Tag Archives: Fantasy

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

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Overview
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands: the charming light academia Sunday Times bestseller (Emily Wilde Series Book 2)

Title: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands
Author: Heather Fawcett
Series: Emily Wilde #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Historical fiction, Romance
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2024

Thoughts

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands is a great follow up to Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries. It follows the same entertaining and engaging style. It draws you in from the very beginning. And it is absolutely impossible to put down. Plus, it expands on some of the revelations from Wendell at the end of the first book. Something that I was seriously looking forward to and greatly enjoyed.

I love how Emily is, again, able to use her knowledge of folklore and understandings of the myths to win the day. Her ability to move fluidly within the rules that govern the world of the fae makes her a surprising, but wonderful heroine. She is exactly the kind of unassuming heroine that I sometimes long for. I particularly like, that, even as the series unfolds, it becomes more and more obvious that Emily doesn’t have some hidden secret, she is exactly as human and lacking in power as she seems. Not the typical for a paranormal fantasy story.

Although I enjoyed the fact that there wasn’t much romance in Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, I also enjoyed that there was slightly more throughout the Map of the Otherlands. I did wonder a little at the conclusion of the first book in this trilogy if Wendell was faking his affection for ulterior motives. And, also how Emily would fit into a relationship with someone who is objectionably very sought after. It was fun to see how they settled into their love and affection for one another.

I honestly can’t get enough of this very unique take on the tales of the fae. Fawcett completely leans into the traditional tales of the fae and uses this to create not only a fantastic world, but one that mimics the traditional stories that anyone who is obsessed with folklore will recognise. It creates a story that is kind of familiar and predictable, but also entirely unique in the joy of the voice (and the mistakes made along the way).

Wendell is a fun counterpoint to Emily. Where she is very intellectual, ethical and struggles with emotions, Wendell is, well, her exact opposite. But, I also love that they love each other for exactly who they are. I also enjoy the fact that Wendell is actually genuine, he doesn’t pretend to be anything or anyone less than what he is, and he has found a woman who embraces him for who and what he is, not an idealised version that has been built up in her head.

<- Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of FaeriesEmily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales ->

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Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavours by Sonali Dev

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Overview
Pride, Prejudice And Other Flavors: A Novel: 1 : Dev, Sonali: Amazon.com.au: Books

Title: Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavours
Author: Sonali Dev
Series: The Rajes #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Retellings, Romance
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2019

Thoughts

I wanted to love this so much more than I did. I definitely enjoyed it, but i suppose I’ve gotten a lot more picky about how quickly a book draws me in. I still read it, but found myself skimming the final chapters. Yes, retelling are predictable, and this one was brilliantly tailored, but I did find it a little bit slow.

Trisha and her challenges with her family and past were something that really drew me in. The original doesn’t go much into the Darcy side of things, beyond his letter, so it was fun to read about it as it unfolded. I also love that she was the Prejudice and privileged one. A great gender flip.

DJ, I get the pride. But then he started to be painful with it. Maybe because you got so much insight into Trisha, it started to be challenging at times and a bit repetitive how he focused on his past. But, still a very likeable and enjoyable male lead.

Overall, I really enjoyed how Dev was able to twist a classic in such a unique way. I also really enjoyed how she created such sympathetic characters that I think half my rush was to just get to the bit when they find their happily ever after. Will definitely read more of this series and author, but maybe not immediately.

<- More Sonali DevRecipe for Persuasion ->

Image source: Amazon

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
A Wizard of Earthsea: The First Book of Earthsea

Title: A Wizard of Earthsea
Author: Ursula K. Le Guin
Series: Earthsea Cycle #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Fantasy, Magic
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 1968

Thoughts

I’ve had A Wizard of Earthsea on my shelves for a little while, both in physical form and on my ebook wishlist. But it’s something that has always been shuffled to the side. Now I’m kind of regretting that decision – there is something about this story that is brilliant and impossible to forget. I absolutely devoured this book and I didn’t want to put it down. A Wizard of Earthsea had a traditional fantasy flavour to its journey, but with an extra spin. Whilst the style and the form of the writing felt like a traditional fantasy that I’ve read before, it had so many surprising moments throughout. Particularly when taken in the context of when this story was first written and published.

I love that throughout this novel, Ged is chasing his mistakes and the errors of youth. Rather than this being a journey about him vanquishing a greater foe, it is really about the adventure that he actually goes on. And the many different ways in which he is able to learn from his mistakes. I also love that, instead of being self-righteous and just blaming everyone, Ged spends the entirety of this story acknowledging his misdeeds and trying to fix the mistakes of the past. He gets to learn through adventure, but he doesn’t do it in a way that makes it hard to empathise with him.

