Ya Fantasy - Blog Posts

I am once again calling for book rants. It was so much fun the last time, and I crave more.

Do you have a long standing grudge against a book you read in middle school? Have you gotten swept up by hype only to find that everyone lied to you and the book is trash? Do you burn with rage over the way an author portrayed your favorite mythology or folklore? Is there a book or series that you once loved, but now makes you cringe every time you think about it?

Do you want to vent all of it out to someone who won't judge you, or argue with you, but will simply accept all your feelings as their own?

Hi, that person is me. Send me an ask, anonymous or not, and tell me everything you've wanted to say. Offer me your anger, your frustration, your hatred. I will hold it for you. I will take it into my heart and make it my own.

It can be any genre you want, any demographic. I will accept it all. Even if James Patterson gets involved again. (I'm not scared of you, James!!)

I really want people to flood my inbox with their rants about authors and books they just can't stand, especially YA because it's so gloriously and passionately unhinged and I love it. But I am aware that I'm a tiny little blog that no one knows or interacts with. And despite being on this site for over a decade, I still don't understand the dark alchemy that drives this place.

But, hey, if you do see this, feed me your hatred. Be as vitriolic as your heart desires. Be unreasonable, be irrational. I won't judge you. I won't argue with you. I will accept your rage as my own.

Hmm...maybe this will help: Sarah J. Maas Antis, come to me and offer me your hatred

You know what, I'm about to go somewhere without internet access for a few days, so I'm going to blaze this and see what happens when I come back. For fun.

I REALLY loved A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik and will probably have more art as I work my way through the books

You know what I’d like?

I’d like more ya fantasy genre fiction that features homeless kids where they aren’t homeless due to the consequences of the fantasy universe...

Like- Growing up it was just cool to see kids in books I liked who had similar experiences to me

But I’m tired of the only examples being things like

“My super powers got out of control and now I’m forced to live on my own on the run”

“I’m the solitary leader of a child rebellion due to the circumstances of my dystopian society”

And even

“You aren’t able to tell what the normal age to move out is in my universe- but there are just plenty of teenagers living on their own or living on the run- and no one ever fucking questions it”

One the one hand- it was cool seeing characters like me with these cool destinies and powers

But at the end of the day it made it that much harder to have to go- “I’m not in this situation because I’m important, I’m here because my mother’s a deadbeat”

I wanna see more homeless kids in ya fantasies that live that way cause sometimes shit happens- not because they’re special- but cause that’s life...

If ya'all even want to know my new hyperfixation is The Mortal Instrument books all over again like i am 12. That's right, I am reliving my childhood and I realized that I had a banger taste

No but the shades of magic series is just Holland being "this is my boyfriend Kell and Kell's girlfriend Lila and her bestie Alucard who's also Rhy's boyfriend"

argue with the wall😔

this week in the book community~

•queer show with little flying leaves renewed

•dysfunctional family with superpowers 3 trailer

•musician that's been acting as therapist gets doctorate

•you can throw a party full of everyone you know, and not invite your family ’cause they never showed you love

•white people having extramarital affairs and being communists

•"fans will have complicated feelings about chain of thorns ending"

Rereading 'A court of thorns and roses' after a year for research related purposes🤪- part 1

Feyre was in her flop era babes

WAIT WHY DO I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO RECOLLECTION OF THIS CHARACTER HE'S NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN😭

Feyre so humble and selfless you guys she's not like other girls frrr

Omg it's almost like- like the wolf and the doe are a METAPHOR for the power dynamic between Feyre and Tamlin🤔

GROWL??? RHYSAND IS THAT YOU??🤨🤨

Elain's literally so annoying like honeybear why don't you grow some vegetables or something🥰

okay *Tamlin shows up*

This bargain makes no sense to me like i know there's some bigger stuff going on but this is the equivalent of "you killed my bestie? well now you have to suffer living with me☺"

PROTECT NESTA AAAHHHH

Lucien was actually my favorite character in the first book he's the only one with a personality 💀

How to get the girl 101 with Tamlin😎

If I had a penny for every time a complex female character stabbed her own hand just to prove a point, I'd have two pennies which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.

