#The Inheritence triology

[1989stanz]

I don't mean to freak you out, but I think that there's gonna be another book after The grandest game.

[booksaesthesic]

-jameson hawthorne aesthetic-

[burntoutdaydreamer]

To Write Better Antagonists, Have Them Embody the Protagonist's Struggles

(Spoilers for The Devil Wears Prada, Avatar the Last Airbender, Kung Fu Panda 2, and The Hunger Games triology).

Writing antagonists and villains can be hard, especially if you don't know how to do so.

I think a lot of writers' first impulse is to start off with a placeholder antagonist, only to find that this character ends up falling flat. They finish their story only for readers to find the antagonist is not scary or threatening at all.

Often the default reaction to this is to focus on making the antagonist meaner, badder, or scarier in whatever way they can- or alternatively they introduce a Tragic Backstory to make them seem broken and sympathetic. Often, this ends up having the exact opposite effect. Instead of a compelling and genuinely terrifying villain, the writer ends up with a Big Bad Edge Lord who the reader just straight up does not care about, or actively rolls their eyes at (I'm looking at you, Marvel).

What makes an antagonist or villain intimidating is not the sheer power they hold, but the personal or existential threat they pose to the protagonist. Meaning, their strength as a character comes from how they tie into the themes of the story.

To show what I mean, here's four examples of the thematic roles an antagonist can serve:

1. A Dark Reflection of the Protagonist

The Devil Wears Prada

Miranda Priestly is initially presented as a terrible boss- which she is- but as the movie goes on, we get to see her in a new light. We see her as an bonafide expert in her field, and a professional woman who’s incredible at what she does. We even begin to see her personal struggles behind the scenes, where it’s clear her success has come at a huge personal cost. Her marriages fall apart, she spends every waking moment working, and because she’s a woman in the corporate world, people are constantly trying to tear her down.

The climax of the movie, and the moment that leaves the viewer most disturbed, does not feature Miranda abusing Andy worse than ever before, but praising her. Specifically, she praises her by saying “I see a great deal of myself in you.” Here, we realize that, like Miranda, Andy has put her job and her career before everything else that she cares about, and has been slowly sacrificing everything about herself just to keep it. While Andy's actions are still a far cry from Miranda's sadistic and abusive managerial style, it's similar enough to recognize that if she continues down her path, she will likely end up turning into Miranda.

In the movie's resolution, Andy does not defeat Miranda by impressing her or proving her wrong (she already did that around the half way mark). Instead, she rejects the values and ideals that her toxic workplace has been forcing on her, and chooses to leave it all behind.

2. An Obstacle to the Protagonist's Ideals

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Fire Lord Ozai is a Big Bad Baddie without much depth or redemptive qualities. Normally this makes for a bad antagonist (and it's probably the reason Ozai has very little screen time compared to his children), but in Avatar: The Last Airbender, it works.

Why?

Because his very existence is a threat to Aang's values of nonviolence and forgiveness.

Fire Lord Ozai cannot be reasoned with. He plans to conquer and burn down the world, and for most of the story, it seems that the only way to stop him is to kill him, which goes against everything Aang stands for. Whether or not Aang could beat the Fire Lord was never really in question, at least for any adults watching the show. The real tension of the final season came from whether Aang could defeat the Fire Lord without sacrificing the ideals he inherited from the nomads; i.e. whether he could fulfill the role of the Avatar while remaining true to himself and his culture.

In the end, he manages to find a way: he defeats the Fire Lord not by killing him, but by stripping him of his powers.

3. A Symbol of the Protagonist's Inner Struggle

Kung Fu Panda 2

Kung Fu Panda 2 is about Po's quest for inner peace, and the villain, Lord Shen, symbolizes everything that's standing in his way.

Po and Lord Shen have very different stories that share one thing in common: they both cannot let go of the past. Lord Shen is obsessed with proving his parents wrong and getting vengeance by conquering all of China. Po is struggling to come to terms with the fact that he is adopted and is desperate to figure out who he is and why he ended up left in a box of radishes as a baby.

Lord Shen symbolizes Po's inner struggle in two main ways: one, he was the source of the tragedy that separated him from his parents, and two, he reinforces Po's negative assumptions about himself. When Po realizes that Lord Shen knows about his past and confronts him, Lord Shen immediately tells Po exactly what he's afraid of hearing: that his parents abandoned him because they didn't love him. Po and the Furious Five struggle to beat Shen not because he's powerful, but because Po can't let go of the past, and this causes him to repeatedly freeze up in battle, which Shen uses to his advantage.