A Wizard of Earthsea was a very passive, but seriously enjoyable adventure. I love that it wasn’t the typical high octane, intense fantasy that I tend to read, but it was still seriously enjoyable. I could put it aside when I had to “adult”, but I was still hanging to dive back into it. Unlike a lot of the fantasies that I read, I found that this story was more about the internal development, and the journey and adventure across Earthsea helped to build up Ged’s character. The setting and adventure almost supported his character’s development, rather than being the external force which alters it.

I really liked the sailing aspect of this adventure. I love that to begin with, it’s all about sailing and running. Then, as the story unfolds, it’s all about sailing and chasing. The roles of pursued and pursuer change as the story unfolds, again, something that I found ridiculously endearing and fun to read about. Then, as the action gets more and more heightened, Le Guin was able to round out the conflict in a way that I absolutely didn’t anticipate. A bit of a surprise for me, since I had absolutely no inkling of how this would end. Now I can’t wait to dive into Le Guin’s world of Earthsea all over again.

<- More Ursula K. Le GuinThe Tombs of Atuan ->

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A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley

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Overview
A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch: 'Whimsically sexy, charmingly romantic, and magically hilarious.' Ali Hazelwood (Glimmer Falls)

Title: A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch
Author: Sarah Hawley
Series: Glimmer Falls #2
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Cozy fantasy, Demons, Romance, Witches
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2023

Thoughts

I absolutely adored A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon, there was something about the story that had me from the first moment, and made me fall for the characters. And, although I liked A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch, I didn’t love it quite so much. I might have still really enjoyed this paranormal romance, but it definitely wasn’t quite as good as the first book in the Glimmer Falls series. Not that that has stopped me from buying A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire. An enjoyable story, and one that I may reread, but not one of my favourites either.

One of the parts of this story that I really loved was the redemption arc of Astaroth of the Nine. I mean, he was an absolutely fantastic villain in A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon, but somehow, he made an even better hero. Particularly as there wasn’t all that much “heroic” about him. I mean, even though he’s falling in love and starting to turn to the “good” side of this story, his first instinct is still absolutely to just destroy everyone and everything in his way. Really, he felt a little bit like the inside voice we all have that is a little bit less than kind, and a whole lot chaotic.

Calladia, like Astaroth, wasn’t your typical “hero” type character. I mean, I related to her a lot and found her absolutely adorable, but, again, her first instinct is violence and mayhem. I also love that she is tough, strong and has this constant need to fight. It’s a somewhat neurotic tendency to respond to abuse in a very aggressive manner. Which, again, felt a little bit like the Inside Voice that is constantly needling me to make horrible choices that end in chaos. Plus, I just wish I was as good of a fighter / brawler as Calladia. Yet, partnering these two grey heroes together works perfectly. And, more than anything, I love that it’s the not-so-pure influence of Astaroth which finally lets Calladia take control of her abusive relationships and finally walk away.

As much as I enjoyed the chaos and insanity that was Calladia and Astaroth on an adventure, I really liked how they tried to restructure the whole of demon culture. There is an extra layer of world building within this story that wasn’t in A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon, and I really liked getting to know more of these nuanced factors. Plus, there’s the way that in becoming more like the mortals, Astaroth is able to figure out how to become less stagnated. I also love how it is those of us who live the shortest lives that are the most passionate, a great reminder to live each day as full as possible.

<- A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a DemonA Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire ->

Image source: Amazon

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

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Overview
The Teller of Small Fortunes

Title: The Teller of Small Fortunes
Author: Julie Leong
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Cozy fantasy, Fantasy, Magic
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2024

Thoughts

I seriously enjoyed going on Tao’s journey through the country with her. Joining her on her journey to accepting herself and finding Found Family. This was such a sweet cozy fantasy that I really enjoyed reading. There was nothing intense and heart stopping about the story, and I didn’t necessarily feel like my emotions got too tangled up in the drama. But there was affection, there was love, and there was growth. Plus, there was an adventure that dealt with a whole set of challenging circumstances, and a feeling of life coming full circle at the end of the book.

I really loved this band of misfits – Mash, Silt and Kina worked so well together. They fit together so seamlessly, and beautifully. Mash is the strong, driven family man (with a bit of a past) who is completely driven by finding his daughter, and also the primary activity that drives the four on their journey. Silt is such a happy-go-lucky character and often brings almost comedic relief to the story. Kina then rounds out the group with emotion and joy. Her love of life and happiness were probably my favourite parts of the whole story and group. Tao might have been the main character, but it was the bonds between the four that truly drove the story.

