Nalini Haynes’s ‘best of 2013’
My pick for the Norma K Hemming award:
Black Sun Light My Way by Jo Spurrier
Black Sun Light My Way is book two in what is shaping up to be a ground-breaking trilogy featuring women in an almost idealistic egalitarian polygamous society while women from other countries are second class citizens. A key protagonist has an acquired disability and continues to grow, being important to the story and to other characters. Every sexytime (more modest than in erotica) is essential to the story in terms of character development or significance in relationships even if it’s just that someone overhears a couple copulating because they’re sharing the same tent. A villain from book one, Rasten, is a surprisingly sympathetic character right from book one but becomes even more so in book two. Black Sun is one of those rare books where book two ramps it up from book one. And just when I thought it was winding down for the pause between books – Oh. Em. Gee. The last few pages… Wow. Black Sun took me by surprise.
Not everything listed in this ‘best of’ list was published in 2013 but, because so much of what I read is recent, there is a good chance these titles have been published within the past year or so.
- Infidelity by Hugh Mackay insightful character study with real-world setting
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green – epic teen romance reviewed here
- Lexicon by Max Barry – science fiction reviewed here
- Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff – Japanese steampunk fantasy reviewed here
- Small Shen by Kylie Chan and Queenie Chan – novel/graphic novel reviewed here
Elizabeth Manthos’s best of 2013
Best reads:
- Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight. They were absolutely amazing.
- The Infernal Devices Trilogy
- The Mortal Instruments (even though I’m only in book 3)
Best movie: