Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten 2014 Debuts

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by the Brooke and the Bookish. This week's top ten is of the 2014 debuts I am excited for. 


10. "Dear Killer" by Katherine Ewell: the blurb is really intriguing and I'm really hyped for this book. The only thing I'm weary of is the author's young age. I've had bad experiences with young authors in the past, but admittedly they were all younger than her, and Veronica Roth, whose book I loved, was not all that older than Ewell when she published her debut novel. So I'm willing to give Ewell the benefit of doubt.  

9. "Nil" by Lynne Matson: I have read some glowing praise for this book and the concept is really interesting, too. 

8. "Alienated" by Melissa Landers: I really like the premise. I have read a book with the alien exchange student premise before, but that one was actually an analysis of gender roles in our society (and it was really good). I don't think this one will be nearly as good, judging from the last paragraph of the blurb. I am kind of hopeful, because the premise is really cool and has a certain nostalgic flavor for me, I just hope that it's not an "Obsidian" rip-off. 

7. "Illusive" by Emily Lloyd-Jones: I admit it, I was intrigued by the fact that it was marketed as a mix of "x-men" and "ocean's elven". Which probably means it won't have anything to do with either of those, but it still caught my eye. And I really like the concept of the super-powered criminals.

6. "Banished" by Lyz de Jager: damn, I really hate this cover. But since a book should not be judged by its cover I am giving this the benefit of doubt and judging it by its premise, which is really cool, if not exactly the most original thing I've ever heard of. 

5. "The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavander" by Lesley Walton : This promises to be speculative fiction at its finest, I just hope it lives up to my expectations. Short excursus: I am not really a fan of the title,  it's far too long and it's hard to remember.    

4. "Midnight Thief" by Livia Blackburne: this one is not really a debut, but it is the author's first work that is not a novella, so I'm counting this as a debut. I have been wanting to get back into high fantasy for a while, and this novel really seems interesting, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one. 

3. "Defy" by Sarah B. Larson: the blurb promises a good hight fantasy with a kick-ass heroine, even though she gets abducted - her two love interests are captive with her, so she probably will be actually badass and not a damsel in distress in disguise.
  

2. "Red Rising" by Pierce Brown: it promises to be a good ya dystopia novel, which are pretty hard to find.

1. "Half Bad" by Sally Green: this one has it all: an intriguing premise, a gorgeous cover and glowing praise and witches. What's not to be hyped about? 

So, what 2014 debuts are you excited about this year?