Good morning, Book Nerds.

Its Monday and let me tell you my week is off to a doozy, but you’re not here for my problems. Let’s focus on the books shall we? Today I wanted to talk about my love-hate relationship with debut novels.

Now I know what you’re going to say. “Mariah, you did the TBR shame tag. We already know that you have a major backlog. What do you mean love-hate relationship with debut novels?” And my answer to that is:

1. It’s a little early in the morning for that kind of attack.
2. I just got rid of a bunch of books…..mostly off my read shelf, but some off my to be read.
3. I said “debut,” not new release.

Let’s start with a definition. A debut novel is a novel that introduces a novelist to the world. For instance, Artemis Fowl was Eoin Colfer’s debut novel. The Eye of the World was Robert Jordan’s debut novel. Carrie, The Bluest Eye, and so many more novels could be used as examples. In these novels, we, the readers, see the beginnings of an author’s style, are introduced to a world, and get to see an author really starting out. All of these are amazing things to watch develop and they can also be a right pain.

No novel is perfect. My five star “you must read this right now” is someone else’s two star “why did I waste my time with this?” Debut novels are a perfect example. More than once on the BookTube community I’ve seen “I love this author, but I’ve never read their backlog.” The aforementioned Booktuber then reads their favorite author’s debut novel and hates it. I tend to like to start with an author’s backlog and move forward. Here’s why.

I hate debut novels in that they’re often rough, filled with tropes, and there’s usually some point in the dialog that I visibly cringe or roll my eyes. This is especially true in my YA reads. However, I love the potential. I love continuing in a series, or picking up the author’s next stand alone, and seeing the parts of the writing that I loved become stronger and more prominent as the author gets their sea legs. By starting with that author’s debut novel, I get to see how they develop. This doesn’t always happen. Sometimes I just pick up the first novel that I hear about by the author. I’ve read Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, but I haven’t read Tarnsman of Gor which he wrote in the 60s. A second example would be I’ve started Julie Kagawa’s Shadow of the Fox series, but I haven’t read her Iron Fey series. This list could go on. I usually want to read the debut novel/series before getting too far into the author’s work. I will never shirk a book because it is a debut novel, but I also give a lot more leeway in my reviewing.

Someone who is an international bestseller with ten books out should not, in my opinion, have the same issues as a new author. I don’t care if that author is 100 and is just publishing their novel. Writing is a craft, not a talent. It takes some people years and a ton of books to really smooth out their writing style. Look at Stephen King. His style has largely stayed the same, but how he writes his characters and stories, if rather controversial, has been smoothed out and changed since Carrie came out. I would not rate Carrie with the same rigor I do, say his new book If It Bleeds. I use the same mindset if an author is crossing genres or age ranges. Someone used to writing young adult, might struggle with adult or middle grade.

I have complicated emotions about debut novels, but I love them. If you have any recommendations, please let me know down below. You can find me on YouTube (newest video down below), Twitter (@MariahNotes), and IG (@mariahsnerdynotes). Have a great week!

All the best wine, coffee, and books to you.

M.