8 Authors I Discovered in 2021 ❤ Finding new favorites

Hello fellow bookworms 💗 One of the best things about each new year is the possibility to discover new favorite authors! While I love reading new books by authors I already adore, there is something nice about getting surprised about new to you author earning a spot on your favorite authors list and sweeping you off your feet unexpectedly 🥰 I did the same post last year and loved it, so I knew I wanted to do a 2021 edition! So let’s talk about what new authors I discovered in 2021, that made this year a bit better 💕

Me getting excited about all the new authors I discovered

1. Jessica Townsend

Author of: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

➽ Here it is: my new unexpected obsession!! The best feeling for me is discovering a new favorite fantasy series whose world I can lose myself in 🥺 At its heart Nevermoor was such a magical and whimsical story! 🥰 The Trials of Morrigan Crow has such a wonderful world and though there is much left to be explored you can tell how complex it is. The story starts with young Morrigan Crow who is one of the cursed children born on Eventide. She’s supposed to die on her eleventh birthday and has already endured a life full of being blamed for everything that goes wrong. Her family is neglectful and glad to be rid of her, so Morrigan never dreams of any future. But when someone – none other than the eccentric Jupiter North – offers her a chance to escape her fate, it seems like there might be hope after all! I already read the sequels and loved them, so I’m now eagerly anticipating the next book in the series to come out in October!

Other Books I want to read by this Author

• Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow (releases Oct 2022) ❤️

2. Rachel Lynn Solomon

Author of: Today Tonight Tomorrow ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

➽ I have only read one book by Rachel Lynn Solomon, but I’m already obsessed!! Today Tonight Tomorrow is about high school rivals Rowan and Neil during their last day of school. The tension and history between them was so well conveyed by the book and I loved their verbal spars and banter so much! 🥰 Despite being rivals for so long, I liked them truly getting to know each other and sharing deep truths about their fears and insecurities. The romantic tension and clearly repressed feeling added another layer of angst to the book that I really enjoyed! There are many more books by Rachel Lynn Solomon on my TBR right now as she has a great backlist and two more books coming out this year, I’m truly getting spoiled ❤️

Other Books I want to read by this Author

• The Ex-Talk ❤️
• We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This ❤️
• Weather Girl (released Jan 2022) ❤️
• See You Yesterday (releases June 2022) ❤️

3. Vitor Martins

Author of: Here the Whole Time ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

➽ I picked this up by chance and fell in love with Here the Whole Time! It’s about Felipe, a fat, gay teen living in Brazil. Felipe doesn’t really have any friends and doesn’t feel accepted in his small town, so he mostly plans on staying home and relaxing. These plans are disrupted when his cute neighbor (that he’s got a big crush on) needs to stay with them during break. This book was written with so much heart and I appreciated how it discussed fatphobia, homophobia and dealing with anxiety! There were many serious discussions but also some hilarious and awkward scenes that perfectly balanced each other out! 💕 This book was translated from Portuguese and made me realize that I want to read more books by Non-English authors! I hope more books by Vitor Martins get translated, so I can read them 🥰

Other Books I want to read by this Author

• If These Walls Could Talk (original title: Se a casa 8 falasse; to be translated in 2022) ❤️
• Um milhão de finais felizes (please someone translate this!!) ❤️

4. Courtney Gould

Author of: The Dead and the Dark ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

➽ This was one of the books I couldn’t stop talking about in 2021! It’s about a girl called Logan, a lonely creature that never had a place to call home, as her ghost hunting Dads have their own TV Show and therefore moved her around a lot. Generally, Logan feels like a stranger in her own family, someone who isn’t truly wanted. It really touched me how the book discussed her feeling of isolation, especially as Logan is immediately shunned in Snakebite as well. She’s tired of the lies she hears from her parents, so Logan sets out to find the truth about Snakebite and why her fathers wanted to return to their childhood home in the first place. Courtney Gould writes the best, thrilling mystery/horror books. I cannot wait for her next book to come out this year! 🥰❤️

