Hugo Roundup: Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book

Like the Campbell, the Lodestar isn't a Hugo, but it's voted on with the Hugos and announced with them.

I was able to read four of the six books (one only an excerpt). Holly Black's publisher did her no services in apparently not testing the excerpt distributed through NetGalley - the file crashed Digital Editions on two different devices. (And who delivers an excerpt through NetGalley, which has some of the worst DRM...)

I feel bad for the author any time a publisher sends out a bad sample, because it's not their fault.

So, to the list.

1. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. Again, couldn't read the sample, couldn't vote.
2. The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton. No sample, and I didn't read it.
3. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland. From the excerpt, seemed a solid read.
4. The Invasion by Peadar O'Guilin. In this case I got extra: The packet included both books in the duology. This made sense as The Invasion does not stand that well on its own and made a huge difference. The first book is The Call. It's a post-apocalyptic YA dystopia, but it's an exceptionally good one. It's also the darkest of dark fairytales, and be aware if you pick it up: There is a lot of body horror in this book. It didn't hit my particular issues (eyes and teeth), but...
5. Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman. Secondary fantasy about a girl who runs away with a dragon. Okay, not a dragon, but a creature related to dragons (and looked down on by them). Some really nice worldbuilding here, fun characters. It's also about how people relate to nature.
6. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. I've heard from some black fans that they don't like it when people are tired of high fantasy tropes and don't want any more...because they haven't gotten to be in those tropes. This book kind of proves that point. It's a Chosen One Brings Magic Back to the World book...but it's set in a not-at-all-veiled Africa, written by and for black people. And it's really good, but is let down by a less than satisfying ending.

Oh.

And out of the four books I got to read in full?

Not one single love triangle.

My pick: The Invasion, although I doubt it will win because of the body horror.
My prediction: Probably Children of Blood and Bone despite the ending.