1. Best Prose. The Raven Boys, by Maggie Steifvater (Scholastic). As Tobias Carroll, managing editor of Vol.1 Brooklyn, told us, Siefvater's "is a heady piece of work; there are smart observations about class intermingling with Big Ideas about destiny and history." (He recommends it for readers of "most anything by Neil Gaiman or Grant Morrison," what with her "nicely surreal touches, and a couple of impressive structural moves that work damn near perfectly." Additional good news: It's only the first in a series. "Only time will tell how well some of the longer-term plotting pays off," he says, "but for now, I am well and truly hooked." Eliot Schrefer, author of the 2012 National Book Award finalist Endangered, seconds Carroll's pick, saying "Stiefvater has a gift for making her scenes specific and vivid. For young adult readers who have grown numb to fantasy conventions, this novel is gorgeous and intelligent and—best of all—original."

Honorable Mention to Fever, by Lauren Destefano (Simon & Schuster). Tahereh Mafi, author of Shatter Me and the forthcoming Unravel Me, says "Destefano writes like a true poet and lets her characters lead, never apologizing for the choices they make. This second installment is just as beautiful and haunting as the first."

3. Most Worthy of Our Tears. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Penguin). As Schrefer puts it, "Two teens with cancer fall in love. You will not make me cry, Mr. Green. You will not manipulate my emotions, Mr. Green. You will… wait, I’m crying. And I didn’t feel manipulated at all." This is my own personal favorite for the year as well, and all I can say is, read it, read it, read it. It is pretty damn near perfect, with moments both funny and heart-wrenching, sometimes both at the same time, and I second Schrefer's opinion: You do not feel manipulated, because it's simply not manipulative. Veronica Rossi, author of the Under the Never Sky trilogy, adds, "Green can make you laugh and cry in the span of a sentence and he’s at his very best in Stars. An unforgettable read." And Sandie Angulo Chen of Teen Lit Rocks agrees, too, saying, "My favorite book of the year is, like most serious readers of young adult literature, John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. Anyone who misguidedly claims that adults should only read adult books has never had the unmitigated joy and heartbreak of reading the expertly crafted, transformative words of Green's characters Hazel Grace and Augustus ... It's almost a shame that the novel came out in January, because it set the bar so impossibly high for the rest of the year."

Honorable Mentions to The Probability of Miracles, by Wendy Wunder (Razorbill Reprint) and Second Chance Summer, by Morgan Matson (Simon & Schuster). Sara Shepard, author of Pretty Little Liars, calls Miracles "an equally joyful and heart-wrenching look at illness, hope, and what it's like to work at Disney World. Definitely one of my favorites of the year." Of Second Chance Summer, Angulo Chen says, "I'm going to spread the love and give props to another realistic contemporary novel that tackles issues of cancer, love, and loss: It's about 17-year-old Taylor's last summer with her dying father in the summer home their family hasn't visited in several years. Matson authentically captures the overwhelming nature of grief and attempting to make the best of one final season as a complete family. Like The Fault in Our Stars, there's humor and romance and so much heart."