Beginners Guide to Fantasy

I love fantasy novels. It’s probably my favorite genre. I read maybe one or two contemporary books a year. I’m very picky about that genre. But fantasy is a whole other ballgame. For as long as I can remember, I’ve read for escapism. I like to be enveloped in a story that takes me to somewhere new and exciting. Fantasy, however, can be intimidating (have you seen how big the Game of Thrones books are?).  I thought it would be fun to show you what some of my favorite fantasy books are. These are the ones that I read when I was younger, yes, but I feel like anyone would be able to enjoy them—especially if they’re looking to get into the longer fantasy novels that are out there. I feel like these books are a good place to start.

            I’ll get the obvious out of the way and say it—Harry Potter. Everybody has either read or heard about these books. However, the later books in the series can get long and rather complicated (in my opinion). So here are the books that I think make great introduction to the fantasy genre. If you’ve read any of these let me know. Or, if you feel I’ve missed a series to put in here, let me know that too! Without further ado, let’s get into the list!

The Goose Girl series by Shannon Hale:

            I read this series so long ago. I think it’s actually time for a reread because I have such fond memories of this series. Essentially, it’s about a girl who is royalty but is cast out of the palace for some reason. I don’t particularly remember the details. I do, however, remember loving this series. There’s also the added element of air/fire/water/earth elementals. The first book introduces the power so subtly that you don’t even really notice that the main character has one of these powers, and I really appreciated that. So much of the time the magic system is just thrown in your face and it’s hard to grasp right away. I think that Shannon Hale did an excellent job with this series, and anybody can enjoy them! I think it’s time for a reread of this series soon.

Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

            This is another classic YA fantasy series that I read back in junior high and high school. The first book in this trilogy, Graceling, is about a world where people have graces. I.E., they have the stronger abilities than most to play music or make things or grow plants. The main character of Graceling has the Grace to kill someone, and she’s basically the king’s assassin at the beginning of the book. The rest of the books are in the same world but follow different characters. I won’t go into too much detail, because they’re kind of spoilers for what happens in the first, but this series was another that was super easy to read and understand what was happening. I think it’s a great place to start if you’re looking for a classic high fantasy story.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy by Rae Carson

            This book plays off of the classic “chosen one” trope. Elisa is such a strong main character that you can’t help but root for her through all three books. Her character development is exponential throughout the series. The Girl of Fire and Thorns is so easy to read that you will more than likely forget you’re even reading a fantasy story. I have such fond memories of this series.

Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard

            From the description on Goodreads, “This is a world divided by blood—red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers.” Basically, if you like X-Men and fantasy, I think you’d really appreciate this. It’s a four-book series and only three are out right now, but the first one follows Mare Barrow as she discovers that she might be more than just a Red. This is another one that’s easy to get into but will probably make a long-lasting impression on you if you like this kind of thing. People complain that it’s kind of a mash up of everything that’s been done before in YA, but honestly, I thought it was executed really well.

An Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir

            This is another really popular series, but it’s more of a desert fantasy. It follows Laia, a slave girl, and Elias, who is the prodigy of an elite military school. This is brutal and violent, but I was completely sucked into it. If you’re into spies and people trying to fight for their freedom, then definitely check this one out. I think it’d be right up your alley. I flew through it in a couple of days, and have been putting off reading the sequel, just because I don’t want to have to wait for the third. But I highly recommend this. The first book in this series was so fun and engaging, that I really do think anyone would have a good time reading this.

            So these are my picks for my beginners guide to fantasy. Hopefully I chose ones that people don’t know much about, so I can get them onto people’s radars. I really had a great time reading all of these, and think that most people will enjoy them. Have you read any of these? What are your beginner fantasy recommendations? Leave them in the comments!

Strange the Dreamer Review

Today I finished Strange the Dreamer, and I have to say, that this book was incredibly strange. This has been my first experience with a Laini Taylor book… and I am very confused. I still gave it a decently high rating, because it kept my interest through the entire thing. I’ll get into why I didn’t give it a full five stars in a bit, but I’m going to go ahead and say it’s more of a 3.75 rating. Strange the Dreamer was so strange that the entire time I was reading, I expected to find answers as I flew through this book, only to be left more in the dark.

            I’m going to try and explain this book in a way that’s easy to understand, although I don’t know if that’s possible.

            Essentially, Strange the Dreamer follows Lazlo Strange who is an orphaned boy who is discovered by monks at the beginning of the novel, turns into a librarian and then… well you’ll have to read to see if he becomes anything else by the end of the book. The entirety of this novel follows him as his obsession with city named Weep (because a goddess ate it’s original name) and what he does when he actually gets there.

