My Favourite Debut Novels

I got the idea for this post from one of the Top 5 Wednesday topics and I realize I a little late but I really wanted to do a post about this because I think it's a great idea. There are so many debut authors out there with a lot of talent! So I wanted to share with you some of my favourites that have won my heart and made me fall in love with the author's writing. All of these books have made me a devoted fan of all the authors, and I will definitely be picking up their future books! These books aren't in any particular order. Let me know if you also like some of these books!

1. Splintered by A.G. Howard.
I pretty much talk about this book non-stop. My friends and family are so fed up by this point, they just ignore me now when I go on a rant about this world. From the minute I saw this book I knew I had to buy it and read it immediately. The cover drew me to it first because it was so creepy and unique. Then the premise interested me quite a bit because I love fairy-tale retellings. So I picked it up and the rest is history! I'll definitely read anything A.G. Howard writes!





2. Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch.
I heard so many good things about this book on the internet before I picked it up. I was a little reluctant to pick it up when I first got it because it was a fantasy and I hadn't read too many of those. But I recently went on a fantasy kick and dove head first into this baby! I absolutely fell in love with the world, the character, and the writing! I can't wait to see where Sara takes us to in the next book in the series, as well as all her books to come!



3. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige.
I don't remember how I found out about this book, I think it might've been while watching an EpicReads video. As soon as I heard what this was about I immediately looked it up on Goodreads, I became so intrigued by the story I ran to the store and bought it as soon as I could. I read this book in 2 days because I couldn't put it down! I've done a whole post on this book so I won't go into too much detail. I just loved the way it was written and I can't wait to read more from Danielle!






4. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi.
I discovered this book by watching Lainey from Gingerreadslainey on YouTube. She was reading these books and becoming obsessed so I decided to give them a shot. The first book was all about virtual reality, which was a topic I was studying in school at the time, so I became very interested. Then I began to really connect with the characters and I couldn't wait to find out what happened to them. I cried at the end of Into the Still Blue because I didn't want to say goodbye to some of my favourite characters! I'm without a doubt going to read every book Veronica writes! Her writing is so enticing and addictive! She has a new book coming out this year called Riders that I'll definitely be picking up!

5. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.
This is one of those books where it's hard to believe this is a debut novel because the writing is so beautiful and strong. This book had me ensnared from the very first page. The writing style was so unique and lyrical. Tahereh also has a book coming out soon called Furthermore and I can't wait to get my hands on it!






Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

Book Spotlight: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige!

I've done this one time before on my blog and decided to do another post because I think it's so fun and such a great way to discover new books!

This post is going to be dedicated to Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige. If you haven't heard of this book yet you've been missing out on a lot! It puts an awesomely dark twist on The Wizard of Oz! Dark and twisted fairy tales are some of my favourite books to read so as soon as I heard about this book I had to pick it up and read it ASAP!

Dorothy Must Die is the debut book for author Danielle Paige, and what a great book this is to start your writing career with! This book put such an interesting spin on the classic tale of Dorothy and Oz! Everything was backward and twisted and you didn't know who to trust which made the story that much more interesting!

As of now the first two books in this trilogy are out: Dorothy Must Die and The Wicked Will Rise, along with three prequel novelas: No Place Like Oz, The Witch Must Burn & The Wizard Returns. I've read all of these books except for The Wizard Returns (which I plan on purchasing soon) and I loved every single one of them! They just get better and better as you read them!

These books are full of action, mystery, and comedy mixed with a dash of romance! The perfect recipe for a YA book!

Dorothy Must Die in particular was very well written. I really loved reading from Amy Gumm's perspective because she's hilarious and kick butt! I also loved getting to see how much Oz has changed since we left it in the original tale. This is definitely a book I can see myself re-reading time and time again.

If you haven't read this book yet I highly suggest you do! This is perfect for lovers of fairy tales and fantasy.

Published: HarperTeen, April 1st, 2014
Pages: 452
Source: Hardcover, purchased
Genre: Fairy tale retelling, fantasy
Rating: 4.25/5
Favourite Quotes:

• “Sometimes only pain can heal.”
• “No matter how tough you think you are, there are certain things that just get to you, and they’re usually the little things. The ones you don’t expect.”
• “Those who have sacrificed always have the most to lose.”
• “He just stared at me, his gaze intense. I couldn’t look away any more than I could move my arm. Energy crackled between us, and I felt a strange pull to him. Moth to flame. Magnet to magnet. Stupid girl to impossible, slightly mean witch boy. Wizard. Whatever.”

Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

***Quotes taken from Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige and Goodreads.com***
*Info on book taken from Goodreads.com*