"Enemies to lovers this!!" "friends to lovers that!!" "no rivals to lovers is superior!!" "It goes strangers to rivals to forced friendship to fake lovers to real lovers to enemies to-" Sweetie please call your therapist back they're worried about you🥰

convincing you to read kingdom of the wicked because the sequel comes out in 10 days!

this post won' t contain any major spoilers, but a few slips might happen-

Let's start out with the premise :)

It's basically a historical fiction- a murder mystery, based in the 1800s in Italy. BUT IT'S NOT JUST ANY OTHER MURDER MYSTERY, it has witches and super hot demons and not so hot hunters and- and chefs<3 AND POSSIBLY THE BEST FANTASY ENEMIES TO LOVERS I'VE SEEN IN A WHILE.

I cannot begin to explain how beautiful the entire ambience of this book is,,, the town in Italy is a very warm, cozy, and welcoming place. So that makes the whole murder situation even eerier and more intriguing. This isn't one of those mysteries where you can guess from the start who it's gonna be, and the murder part isn't that IN YOUR FACE. It's delicately woven throughout the rest of the plot. There's a lot of chilling stuff going on, everyone has secrets and everyone is super sexy and scary- all in all this makes for the perfect autumnal read :)

PLOT!!

We start out with two twin witches who's family owns a restaurant (i mean those lucky bitches get to COOK AND BAKE AND DO WITCHCRAFT ALL DAY LIKE- *dream life*)

Emilia and Vittoria dicarlo- one of them is super outgoing and loud and EDGY- she isn't like other girls!! she has secret affairs and gets in trouble all the time,,, the other is kind of chill and reserved and loving.

BUT THEN SOMETHING LIFE CHANGING HAPPENS- one of them makes a mistake and ends up six feet under.

Now, witchcraft is like super illegal because women with gifts and knowledge are a threat to society!! Witches have been ending up dead in many towns across Italy and since witchcraft is super hush hush, our protagonist can't exactly ask the police for help. So she does one better- SHE ASKS THE FUCKING PRINCE OF HELL- wrath. Go big or go home honey :)))

The magic system in this book is really interesting because it's quite realistic- they use herbs and blessed candles and chalk and really aesthetically pleasing things. Some witches practice dark magic and go nuts because they have these visions which is so cool. The twins come from an ancient family of witches and their nonna is super badass and grumpy i love her.

The villains(seggsy antiheroes?) are the malvachi aka the princes of hell. Each prince has domain over one deadly sin(pride, envy, wrath etc). And they can like control those emotions which IS SO SICKK aaahhhh. Throughout the story, the main characters meets these princes and gets influenced by them but also learns new things to uncover the bigger mystery going on and they're all very intriguing and sexy.(I've used the word sexy so many times like is that not reason enough to read it?)

The restaurant- I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS ARC. It just enhances the reading experience by adding these touches of how invested the characters are in their recipes and flavours which makes it so comforting and also hilarious because one moment someone is like "OMG NO LOOK A CORPSE aaahhh" and the next they're like "hmmm i want your recipe for cannoli *puppy eyes*"

vibes you can expect- mysterious, spells, herbs, candles, witches, church, family love, demons, betrayal, forced alliance, grumpy + sunshine trope, revenge lotsss of revenge, angsty, comforting yet also somehow on the edge of your seat feeling, secrets and darkness, hidden agendas, AND LOTS OF ITALIAN CUISINE.

The romance<333

aka the reason I picked up this book. At this point the romantic interest could be like "aahh you're ugly i hope you die" and then two seconds later be like "you're the most beautiful thing in this world you are the sky and the sun and you could walk over me do you want something to eat? do you want a kitten or a blanket or a cup of tea??maybe we could bang and get married????" and you have the AUDACITY to call that enemies to lovers????