Po overcomes Shen when he does the one thing Shen is incapable of: he lets go of the past and finds inner peace. Po comes to terms with his tragic past and recognizes that it does not define him, while Shen holds on to his obsession of defying his fate, which ultimately leads to his downfall.

4. A Representative of a Harsh Reality or a Bigger System

The Hunger Games

We don't really see President Snow do all that much on his own. Most of the direct conflict that Katniss faces is not against him, but against his underlings and the larger Capitol government. The few interactions we see between her and President Snow are mainly the two of them talking, and this is where we see the kind of threat he poses.

President Snow never lies to Katniss, not even once, and this is the true genius behind his character. He doesn't have to lie to or deceive Katniss, because the truth is enough to keep her complicit.

Katniss knows that fighting Snow and the Capital will lead to total war and destruction- the kind where there are survivors, but no winners. Snow tells her to imagine thousands upon thousands of her people dead, and that's exactly what happens. The entirety of District 12 gets bombed to ashes, Peeta gets brainwashed and turned into a human weapon, and her sister Prim, the very person she set out to protect at the beginning of the story, dies just before the Capitol's surrender. The districts won, but at a devastating cost.

Even after President Snow is captured and put up for execution, he continues to hurt Katniss by telling her the truth. He tells her that the bombs that killed her sister Prim were not sent by him, but by the people on her side. He brings to her attention that the rebellion she's been fighting for might just implement a regime just as oppressive and brutal as the one they overthrew and he's right.

In the end, Katniss is not the one to kill President Snow. She passes up her one chance to kill him to take down President Coin instead.

[pockyyasii]

the library of nicknames from book boyfriends to their loved ones

"wise girl" - percy jackson (percy jackson and the olympians)

"little fox" - jacks of the hollow / jacks the prince of heart (once upon a broken heart triology)

"my sweet villain / my darling god / my sweet nemesis / wife" - cardan greenbriar (the cruel prince triology)

"mystery girl / heiress” jameson hawthorne (the inheritance games series)

“sunshine” - matthias slater (the inheritance games series)

“colorado” - michael townsend (the naturals)

"buxbaum" - wes bennett (better than the movies

"the wraith / investment” kaz brekker (six of crows duology)

"merchling" jesper fahey (six of crows duology)

“little red bird” - matthias helvar (six of crows duology)

“general” - nikolai lantsov (shadow and bone series)

"love" - aaron warner (shatter me series)

"violence" - xaden riorson (fourth wing)

"beloved" - orion hong (secret shanghai series; foul lady fortune duology)

"dorogaya" - roma montagov (secret shanghai series; these violent delights duology)

"crimson" - julian santos (caraval triology)

"sarge" - ravi singh (agggtm series)

“highness" - nik malikov (the illuminae files series)

"foster" - keefe sencen (kotlc series)

“shah” - aiden acharya (pandava quintet)

these are off the top of my head! comment if i forgot any 🫡🫡

[eloquentspeeches]

book recommendation tag game!

rules: recommend as many books as you like. please include genre and some basic information on it (either your words or a copy+paste synopsis). feel free to include cover art, a personal review, trigger warnings, and anything else! just don’t spoil the book!

tagged by @dekarios!!! thank you for the tag I'm usually too busy and or shy to randomly talk about things but here I am. I'm putting it all under a read more because million bajillion words

American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett

Some places are too good to be true. Under a pink moon, there is a perfect little town not found on any map. In that town, there are quiet streets lined with pretty houses, houses that conceal the strangest things. After a couple years of hard traveling, ex-cop Mona Bright inherits her long-dead mother's home in Wink, New Mexico. And the closer Mona gets to her mother's past, the more she understands that the people of Wink are very, very different ...

this is sincerely my favorite book ever. i bought it from a sci-fi only bookstore that i visited once and that closed down shortly after. it's got horror. it's got sci-fi. it's got eldritch sci-fi horror set in a small town. i re-read this book almost every year and i still find new details i missed.

