Today's post comes from Booktuber Thoughts on Tomes. This fantasy tag was inspired by an original romance tag from Falling for Romance. As you know, I write fantasy and it's also my reading genre of choice, so of course I'd like to dive into another fantasy-themed tag. This one is all about getting to know me as a reader of the genre. Let's dive in!
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What is your fantasy origin story (the first fantasy you remember reading)?
Honestly, I feel like it's a children's book of a fairy tale...like Sleeping Beauty.
If you could be the hero or heroine in a fantasy novel, who would be the author, and what's one trope you insist be in the story?
I'd be honored if Margaret Rogerson wrote me as the heroine in a new fantasy story featuring a Journey. I don't mean the Hero's Journey, which is a very particular plot outline people use; I mean the Fantasy Journey, where the protagonist leaves home and journeys to different places and learns incredible things about themselves and other people.
What is your favorite fantasy subgenre and what subgenre have you not read much from?
My favorite fantasy subgenre is fairy tale fantasy, as these were the very first fantasies I encountered as a child, and I've never stopped loving them. As far as the subgenre I read the least, it's probably urban fantasy. I've just never been interested in it. I'm not a city/urban person, and I'm mixed when it comes to fantasy in the real world. Also, so many books have people in leather on the cover looking sexy clutching a sword or staff, which makes me think the genre is tropey.
Who is one of your auto-buy fantasy authors?
I think Holly Black has become that author for me after reading her Folk of the Air series. I know I pre-ordered her adult fantasy Book of Night as soon as I heard it was going to come out. I don't even know what that book is about.
How do you typically find fantasy recommendations--Goodreads, Youtube, podcasts, Instagram?
Twitter. I follow a lot of authors who announce their books coming out, share cover reveals, and post pre-order campaigns. This is primarily how I find out about new books, and if they look interesting, I post them to my wish list.
What is an upcoming fantasy release you are excited for?
I'm looking forward to Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid. It's supposed to be a retelling of the fairy tale "The Juniper Tree," which is a disturbing story I know very well ("My mother she killed me, my father he ate me"). The book comes out June 21, 2022.
What is one misconception about fantasy that you would like to lay to rest?
I don't know how pervasive this still is, but fantasy is not childish. It's not meant only for children. I'm reminded of this Ursula Le Guin quote from The Language of the Night:
[Fantasy] isn't factual, but it's true. Children know that. Adults know it too and that's precisely why many of them are afraid of fantasy.
I think many people still dismiss fantasy as being for children, when it's so much more than that. While children's, MG, and YA fantasy seem to be thriving, there's a whole world of adult fantasy out there worthy of being explored.
If someone had never read a fantasy book before and asks you to recommend the first three books that come to mind as places to start, what would those recommendations be?
I'm going to recommend reading Margaret Rogerson's Sorcery of Thorns, Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist, and N.K. Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. These books (and yes, I know one of them is manga) represent different kinds of fantasy, and all are excellent.
Who is the most recent fantasy reading content creator you came across that you'd like to shout out?
I'm going to give you the most recent Youtubers I've relied on who regularly create content on books, including fantasy. Of course, I've got to shout out to today's Youtuber Thoughts on Tomes, another Youtuber, Elliot Brooks. I've gotten great tags from both of them and have watched some of their videos. I highly recommend them.
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As always, readers, I'm going to tag you in this. If you've got your own blogs or just want to comment below, feel free to answer these fun questions and let me know what you think about fantasy and if you read fantasy yourself!