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Are You Feeling Reading Burnout?
Have you been in a reading slump where you’re not sure what you want to read? Do you browse for a book and feel like nothing sounds interesting? If so, you might be experiencing some reading burnout. This can happen to anyone, especially if you’re an avid reader. This has happened to me many times in my life, so I’d like to share some tips on how you can help pick yourself up and enjoy reading again. Hopefully they are helpful. 1. Read a short book or a book with a light hearted story. Give yourself a break from reading heavy, deep, thought provoking stories. Those kinds of books require…
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Book Review: Thief Liar Lady
by D. L. Soria Recommend (lightly) Where to find: Amazon Barnes & Nobles Indigo Books Aislinn never dreamed of being a princess. She only cared about surviving her harsh step mother and handling her two step sisters. The prince falling in love with her at the ball was just a matter of design, and before she knew it, she was living in the palace. It was almost like a fairytale. The only problem was that she didn’t love the prince back, and she had a larger goal in mind than just marrying a prince and living happily ever after. D. L. Soria’s Thief Liar Lady is a new twist on…
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6 Common Classic Fantasy Tropes
As I read different fantasy books, especially classic older books, I find myself thinking of many different tropes that often show themselves in multiple stories and series. These tropes often help sink the story into being a ‘fantasy’ story instead of another genre. I thought it would be fun to share a few of the ones I’ve been thinking about recently and, hopefully, hear your thoughts on these different tropes. 1. Prophecies A prophecy that defines the fate of the world is one of the most classic tropes in fantasy stories. There are many books that include this device to create a framework for plot development. Having a prophecy gives…
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Book Review: Temple of No God
by: H. M. Long Highly Recommend Where to find: Amazon Barnes & Nobles Indigo Books Spoiler Alert: This is book 2 of the series. If you haven’t read the previous novel, there may be spoilers for events in book one. If you wish to see my review for the first book, click here. Hessa has been the leader and high priest of her people for ten years now. Life under Tyvander’s guidance has become normal even if it isn’t exactly peaceful. When a visitor comes to her village on behalf of an arpa aspiring to be their new emperor, the world becomes uncertain once again. Maybe there is still more…
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Book Review: Dead Man’s Hand
by: James J Butcher Recommend Where to find: Amazon Barnes & Nobles Indigo Books There is a mighty witch who can raise battles with his magic. He appoints audiences with the king. He can even protect that king’s castle against any threat. In fact, Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby gets paid minimum wage at Mighty Magic Donald’s Food Kingdom to do all of those things. He animates the play area to entertain kids on their birthdays. It is a far cry from being an auditor like he’d hoped, but it did, at least, help him pay for his apartment. On the other hand, it did nothing to help his pride as a…
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Book Review: Spice Road
by: Maiya Ibrahim Highly Recommend Where to find: Amazon Barnes & Nobles Indigo Books Spice is the key to magic. The Qualian shields drink a tea prepared with spice and feel the magic fill them. It is a very personal experience. Imani is a shield, and when she drinks the spice tea, she can control her weapons in a way only magic will allow. She is known as the djinni slayer, and she is determined to keep her people safe. Spice Road by May Ibrahim is a young adult novel that takes the reader into an Arabian inspired world to experience an amazing adventure that crosses vast sands and cities.…
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Book Review: The Endless Song
by: Joshua Phillip Johnson Highly Recommend Where to find: Amazon Barnes & Nobles Indigo Books Spoiler Alert: This is book 2 of the series. If you haven’t read the previous novel, there may be spoilers for events in book one. If you wish to see my review for the first book, click here. Kindred has finally left the surface of the sea to dive below. Her small crew is beside her, and all three of them anxiously await the start of a new wonderful life. She hopes to find her grandmother, but there is so much ground to cover. Where should she start? Flitch is the fourth child in the…
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Do You Like the Dresden Files?
Here are five series recommendations if you like the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. 1.Alex Verus by Benedict Jacka -I think Harry Dresden would like Alex Verus. The Alex Verus series is a really good series to try if you like the Dresden Files because they are similar stories. In fact, they are so similar in concept that Jacka gives a nod to Harry Dresden in the first book of the series by referencing a wizard who advertises under the yellow pages. In this series, Alex Verus is a wizard who uses his magic to see into the future. He runs a magic shop in London, and even though he…
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Book Review: Song of Silver, Flame Like Night
by: Amélie Wen Zhao Recommend Where to find: Amazon Barnes & Nobles Indigo Books Lan, a song girl in a tea house, knows what it’s like to lose everything. She lost her mother, her home, her culture. When she meets Zen, she loses everything again. However, this time is different. Zen not only saves her, he introduces her to a world of magic and excitement. He might even be able to lead her to answers about her past. Amélie Wen Zhao’s book Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is an epic adventure fantasy novel. It focuses on a girl, who goes by Lan, and she has a strange looking scar…
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Top 5 Tips for Writing Magic Systems
Here are my top five tips for writing magic systems in your story. Hopefully at least some of these will help you in your writing endeavors. If you’d like to hear more detailed thoughts, check out my video on this topic. 1.Create Rules and Boundaries The most important thing to consider when writing a story with magic is to create rules and boundaries for how magic works. Even though magic can work however the author wants it to, that doesn’t mean that it can be written however best fits each situation in a book. There needs to be consistency and structure for the reader to follow, understand, and believe. Just…
