Young Adult Fantasy

First Lines Fridays: June 15, 2018

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First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First Lines:

The Volkking struggled, but his sickness attacked him both day and night, a war band giving the enemy no respite of sleep. From the longest day until harvesttime, the Volkking sickened, and as it was with the King, so was it with his land.

Did the quote pique your interest? View this book on Goodreads!

 

First Lines Fridays: June 8, 2018

LeeLeave a comment

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First Lines:

He knew from the first that this man would know how to hurt him. He had to keep the fear secret, and he couldn’t cry no matter how much he wanted to.

Interested? Scroll down for the cover and summary!

The Wings of a Falcon by Cynthia Voigt
(Tales of the Kingdom, book 3)

The prospect of freedom is weighted with danger in this tale of high adventure, the third book in the Tales of the Kingdom series from Newbery Medalist Cynthia Voigt.

Oriel has always stood out as someone who would not bend. No matter how much he has had to endure, the Damall’s cruelty cannot corrupt him. Griff, a boy who has watched and admired Oriel, is the opposite. He has learned to keep out of sight, to bow in the face of force. Yet the two became friends, and together they escaped from the terrors of the island and take with them the Damall’s most prized relic—the beryl, a green gemstone engraved with a falcon, its wings unfolding. But as they seek a new life, it’s not as easy as they’d hoped, for ahead lie raiding Wolfers, rival armies, and unspeakable dangers…

First Lines Fridays: June 1, 2018

LeeLeave a comment

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First Lines:

What she saw first was a moving shadow. In the trees that bordered the meadow, among their dark trunks, something moved.

Interested? Scroll down for the cover and summary!

On Fortunes Wheel by Cynthia Voigt
(Tales of the Kingdom, book 2)

There are some who say that the Lady Fortune has a wheel, and all men are fixed upon it. The wheel turns, and the men rise, or fall, with the turning of the wheel.

Birle has agreed to be wed to the huntsman Muir as an escape from the drudgery of life at her father’s inn — but the moment she looks into the bellflower blue eyes of the man she comes upon stealing one of her father’s boats, Birle knows she cannot marry Muir. Even after she discovers the mysterious stranger is Orien, a Lord and as unreachable to an innkeeper’s daughter as a star, Birle is determined to travel with him as far as he will allow.

Their travels take Birle to a world far from home, a world where Lords may become slaves, where Princes rule by fear, and where Fortune’s Wheel turns more swiftly and dangerously than Birle could have imagined.

Newbery Medalist Cynthia Voigt’s second novel of the Kingdom, set two generations later than Jackaroo, is a memorable combination of thrilling adventure and heart-stopping romance.

First Lines Fridays: May 25, 2018

LeeLeave a comment

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First Lines:

Gwyn stood crowded in among the women. She held the hood of her cloak close around her head, covering her hair, shadowing her face.

Interested? Scroll down for the cover and summary!

Jackaroo by Cynthia Voigt
(Tales of the Kingdom, book 1)

In a fantastical kingdom ravaged by famine and poverty, the prospect of hope lies with a mythical masked hero in this, the first book in the Tales of the Kingdom series from Newbery Medalist Cynthia Voigt.

In a distant time, a kingdom is starving. With winter upon them, there is little hope, except for the legend of Jackaroo: a masked outlaw who comes at night to aid the destitute and helpless. But Gwyn, the innkeeper’s daughter, is too practical for false hopes. She believes Jackaroo is nothing more than a fairy tale told to keep children hopeful till the next sunrise.

Then Gwyn is forced to seek refuge in an abandoned house, and while scavenging for supplies, she comes across…a mask? A sword? A cloak? Could these belong to the fabled Jackaroo? As Gwyn searches for answers, she discovers that the heart of a hero goes far beyond a mask.

First Lines Fridays: March 16, 2018

LeeLeave a comment

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First Lines:

Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, former Baron of Gorlan in the Kingdom of Araluen, looked out over his bleak, rainswept domain and, for perhaps the thousandth time, cursed.

Interested? Scroll down for the cover and summary!

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
(Rangers Apprentice, book 1)

They have always scared him in the past—the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied….

Review: Jackaroo by Cynthia Voigt

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Note:  This book has also been published under the name The Tale of Gwyn.

Everyone grows up with tales of Jackaroo, who rides on behalf of the people in times of greatest need, but everyone knows they’re just stories… As the innkeeper’s daughter, Gwyn is certain of her place in the world, but being stranded during a blizzard leads to a startling discovery and Gwyn begins to see the Kingdom in a new way. When Jackaroo rides out of legends to aid the people, he will change Gwyn’s life forever.

Rating:  ★★★★★ – it was amazing
Genre:  young adult fiction, young adult fantasy, non-magical fantasy
Pros:  well written, good character development, beautiful descriptive language
Cons:  needs POC

Jackaroo is the first in the loosely-connected Tales of the Kingdom series. Because they are “loosely-connected” all of the Kingdom novels can be read as stand-alone books, though I’m not sure why you’d want to skip any of them. I like that this is the first book in the series though, because it’s a little lighter than the next three and therefore an easier read and the perfect introduction to the world of the Kingdom.

This book is simultaneously a fantasy adventure about a Robin Hood-esque highwayman who shows up in times of need to serve the people, and a coming-of-age story about a young girl discovering her place in the world.

