I’m sure you all know by now that Fantasy is 100% my jam, so I was so excited when Jordyn tagged me in this book tag! Make sure you check out Jordyn’s blog, she posts some brilliant reviews and her rec’s in her tag post have definitely added some books to my TBR.

Rules:

• Make sure you give credit to the original creators of this tag – this tag was originally created by Bree Hill.
• If you want to, pingback to the post you first saw this tag!
• Have fun!

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

For this I probably have to go back to Roald Dahl & books like Fantastic Mr Fox, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Twits, Matilda. The majority of Dahl’s books have some kind of fantastical element and they definitely helped me become the fantasy lover I am today.

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

Oooh this is a good question! I might go with T. Kingfisher, she writes some pretty quirky fantasy books with women over a certain age *cough* 30 *cough*, in some unique worlds, and there’s really only one trope I can go with of course… enemies to lovers! I have a killer glare so this would be the perfect trope for me lol.

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

Hmmm, I’ve started/continued with a few fantasy series this year and there are a few I definitely think could do with a little more love. Castle’s in Their Bones was creepy and had one of the best plot twists I’ve ever read. This Charming Man is the second book in a quirky Urban Fantasy series set in Manchester that had me laughing out loud, and A Cruel and Fated Light is the second book in another urban fantasy series focused around the Fae with some epic magic and unbelievably real characters.

What is your favourite fantasy subgenre?

I’m a huge fan of folklore/mythology fantasy, anything that can give me a deep dive into another culture. Some of my faves are The Daevabad Series, The Winternight Trilogy, Gods of Jade and Shadow, A Master of Djinn… I could go on, and on, and on.

What subgenre have you not read much from?

I’m probably going to copy Jordyn’s answer here and say Grimdark. I have SO many on my TBR, but just haven’t got round to reading them yet.

Who is one of your auto-buy fantasy authors?

Only one! Haha I have so many, Alix E. Harrow, S.A. Chakraborty, P. Djèlí Clark, V.E. Schwab, H.G. Parry, another list I could go on and on with, but if I had to pick one it would have to be Harrow, after reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January and Once and Future Witches I went on a hunt for all of her previous work and have loved everything I’ve read so far.

How do you typically find fantasy recommendations? (Goodreads, Youtube, Podcasts, Instagram…)

I find most of my books via twitter, goodreads and recently TikTok. I’m always up for a little publisher stalking when they announce new releases, and have a few good blogger friends on twitter who are always up to date with the latest books.

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

These are just a couple of the upcoming fantasy releases I’m excited for. All incredibly different reads, but all have something I love. If you want to have a nose at any more books I’m excited for, check out my post with 50 fantasy releases from July to December here.

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

That it doesn’t teach you anything. So many people scoff when I say I read SFF and say you should read non-fiction, fantasy teaches you nothing which is simply bollocks. I’ve learnt so much about history, other cultures, folklore & mythology through reading fantasy. Plus I reckon after the amount of heist books I’ve read and loved I’d be pretty handy if the need arose… just saying.

If someone had never read a fantasy before and asked you to recommend the first 3 books that come to mind as places to start, what would those recommendations be?

Oooh good shout! I always start off with books that aren’t too heavy in the fantasy element. Urban fantasy is a good place to start, as well as books with a really easy to pick up magic system, so the above would definitely be ones I recommend.

Who is the most recent fantasy reading content creator you came across that you’d like to shoutout?

I’d probably have to say Jordyn, her blog is one I’ve been reading more and more this year and I love her reviews as well as all her tag posts like this, I’ve added so many books to my TBR because of them!

Who I’m Tagging:

Dini / Lauren / Kerri / Leah

Please feel free to take part even if you haven’t been tagged!