BUT THIS BOOK PORTRAYS that hate to forced alliance to secrets to betrayal to mistrust to slight understanding to maybe some hints of romance. The slowburn is just *chef's kiss*

I ADORE how you can never tell what the love interest is gonna do and you're like daddy??sorry-daddy?? sorry. NO DON"T MAKE ME HATE YOU.....da-

ALSO there's a slight corruption arc because the main character is so driven by her rage and that for me is the cherry on top.

AT ONE POINT, THE DARK ANTIHERO kisses the protagonist to save her life(?) AND SAYS "LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO HATE ME FOR THIS" LIKE SIRRRR??

Quotes you might like-

“I feel your gaze on me when you think I’m not paying attention. You track the dagger every time I move. You need to know where it is." No ma'am he's looking at you-

"Young women died. Life resumed. Such was the way of the world, at least according to men." I didn't come here to cry but okay-

"I couldn’t begin to understand why Wrath had said “my Emilia’s.” Honestly, I wasn’t sure if the demon even remembered my name since he only ever tossed around “witch.” EEEEEHHH THE POSSESSIVENESS TROPE

“You have something I want.” “If it’s my still-beating heart, I’m afraid I must decline.” “No, but I imagine you’ll end up giving that to my brother one day.” excuse me WHILE I GO SCREAM.

"My sister was the adventurous one—I was satisfied with safe, clean fun. Give me a steamy romance novel with forbidden love and impossible odds. That was the kind of adventure I could get behind." same, literally same.

This book as Taytay songs because why not?

•Look what you made me do

•No body, no crime

•Treacherous

•Dancing with our hands tied

•Mad woman

•I did something bad

•Wildest dreams tv THISSS SO MUCH

•Delicate

•Haunted

•So it goes >>>>

Just before you go,, THE SEQUEL HAS THE "I DON'T WANNA KISS YOU UGHHH"// "LIAR" trope and also the "YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T GIVE AF ABOUT ME"// "I LIED." trope

so you don't wanna miss out.

What's the best trope and why's it Character A waking up from a nightmare, screaming and character B telling them to look at them and that it's just a bad dream?

This parallel between Red, white and royal blue & From Blood and Ash-

"You see, for me, memories are difficult. Very often, they hurt. A curious thing about grief is the way it takes your entire life, all those foundation years that made you who you are, and makes them so painful to look back upon because of the absence there, that suddenly they're inaccessible. You must invent an entirely new system."

And

"You just replace your last memory - a bad one - with a new one - a good one - and you keep doing that until the initial one no longer outweighs the replacement."

Mati en sheva yelu. This action will have no echo. It means we won't repeat the same mistakes, that we won't continue to do harm.

Inej, Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

"No mourners" "No Funerals"

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Magical Manbuns

Picturing Rowan with a man bun. Is that wrong? Then I don't want to be right.

Let's go rattle the stars.

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

TTYL I’m reading

Reading Buddies for life.

Dig into Reading.

So many feels

I love her so much but she just dropped her slobbery tennis ball and it rolled down the entire length of my book. That ball is so gross. She’s had it for two years it doesn’t bounce and I’m convinced the only reason she hasn’t chewed it open is because her slobber has magical properties that has hardened and encased it to form a protective seal around it.

“We’ll never be a normal boy and girl will we?” She managed to say. “No,” he breathed, eyes blazing. “We won’t.”

I’m reading Crown of Midnight now and all I can say is CHAOL!

Breakfast of champions

“My name is Celaena Sardothien,” she whispered. “But it makes no difference if my name’s Celaena or Lillian or Bitch, because I’d still beat you, no matter what you call me.” She smiled at him as she stood. He just stared up at her, his bloody nose leaking down the side of his cheek. She took her handkerchief from her pocket and dropped it on his chest. “You can keep that,” she said before she walked off the veranda. -Throne of Glass, by Sarah J Maas

Celaena’s mic drop 😂

Reading buddy!

Throne of Glass

Such a good list of fantasy books from theartofyoungadult. Some of these I have read but the others I am adding to my TBR right now! 📚👍

What about YA fantasy? Do you have any YA fantasy authors and/or series that you would absolutely recommend to anyone?

