came along. Hope holds special place in her heart for the books drew her into the YA fiction world — Divergent and the Hunger Games.

Many of you named books by authors I love, love, love – Eva Ibbottson (Myra, I’m putting A Company of Swans on my TBR pile immediately!), Stephanie Perkins, Simone Elkeles, Sarah Dessen. Cal said of Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity, "I felt so many emotions during this book. It was insane and amazing." Totally with you there, Cal! 

Series by Colleen Houck (Tiger’s Curse), Jennifer Armentrout (Lux), Marie Lu (the Legend series), Cassandra Clare (Mortal Instruments), Julie Kagawa (the Iron Fey series) and Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy) struck a chord. Katherina said her life wouldn't be complete without The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hanley and the Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper.

Thanks to you guys, I've found a number of new-to-me authors. I agree with Kathy – so many great books are being published. There’s really something for everyone, and that’s what I love about YA fiction.

For the record, my all-time fave YA is Remember Me by Christopher Pike. It’s a book that changed the way I thought about life and death. Like Heather, whose favorite was the Angel Eyes series, I first read Remember Me many years ago and I think about it to this day.

Many thanks to all the hunters! I hope to see you again soon. Remember, check the YASH site on October 10 to see the list of winners. If you win my book, This Is Your Afterlife, please note this is a digital-only release and it’ll be out October 21 from Bloomsbury Spark. 

P.S. The lovely A. Lynden Rolland hosted me during YASH. If you missed a chance to see my book trailer on her post starring the characters pictured above, don't worry — you'll see it again when it's officially unleashed on October 10. ;)