Showing posts with label list. Show all posts
Showing posts with label list. Show all posts
Find Your Inner Fantasy Fan! 10 Fantasies That Are GREAT For Getting Started With The Genre (Wyrd and Wonder 2020)
Saturday, June 20, 2020
Hello, friends! How ya been doing? Welcome to my first post for Wyrd & Wonder 2020!
Wyrd & Wonder is a fanatasy themed blog-a-thon hosted by Imyril at There’s Always Room for One More, Lisa of Dear Geek Place, and Jorie from Jorie Loves A Story. Check out all the info for it here!
Today I’ll be recommending some books for readers interested in getting into fantasy. I think a lot of people are kind of intimidated by fantasy. I mean, the books are big, the series are long, and there are so many types to choose from! Knowing where to start, or even what kind of fantasy book you might be interested in can be tough!
But have no fear, dear fantasy beginners! I’ve compiled a handy dandy listicle of fantasy books I think are great starting places for anyone who’s new to the genre!
* As a note: These are all YA fantasy books/series because I think that the style and pace of YA is easier to get into and a lot less intimidatingly dense than Adult fantasy. That being said, there are a lot of great Childrens, Middle Grade, and Adult fantasies out there too and if YA’s not your thing, it’s still worth it to look into finding fantasy books that you might enjoy which are in a different marketing demographic.
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FANTASY FOR FIRST-TIMERS
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Recommended For: Book-lovers who like adventures with a dash of silliness
What It’s All About: Elisabeth is a young apprentice librarian in a world where books are very much alive and sorcerers exist. She has been taught that all socerers are evil ne’erdowells but when she’s framed for a monstrous crime, she must team up with socrcerer/notorious scoundrel, Nathaniel Thorn, and his demonic servant in order to get to the bottom of what is going on.
The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
Recommended For: Lovers of angsty historical romances
What It’s All About: In Victorian London, something dark lurks beneath the peaceful facade of the city, and our protagonist, Tessa Gray, is about to discover exactly what it is! When she’s tossed into a world of demon-hunting descendants of angels, Tessa discovers that not everything is not what it seems and that she just might be the key to defeating the darkness brewing within the city…
Wicked Fox by Kat Cho
Recommended For: Fans of fluffy contemporary romances
What It’s All About: Set in modern day Seoul, Wicked Fox is about two Korean teens, Miyoung and Jihoon, and their blossoming romance. The catch? Miyoung’s hiding a BIG secret: she’s a gumiho—a nine-tailed fox shape-shifter from Korean myth, who feeds on the souls of men. Worse, when Miyoung decides to rescue Jihoon, she ends up losing her precious fox bead, which holds her soul as a gumiho. Chaos and cuteness ensue!
The Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
Recommended For: Readers who want to familiarize themselves with basic YA fantasy tropes
What It’s All About: In the magical land of Ravka, young woman discovers she has magical abilities that make her a powerful figure in the country and pit her against a seductive and evil ancient force. A fun showcase of the tropes that have become the basis of YA fantasy, Leigh Badugo’s Shadow and Bone trilogy is a great starting point for fantasy newcomers!
The The Devouring Gray Duology by Christine Lynn Herman
Recommended For: Fans of shows like Riverdale and/or Stranger Things / Fans of friendship stories
What It’s All About: Set in the modern New York state, the The Devouring Gray duology follows five teens whose families are descended from the founders of their town and who have been granted magical abilities in order to protect their town from a monster trapped in an alternate dimension. But could the politics of their families end up putting the town in more danger?
The Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas
Recommended For: Readers who want plenty of action, adventure, and romance and a story they don’t have to try hard to follow
What It’s All About: The series starts out following Celaena Sardothien, the most notorious assassin in the land, who is freed from slavery by a prince who wants her to compete to become his father’s champion. However, the series morphs from there into a wild ride including the return of lost royalty, fae, monsters, plenty of romance, and so much more!
To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
Recommended For: Fans of The Little Mermaid and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise
What It’s All About: Lira is a deadly siren princess, but when she kills a mermaid, she’s banished from her undersea kingdom, turned into a human, stripped of her siren song, and told she has a year to deliver the heart of Prince Elian to the sea queen. But what happens when Lira and Elian find that maybe they’re not as destined to hate each other as it seems?
Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
Recommended For: Romance readers who are looking for a hint of fantasy and adventure
What It’s All About: Kazi is a former thief turned soldier. Jase is the heir of a family of outlaws with an intriguing past. When Kazi and Jase clash in a cat and mouse game, they find that their freedom and their futures are at stake—as well as their own hearts! A wild ride full of action and romance, Dance of Thieves is a perfect first fantasy read
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Recommended For: Fans of historical romantic comedies who want to spice up their books with some magic
What It’s All About: In a historical France-inspired fantasy world, young witch Lou was already on the run when she is forced to marry Reid, a witch-hunter, and live under the nose of the Church. Find out what happens when Lou and Reid begin to start falling for each other and find themselves embroiled in far more dangerous circumstances.