Other Books I want to read by this Author

• Where Echoes Die (releases Sept 2022) ❤️

5. Sarah Glenn Marsh

Author of: The Girls Are Never Gone ⭐⭐⭐⭐

➽ This was a great suspenseful, character-driven ghost story! 👻 The strength of The Girls Are Never Gone is definitely how it slowly builds up the secrets of Arrington Estate as our protagonist Dare investigates it. Dare is a ghost hunter and proud owner of a new paranormal podcast called The Attachments, but she doesn’t actually believe in ghosts. She’s a great protagonist because you get her skepticism yet know that she’d believe if there was any concrete proof. Unlike Quinn – the house owner’s daughter – Dare is committed to finding alternative explanations for their weird things that slowly start to happen more often. I loved this spooky story and I definitely want to check out some of Sarah Glenn Marshall’s backlist! She also writes YA Fantasy books, so I’d love to read those as well 💕

Other Books I want to read by this Author

• Reign of the Fallen ❤️
• Fear the Drowning Deep ❤️

6. Kay Kerr

Author of: Please Don’t Hug Me ⭐⭐⭐⭐

➽ I discovered this book because C.G. @ Paper Fury really liked it & I’m so glad that I did ❤️ Told entirely in letters the main character Erin sends to her brother, this was such a touching and emotional story! Erin’s character voice is so strong and really carried the book 💕 She’s autistic and navigating high school, friendships, a (toxic) relationship, and complicated family dynamics. Erin also has difficulties dealing with existing in a neurotypical world that often doesn’t get her and confronts her with a lot of ableism. I really love how introspective this book was and I’m excited to read more of the author’s work especially as she writes books with autistic main characters. I want to read more books with autism representation, specifically those that are also ownvoices!

Other Books I want to read by this Author

• Social Queue ❤️

7. Rachel Griffin

Author of: The Nature of Witches ⭐⭐⭐⭐

➽ I love reading about witches, so I had high hopes for The Nature of Witches! It turned out to be a fantastic book about witches that are connected to the weather and seasons. The main character Clara’s emotional journey was also well-written! She’s an Everwitch and tied to all seasons, which makes her magic volatile and dangerous for anyone that she cares about. While the romance wasn’t my favorite, I loved all of the other aspects of this book (especially the atmosphere and magic system) and it was exactly the kind of witchy book I’m always craving 🥰 That’s why I’m definitely looking forward to reading more books by Rachel Griffin! She has another witchy book coming out this year and I’m excited to have found a great contemporary fantasy author that writes books I really vibe with ❤️

Other Books I want to read by this Author

• Wild is the Witch (releases Aug 2022) ❤️

8. Tania Del Rio (& Will Staehle)

Author of: Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye ⭐⭐⭐⭐

➽ I picked this book up on a whim and it was so much fun!! It’s an illustrated MG Mystery full of riddles and the hunt for a treasure called The All-Seeing Eye 👁 Warren is the 13th of his line and since his father died before he was old enough to inherit their hotel. The problem is that his uncle Rupert is enchanted by his new wife who is obsessed with finding the treasure that will restore her dark magic. I loved the writing style, the plot and the themes, everything came together so well! I definitely cannot wait to read the rest of the series 💕 Tania Del Rio writes such fun stories and I’m hoping she’ll write something similar in the future! (For now, she’s got a couple manga books that she worked on).

Other Books I want to read by this Author

• Warren the 13th and the Whispering Wood ❤️
• Warren the 13th and the 13 Year Curse ❤️

Honorable Mentions

• Tatsuya Endo ➽ Spy x Family Vol 1.-3. ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
• Molly Knox Ostertag ➽ The Girl from the Sea & The Witch Boy ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Jennifer Lynn Barnes ➽ The Naturals ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Have you read any of the books from the authors on my list? Any new authors you’ve discovered in 2021? 💗