*pushes back sleeves* *rubs hands together* *cracks knuckles*

OKAY YOU ASKED FOR YA FANTASY AND IMMA GIVE YOU YA FANTASY ARE YOU READY

YA fantasy is my true love. it is my heart’s breath. It is all that is good and pure in this world.

The Seven Realms trilogy by Cinda Williams Chima (The Demon King, The Exiled Queen, The Gray Wolf Throne, The Crimson Crown YA fantasy at its finest, really, with insane plots and epic world-building and OTPS ALL OVER THE PLACE and I binge-read this whole series in a mad rush which is really the way to do it

The Girl of Fire and Thorns series by Rae Carson ELISA MY TRUE QUEEN and Hector and parliament of queens and bad assery and a play on the Chosen One and sosososo good

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas SHIPPIEST SHIP OF SHIPPERY

THRONE OF GLASS OBVIOUSLYYYYYYY

LUMATERE CHRONICLES BY MELINA MARCHETTA I’ve only red the first one, Finnikin of the Rick,  because I am a failure but hooooooooooly holiestthing

KRISTIN BLOODY CASHORE

Shadow and Bone aka the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo because HOLY WORLDBUILING BATMAN and also Sturmhond my husband i want you to do unspeakable things to me I mean what

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman because d r a g o n s

TAMORA. BLOODY. PIERCE. To say her Tortall books were seminal to my childhood–to my LIFE–would be an understatement. Start with Alanna and then go chronologically through all the series and watch your life be changed forever by bad ass heroines and OTPs you are welcome

THE WRATH. AND. THE. DAWN. BY RENEE AHDIEH. I COULD BELLOW ABOUT THIS BRILLIANT BOOK UNTIL THE STARS TURNED COLD BUT I’LL JUST LET MY REVIEW SPEAK FOR ME

And then there are books I call “crack fantasies” where like your whole brain is consumed by them and you want to eat it whole and for me those are books like The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson, Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, THE STORYSPINNER BY BECKY WALLACE YES YES YES, The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows, and Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White

Then there are some newer fantasy releases, like Valiant by Sarah McGuire which is A+ adorable, UPROOTED BY NAOMI NOVIK WHICH IS MORE AN ADULT FANTASY BUT IT’S SO GOOD THAT MY BRAIN GOES ALL EXCLAMATION POINTY JUST THINKING ABOUT IT DEAR GIDDY GOD READ IT, Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine which is a truly bizarre and wonderful and dark book SEMI BASED ON PHANTOM OF THE OPERA meets a Chinese factory of all things, Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge, and Poison by Bridget Zinn which is so adorable you’ll be squealing like a piglet

AND THEN there are the lower fantasy books set in our world but with MAGICKS

CHIEF OF WHICH IS THE RAVEN BOYS BY MAGGIE STIEFVATER  BECAUS THAT SERIES IS MY WHOLE LIFE

Wish I was even a little bit joking about that but there you are

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan part of the Lynburn Legacy by Sarah Rees Brennan GOTHIS BRITISH MAGIC WARLOCKS MURDER SECRETS JOKES

YES JOKES

The adorable Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendson which comes out super soon and has ALTERNATE 1890′s MAGICAL STEAMPUNK NEW YORK and the most adorable boy

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black which has evil faeries and a lady knight and a cute gay ship and a horned prince

MAGONIA BY MARIA DAHVANA HEADLEY THIS BOOK IS ON THE WILDEST DRUGS AND I LOVE IT

The Falconer by Elizabeth May which is set in Victorian Scotland and is basically Buffy the EVIL FAE slayer

EDIT: THE GIRL AT MIDNIGHT BY MELISSA GREY IT’S FABULOUS AND YOU SHOULD READ IT

and though these don’t really need more hype, I’d be remiss not to mention my deep love for Vampire Academy and Bloodlines though they’re really more paranormal than fantasy, but especially the latter because SYDRIAN

and then, of course, PERCYYYYYYYY

and, of course of course of course HARRY FREAKIN’ POTTER, because if you haven’t read Harry Potter…