The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Recommended For: Slytherins who don’t mind a dash if silliness
What It’s All About: Alessandra knows what she wants—power—and she plans on getting it! Her plan is to marry and murder the Shadow King in order to steal his kingdom for herself. Unfortunately Alessandra isn’t the only one who has set her murderous sights on the king. Worse—Alessandra find that she might even be growing fond of the king! Find out who wins this hilarious and dark race to control the kingdom in The Shadows Between Us!
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So, that’s all for today, friends. I hope you enjoyed and found a recommendation or two that you think you might like!
✵.*•:★.•
SPILL THE BEANS, FRIENDS!
- Are you a fan of fantasy?
- If so, what books/series do you recommend for readers who want to get into the genre?
- If not, are you considering trying out fantasy?
Whew!
So a lot of things have happened in the past decade.* Like, we honestly went from Hannah Montana to modern day, gender fluid Miley Cyrus and okay I'm kinda diggin' it?
But for real, so much has changed! And, in my opinion, most of it has been for the better. I mean, just look at the state of YA literature. We've started to (finally!) move towards more diverse books and opened the doors for #ownvoices authors. We went from love triangle Cassie Clare books to books where she has an openly polyamorous throuple! We left the "girls in gowns" cover trend in the past and have moved on to gorgeous illustrated covers!
So I was contemplating books the other day (as per usual, honestly), and I got to thinking, "What are some things that I wish I saw ore of in books?" And I figured, I may as well create a blog post on said topic just in case some author stumbles upon my blog and decides to grant my wishes (it could happen!). So I'll not dilly-dally with intros any longer! Without any further ado, here are things I wish I saw more of in literature...
1. Retellings of More Obscure Stories/Folklore/Fairytales/Myths from around The World...
I'm not against retellings. Really. I'm not. It's just that I feel like we see so many retellings of the same handful of western European fairytales over and over and over again! I mean, when was the last time you saw something other than a retelling of Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella? Probably a while, right? Yeah, me too. You know what I'd love to see, though? Retellings of stories/folklore/myths/fairytales that are a) more obscure and/or b) from around the world. I'd love to see more retellings of things like The Firebird or Anansi or Sindbad or Asian, African, Polynesian, Middle Eastern, or Latin American mythology!
2. Different Kinds of Strong Female Leads
You know the Strong Female Lead™, right? You know the one--she's pretty and sassy and strong and determined and basically flawless save for a ridiculous "quirky flaw" like having oddly colored eyes? Yeah. I'm talking about her. See, the thing is, I'm tired of seeing this archetype. Physical strength isn't the only kind of strength, after all, and there is such a thing as quiet confidence. The thing is, when we hold this archetype up as the ultimate pinnacle of womanhood, it's just as harmful as when we hold up the "mother/housekeeper" archetype up as the pinnacle of womanhood. Why? Because it tells girls who don't fit that exact mold that they're not worthwhile. But anyhow, I'm just gonna pull myself back from the edge of that tangent! My point is, I'd like to start seeing female characters showing different kinds of strength. Show me a girl who's shy, but brave! Or one who's intelligent, but maybe not quite the most confident. Show me human beings in all of their complexity. Because that's what women are.
3. Diverse Fantasies
This point is kinda similar to #1, but I'd really love to see fantasies that are diverse. And not just racially, but diverse in terms of sexuality and gender, able-bodiedness, mental health, and socioeconomic status, among other factors! For me, as someone who is diverse, and as someone who lives in one of the most diverse, integrated areas in the US, the more diverse a story is, the more believable it is. I grew up constantly interacting with people who were different from me. In many ways, I don't know what it's like to live in a homogeneous world, that's just never been my life. So when fantasies present an all/majority white, straight, cisgender, able-bodied, neaurotypical,wealthy, patriarchal world, it's definitely weird to me! I want people to be able to envision themselves as the hero/heroine of a story, even if they're not the "default".
4. Low SES Protagonists
Good representation of poverty is something that is severely lacking in media and it massively contributes to the current stigmatization of poverty. As someone who is low income, I've only seen myself represented in literature once and even then, it was inferred representation--meaning the words "poor" or "low income" were never explicitly stated. I've faced a lot of discrimination based on class and I think if we had better representation to show how poverty works and who low income folks are that would go a great way towards changing that prejudice.
5. Pirate Fantasies Done Right
So this is a fun, less serious one! I love a good swashbuckling pirate story, but apparently authors don't because I rarely see them on the market, despite the demand! What's wrong with pirates, authors?! What--do you just not like them?!! JUSTICE AND REPRESENTATION FOR PIRATES CAUSE THEY'RE PEOPLE TOO!!!
So that' it for now! I hope you enjoyed this list and definitely tell me in the comments--what are things you wish you saw more of in literature? Do we agree on any of them?
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