Is there anything better than a good book? (SPOILER: no. Unless it is a good book accompanied with a mug of hot chocolate on a rainy winter’s night with a cat snuggled on your lap).
Diving headfirst into a new world and joining the good, the bad and ugly on their adventures is one of my favourite things to do. And it’s not something I can keep to myself, either. I’m one of those really annoying people who is always talking about their current read, badgering friends to see if they’ve picked up my last recommendation, and gossips incessantly about their favourite characters like they’re real people.
Of course, the natural progression is to make that constant harassment more public 🙂 So in amongst posts about my writerly woes, I’ll do a little round up of what I’ve been reading and recommendations. Sadly I’m an e-book reader (have you tried reading an epic fantasy tome one-handed, whilst you contort yourself around commuters for a handrail on the tube?). I don’t have any beautiful shelfies or hard copies to illustrate these posts with, but I’ll provide links to Goodreads.
Daevabad Trilogy – S A Chakraborty
Adult fantasy – City of Brass; Kingdom of Copper; Empire of Gold
I just can’t. These books are so good they just make me want to give up writing. The Daevabad Trilogy, which started with City of Brass, finished earlier this summer with Empire of Gold. I sobbed heavily.
Nahri is scraping a living a con woman in 18th century Cairo. That is, until she accidentally summons a djinn warrior and is forced to accept that the magic she thought belonged in children’s tales is truly real. She enters the magical city of the djinn, Daevabad, a world of simmering culture tensions and cutthroat court politics.
Nahri is one of my favourite characters of recent times. She’s forthright, cunning and ambitious, but uses her talents to mask self-doubt and distrust. Again and again, people close to her try to use her, manipulate her or even betray her entirely, but she always comes back fighting.
All the characters in the Daevabad Trilogy are complex beings, none completely evil or entirely good. For example, Ali, who is the other POV character in the first instalment. Alis is an idealistic and somwhat naive prince who has the knack of making a bad situation worse. Another major character is Dara, an enslaved djinn. Both lauded and hated by various sections of Daevabad, Dara is extremely likeable… but is there something in his past that he’s hiding?
The word S A Chakraborty has created is truly magical. 18th century Cairo came to life in front of me, before I was whisked away to the culturally diverse Daevabad, a melidng pot of architecture and peoples from across North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Magic simmers in everyday life, from the curses Nahri must cure, to the mythical creatures she encounters.
Honestly, just read them.
Six of Crows duology – Leigh Bardugo
Young Adult fantasy – Six of Crows; Crooked Kingdom
This was soooo much fun to read. It’s basically a heist caper – a mish mash of individuals with varying goals and morals thrown together in an effort to steal an important magical discovery from the enemy hands.
I do love the Grishaverse, but you don’t need to have read any of Leigh Bardugo’s other books to ‘get’ these two. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, and the multiple POVs (each member of the ‘crew’ has a POV), which gave me real insight into why each character is putting themselves through what is a near impossible task. As a writer, it was also a huge lesson in character arcs and I learnt a lot from watching each of the characters develop and find their true needs by the end.
The caper does come to a close at the end of Crooked Kingdom, but I’ve seen rumours that one day there might be a third…don’t worry though, you won’t be waiting on a cliffhanger!
Winternight trilogy – Katherine Arden
Adult fantasy – The Bear and the Nightingale; The Girl in the Tower; The Winter of the Witch
This trilogy is one of my highest recommendations (okay, there are a lot with that title, but really, this one is the real thing). I can never understand why there isn’t more hype about it to be honest. IT IS AMAZING.
Vasilisa (Vasya for short) has grown up on the edge of Russia’s wilderness. She adheres to the old traditions of honouring the household and natural spirits, but it’s a custom that is being forced out by her stepmother and a new priest. Soon, crops are failing and evil creatures arise from the forest, and Vasya must use her gifts to save her family and town.
Before anything, I have to talk about the setting. It’s drool-worthy. Think 14th century Russia. Snow, everywhere. Deep, dark and foreboding forests. Frozen cold nights, where the family sleep together upon the oven. Sleighs. Oh god, I could go on and on. It’s so perfectly rendered, and utterly mesmerising – if you can’t tell, I was drawn in from page one.
The story is rich with eastern European and Russian folklore, and the battle against the church is at the heart of much of the books. Vasya is often referred to as a witch, inspiring a fear amongst her neighbours that has the potential to turn lethal. She is flighty and strong-willed, concerned with doing the right thing even though no one will thank her for it. As the trilogy goes on, one of my favourite love stories develops.
The antagonist, a priest called Konstantin, made me genuinely angry. Often, antagonists can fall a bit flat but if anything my hatred for the man only increased as the books go on. He’s a really complex character – not just evil for the sake of it – and he truly hit a nerve.
Well there you have it…
Have you read any of these books? What did you think?