Paying Homage to Megan Whalen Turner

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🏛️ 𝗪𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬?⁣⁣
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It is well-known among fans of Megan’s works that Megan is all about “showing” her story, not “telling”. You as a reader will have to put in the mental work in interpreting elements of the book that have been excluded and let me be the one to claim that this is the most rewarding feeling you will earn as a reader especially with rereading.⁣⁣
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The world within the Queen’s Thief series is enriched with political manoeuvrings, mythologies, and fantastic characters.⁣⁣
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I assure you that the Queen’s Thief series will not just be sitting on your shelf gathering dust, you will at some point in your life pick the series up again and again. Megan’s writing style is so intricate that you will find foreshadowing in previous books which makes rereading highly valuable and entertaining. ⁣⁣
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The dry humour is one for the ages. I still laugh out loud at the hilarious thinly veiled banter.⁣⁣
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Every character is memorable and will tug at your heart. You may end up having a bias :P⁣⁣
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🏛️ Fun fact: The fan community is so warm and intelligent that Megan dedicated her final book to them. They’re called: Sounis and you can find them in Livejournal.⁣⁣
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The Dandelion Dynasty

The simplest way to describe the Dandelion Dynasty according to the wonderful word sculptor Ken Liu (paraphrased):

It’s an epic fantasy in which the heroes are engineers, not wizards. The story is basically about two kinds of engineering: mechanical and political i.e. how to craft mechanical solutions to problems and to also build better institutions.

Berserk by Kentaro Miura

Author: Kentaro Miura

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Format: Paperback

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝟏 – 𝟒𝟏: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⁣
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“𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐝, 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐫. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞, 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡. 𝐃𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬.”⁣

The Sword of Kaigen

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Author: M.L. Wang

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Format: Paperback

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

“The Sword of Kaigen” is a book driven by tension caused by external and internal stimuli either through war and strife from within the citizens of Takayubi. The balance of the two carries the story very well.

Return of the Thief

Author: Megan Whalen Turner

Genre: Fantasy

Format: Hardback

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I urge you all to pick this series which has been 24 years in the making. It does not feel aged at all and it stands strong against the tides of time.

Cuckoo Song

Author: Frances Hardinge

Genre: Middle-grade Fantasy

Format: Paperback

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In the spirit of Halloween and having completed a book that carries a creepy feel, I’d like to introduce you all to “Cuckoo Song” by Frances Hardinge.

The Eye of the World (WOT: 1)

Title: The Eye of the World (WOT: 1)

Author: Robert Jordan

Genre: High Fantasy

Format: Paperback

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Simply put, The Eye of the World‘s story revolves around three farm boys: Rand, Matt and Perrin confronting the truth about mythical creatures and being enforced to escape from their lives by embarking on an adventure that will change their lives forever.

Shadows of Self & Bands of Mourning (Mistborn: The Alloy Era #2 & #3)

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy, Adult

Format: Paperback

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I decided to not add a synopsis as this series needs no introduction but to have blind faith and trust that Brandon Sanderson will deliver, which he “shockingly” has.

Shadows of Self  and Bands of Mourning were everything I hoped Alloys of law to be. With a touch of adventure, mystery, appearances of our favorite characters from the first era being prominent and important in this one.

The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air Trilogy)

Author: Holly Black

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Politics, Romance

Format: Hardback

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5

 

“I feel like a constellation of wounds, held together with string and stubbornness.”

“He will be destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.”

 

Synopsis

As the title suggests the trilogy’s finale will focus on Jude’s pursuit in acquiring her right to rule Faerie as the rightful Queen.

But Jude’s journey back to the place she once called her home is not an easy one, especially with obstacles to overcome and her sister, Taryn’s safety.

Haunted by her feelings for Cardan while questioning her ambitions, we observe how events unfold as Holly Black concludes this story.

🧚 🧚 🧚 🧚 🧚 🧚 🧚 🧚 🧚 🧚

 

I have to admit YA doesn’t appeal to me the way it did years ago but there will always be exceptions that appear under my radar. The Folk of the Air trilogy has been an enjoyable read. It’s a type of series you don’t want to delve into analytically and just bask in the familiar tropes being executed in a superficial yet fun way.

I didn’t really find the characters likeable enough to be memorable. Even Cardan whom I find to be borderline abusive and his relationship with Jude to be unhealthy (even though they both settled their differences in the end). At least their recent interactions  were a lot more romantic and healthier than the previous books which I actually appreciated.

Anyway, if you’re looking for a light read and you enjoy political intrigue, pick this up and you’ll be breezing through the pages in no time.

Unoriginal Tales, Fantastical Stories from Oman

Author: Ammar Al Naaimi

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Format: E-Book

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Unoriginal tales is a collection of fantastical narratives of universal themes including societal, social, and economical subjects dipped in magic.