Top 10 new to me authors in 2017!

Nope – not a typo! This week I am doing a top 10 instead of 5 because…… I couldn’t narrow it down! One of my goals this year was to try new authors. It’s always nice to revisit a voice you know you enjoy, but it’s always great to find more authors 🙂 Some of these were debut authors this year, and some were not. Either way, they were new to me and now I can’t wait to get more from them soon!! It’s a long one so, grab a snack and let’s get to it! These are in no particular order and all reviews will be linked if you want to check them out!

ERIN MORGENSTERN

The Night Circus was easily one of my favourite books this year. Her writing was so beautiful and magical – I wanted to soak in every word! I heard that this was a fantastic book but, honestly, the atmosphere blew me away. I need more from her! I checked her goodreads before writing this post and there isn’t anything showing as in progress. I can cross my fingers and hope for more some day though!

BRIAN MCCLELLAN

Sins Of Empire holds a special place in my heart for a number of reasons. First – it was the first ARC that I ever read and received. Second, when I posted the review, the author somehow found it and posted the link to all his social media. To this day, my review for this book is the most viewed thing on my blog! I was so new to blogging and I was dumbfounded that he found my review and it literally blew up everywhere! This one was a sequel of sorts to his Powder Mage trilogy which I hadn’t read. But after finishing this one I was so in love with his world building and magic system that I immediately went out and bought the original trilogy! I started book one but haven’t finished it yet. His writing and world building is stellar!

LAINI TAYLOR

Yet another one that has a special place in my heart! Strange The Dreamer was the second ARC I read (I received it in the same package as Sins Of Empire) and I happen to love the name Laini…… that’s actually my daughters name! No, I didn’t name my daughter after an author lol. I named her before I even found out about THIS Laini…. and my daughters name is spelled Laney. Anyways, this book was so exceptionally written I was next to tears at times. Awe is an understatement. And when I look back at this book it’s not the words I remember really, it’s the pictures I conjured in my head while reading. The descriptions were so vivid, the entire book played out like a movie as I was reading. I picked up the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy shortly after reading this one and it’s not as good as Strange The Dreamer, but I will continue to read more from her!

ELLY BLAKE

Elly is another one that I have a soft spot for. I went to a Stephanie Garber signing in Michigan in January of this year and Elly was there. I heard of Frostblood a few weeks before going, and picked up the book at the signing. I adored the book, and she was a wonderful speaker – not to mention she lives less than an hour from me! THEN, when Fireblood came out this year, I went to her release event, got to meet her again, and she remembered me! I was humbled and shocked! Fire blood is also the first book to include a love triangle where I am fiercely rooting for the new and not so popular love interest. I also love her action scenes! Can’t wait for book 3’s release then maybe I can have an entire personalized trilogy!

SABAA TAHIR

An Ember In The Ashes is a book that I let sit on my shelf for many months, assuming that I wouldn’t enjoy it a whole lot. WRONG! I was blown away by her writing style and the variety in her abilities. She was able to invoke so much emotion, fully dimensional characters, magic, action, brutality – she had everything and it was all so seamless and effortless. Even better, the sequel to this one (A Torch Against The Night) was even better!! Her writing just spoke to me and I felt that I could lose myself completely in the world.

ANGIE THOMAS

Do I really need to explain why Angie Thomas makes this list? Do I? If I do – then clearly you haven’t read The Hate You Give . If this is the case then stop reading this post now and go get this book!! Her characters felt SO real and I loved the fact that this book focused so much on family and parental support. This is something that isn’t done nearly enough in YA! I also love that she was able to capture the emotions and situations from all angles. The writing was absolutely outstanding and I can’t wait for more from her!!

GRADY HENDRIX

I feel almost as if this one was a hidden gem. I went into My Best Friends Exorcism expecting one thing and came out realizing that it was so much more. This is a genre that I don’t get into nearly enough and this book made me want it ALL!  I heard about his other book, Horrorstor, a while before getting to this one – now I can’t wait to read that one too!!

MITALI PERKINS

This is another hidden gem. I happened to stumble across You Bring The Distant Near on a list for a publisher and requested it, not sure if it would be something that I would enjoy. When it comes to multigenerational stories, it’s very hit or miss. If it’s not written properly the story can feel flat and underwhelming. But this book was outstanding! The more perspectives we received, the more my involvement and emotions grew, growing attached to each and every one of them. This is one of the most well written multigenerational stories I’ve ever read and can’t wait for more from her!

TAYLOR JENKINS REID

The only woman to ever write a book about celebrities and a Hollywood lifestyle and make me enjoy it! The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is far more than its face value. It was such a well written story about a woman, her passions and emotions, and how her job and social status influenced those things. It was also a very diverse book but felt so natural and not forced in any way. I also loved how she was able to write about connections. I didn’t expect to enjoy this one nearly as much as I did!

ROMINA RUSSELL

This woman – I wish I could explain in words how much I am in love with her writing and her books right now! Zodiac and the world within is just so enormous. I mean there are 13 “planets” and each is ruled by its own zodiac sign, has very specific characteristics, eco-systems, and technologies, AND then there’s the politics! I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it would have been to write this quartet and have it connect and make as much sense as it does. Never once have I been confused and she always finds a way to tie it all in. It takes a very skilled author to be able to write a world this complex and characters this fleshed out! I have one book left in this series then I’ll be on the look out for more! I NEED MORE!!!

TOP 5 TUESDAY PARTICIPANTS:

• Vanessa – The Bookish Deer
• The Cozy Pages
• Hannah – Hannah’s Novel Nonsense
• Birdie Bookworm
• Rachael – Beach Bookworm
• Joe – JW Martin
• Chelsea – Spotlight on Stories
• Steph – Lost: Purple Quill
• Kyera – Kyera’s Library
• Hannah – I Have Thoughts On Books
• Dreamy Reads
• Paige – The Girl With All The Books
• Rachel – Pace Amore Libri
• Rebecca – My Life As A Sports Fangirl
• Mini – Book And Corner
• Hadeer – Hadeer Writes
• Sophie – Beware of the Reader
• Nia – Shades Of Paper
• Rose – Stuck In Fiction
• Lauren – Books Are Only The Beginning
• Sarah – Weaving Life
• Jillian – Jillian The Bookish Butterfly
• Ryann – Ryann The Reader

SO! Now you probably see why there was no way I was going to be able to narrow this list down to 5. Also, remember, these books are NOT in my top books of this year – well not all of them at least. These are just the books written by authors I haven’t read from yet. I did love all of these but, there are still a few that I have rated higher and will place on my top books of 2018 post….. which is coming soon!!

Until next time, happy reading!