Nominated by: Compass Book Ratings

Finalist blurb: The Nameless City has the feeling of an epic novel, with unique but ancient settings and the implication of uncountable untold stories surrounding its main characters, Kaiyu and Rat. However, it doesn't present the usual two sides of good and evil in battle-- rather we see the complexity of the situation where one group occupies a place and tries to make it their own, whether or not its residents are cooperative. Both sides are presented in a realistic and compassionate light, and the peaceful resolution at the end is both believable and heartening. The worldbuilding is also superb in this story-. We hope there will be others in this series, as there's a lot of room to grow.