Hello!

Once again time has got away from me between deadlines, work and managing to pull something in my back last week, so I’ve collected together the prompts for the #WyrdandWonder challenge together into one post, up to and including today’s prompt.

May 10th – Mixed Feelings

The Heron Kings (Review Here) – is a book that I very much enjoyed, it is one that I will probably reread again in the future. It is also one of the few books where the violence in it has given me some hesitation, there was one scene in particular involving a pregnant woman that has lingered in my memory ever since.

I rarely talk about Sanderson or his books, primarily because I have not been able to successfully finish a single one and to this day I’m not sure why. There is a lot about his books – the premise, the magic system etc that appeals to me, and I listen to/read reviews and go that sounds exactly like something I should enjoy, but I just cannot for the life of me get into them.

White as Frost (Review HERE) is a recent read, and one that I’m still thinking about. I enjoyed so much about this book – the writing, the atmosphere and the fairytale aspect, but I could not get into the characters.

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May 11th – Reluctant Hero(ine) #TropeTuesday

There’s a lot of nostalgia in this post, and it’s been fun unearthing books I read a long time ago and Fire Bringer is one of those. Rannoch is a chosen one, there is prophecy, but he makes for a conflicted hero questioning what he is supposed to do in the world and forced to flee to survive.

“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

Lord of the Rings was actually the first book that popped into my head for this prompt, because while there are many heroic deeds, and even heroes (intentional or not) so much of the characters are forced onto their path by the events unfolding around them. And that’s even before you look at Frodo who is very much a reluctant Hero.

I recently uncovered my copy of The Sight so maybe that was on my mind, but for me at least both books fall into this category, because while fate and prophecy are both in play both Larka and Fell

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May 12th – Desert Island Reads

I managed to this prompt in full and you can find that post HERE, but if I was forced to pick a top two then it would be these two – and Seraphina’s Lament would always be my first choice.

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May 13th – Had Me at Hello

This is another prompt I actually managed to do on the day on twitter, and I stand very firmly by these choices (although it was hard to narrow down). As much as we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, there are always those books that you look at and just fall in love with even before you know anything more about the story or the author.

Reviews: The Hollow Gods | The Hand of Fire | The Ranger of Marzanna | Lore & Lust

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May 14th – Fantasy Voices from around the World

Another prompt I managed to answer on twitter. Cradle of Sea & Soil has been on my TBR for far too long, and I am looking forward to finally reading it as part of the Indie Fantasy Summer Reading Challenge that kicks off next month. Winterglass was one that I stumbled across and fell in love with the cover and had to pick it up, and then grumbled as I had to wait for Mirrorstrike and I want to check out more work by the author. Dominion was a fantastic anthology, and is a great way to discover African SFF.

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May 15th – #StackSaturday

A glimpse of my current reading (and still missing a few). I generally have a lot on the go at once, and I will bounce around – usually between physical books and ebooks to give myself a break from the screen. Sometimes one will seize hold of me by the scruff of the neck and I will devour that in one go.

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May 16th – Page to Screen

I want to see Godblind adapted so badly (although it will be one bloody series), because I love everything about this series and it would be great to see it on the screen. There was also a post or interview a while ago where Anna suggested who she envisioned for the cast and I can’t for the life of me remember where it was, but it just made me want it all the more.

There is so much about this trilogy that I would love to see on the screen – just the city, the magic, the characters – EVERYTHING!

There was an announcement a short while ago about a possible adaptation, and this is a series that I would have killed to see adapated growing up. Kel was someone I wanted to be like, and to have been able to see that on the screen as well would have been amazing, and I’m keeping everything crossed about this series because age has not detracted from my love for this series.

This is another favourite series, and ever since I’ve first picked it up I’d wanted to see it adapted because I think it would be a really fun watch.

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May 17th – Can’t Wait to Read

I love the cover and premise for this one, and I leapt at the chance to get one of the shiny special ones from The Broken Binding and I can’t wait to have it in my hands.

God of Gnomes has been on my TBR long enough for the second book to come out, so I am going to try and get to both of them during the summer reading challenge.

Another one that has been on my TBR for a while – especially as Peter from The Swordsmith is always recommending it, and I will definitely be reading it this summer!

This series is part of my series challenge for this year, and I am even more eager to read this one since finishing Shadow of the Gods (review to come soon) and loving every moment of it.

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May 18th – With Friends Like These #TropeTuesday

Twists and turns…

Friendships and betrayals…

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May 19th – Who’s afraid of the suck fairy?

There is a common theme with all three of these series, and that is that I read them in my early teens. I loved them at the time, but I know from experience that I tend to have rose-tinted glasses and they don’t always hold up to my tastes and expectations nowadays and I’m reluctant to pick them up again and have that nostalgia bubble popped. Especially, as Rebecca at Velvet Opus recently reread the Marianne Curley series and her experience and comments made me even warier of picking them up again.

But, maybe one day…

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May 20th – Fantasy Creature on the Cover

I managed to stay away from Dragons (although the temptation was very strong).

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May 21st – Fantasy in Translation

This prompt was harder than I wanted it to be, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to read more SFF in translation. So if anyone has any suggestions please hit me with them!

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May 22nd – Get in the Sea

One of the first books I reviewed here on the blog (Review HERE), and one of my favourite YA reads.

I went back in time for this one. We always seem to talk about Redwall (because it’s amazing), but I also loved this series by Brian Jacques – although I would argue that the first one is the strongest of the trilogy.

This one is a little more tenuous, but it does feature a journey across the sea and it’s a book that I feel more people should read (and it has tide in the title, so it definitely counts right?)

I’ve just started reading Once Stolen and I’m really enjoying it so far, so I had to include this series when we’re talking about the sea!

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May 23rd – Book Rainbow

May 24th – On the Shelf

This is on my TBR for this year, and I did start on The Blade Itself before getting side-tracked and I still intend to read them this year.

I’ve had this for ages, and I think it’s the size that is intimidating. Also I am considering grabbing a paperback copy just because it would be easier to carry around while reading it – the hardback is a chonk.

Another one that’s been on my shelf for a while, and I started it – enjoyed what I had read and then got side-traced, so it’s one to get back to.

I got this one about the same time as The Vagrant, so it’s been staring at me for a while – and the series is complete now so I need to get to it.

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So there we are, all caught up and I think for the last week I will do one final prompt post next monday!

Rowena