I read a lot of new-to-me authors in 2018, but here are ten of the best. Have you read any of these authors?
January 15: New-to-Me Female Authors I Read In 2018
Julie Kagawa
I read The Blood of Eden trilogy as a part of the A Series A Month challenge. I really enjoyed the unique take on vampires and the way that Kagawa combined paranormal and dystopian elements. I’m even more excited to finally get my hands on her latest release, Shadow of the Fox. I’m planning to read that this month. See my reviews of The Blood of Eden series here.
Lola Dodge
I really enjoyed both the current books in the Spellwork Syndicate series. I picked them up based on the comment that they’re comparable to The Good Witch – sort of a cozy paranormal. I read both back-to-back in two days. See my reviews of The Spellwork Syndicate series here.
Jacqueline Frost
Between the 12 Days of Cozmas and Cloak and Dagger Christmas readathons, I actually read quite a few Christmas-themed mysteries this year. Frost’s books, 12 Slays of Christmas and T’was the Knife Before Christmas were my favourites! I’ll be on the lookout for this year’s come winter. See my reviews of The Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series here.
Edith Pattou
I’d had East on my TBR for ages! I saw it around so many “classic retelling” type lists I assumed it was a much older book than it is. When the long-awaited sequel became available on NetGalley, I grabbed it with both hands and read both. They’re beautiful books and I hope Pattou’s next book doesn’t take quite so long. See my reviews of The Blood of Eden series here.
Alexandra Christo
Mermaids were huge in 2018 and I read a few last year. I enjoyed most, but To Kill A Kingdom really stood out for me. I was lucky enough to see Alexandra Christo speak at panel event and hearing about the other books she’s been working on, I’m really looking forward to her new release, Into the Crooked Place, coming out this year. See my review of To Kill A Kingdom here.
Nancy Warren
I got hooked on the Vampire Knitting Club books in the lead up to Halloween, reading all three that were available at the time. They’re a bit like a cozy, light-weight version of A Discovery of Witches: American witch moves to Oxford and meets a broody British vampire, but in a completely different way. See my reviews of The Vampire Knitting Club series here.
Lily Anderson
I was already pretty much sold based entirely on the premise, but I also really loved the writing style and the way the characters were written. I loved the representation Mila provided and I absolutely adored the friendship between the girls. I think friendship often gets overshadowed in YA books but Undead Girl Gang has one of my absolute favourites and I really enjoyed the twist at the end of the story. See my review of Undead Girl Gang here.
Mimi Matthews
The cover of A Holiday by Gaslight totally stole my heart and the story made me fall in love. I’m not usually big fan of romance novels (novella in this case) but this one completely sold me. I bought three of Matthews’ previous novels straight away. I’ve already read The Matrimonial Advertisement (Parish Orphans of Devon #1) this month. See my review of A Holiday by Gaslight here or see my review of The Matrimonial Advertisement here.
Tessa Gratton
Another NetGalley find. I saw The Queen’s of Innis Lear available for request: a retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear but with a feminist twist. I admit, I struggled in some places but overall I really enjoyed the book and, six-months later, I still find it very memorable. I’m even more interested in Strange Grace but I haven’t quite got around to buying myself a copy yet. See my review of The Queen’s of Innis Lear here.
Laura Purcell
I spotted The Corset on the Recent Releases shelf in Waterstones and picked it up because of the cover and the back summary. Since The Silent Companions was also available in store, I decided to pick up both. It was a bit of a gamble, but I’m pleased I did! I ended up reading both in about a week. Personally, I think I preferred The Corset but both books are well worth a read. See my reviews of The Corset and The Silent Companions.
Great list! So many of the authors on your list are authors I need to check out soon. I definitely want to check out some paranormal cosy mysteries this year. 🙂
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I’ve seen several people mention Lola Dodge this week. You’re making me quite curious about her!
This is my Top Ten Tuesday post.
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Its a really feel good series, perfect for a light, easy read.
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Great list 🙂 Undead Girl Gang and The Queens of Innis Lear are high on my TBR for this year, and I’m hoping to get To Kill a Kingdom from the library eventually.
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I hope you absolutely adore them all!
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I haven’t read books by any of these authors, but Alexandra Christo’s book is on my TBR for this year, so hopefully I enjoy it as much as you did!
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2019/01/15/top-ten-tuesday-194/
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I hope you love it! 😊
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So do I!
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To Kill A Kingdom is on my tbr! Here is my Top Ten Tuesday.
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I hope you enjoy it! 😊
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Dead Girl Gang made my list as well. I really enjoyed that one. I also adore Jaqueline Frost’s series and can’t wait for the next one as well. Great list!
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Thanks! ❤
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I’m with you on Lily Anderson! I loved Undead Girl Gang so much. I think it’s going to end up a Halloween re-read tradition.
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It was such a wonderful book! I’d definitely reread too!
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I haven’t read any of these authors yet. 😦 Julie Kagawa is on my list of authors to get to, though. As is Edith Patton. I’ll have to add Lily Anderson on there after seeing what’s she’s written, those books look great! Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks! ❤ I hope you enjoy Kagawa, Anderson and Pattou.
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I haven’t read books by any of these authors — yet — but several are on my TBR. I just bought the e-book of the first Lola Dodge book, and hope to be getting to it soon!
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Awesome! It’s a really sweet, low-steess type of fantasy. I hope you enjoy it! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts 😊
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Sweet and low-stress in a book sounds really good right now. (I just finished Gaiman’s American Gods which, while well-crafted, is neither sweet nor low-stress.)
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I want to try Julie Kagawa. The Immortal Rules sounds like a series I would really like. Maybe Alexandra Christo as well- I’ve seen a lot of love for To Kill A Kingdom!
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You should definitely read both! 😊 I want to read more of Kagawa’s backlist – I think she’s done fae and dragon series? – because her take on vamps is pretty cool.
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Reblogged this on Stories by Roxy and commented:
These look amazing, thank you for sharing
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😊❤
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Great list. North Child (also known as East) is one of my favorite stories and has been for years. So glad that you finally read it!! ❤
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Its beautifully written! A real hidden gem 😊
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Okay you totally caught my attention with vampire knitting club.. i’m def gonna go check out your review for it now
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I hope it interests you! 😊
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I haven’t read any of these authors yet, but I’m hoping that Julie Kagawa will be a new to me author this year!
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I hope you enjoy her writing! 😊
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Great list! To Kill a Kingdom has been on my TBR for a while now. I will add some of these now!
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Hope you enjoy them! ❤
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