Reading musings
20 December 2024 20:54![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
enismirdalI'm intentionally trying to read books that have a more diverse character set. There is some excellent fantasy- and fantasy-adjacent literature out there that has more depth than just a load of white cishet nondisabled characters running around in a pseudo-mediaeval world with magic in, etc. On the flipside, I'm finding a lot of the really creative diverse stuff is YA. I like YA, but sometimes I do need a break from 16 year old whiny angst and the sometimes low-stakes adventures.
My ebook wishlist is full of stuff to read that is broadly fantasy-type genres and also supposedly has good representation of at least some of:
Stuff I've read recently-ish and really loved:
Veil us in Gold by Shepard DiStasio - I LOVED this. Love love love. The central cast of characters cover all of the above, the worldbuilding is interesting as they've used a range of inspirations including, but not limited to, European cultures. The central group are a sort of celebration of Found Family and they're quite damaged in very relatable ways. This was probably my favourite book of 2024.
Chameleon Moon series by RoAnna Sylver - More of a sort of post-apocalyptic gritty urban fantasy. Again, well-developed characters and a sense of Found Family, lots of people who are working through their issues but are There for each other. Times are tough but they will try and get each other through.
Stuff I've read recently-ish and liked:
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas - I liked the mythology, but it was a bit like Mayan-inspired Hunger Games only with too many characters and not enough depth to most of them.
Blackheart Knights series by Laure Eve - A gritty urban take on Arthurian Legend (sort of) - only very very loosely inspired!
Apparently stories about ragtag bunches of weirdos who are thrown together and get through stuff together appeal to me at the moment.
My ebook wishlist is full of stuff to read that is broadly fantasy-type genres and also supposedly has good representation of at least some of:
- queer
- trans/NB
- non-white
- disabled
- neurodivergent
Stuff I've read recently-ish and really loved:
Veil us in Gold by Shepard DiStasio - I LOVED this. Love love love. The central cast of characters cover all of the above, the worldbuilding is interesting as they've used a range of inspirations including, but not limited to, European cultures. The central group are a sort of celebration of Found Family and they're quite damaged in very relatable ways. This was probably my favourite book of 2024.
Chameleon Moon series by RoAnna Sylver - More of a sort of post-apocalyptic gritty urban fantasy. Again, well-developed characters and a sense of Found Family, lots of people who are working through their issues but are There for each other. Times are tough but they will try and get each other through.
Stuff I've read recently-ish and liked:
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas - I liked the mythology, but it was a bit like Mayan-inspired Hunger Games only with too many characters and not enough depth to most of them.
Blackheart Knights series by Laure Eve - A gritty urban take on Arthurian Legend (sort of) - only very very loosely inspired!
Apparently stories about ragtag bunches of weirdos who are thrown together and get through stuff together appeal to me at the moment.
no subject
Date: 24 Dec 2024 10:11 (UTC)no subject
Date: 24 Dec 2024 21:40 (UTC)About to start something new; last read (Manipulator's War) was rather disappointing and while I was willing to finish it, by the end it was a case of getting it out of the way so I could move on to something with more three-dimensional characters and a slightly less silly plot (portal fantasy is fine, but I just can't suspend my disbelief that five political leaders could negotiate a peace treaty and an entire new constitution in a few hours, or that a bunch of year 10 Australians would end up as royal advisors inside of a fortnight...).