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. This saga dares to ask a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails? Mistborn: The Final Empire — Kelsier, a brilliant thief has turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler as the mark. Kel's plan is the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into the fold. But she will have to learn to trust if she is to master powers of which she never dreamed.

i can only recommend the first triology of this series - final empire, the well of ascension and the hero of ages - since i haven't read the other books from this world. definitely worth the read, this book changed my brain chemistry when i first read it in high school.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three half brothers in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir. Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment. Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend . . . and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne–or his life.

if you like complicated political court drama!!! then oh boy this is the book for you!!! my cousin made me read this book because complicated political court dramas are her specialty and she was not wrong. this is a banger.

gideon the ninth by tamsyn muir

The Emperor needs necromancers. The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman. Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense. Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy. Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service. Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die. Of course, some things are better left dead.

if you follow my blog at all then you know i'm like a hardcore fan of TLT. i love this book series. it's such a good read. this is one of three with a fourth on the way. please read it. pelase.

bullet train by kōtarō isaka

​Kimura’s young son is in a coma thanks to the Prince, and Kimura has tracked him onto a bullet train heading from Tokyo to Morioka to exact his revenge. But Kimura soon discovers that they are not the only dangerous passengers on board. Satoshi—the Prince—looks like an innocent schoolboy but is really a stylish and devious assassin. Risk fuels him, as does a good philosophical debate, such as questioning: Is killing really wrong? Nanao, nicknamed Ladybug, the self-proclaimed “unluckiest assassin in the world,” is put on the bullet train by his boss, a mysterious young woman called Maria, to steal a suitcase full of money and get off at the first stop. The lethal duo of Tangerine and Lemon are also traveling to Morioka, and the suitcase leads others to show their hands. Why are they all on the same train, and who will make it off alive?

okay i saved bullet train for last solely because. i didn't like. the book. as much as i really wanted to like the book. BUT i really do like isaka's writing and i think reading the book and watching the movie is the way to go to really appreciate what's going on in Bullet Train. that's my personal opinion.

[milascorner]

I bought the entire inheritance games triology because of you. You have amazing taste in books and your writing is amazing, so I trust that I will enjoy it. I was wondering if you've read the original half bad books by Sally green (they are the books that the Netflix show the bastard son and the devil himself is based of). 👀

Ooo, I'm screaming about this! Bookish chats are my favourites. This is huge. I really hope I don't disappoint and that you enjoy the books, even if you don't, I'd love to hear what you think of them (you must let me know which Hawthorne brother you like the most!)

And thank you so much for the compliment for my writing asdfghjkl <3 I haven't read the original Half Bad books! I went into Waterstones last week, picked it up, and then I put it back. Now I feel like I should get it, haha.

[deadlymistletoe]

Thanks for the tag!

3 ships: Emma + Killian (Ouat), Avery + Jameson (Inheritance Games), Nate + Bronwyn (Bayview High Triology)

First ever ship: Not entirely sure, but I'm going to go with Leafpool + Crowfeather (Warrior cats)

Last song: The Very First Night (Taylor's Version)

Last movie: Mid-way through Red, White & Royal Blue

Currently reading: I have a few going but the main one is Red, White & Royal Blue

Currently watching: Once Upon A Time season 4

Currently consuming: Just had a chocolate muffin

Currently craving: Chocolate truffle balls

No pressure tags: @bookish-swiftie13 @emrfangirl @emmyspov @lady-of-imladris @shirebarbie @coopsgirl @thewitchkingiscool-ace and anyone else who sees this and wants to join in.

9 people you would like to get to know better

tysm for the tag @alexmey-does-an-arts!

1. 3 ships; bowuigi, metadede, heavy/medic(I forget the name lol)

2. first ever ship; alphyne

3. last song; Ghost Cowboys by Louie Zong

4. last movie; Midsommar. That was…something

5. currently reading; Dante and Aristotle discover the secrets of the universe. Pretty fire

6. currently watching; JCS criminal psychology

7. currently consuming; nothing

8. currently craving; Iced Cream. About to go get it. I know there’s mind chip in my freezer (:

9 people to tag; @littlegreenwyvy, @garf-official, @d1nosaurpower, @tractor-inside-joke-fucker, @junkydoodlez, @seacrown, @neldu-nak, @darkcanid19, @stormyykat

[a-wild-things-rambles]

ok so ive alsmot finished the inheritance games triology. but i just want to say how happy i am with the relationship between rebbeca and thea.. like you could tell it wasent sunshine and rainbows, its p clear that the relationship is hidden, but its not brushed aside, like its a side relationship, but they both develop and face stuff. idk my thoughts arnt v clear rn. but like thats the way to do non main queer relationships. jennefer wasent violently shoving rosy glasses on us, but we dident have a messy outing or stuff. im not saying its perfect im just saying i liked it alot and was realy plesantly surprised.

