The Left Hand Of God

Paul Hoffman's The Left Hand of God caused a major buzz upon its release in 2010. It succeeded almost unheard of hype, with trailers, apps, and 'best-seller' labels right off the bat. Admittedly, the quality tails off by the end of the series, but it's easy to see why it garnered so much interest. Hoffman writes a fourteen-year-old character who grows up in order of monks that worship pain. Understandably, this can warp a boy, and Cale is cold, vicious, and complex. Despite this, he still has a sense of justice, and it's this that leads to the assassination of the Lord Redeemer Picarbo and a subsequent escape from the twisted monastery. Despite some strange contradictions along the way, the characterization and pacing of the novels make it just good enough to deserve a place on the list. It's a page turner, toeing the line between fantasy and horror, with many diverse characters. Some readers will hate it, and others will love it, but it's definitely a breath of fresh air. Read if you like: Unique reads, young characters, building plots.