#standalone fantasy

[princessofbookaholics]

i love it when books have a map ⚔️🎵🗺️

[paperbacktomes]

Fortune finds those who leap

— A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim

[lgbtqreads]

Hi! Do you have recs for queer fantasy standalones? Preferably by BIPOC authors please 🥺

Sure do - try Girl. Serpent. Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust, Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron, Ash by Malinda Lo, Briar Girls by Rebecca Kim Wells, In the Vanishers' Palace by Aliette de Bodard, and The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia - all BIPOC authors.

[bookishlyvintage]

The Poison Season, Mara Rutherford (out 12/06)

check out my thoughts here

[whilereadingandwalking]

The Wolf and the Woodsman is a new, Hungarian-inspired fantasy standalone from Ava Reid. Évike is a young outcast in her village. The wolf-girls bully her, scorning her for her lack of magic and her father, who was a Yehuli tax collector for the crown. The Patrifaith has taken over the kingdom, leaving their village in a perilous position. Once a year, Woodsmen come to take a pagan girl to the king—and this year, the village decides it must be Évike. After monsters attack, she is left with just a single Woodsman, who turns out to be Gáspár, a young prince hoping to capture a pagan magic in order to keep his power-hungry and religious fanatic brother from taking the throne. 

For avid readers of fantasy, the novel can be predictable. It has a classic enemies-to-lovers storyline, and definitely some 'instant attraction' is involved. Given that the Patrifaith (despite its name) and the paganism at least get a true fantastical gloss, I was a little disappointed by how thinly veiled the Yehuli were the Jewish community. Not to say that I don't love a good Jewish-myth-shaped story, but I guess the world-building there felt much more flat than elsewhere in the story, especially given how much potential was there. ​In addition, occasionally small details just went missing, or were lost in the web of narrative. 

All that said, I enjoyed reading this book, and really loved the protagonist and her stubborn spark and insistence on survival. Nándor is a formidable villain, and I enjoyed the romance. Best of all was the magic, and particularly the first half of the book was wonderful, as monsters emerge from the shadows and the magic systems and capabilities are first revealed. 

Content warnings for self-harm, anti-Semitism, violence and body horror, pedophilia mention, cannibalism.

[codingclownofficial]

Rating: 4.50/5

What would happen if Cinderella tried the slipper, and it fit her well... but she never danced with the prince? Not only this, but the kingdom is at war with the fae, and she ends up in the middle of all of this by mistake. This premise caught my eye, and I can happily say I was not disappointed.

Ellain lives in a HORRIBLE environment, with abusive family members. When she sees a way out of this life, she takes it, without knowing how difficult it will be for her. I feel bad for poor Ellain, girly just wanted to live a happy life and now has to stop the kingdom from falling into the hands of a dictator lol

This book is fast-paced, and I genuinely liked all the characters we were introduced to; they were well-rounded and had clear goals they wanted to achieve. None of them were written half-heartedly. The fae world was interesting, and I liked how, since they couldn't lie, they had to find a way to twist the truth to get what they wanted, as well as the "favor system" where faes and other creatures were able to get things through deals.

I was not expecting this book to be so tense at times, yet it was, and I kept rooting for Ellain to get away with stuff in certain moments. One thing I do have to take some points from this book is that the romance was a bit predictable, and it did feel a bit out of nowhere. I would have liked maybe a couple of chapters from the love interest's POV to get some clarification.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you want a fast-paced, adventurous, and interesting standalone fantasy retelling, with cool badass female characters and political intrigue and commentary.

[paperbacktomes]

BLOGTOUR | Favourite quotes from Song of the Six Realms by Judy I Lin

Happy Saturday! What are you currently reading? My last read was Song of the Six Realms for the blogtour. I have been following Judy’s works since her debut and was anticipating her new release. Before I dive into the review and quotes, let me say, it was one adventurous read. Ngl, the cover is gorgeous 🤩 Book DETAILS ► Title: song of the six realms ► BY: Judy i lin ► Publishing: Feiwel &…

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[paperbacktomes]

My Top 5 Reasons to Read Where the Dark Stands Still by A B Poranek | Blogtour

Hey there, I'm posting my top 5 reasons to read Where the Dark Stands Still by A B Poranek on my blog today. Hope it helps you add the book to your TBR. Happy weekend! #TBRBeyondTours #BookBlog #YAFantasy #StandaloneFantasy

Happy Saturday! March has already rolled in, and time keeps flying fast. My pace this year has been all over the place. Reading has become my only consistent hobby now. I guess it will take time to find my pace agian but I wish to do things differently this year. Do let me know how things have been for you so far. Okay, so have you heard about Where the Dark Stand Stills by A. B. Poranek? If…

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