[theliterarybug]

Afro-Futurism/Afro-Fantasy Fiction

Afrofuturism, a term coined in the 1990s by Mark Dery in his article “Black to the Future,” describes music, literature, and art that contains elements of science fiction, fantasy, magical realism, historical fiction, Afrocentricity, and non-Western cosmologies. The genre primarily critiques past and present dilemmas faced by people of color, while also imagining futures for those groups that stem from the experiences of cultures formed as a result of the historical African diaspora.

--Barnes and Nobles Genre Primer

Children’s Fiction

Bayou Magic Jewell Parker Rhodes

Ten-year-old Maddy  on a visit  with her grandmother begins to realize that she may be the only sibling to carry on the gift of her family's magical legacy.

The Ear, The Eye and The Arm by Nancy Farmer

Three mutant detectives use their special powers to search for  General Matsika's three children that  are kidnapped and put to work in a plastic mine In 2194 in Zimbabwe.

Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor

Nnamdi has vowed to avenge his father who was murdered, but he doubts his abilities. A mysterious encounter at night, u a magical object that gives him super powers, and a charge to use those powers for good changes his life forever.

Malice in Ovenland by  Micheline Hess

Home for the summer Lily Brown has amazing adventures using  her kitchen oven.

Maya and The Rising Dark by Rana Barron

12-year-old Maya discovers that her missing father has been protecting a supernatural boundary between worlds.

Sci-Fu by Yehudi Mercado

Wax mistakenly  summons a UFO that sends him to a robot-dominated planet of Discopia. Wax and his friends  must learn the intergalactic musical martial art of Sci-Fu to save Earth.

Adult Fiction

Biniti:  The Complete Triology  by Nnedi Okorafor

The adventures of Binti first of the Himba people to attend  oozema university.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf (Book 1) by Marlon James

A  Tracker joins a searches for a mysterious boy who disappeared three years before but us targeted by deadly creatures.

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

The historian of the water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slaves thrown overboard by slavers keeps all the memories of her people both painful and miraculous, until she discovers that their future lies in returning to the past.

The Fifth Season (Book 1) by N.K. Jemisin

Vengeful Essun pursues her husband who killed their son and took their him across  a dangerous landscape.

The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead

A black female elevator inspector must prove that her method of inspection by intuition, as opposed to visual observation, is not at fault when an elevator in a new city building crashes.

Minion: A Vampire huntress legend by L.A. Banks

Damali Richards  must discovered  who is  behind the brutal murders that have stunned thepolice  and her.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

An eighteen-year-old African American woman inherits a trait that causes her to feel others' pain as well as her own, flees northward from her small community and its desperate savages.

Rosewater (The Wormwood Trilogy Series Book 1) by Tade Thompson

When something begins killing off others like himself, Kaaro  a government agent must earch for an answer.

Young Adult Fiction

The Beast Made of Night (Book 1) by Tochi Beast Onyebuchi

Taj, a talented aki, or sin-eater he must fight to save the princess he loves and his own life.

Children of Blood and Bone (Book1) by Tomi Adeyemi

Zelie embarks on a journey alongside her brother and a fugitive princess to restore her people's magical abilities.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

A supernatural teen shunned by her superstitious community because of her differences  is invited to fight for the emperor in an all-woman army.

Given by Nandi Taylor

Yenni  whio has never been away from home must find the cure for her father’s wasting illness.

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

Tarisai who is raised alone longs for the closeness she could have as one of the Crown Prince's Council of 11, but her  he is  forced to kill the Crown Prince.

Shuri: A Black Panther Novel by Nic Stone

Shuri must  travelfrom Wakanda to discover what is killing the plants her people depend on for their survival.

Steeplejack by A.J. Hartley

17-year-old Anglet Sutonga investigates the death of a young apprentice while caring for her sister's baby against a backdrop of racial tensions, political secrets and a stolen historical icon.

The Sunbird by Elizabeth Wein

Young Telemakos travels to the kingdom's salt mines to discover the identity of the traitor to the crown who, ignoring the emperor's command, is spreading plague with the salt from port to port.

Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafer

Zahrah, a timid thirteen-year-old girl, undertakes a dangerous quest into the Forbidden Greeny Jungle to seek the antidote for her best friend after he is bitten by a snake, and finds knowledge, courage, and hidden powers along the way.

