Hypable enters the controversial arena of favorite books as we select the best books of 2013.
As 2013 comes to a close, it is time to look back on the year that was. To celebrate the end of 2013, we asked Hypable staff members to each select their favorite book of the year (or sometimes two, for the indecisive). Make sure to let us know in the comments what you thought the best book of 2013 was.
Don’t forget, you can also have your say in the 2013 Hypable Awards, where you can vote for your Favorite Book of 2013, and Favorite Debut Author, plus a whole range of fandom categories.
Michal Schick – ‘Quintana of Charyn’ by Melina Marchetta
Quintana of Charyn was everything readers could have wanted from the book that brought The Lumatere Chronicles to a close. Deftly lacing the sprawling threads of her story together, Melina Marchetta pushed Froi, Finnikin, Isaboe and Quintana to the breaking point – and pulled the reader along with them. Deliberate and lovely, Quintana of Charyn positively marched to its climax, blurring the lines between friend and foe and delivering an intricate climax so sweet and sad, it broke our hearts in the best possible way. (2013 American release)
Marama Whyte – ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’ by Neil Gaiman
In The Ocean at the End of the Lane, a duckpond is an ocean, a boy is a door, and childhood is a fantasy. In the skillful hands of Neil Gaiman, there are no rules, and anything is possible. But it is not all fantasy and delight, in fact the horrifying realities that Gaiman depicts are amongst the most powerful passages, dark as they might be. Readers will find themselves suddenly so submerged in the world Gaiman has created that they can’t quite imagine leaving – much like the titular ocean. Like all great fantasy literature, The Ocean at the End of the Lane uses supernatural elements to explore the human condition. And while Gaiman offers enough mystical trappings to entice most readers, those willing to look deeper will find a stunning metaphor for depression at the heart of the story.
Karen Rought – ‘House of Hades’ by Rick Riordan
House of Hades is by far the most engaging book I’ve read this year, and it continues to call to me even after I’ve read it from cover to cover. I’d even venture so far as to say it’s the best Percy Jackson book Riordan has written. It’s got it all: action, adventure, romance, and mythology. The stakes are getting higher, and our heroes are no longer facing tasks that they can overcome on their own. They need each other, and that continues to be the heart of the story. Even better, in this book we truly saw what it was like to live in this world — not just for the demigods, but for their foes as well. Percy’s questioning of his own actions coupled with the redemption of several “bad guys” made this book one of the most touching and beautiful stories I’ve read this year.
Laura Byrne-Cristiano – ‘Siege and Storm’ by Leigh Bardugo
I am a fantasy junkie. Give me a couple of horses, a castle, and magic and I’m in. At the same time, it’s kind of hard to impress me in this genre. Well, that’s exactly what happened when Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy was introduced to me. I plowed through Shadow and Bone and its sequel Siege and Storm in roughly 72 hours. Who needs sleep? Like many fantasies, the story is one of the quest, and overcoming a malevolent foe, but it’s so much more than that. The Grishas (talented mortals who control the elements through various means) have been loyal to the royal family and The Darkling (the most powerful of their kind…or is he). But what if the royals and the Darkling were not what they seemed. Perhaps the most powerful Grisha is not the Darkling, but a Sun Summoner named Alina. From humble beginnings, Alina is smart, resourceful, talented and not defined by any romantic relationship (though three people are certainly interested). The question is: Can Alina determine friend from foe, who to trust, and the cost of unbridled power? I literally can not wait until the final installment comes out in June 2014.
Marama Whyte – ‘Two Boys Kissing’ by David Levithan
Two Boys Kissing is heartbreaking and heartwarming, and does not let the reader off easily. The book is narrated in Greek chorus style by the homosexual men who died in the AIDS epidemic, and what could easily be dismissed as an “issue book” becomes much more in Levithan’s skilled hands. The kiss at the story’s nucleus is an effective parallel for the reader’s experience – it may have started as an act of gay advocacy, but it is also a very human action (and possibly that is Levithan’s entire contention). Two Boys Kissing might be an important read, and luckily, it also happens to be a great one.
Kristen Kranz – ‘Eleanor and Park’ by Rainbow Rowell
There are two characters I met in 2013 that I’m not sure how I survived without: Eleanor and Park. In the novel of the same name, Rainbow Rowell has written two of the most realistic and dynamic young adults I have ever met in my literary adventures. Young friendship blossoming into young love has been a recurring theme for centuries, but when handled with as much deftness and care as Eleanor and Park’s love has, there is no denying why this theme has survived the generations. From their first encounter to the last, each moment pulses with a rhythm only Eleanor and Park could understand. The music, the comics, the stolen moments, all of it lends itself to the wonderfully tragic, yet hopeful tale of two young people not just falling for each other, but finding their counter-balance in another person. Characters often talk about being in love with their best friend, but this novel takes that idea a bit further. That once two people find balance together, they will forever stumble separately. I cannot recommend Eleanor and Park highly enough, as they will not only draw you into their world, but make you wish you never have to leave.
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