One of my favourite things about this book is how Tao explains the difference between big and small fortunes. She’s a seer regardless (which becomes wonderfully apparent as the story unfolds), but the cost and the challenges of reading the different kinds of fortune is beautifully explained. I particularly love, that, as Tao’s back story comes out, the reasons for her choice of fortunes was even more powerful. There is such intricacy to this world building, right down to the rules and costs of magic, that I absolutely adored. Plus, I love the idea that even our small fortunes have the ability to give us some major changes in our lives. Ones that may or may not be needed.

There was something entirely innocent about this whole story. It was cute, sweet and worked out really well. When reading the blurb, I thought that the journey to find Mash’s daughter was going to be a little bit dark, and have some potential horrors in store. Instead, it was just as innocent as the rest of the tale. There was this almost naivety to the writing and the storyline that I really needed. And it’s a great reminder why the cozy fantasy genre works so well. There is action and intrigue that makes you want to keep reading, but it is so damn sweet and innocent, that the emotional stakes don’t totally destroy you.

<- The Keeper of Magical ThingsMore cozy fantasy ->

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She’s the One by Helena Hunting

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Overview

Title: She’s the One
Author: Helena Hunting
In: Nightingale (Skye Warren)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary romance
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Short story
Year: 2022

Thoughts

She’s the One is a great little short story based on one moment in time. Yet, even though it was quite short, it kind of felt like the beginning of something else. It was both well rounded and an enjoyable read, but felt like it could be the beginning of a greater novel. I believe that it sits in with the All In series by Helena Hunting, but I’m quite happy to leave it as a standalone short story.

Nolan and Pattie meeting, flirting, and then kissing happened at quite a fast clipped pace. It was fun to jump into the journey of finding someone and flirting in those first moments. Then, there’s the build up to both agreeing to go on their first date, all with the potential complications of Nolan’s brother and the intricacies of building the start of a relationship whilst watching a hockey game together.

It was a total cliche, but I did enjoy how Nolan takes advantage of Pattie’s sort-of-ex to engage more intimately with the woman he has his eye on. It’s such an obvious ploy, but I particularly liked that he owned up to this and consistently asked Pattie for permission / checked in with her thoughts.

All in all, this was a good and simple short story that I enjoyed. I don’t know if I have any driving need to revisit these characters, but it was a quick and enjoyable departure from reality anyway.

<- NightingaleExpansion ->

Image source: Amazon

The Book of Dragons by E. Nesbit

Book Review, , ,
Overview
The Book of Dragons by E Nesbit

Title: The Book of Dragons
Author: E. Nesbit
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Dragons, Fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Collection, eBook, Novel
Year: 1899

Thoughts

I honestly can’t believe that I didn’t read The Book of Dragons when I was younger! Or that I never knew that Nesbit was really an author. I would’ve absolutely inhaled these books when I was growing up, and then gone back to read it again and again and again. Luckily, as an adult, I’m still more than willing to dive into books like this and read them… again and again and again. Honestly, everything about this ticked all of my boxes as both an adult, but it also would’ve been fantastic as a preteen.

One of the things that I loved about The Book of Dragons is that it is nine (or maybe it was eight) short stories about dragons. Rather than being one long, intense tale, it is a series of smaller ones that had me smiling happily at the conclusion of each and every one. I really enjoyed that each and every story featured dragons in some shape or form, but that each and every one had a slightly different theme and message. It meant that as soon as I finished one of the stories, I couldn’t wait to see what twists and turns the next one would provide.

Although all of the stories in this book were about dragons, they were also all quintessentially English. Probably another reason why I absolutely adored this and couldn’t believe that I’ve never heard of these books before – there is something that I find so soothing and eerily familiar about English stories. And honestly, reading this just felt like a big hug and a way to return home.

After finishing The Book of Dragons, I found out a little bit more about Nesbit and her life. And honestly? It just made me love the book and her all that much more… I wonder if there is a biography out there somewhere that I can dive into about this fascinating author and enjoyable literary mind.

Image source: The Nile

Pyramids by Terry Pratchett

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview

Title: Pyramids
Author: Terry Pratchett
Series: Discworld #7, Ancient Civilisations #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Comedy, Easy reading, Fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 1989

Thoughts

As a child I was absolutely obsessed with ancient Egypt, the architecture, the culture, the religion. So I love that Pratchett decided to also harness some of this fascination and bring it into the Discworld novels. It made me smile, it made me laugh and I loved picking up on all of the little details that were interwoven throughout to give the story the wonderful texture that it has. Then, there’s the fact that this is also a story that’s all about bucking tradition, changing your stripes, and finding your own version of happily ever after. All things which I absolutely adore in a good book.

