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What Led You to Fall in Love With Fantasy?
I have loved reading my entire life. I can’t remember a time, even in my earliest memories, that I didn’t like to read. Even before I could read real books, I remember reading picture books and those easy stories with the reading level printed on the top when I was very little. Believe it or not, I even remember rereading my favorite ones. There are a few that I still remember quite well because I read them so much. In many ways, my love of reading was inevitable because both of my parents love to read. My mom has always been a big advocate of fostering the love of reading,…
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Top 5 High Fantasy Series
#1. Codex Alera by Jim Butcher This series focuses on a boy named Tavi who is very unique in this world. He has no control over any types of furies (elementals of earth, fire, water, air, and metal). Instead, he has to overcome the problems that happen around him without any power, and as he branches out into the world, he discovers where destiny leads him and what his true potential can be. I love this series so much because of how unique it is. I, personally, haven’t read many other novels that incorporate nature manipulation as the main form of magic in the world, and I also like the…
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Females Motivated by Love
I got a request to talk about love and romance in fantasy novels, especially concerning female characters’ motivations being driven by love and if those motivations diminish who the character is. I found this topic to really make me think. What do I think about females being motivated by love and romance? If you follow the classes on my channel, I discuss a character in the Dragonlance Chronicles, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, named Laurana who makes many of her decisions because she is in love with Tanis Half-Elven. She completely leaves her home to chase him, she follows him on a dangerous quest where she must emotionally grow…
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The Obsidian Tower
by Melissa Caruso Recommend Ryx’s magic is considered broken, useless. She must always hold her powers in check and endure the pain of her family’s insults and contempt. Yet, she is the only one able to make a stand when her family’s long locked away artifact is awakened. She is more scared than she’s ever been, but she might be brave enough to face the challenge. The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso is a political and mystery based high fantasy. It isn’t as complex or intense as other political based fantasies like the series A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R Martin, but it does have the main…
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Awesome Magic Users
For those who like to read fantasy stories with awesome magic users I recommend: -Dresden Files: Harry Dresden If you want a wizard who knows he’s not the most powerful but is smart enough to strategize around his weaknesses, Harry Dresden is your guy. Magic Type: When you’re on his bad side, he might set you on fire. Harry is definitely an amazing magic user, but that isn’t the only thing that makes him stand out. He knows his strengths and his weaknesses, so he uses all the techniques he can to win, even if it isn’t magic. He’s a caring guy who always puts himself into danger to protect…
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Types of Point of View
This past week I ended up chatting with some family members about point of view. Even though they are avid readers, they realized that they really couldn’t tell the difference between the types of point of view or how to recognize which one they were reading. So, I thought I should clear up the terminology for those new or experienced readers who are unsure exactly what the different kinds of point of view are or how to tell which one they are reading. First Person First person point of view is the easiest to recognize. It is a book written from the perspective of the main character. You will know…
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The Unspoken Name
by A. K. Larkwood Recommend If the only thing you knew was that you were born to be sacrificed on your fourteenth birthday for a god you had not chosen to follow, and someone came to take you away from that fate, would you go? Csorwe was a girl who belonged to the unspoken god, but she was saved by a wizard who taught her there was more to the world than death. But, as she discovers the world, she discovers who she is, and what she will do to repay his kindness. A.K. Lawrence’s The Unspoken Name is a very interesting novel, but I did have a harder time…
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Point of View: Preferences and Character Connections
Point of view is such an interesting and complex topic. When I was in college getting my bachelors in creative writing, my teachers constantly mentioned how point of view was so important when writing or reading a story. The concept they always brought up was how point of view changes the reliability of the narrator. Now, maybe reliability doesn’t really affect me or bother me since I read for fun and not to analyze for deeper meanings or maybe I should pay more attention to it. It’s hard to say. Even in my classes in the academy, I might mention point of view and how important it is, but I…
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Enjoying the Adaptation
Can you Enjoy a Movie Adaptation? You know, sometimes it’s really hard to enjoy a movie adaptation. I get so excited that a book I love is being made into a movie. The commercials always show the best part of the movie, and I can’t help but think, this is gonna be great! Yet, I end up walking out of the movie theatre depressed and disappointed. I mean, how is it possible that a three-minute commercial can show the only good scenes in a movie? How do the moviemakers completely destroy a book’s story when they have a prewritten guide to said story? Now, I don’t think all adaptations are…
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Types of Fantasy
For those of you who are new to the fantasy genre, sometimes it can be tough knowing what the different labels for fantasy mean. For those of you who have delved in a bit and like some books, but aren’t sure how to find more like the ones you’ve already read, it can help to know what kind of fantasy you like in the first place. Maybe, you like watching fantasy stories and have decided you want to branch out into books and need to know a place to start. No matter what place you are at, I will help you figure out the different types of fantasy, so you…
