Calendar Girls – Best Debut Novel of 2016

Hello and welcome to a new monthly theme – meme? They rhyme, so sometimes Mandy gets confused. XD

Calendar Girls is hosted by bloggers, Flavia the Bibliophile and Melanie Noell Bernard – both have amazing blogs full of fun, bookish posts. Calendar Girls is a brand new monthly blog event inspired by Neil Sedaka’s 1961 song Calendar Girl. Just like in the song, we decided to use a specific them for each month and choose a book based on these themes! The event is meant to incite discussions with other bloggers about books we’ve read and loved, is meant to help bloggers meet other bloggers, and also for bloggers and readers to find out about blogs which they normally may not have come across! Want to know more? Click on the links above!

So, the first theme is…Best Debut Novel of 2016!

I didn’t think this would be this hard to figure out my favorite debut novel of 2016, but then I started having internal conversations with myself – not in a weird way or anything? I, of course, began to realize that so many of the books that I loved this year…weren’t debuts, which, honestly just made me sad that I couldn’t rave about them again….but eager to shed a spotlight on some fresh new talent in the YA field.

Can I have a drumroll please? Wait, no, I’m already feeling pretty lame and cliche anyway, so maybe just like…a cowbell? That would be all unique and things?

Anyway, my choice is…The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi!

This book captured my attention the moment that I heard about it. While there are many fairytale and folktale stories on the market – which I’m always ready to devour – this one was different since it was based on an Indian folktale, and I was sold.

When I first picked up the book, I was a bit ready to be a bit disappointed because this book couldn’t possibly live up the hype, could it? That’s where Chokshi comes in.

The truth is, you’re going to either love or hate her writing. To me, her prose was wonderful. It was lyrical, light, and created so many beautiful illusions and images. The quote-lover in me was fangirling super hard, and I wanted to go back to the day where I crafted little posters made of pretty quotes because these quotes were worthy. Her prose definitely made this novel into what it was, and I definitely can’t wait to devour another book by her.

The second part of what made this my favorite debut of 2016 was the plot. It was interesting, unique, and although it had a very Hades/Persephone like feel, it still added new and interesting things to the original story. I had no clue where this story would take me, and I couldn’t wait to continue the journey.

This story had just about everything a debut – and any good book should have – humor, a fascinating concept and plot, good characterization, a beautiful romance, and a wonderful introduction and preview of the author’s work for the future. It was just enough of a tease to get me eager to see what Chokshi does next.

So, what do you think was the best debut of 2016? Do you agree or disagree with me? If so, why? Let’s discuss in the comments below, and as I said, if you’re interested in knowing more about Calendar Girls or even signing up, please click on the links at the beginning of the post!