Teppic going from being a Pharaoh-in-waiting, to an assassin-in-training was a very interesting departure from the expected. It also kind of worked out in a really funny way. I loved the different terminology used, particularly the idea of “inhuming” rather than killing. As always, I spent the entirety of this novel smiling and shaking my head at the language utilised. Pratchett was just such a master at turning a phrase, and Pyramids was able to display this wonderfully. I don’t think I will ever get the idea of “inhuming a pyramid” out of my head, and all that that entails.

There were so many twists and turns to this story that I honestly didn’t know where I was going or even what was happening throughout this. I meant that in the best way, and I definitely had the laughter startled out of me at multiple points. But, honestly, this was the most random and twisting story that I’ve read in a while. I also loved that the story was bookended with the same few pages – it just added to both the mystery and the twisting of the storyline.

I really enjoyed Dios as the villain – he was kind of evil, but in a really ignorant way. It was the evil of an unwillingness to change, rather than the evil of maliciousness. It didn’t make his input and chaos any more palatable or easy to read about, but it did make for a great villain that I completely could get behind. I also like that it was a really subtle evil, one that you don’t necessarily pick up on to begin with, but the insidiousness unfolds as the entertainment of the rest of the story does.

<- Wyrd SistersGuards! Guards! ->

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Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

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Overview

Title: Down Among the Sticks and Bones
Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: Wayward Children #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Fantasy, Mystery, Young adult
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2017

Thoughts

Jack and Jill absolutely intrigued me in Every Heart a Doorway, they were not quite evil, but not quite good. And both were able to surprise me again and again throughout their story – they were responsible for so many twists and turns throughout Every Heart a Doorway, so it was really fun to go back in time to their story. Their door. And their origin. And, as always with McGuire, it was everything that I absolutely wanted – dark, twisted and intense.

Everything about Down Among the Sticks and Bones was dark and unsettling. From the very conception of the story (and the girls) to the final moments, all of this wasn’t quite what I expected, but everything that I needed. It was dark, it was horrifying and it led perfectly back to the first book in this series and the darkness that follows.

Jill was always a creepy and sinister character, from the moment she showed up. But, her entitlement and decision making made her go from creepy to seriously sinister. Something about her just triggered all of my hell no flight instincts. Which is pretty impressive as all of her existed in my mind’s eye – McGuire is such a phenomenal writer to introduce that level of darkness in an otherwise entirely literary endeavor. I mean, I still shiver at the horrifying decisions Jill makes again and again…

Although I actually liked Jack, she definitely wasn’t a sane character either. She is just a little less vindictive and entitled. And a whole lot more relatable. Probably mostly because she is a whole lot more relatable than her twin. Being self aware and able to cope with the world helped to ground me a little more in this otherwise seriously uncomfortable (in all the best ways) story.

<- Every Heart a DoorwayBeneath the Sugar Sky ->

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The Ruins of Gorlan ReRead by John Flanagan

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview

Title: The Ruins of Gorlan ReRead
Author: John Flanagan
Series: The Ranger’s Apprentice #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Fantasy, Medieval fantasy, Young adult
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2004

Thoughts

I absolutely adored The Ranger’s Apprentice series as a young adult, and I seem to be on a bit of a revisit with well-loved series lately. So I was interested to see how this would hit now that I’m that bit older. Luckily (because it’s always dangerous revisiting well-loved things from your adolescence), I loved The Ruins of Gorlan every bit as much on this reread. It was just as fantastic, fun and hard to put down as I remembered, but with a whole lot more nuances that I thoroughly enjoyed picking up on as an adult.

Will, for me, is still that quintessential misfit / coming of age type story. He just doesn’t quite fit the mold with anyone else, and is always on the outskirts. Even amongst his year-mates who are in a very similar boat, Willl still just doesn’t quite fit. Honestly, it’s probably why I related to him so damn strongly as a preteen – I’ve never quite fit in either. And then, he finds his home amongst all of the others who don’t quite fit either – a fantastic way to remind everyone that we all have our tribe, it can just take us a whole lot longer to find them sometimes.

Alongside all of Will’s training and the absolutely brilliant description of archery (I’m an archer, most books get it wrong), I love that this is a story about finding your place in the world. Although, as much as, as an adult, I focus a lot on characterisation and character development, this is also entirely about the battle and the weaponry. I mean, knife throwing and archery were already going to pull me in. But conspiracies and that last, final, epic battle? These are all moments that I loved as an adolescent, and just adore as an adult.

As much as I loved Will finding his place and beginning to grow into himself as a man, I also adored Horace’s redemption arc. Horace starts out as a kind of horrible bully. He was completely set up to be the typical antagonist in the story, and he did work as that for a fair portion of it. But, as in real life, he realised that a lot of his actions weren’t okay. I loved his redemption arc, and that he ultimately ends up being a true friend to Will. It just melts my heart every time, and is so wonderfully heart melting.

<- More John FlanaganThe Burning Bridge ReRead ->

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