Tough-O-Meter

We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)

(7) Snow Line

We'll be the first to admit that Surrender is no cakewalk. First, there's the constant switching back and forth between present and past events—sometimes we're not even sure which timeline we're in until Gabriel namedrops Sarah or Evangeline (though then we know where we are—phew). As if that's not enough, we've got a full-blown suspense on our hands, and this book takes the genre to a whole new level. We're asking ourselves who Finnigan really is the entire time, and when we learn the truth… well, then we have a million more questions.

Still, we love the thrill of discovering who the characters are, and this book allows us to do that in our own time. Plus, by the end we've cracked such a big mystery that we want to go back for more.