            The things that I enjoyed the most about this novel are fairly straightforward. I felt that the plot was original, and it kept me engaged for the entire book. I wanted to find out who these blue skinned people were and why they were there. Lazlo as a character was very entertaining to read about, especially in the earlier parts of the book. I so related to his dreaminess, and his getting lost in the library where he worked at. Laini Taylor’s writing is so vivid that I really felt as though I were in this book. Those are the kinds of books I like reading the best—if they can block out the outside world for a couple of days, then I know it’s a good book. And Strange the Dreamer is good, in it’s own way, but I do have a few complaints.

            I’m going to start with the romance.

            I like a good romance as much as the next person. That being said, when I’m engrossed in a fantasy novel, I don’t want it to take up the entire plot. Mostly I kept reading because I wanted to find out where these blue skinned people came from and why they were there. I basically got no answers. While I understand that this is the first book in a series (duology? I have no idea how many books are going to be in this series), I like to have at least some answers before I have to wait another year for the next installment. And to be honest? I couldn’t care less about Lazlo and his romance with the other main character. I wanted to learn more about the world and what happened to make these blue people come down to this world and be so cruel to humans. There was so much talk about hate and how brutal it could make people, but I wanted to see why. Sure, there was some backstory as to why some of the characters are the way they are now, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Laini Taylor’s flowery writing really only focused on this very intense dream romance (I don’t really know what to call it without spoiling the whole book).

            So, overall, I’m not quite sure how I felt about it. I gave it a higher rating on Goodreads, mostly because I enjoyed reading it for what it was. I still wished there were more answers than Taylor gave us, but it was like watching a very vivid movie that I never wanted to leave. I have very conflicting emotions about this book. I’m definitely going to pick up the next one, and I’m not sure if I explained it well enough for any of you to want to read it. I say if you read her previous Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, you might want to check this out. For me, however, this book was my first experience with Laini Taylor’s writing, and I don’t know how I feel about it, if I’m being honest. I had a really good time while I was reading it, but now that I’m done I feel mostly confused. Hopefully we’ll get some answers in the sequel, because with the way this one ended, I know that I’m going to be picking it up when it’s released.

Ravenclaw House Recommendations

            It’s time for Top Five Wednesday again! This is a weekly post that has a different topic each Wednesday. This week, the topic is recommendations for your Hogwart’s house! I’ve wanted to do something like this for all of the Hogwarts houses, and I’m a proud Ravenclaw. This was a great opportunity for me to get started with a series like this. Several people have done this before, but I’m not quite sure who started the original idea, so I’ll just link Sam’s video (she’s the host of Top Five Wednesday) in this post and you can go check out the other videos she’s done for it. Let’s get into it! I’m super excited to start. If you have any Ravenclaw recommendations, definitely let me know in the comments.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor:

            I just started this book today, and I’m only five chapters in, but this is such a Ravenclaw book. It follows a boy named Lazlo Strange who is obsessed with a mysterious city that lost its name when he was a child. He’s a librarian in this stunning world that Laini Taylor has created and he’s trying to track down any evidence that it might have existed before by going through old receipts and such. I think that he is Ravenclaw, and I’m so excited to see more of his story progress.

The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare:

            Tessa is such a smart main character. All of Cassandra Clare’s main characters are brave and kind (except for maybe Jace), but Tessa lives in the library when she and the rest of her Shadowhunter team aren’t out fighting demons. Even after reading Lady Midnight, I think that this is still my favorite of Cassandra Clare’s series, and Tessa just screams Ravenclaw to me.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness:

            Also known as the only book that has ever made me cry in my entire life. I love this story so much. The main character is struggling with losing his mother to cancer. I really need to reread this because I just lost my grandmother to Leukemia and I think that this would hit home in so many different ways if I read it now when I was older. A monster comes to him to tell him stories in order to cope with having to lose his mother. It’s just so beautifully written I really need to read this again.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mendel

            This book is really interesting because it follows the apocalypse, but in a really unconventional way. Essentially it follows a traveling symphony in the aftermath of a disease that swept the globe. Station Eleven is told in the past and the present showing readers how the main group of characters got to where they are, and continuing to follow their journey throughout the rest of the novel. I thought that the tone of this was just wonderfully quite and thoughtful. I think anyone who is Ravenclaw would enjoy this, if only because of how unique it is.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making series by Catherine M. Valente:

            September lives in Omaha: until the Green Wind sweeps her away to Fairyland. This entire book was so whimsical and fantastic. It really reads like a modern Alice in Wonderland. I think that the way September deals with her entire situation for this book is really smart and she has to use her wit more often than not to get out of certain scrapes in order to get home. If you want a middle grade novel that’s really different, check out this whole series.

And that, folks, concludes my top five recommendations for people who are in the Ravenclaw house. What house are you in? Do you have any other recommendations for people in Ravenclaw, or any other house? Let me know in the comments!

