Snowflakes and Spider Silk

This is a meme hosted by  Rinn Reads  where anyone can join in and talk about anything Fantasy! I was talking to a friend about how fantasy was very white-male-dominated, and it got me thinking about some of my favorite stories either written by or featuring diverse people. This includes women, minorities/people from multiracial backgrounds, and LGBTQ. Diversity is especially important to me as a reader, because I'm a woman, and I'm a woman of color (Yes, people from Asia/India are also women of color - an excellent article on that topic here ). It's important to me that my fiction has diversity not just for the sake of being politically correct - the world is  diverse, and our stories need to start reflecting that. In almost any high fantasy world, you'll be able to group different groups of people into a loose representation of ethnicities from our world. Take Westeros, for example: the Dothraki are tan, horse-riding nomads (Arab); the mystical dragon-ridi...

Title:  The Name of the Wind Author:  Patrick Rothfuss Genre: Fantasy, adult fiction My rating: 3 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary: Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard. I'm really divided on this one. It's swinging between 2-star and 4-star rating, so I called it a 3. But really it's oscillating between 2 and 4. It's been a couple of weeks since I finished the book, and...

Title:  Dune Author:  Frank Herbert Genre: Science fiction, classic, adult fiction My rating: 4 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary: Here is the novel that will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family--and would bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream. A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what it undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction. I have no idea why it took me so long to read this. I consider myself a fan of SFF, and this is definitely one of the big names in science fiction. I'd heard so many great things about this book, and it definitely didn't disappoint. Dune is a story of political intrigue, proph...

Let's face it - ever since you discovered the world of Harry Potter, you've wanted to go to Hogwarts. You kept waiting for that letter by owl post, but maybe you just didn't make the cut. But fear not, there are other magical schools out there! Even if we probably won't get in, it doesn't stop us from dreaming! without further ado, here's a guide to some awesome magical boarding schools! Hogwarts (Harry Potter) Who gets in? Witches and Wizards (aka people who are born with magic) Ages: 11-17 Why it's awesome: IT'S HOGWARTS. When you can learn everything from Potions to Transfiguration to Quidditch in one place, meet such creatures as centaurs, dragons, and nearly-headless ghosts, and make friends with fabulous people, what's not to like? There's adventure around every corner, and the school has such a big history of mischief-makers. Not to mention the butterbeer. Hecate Hall (Hex Hall) Who gets in: Juvenile...

Title:  Hounded Author:  Kevin Hearne Genre: Urban fantasy, adult fiction My rating: 4 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary: Atticus O'Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old--when in actuality, he's twenty-one "centuries" old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer. Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he's hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power--plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish--to kick some Celtic...

Title:  Black Chalk Author:  Christopher J. Yates Genre: Psychological thriller, adult fiction My rating: 3 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary : One game. Six students. Five survivors. It was only ever meant to be a game. A game of consequences, of silly forfeits, childish dares. A game to be played by six best friends in their first year at Oxford University. But then the game changed: the stakes grew higher and the dares more personal, more humiliating, finally evolving into a vicious struggle with unpredictable and tragic results. Now, fourteen years later, the remaining players must meet again for the final round. When I read the blurb, I was expecting something à la Lord of the Flies - a group of ordinary young people who discover their darker natures when pitted against one another. The description promises a game that "[evolves] into a vicious struggle with unpredictable and tragic results", but that's really not what you get. This book is about six friends...

This is a meme hosted by Rinn Reads where anyone can join in and talk about anything Fantasy! This week, I'm talking about book covers. I love how fantasy book covers usually have painted/illustrated covers instead of photographs. I'm usually put-off by book covers that feature people's faces, because I like to imagine my characters. That's another reason I love fantasy book covers - they usually feature silhouettes or landscapes, which helps me imagine the world even better without being too imposing. One of my favorite book covers are the ones from the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. I love the US Daughter of Smoke and Bone book covers, but I like the elegance of the UK editions. They both fit the story in different ways - the US covers capture the raw emotion and intensity, while the UK covers hint at the elegant beauty of the prose. I really love the cover of The Way of Kings. It's so beautifully drawn, and I love the suggestion of possibilit...