Get To Know The Fantasy Reader!

I found this over on Aster Marie’s Happy Bookish After and decided to give it a go 😀 The tag was originally the Get To Know the Romance Reader by Bree Hill, before being adapted into the fantasy version by The Book Pusher. Given that I almost exclusively read SFF and I’ve only had the blog for less than a year, I thought this would a fun post to do. So, let’s dive in!

What is your fantasy origin story (the first fantasy you read)?

My fantasy origin story…well, it might not have been the first one I read, but the one that had the biggest impact on me was The Immortals quartet by Tamora Pierce. These books then led to The Song of the Lioness quartet and my lifelong love of Tamora Pierce’s work. Alanna of Trebond is one of my favourite characters and I swear she’s the inspiration behind so many of the characters I try and write!

If you could be the protagonist in a fantasy novel, who would be the author and what’s a trope you’d insist be in the story?

It would have to be Tamora Pierce, only because I could be a knight in shining armour! I love the idea of Tortall and being able to explore that particular world with my fellow knights. In terms of tropes, I absolutely love a good found family, so that would have to be included!

What is a fantasy series you’ve read this year that you want more people to read?

I might not have *technically* read all of the books this year, but I did finish the latest instalment of the Fetch Philips Archives by Luke Arnold. I’m not a big urban fantasy fan, but this series is so well done and takes some really interesting ideas and runs with them. I have to admit, I haven’t seen a lot of people talking about these books and I definitely recommend checking them out on audio – the narration is something I keep going on about, but it is so good.

What is your favourite fantasy sub-genre?

This is an interesting one, because when I really started reading fantasy full time, I was, and still am to an extent, a big epic fantasy fan (think Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series or Stormlight Archive). However, as time has gone on, my tastes have changed and I really enjoy twisty political fantasy, as well (and much to my surprise), fantasy romance*. If you can combine the two, then even better!

*Think The Midnight Bargain by C.L Polk or The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno – Garcia.

What sub-genres have you not read much from?

As mentioned earlier, I don’t really read urban fantasy. Nor do I read much paranormal or grim dark either. I like my fantasy to transport me to really epic magical places, or have an element of comfort to it, rather than being gritty or resembling real life.

Who is one of your auto-buy fantasy authors?

It’s a good job this asks for one of my auto buy authors! This is an answer that changes very frequently, but at the moment, it has to be Tasha Suri. I loved The Books of Ambha and I’m really enjoying her latest series too.

How do you typically find fantasy recommendations?

Twitter. I follow a number of book bloggers, bookshops, authors and publishing houses, that my feed is just so many books and not enough time to read them!

What is an upcoming fantasy release you’re excited for?

I am very excited for The Faithless by C.L Clark and the sequel to She Who Became the Sun. I have a bit of a wait for these 2, but given how much I enjoyed the first books in their respective series, I cannot wait to see where the stories go next.

What is one misconception about fantasy you would like to lay to rest?

I think Aster Marie answered this question perfectly on their post, but I’ll do my best to sum up my own thoughts! Fantasy doesn’t just have to be epic battles and magic – it can be softer and have some really lovely quiet moments. There’s so much to explore within fantasy as a genre, that if you don’t like one element of it, then there’s always something else to try.