Library and Advanced Reader Copies Haul (June 2017)

I ended up getting a few more books than I expected this month… But I’m excited for all of them! I went to the library, because our library has been remodeled lately and they have a pretty good selection of books now. I was able to restrain myself and only get four of them. I also ended up volunteering at a bookstore the first day of this month, and I was able to sort through some advanced readers copies that the storeowner didn’t want. I am so excited for all of these!!! I’m also still about a third of the way through Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken. I’m hoping that I can finish this on the train to Chicago this weekend. I only have about a quarter of the book left, and things are getting really exciting! I’ll break up the sections between advanced readers copies and library copies, just so you know which ones are out and which you can pick up from your bookstore or library if any of them sound interesting to you.

Library Books:

The Girl in 6E by A. R. Torre

            The only description on the back of the paperback copy was really interesting to me.

1. Don’t leave the apartment

2. Never let anyone in

3. Don’t kill anyone.

I thought this sounded super intriguing. I’ve also been in this mood for reading intense thrillers. The Girl in 6E had some really positive reviews so I decided to pick it up for free from my library before investing any money in it. But I’m excited to give this one a try.

The Lost Girl of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill

            This seems like a really fun 1920’s mystery set in Chicago. Essentially it follows Piper, whose best friend Lydia went missing. She never does anything wrong so that’s really suspicious. When Piper starts digging for answers, she eventually finds that it might be more connected to her than she originally thought. I’m so excited to start reading mysteries again, and when I looked this one up on Goodreads, there were really glowing reviews.

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

            Ruth Ware wrote In a Dark Dark Wood. I never read this, but when I was browsing at the library, her second novel seemed more interesting to me. It’s compared to Agatha Christie novels, and this one is set on a ship so I thought it sounded intense. Again, I’ve just been in the mood for thriller/mystery novels, so I picked this one up on a whim.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

            I read one of her previous novels, The Husband’s Secret, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have no idea what this one is about. I’m planning on keeping it that way, mostly just because I feel like if I read the synopsis it’ll give too much of the plot away, especially for these kinds of novels. All I know is that it has an HBO series that’s supposed to be pretty good. I’ll probably check it out if the book is any good!

Advanced Readers Copies

The History of Bees by Maja Lunde

            The blurb on the back of this book just sounded so intriguing. It says that it’s “In the spirit of Station Eleven and Never Let Me Go, which are two of my favorite books. This book is already published in Sweden, so it’s making it’s American release really soon. The basic premise is that it follows three different perspectives, in three different time periods; England, 1952, USA, 2997, and China, 2098. It follows how bees (or the lack thereof) affect people’s lives differently. I thought that with our current climate change and the rapid decline of bees, that this would be really relevant. I also pretty much grabbed this for my dad, since he’s a biology professor and is super into this stuff. This book comes out in August 2017.

When I Cast Your Shadow by Sarah Porter

            I wanted to read her previous novel, Vassa in the Night, but never got around to it. So when I saw this was available at the bookstore I jumped on it. It sounds super creepy and right up my alley. I think it’s about dream possession, which sounds awesome. Like I said, I don’t want to know too much of the synopsis because it gives the plot away, so I’m going to be diving into this one mostly blind. This one comes out in September, 2017.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

            This one really intrigued me. The tagline on the back of this book said it was “The Bloody Chamber meets Frozen.” I love fairytale-esque stories. This one seems like a really unique retelling of Snow White. It’s also described as fiercely feminist, which I need to read anything with that kind of description.

Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody

            The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is one of my all time favorite books. I’ve been constantly on the look out for more books set in the circus-type setting, so this one really grabbed my eye. The cover is stunning. This book is set in a traveling circus-city and that just sounded so fascinating to me. Another book that’s been on my radar (Caraval by Stephanie Garber) sounds like it might be in a similar vein, so if you’ve read that, check this one out too! It seems like a fun, dark and twisty fantasy book that I just had to get my hands on. Daughter of the Burning City comes out mid July of this year, so keep your eyes peeled for it in bookstores.

White Bodies by Jane Robins

            I have absolutely no idea what this was about but it’s described as Gillian Flynn meets Paula Hawkins. I’ve been trying to get more into thrillers so this one sounded really intriguing. There was also nothing but praise on the newsletter from the publisher, so I’m prepared to have my mind blown! This book comes out In September, 2017.

Gunslinger Girl by Lindsay Ely

            This book just sounded so fun. I read Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman last year, and had a great time reading it. I love reading about the Wild West. This book takes place after a second civil war and follows a main character that the synopsis calls a “cross between Katniss Everdeen and Annie Oakley.” Gunslinger Girl is actually published by James Patterson’s publishing imprint. This book isn’t out until early 2018, so I won’t be reading it until closer till then, but it just sounded so exciting!

            And that wraps up all of the books I’ve acquired in the last month or so. I did not mean to get this many… but then I didn’t have to pay for any of them, so I think it’s a win-win situation? We’ll see if I can manage to read them all this month. It’s probably going to take me awhile. Let me know in the comments if you’ve heard of any of these books, and which ones you’re excited to read.