As with a lot of Cynthia Voigt’s characters I really love the way Gwyn thinks about things. She’s a somewhat steady girl, hard-working and strong. In the beginning she has a tendency to be a bit scornful of those around her, but she grows into a more understanding and insightful person as the story goes on, which is just one example of the satisfying character development to be found in Jackaroo.

Voigt’s world-building is subtle and immersive in a way one rarely finds in a fantasy novel. She lays out the Kingdom at the perfect pace, so that one never has too much information to keep track of, and always enough to understand what is going on in the story. Between that and her excellent use of descriptive language, the reader is swept up into the story and world with ease.

My only complaint about these books is the lack of POC. The closest it comes is having one character mentioned with “olive skin”, which is…disappointing. It’s not super surprising that a white author doesn’t think to put people of color in their story, especially in 1985 when this story was first published, but I can still wish it was different. It’s really the only thing I can think of that would improve this beautiful story.

I recommend this book, and it’s sequels, to literally everyone — but most especially to people who like fantasy, ya fiction, and coming-of-age novels, or anyone who is trying to read more backlist books.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Author’s Website

Friday 56: January 12, 2018

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The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda’s Voice and the rules are simple:

  • Grab a book, any book (I, personally, prefer to use my current read.)
  • Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that’s ok.)
  • Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it)
  • Post it

Jackaroo by Cynthia Voigt
(Tales of the Kingdom, book 1)

Whatever Blithe wanted, she wanted absolutely and immediately. There was no budging Blithe.

The Cookie Read-A-Thon Kind of Daily Challenge, Day 5: Favorite Genre

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I’m doing The Cookie Read-A-Thon, started by Mary @ Books & Cookies (on her tumblr blog though). Learn More

Well the broad answer would be:  YA Fiction.

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve tried general fiction (or adult fiction), but with few exceptions I typically find murder mysteries, which I don’t enjoy, or something claiming to be of some other genre, but is really just a vehicle for excessive and unnecessary sex scenes. I don’t begrudge a good smut scene, don’t get me wrong, but when there’s equal parts sex and plot, that’s unnecessary (unless you’re writing an erotic novel in which case, right on dude); when the sex scenes do nothing to serve the actual story, that’s unnecessary. I just want a story for heaven’s sake….

So I tend to stick to YA Fiction. Because even though there is romance (borderline excessive romance) and even sex scenes sometimes, for the most part there’s more story than anything else.

(I guess you can tell I don’t typically like to read romance novels either?)

To be more specific: YA Fantasy.

Perhaps it’s the fact that most fantasy novels involve battles and journeys and Adventure™ that make them the most enjoyable for me. Or maybe it’s the potential for mystical creatures and magic. Or maybe it’s just that it’s so very, very different from my real life.

There’s just something about a fantasy novel, a YA Fantasy novel specifically, that speaks to my imagination perfectly.

What are your favorite genres? Recommend me a book from your favorite genre, if you like.

The Cookie Read-A-Thon Kind of Daily Challenge, Day 3: Book(s) You Read in One Sitting

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I’m doing The Cookie Read-A-Thon, started by Mary @ Books & Cookies (on her tumblr blog though). Learn More

I decided to interpret this prompt as “the type of book I usually read in one sitting” so here goes:

I’ve noticed that for the most part, I don’t usually read my favorite genre (YA Fantasy) in one sitting, but I’m not sure why. The genre I’m most likely to sit down and read all in one go is YA Contemporary, like the book I read last Thursday, Empress of the World (by Sara Ryan). That’s not to say there aren’t exceptions, but those usually have more to do with extenuating factors like lack of internet connection, unusually good writing (*cough* Cynthia Voigt *cough*), or the book being due back at the library the very next day.

The best I can figure, it must be the setting that does it. Because with a fantasy novel you have all this world building that goes into it, and with a contemporary novel it’s just your world so you can just jump right into it and go without having to remember where places are or how they do things or whatever.

Since I sort of mentioned her, I’ll point out that I can almost always read a Cynthia Voigt book in one sitting, regardless of genre. Unless something comes up that makes me have to stop reading, I won’t put a Cynthia Voigt book down until it’s over. (And possibly not even then.) I’ve read most of them several times over, but every single time I love them just as much as if it were the first time! I’ve never loved an author more honestly, as anyone who spends more than 30 seconds on this blog can probably tell.

Even if you’re not doing the read-a-thon, I’d love to know what sort of books you usually devour in one sitting, or even specific books you have (because I live for book recs, y’all). Comment (or reblog/message me if you are reading this on tumblr instead of wordpress) and let me know!

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

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For fans of fairytale retellings and YA readers seeking #OwnVoices novels, I recommend adding Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao to your TBR!

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (FOTL) is Julie C. Dao’s debut novel and tells the story of the Evil Queen with an East Asian influence, which one imagines will add much needed depth as well as novelty to the story we all know.

The novel is set for release, in hardcover & kindle editions, in just under two weeks, on October 10, 2017, and is the first in a series (a duology or trilogy) entitled Rise of the Empress.

Bustle featured an article back in February with an excerpt from Chapter 1  of the upcoming novel, along with some other tidbits.

Personally, I’ve already submitted FOTL as a purchase suggestion to my local library, and am contriving to get my hands on a copy as soon as possible!

Goodreads | Amazon | Author’s Website