Top Ten Tuesday! - Best Debut Novels

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Best Debut Novels

1. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Wicked Lovely was an amazing book, and we can't believe it was Melissa Marr's first. It was one of the first YA books we've read where the heroine took control of her destiny and refused to be a victim. The concept was sad and dark and awesome, and the novel itself was beautifully written. Plus, this was the first fairy book that Cyna actually liked.

2. Soulless by Gail Carriger
Soulless was awesome. Funny, sexy, and different in a very good way, Gail Carriger's mash-up of steampunk and paranormal romance worked better than you'd think. We loved the spunky heroine, her best friend, and the hilarious tension between her and her love interest. Plus, it was Kayla's first foray into Victorian steampunk and she loved it.

3. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Okay, he may not be the most highly-respected author out there, but The Notebook was a heartbreaking debut. It was one of the first books that we read at roughly the same time, and he was the author that really got Kayla into reading in general. We were big fans for a while, and The Notebook is a big reason why.

4. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
This is - reluctantly - a joint pick. Yes, it has terrible characters, themes, and a meandering plot with no conflict whatsoever, but nevertheless, we've both read it, and as debut authors go, Stephenie Meyer certainly hit the jackpot, didn't she? That alone warrants its inclusion on this list.

5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Cyna's Pick: Do I even need to explain? This book was amazing, our first introduction to Harry and his world, and the beginning of a phenomenon that a whole generation would grow up with. I read Sorcerer's Stone in sixth grade, and became a Harry fan for life. Even now, Sorcerer's Stone is one of my favorites of the HP novels.

6. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Kayla's Pick: To me, this is a classic. I read it in the seventh grade and fell in love with the story and some of the characters. It felt like a true story and I could really empathize with Ponyboy's pain at the loss of a friend. If you haven't read this, read it. Plus, it was cool that all the stars of the movie - Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze (RIP), and Diane Lane, in particular - ended up being super famous, and The Outsiders was one of their first movies.

7. In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Cyna's Pick: This might not be the most technically perfect first novel, but it was a debut that made a huge impact on my life. As a thirteen-year-old, this was the best novel ever, and it was ridiculously cool that it was written by an author my age. It made me want to write, and even now, Forests has a huge nostalgic place in my heart.

8. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Kayla's Pick: I can't believe this is the first book that she wrote. I really liked the story, of the heroine finding out who and what she is, and falling in love with a boy - Jace - which is really complicated. It was one of the first YA paranormal books I read and liked. Can't wait to see the movie, hope they don't screw it up.

9. A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Cyna's Pick: I know we've said this a lot, but I honestly didn't believe that A Study in Scarlet was Doyle's first novel until I read it on Wikipedia. I hadn't read Holmes until a few years ago, but I fell for them pretty quickly. A Study in Scarlet isn't the dense classic you'd expect - the writing is smart and involving, and Holmes is an iconic character for a good reason. He's memorably brilliant, scathing, and douchy.

10. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Cyna's Pick: House of Leaves counts as an AMAZING debut just for it's sheer size, detail, and weirdness. It's a book about a scholarly analysis of a fictional movie about a fictional house that may or may not be supernatural, edited by a fictional character who includes his own fucked-up story in the footnotes. CRAZY. And SERIOUSLY CREEPY. It's an impressive accomplishment, not just as a debut novel, but as a novel in general. And so very wroth reading.