47 by Walter Moser

Number 47, a fourteen-year-old slave boy growing up under the watchful eye of a brutal master in 1832, meets the mysterious Tall John, who introduces him to a magical science and also teaches him the meaning of freedom.

[erdediekatze]

Are you interestet in or do you know somebody who would be interested in

A lot of Star Wars Issues and the Triology on VHS?

I inherited that little collection from my mom and I'm looking for someone who could appreciate having it, as I'm not that big of a fan myself.

Please help me spread this, so I can find him or her.

[johnnyclash87]

Maybe it’s just me but a few of these definitely seem to feature white people on the covers.. in one case even a white male even though Yeine (the main protagonists) describes herself as “forestwood brown”. I mean maybe in a couple of them you could say the person on the cover is her mother Kinneth who is white/pale or Nahadoth who for the most part is also described as pale. But then we’re just pushing aside a WOC protagonists just to highlight the white side characters (in one case a male). I mean imagine if all the promotional material for Wonder Woman or The Hunger Games focused on Steve or Petah. And yes this is important because diversity within high fantasy or POC characters in fantasy is far too often ignored or rejected. So in one of those cases were you have a POC protagonist and nobody can say “well the author wrote them as white” or “oh a POC character would be historically inaccurate” you need to highlight that.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms Book Covers 

[booksaesthesic]

-avery grambs aesthetic-

[peachhoneii]

Summer Reading List

I’m going to beat all those old ladies. Watch me.

The House of the Spirits

The Daughter of Fortune

The Obelisk Gate

The Stone Sky

Marie Antoinette: The Journey

The Fate of the Tearling

Night’s Master

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

The Inheritance Triology

Spinning Silver

Kakegurui Volumes

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman

Isabella: The Warrior Queen

Lilith’s Brood.

There’s no guarantee I’ll read all of them. I’ll switch up my reading order, but I’m determined to get through half of them.

[pockyyasii]

requests are open!!

༻♡⋆˚✿˖°⋆✩‧₊♡ ˚౨ৎ˚₊✩₊˚✿° ♡⋆₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊♡✩‧₊˚✿˖° ♡ ⋆₊✩౨ৎ˚♡✩༺

⁺🧸 ˖ 【 fandoms masterlist 】 ˖⁺

—⁺˖°ʚ 🎧 Book Series ɞ°⁺˖—

PJO, HOO, TOA.

OUBAH, TBONA, ACFTL. (The Once Upon a Broken Heart Triology).

TFOLA. (The Folk of the Air; Cruel Prince triology)

TIG. (The Inheritance Games)

GrishaVerse. (Six of Crows)

TMC. (The Medoran Chronicles)

TIG. (The Inheritance Games)

Harry Potter

The Renegades Triology

—⁺˖°ʚ 🎧 Music ɞ°⁺˖—

>NewJeans (bias: hanni. bias wrecker: danielle)

Enhypen (bias: wonieee <33. bias wrecker: jayy)

TWICE. (bias: ot9 <;3)

Taylor Swift

—⁺˖°ʚ 🎧 TV Series ɞ°⁺˖—

Marvel (Spider-man, ITSV, ATSV, MCU)

Star Wars (Prequel, Original, Sequel, Clone Wars, Rebels, Mandalorian)

Ninjago

MLB (Miraculous LadyBug)

—⁺˖°ʚ.🎧 Anime ɞ°⁺˖—

Fruits Basket

Pokemon

SpyxFamily

Komi Can't Communicate

TBHK (Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun)

Haikyuu

MHA (My Hero Academia)

༻♡⋆˚✿˖°⋆✩‧₊♡ ˚౨ৎ˚₊✩₊˚✿° ♡⋆₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊♡✩‧₊˚✿˖° ♡ ⋆₊✩౨ৎ˚♡✩༺

[rosezemlya]

Hi Rose! :) Do you have any fantasy book recommendations? I love LoZ RR, especially Reconciliation, and would love to read similar books! Also, I wanted to let you know that I'm excited about The Warden's Return and wish you the best of luck with your writing! :)

Thank you for reading! I’m glad you’ve been enjoying.  :)

As for what I’ve read and loved and would recommend forfantasy books… hmm… my stories are such a random hodge podge of things I don’tknow that there’s one book I could point to and say “If you liked my writing,you’ll definitely like this” (also, I’m bad at judging my own writing in thoseterms).  But I can list some of the fantasy books I’ve read and enjoyed in thelast few years:

Anything by N. K. Jemesin (she’seasily my favourite author I discovered as an adult).  I’m pretty sure I’ve read her entirecatalogue now and it’s very, very hard to pick a favourite.  If I had to, I would say it’s a tie between theInheritance triology and the Broken Earth series.  Inheritance I loved because it explored a lotof themes I really like in a way that was intelligent and nuanced.  Themes about power dynamics and the nature ofindividuals and whether / how much that can change, and the agency ofindividuals and impact having / not having it has on them and theirdevelopment.  Broken Earth I lovedbecause the world building and research was amazing, and the themes were heavybut again explored intelligently and gracefully and skillfully and it played alittle bit with time and voice in the narrative and the characters were allflawed and complex but interesting and understandable.  Such good writing and such great stories.

The Wayward Children series bySeanan McGuire, which is two books right now I believe (Every Heart a Doorwayand Down Among the Sticks and Bones) which are basically stories about whathappens to the children who fall through portals into fantastical worlds (alaNarnia, Wonderland, etc.) after they come home at the end of the book.  The first one was a murder mystery type plot(sounds weird, but was awesome) and the second one was the back story of two ofthe characters from the first.  Both areexcellent.

Google “Samuel Vimes” and thenread every Terry Pratchett book he shows up in, which is what I did thissummer.  Samuel Vimes hits many of the narrativebuttons that I love and identify with the most. Terry Pratchett’s style took a little getting used to for me, as he’sgot that British love of the absurd that’s never quite done it for me, but he’san excellent writer and his characters are delightful and resonant, and histhemes and emotional catharsis at the end of a given book are always fullysatisfying for me.  I can put up with alittle bit of absurdity for that.

Anything by Neil Gaiman isusually good.  My favourites are Ocean atthe End of the Lane.  The GraveyardBook.  American Gods.  And Sandman. (Though it’s been a long time since I read the last two, so, be warned.)

The Old Kingdom books, by GarthNix I enjoyed greatly.  My favourite onewas the first one (Sabriel), but the others were also good!

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstenis only sort of fantasy, in that its whimsical, but I really loved it when Iread it.  It’s about communities ofinterest, and fandom (sort of), and a hundred other things and is beautifullywritten.

If anyone else has any suggestions, feel free to comment and add them!

Hope there’s something in there you’ll enjoy!

[stabbyhobbit]

Tag Game

@forest-of-books tagged me

Rules: If tagged, answer the original questions and either add to the list or delete some (if you’d like), then tag more people!

Which book are you currently reading?

Calamity, by Brandon Sanderson

What’s the best beverage to drink while reading?

Hot tea. Hot tea is best reading tea, but honestly I’m not too picky.

What’s your favourite book quote?

“ Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder. Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels. Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies. Elves are glamorous. They project glamour. Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment. Elves are terrific. They beget terror. ”  - Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies

among others, but that’s the first one that came to mind, and it encompasses what I think of elves and fairies.

Are you looking forward to a certain book release? If yes, which one? Tamora Pierce’s Numair book, The Thorn of Emberlain, the last books in both the Broken Earth trilogy and the Kingkiller Trilogy

What’s your Hogwarts house?

Ravenclaw, but with Hufflepuff tendencies.

Are there any books you would recommend to the rest of us?

Terry Prathcett’s Tiffany Aching Books

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova

The Inheritance Triology by NK Jemisin

What types of book covers do you find most aesthetically pleasing? The ones strike a balance between artsy and realistic, and simple and complicated, and the ones that show off the mood of the book. 

What is one genre you want to read more of? I should read more non-fantasy than I do, That goes for nonfiction, “literary” fiction (though people who say that isn’t a genre in itself kinda irritate me), poetry. I would like to see more diversity in YA spec. fic.

Do you tend to easily enjoy whatever it is you’re reading or are you a hard sell?

 I tend to enjoy most of what I read, if the recommendation comes from a source I trust. If someone says something’s good, I’ll do my best to give it a try.

What other kinds of media do you enjoy?

Most of my other story consumption is through comics and tv and movies here and there. I’m honestly not too picky. I enjoy podcasts, but I most just listen to them if I’m walking somewhere.

Tagging... @book-witch, @iiphides,  @sheshallfromtimetotime and anyone else who want to,