I was supposed to think of a list of Top 10 books…and I couldn’t get to ten.
I’m not some crazy stickler. I have read and enjoyed a huge number of books. But, to be put on a list of my absolute favorite books, the books needs to feel particularly special. How can I tell that a book is special? When I can tell you the names of my favorite characters from a book a year after reading it, or regurgitate things characters said or did and talk about them like they happened to my best friend.
I love mixed genre novels when it comes to fantasy– a bit of romance, a bit of adventure, a bit of paranormal, a bit of scary (and you can even add a bit of sci-fi…as long as it’s just a bit. Lol). So, this is my list of Top 6, Fantasy Plus a Bit of….
1. Paranormal and Vampire:
Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice
Alright, this is simply a classic and if you haven’t read it (or at least seen the movie, which includes some very hot male actors being even hotter vampires!) you need to…NOW.
One of the main reasons I love Anne Rice’s take on the vampire genre is that it isn’t focused solely on that typical, eternal love trope. There’s nothing particularly wrong with the pure vampire love story, except that personally, I find it’s been overdone and I prefer vampire tales that somehow go further or deeper. Anne Rice takes a much deeper look at the concept of an eternal life and the loneliness that comes with losing those around you. It’s absolutely beautiful and in many ways heart-wrenching.
2. Superpowers and magical world:
Jade City by Fonda Lee
This book isn’t focused on paranormal or vampires but I include it in my top
list of most genres (if it in any way fits) because it’s just so amazing!
First off, I love the fact that it’s written by a female, martial artist. So, not only does she do action and fighting scenes well, but she also does female characters in a male-dominated world very realistically. Fonda Lee creates an entire world, which is in many ways like our world but with fantasy and superpower aspects. It’s kind of like the Marvel Universe but better! Trust me. It’s better! This book won the 2018 World Fantasy Award and it deserved it. I cried and couldn’t get over it for days when one of the characters I liked died, that’s how well Fonda Lee does character development.
3. Vampire and Witchy Romance, Magic and Action
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
I’m going to say something…and you can hate me if you want…Ready?
This book is the better version of Twilight. Yup, I did just say that! Look, I’m not hating on Twilight. It’s on this list too. But, it’s the last book on this list for a couple of reasons (which I describe more under the book). For now, I’ll tell you what A Discovery of Witches did better.
In A Discovery of Witches, we have that vampire love story which in many ways reminds me of the Twilight one. However, the protagonist in Discovery of Witches, Dr. Diana Bishop, is much better developed. She’s not just there to fall in love. She has a complete personality which includes her own hobbies, interests and career. She’s simply a cool woman that you would love to have lunch with. Let’s all be honest: Bella from Twilight just isn’t. Frankly, she’d probably flood the restaurant with her incessant crying over Edward and bore us to tears with the fact that she simply has no other topic of discussion.
4. Every Magical/Mythical Creature (including Vamps) in an alternate version of Earth plus some steamy Enemies to Lovers romance with a badass angel.
Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas
The first thing I loved about Crescent City is the heroine, Bryce. Bryce is tough and smart, but, she’s also secure about her sexuality. I find this all too rare in novels. I’m tired of the perpetually insecure heroine. Bryce loves her body, loves sexy clothes and doesn’t care what others say about it. It’s awesome.
The second thing I loved about this book was that it did a really great job of balancing a pretty steamy Enemies to Lovers thing with a much deeper plot. That plot included a murder mystery, which was really well played out and had a great twist that I didn’t guess!
5. An alien-human war with superpowers and a love triangle plus an interesting take on ancient Chinese Lore
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
Yes, yes, I know. We are all tired of the typical love triangle. And that’s why I liked this book – the triangle is very much NOT typical. Trust me on this; you’ll be surprised.
This book is very feminist in nature. Xiran Jay Zhao does bring in dark sides of Chinese history into the story, in terms of how women were very much kept under control. I don’t like fiction books that try to secretly teach me lessons, however, Zhao doesn’t do that. The author is very transparent about the fact that she means for this story to bring focus to women’s right. I respect, and appreciate, Zhao for this.
Besides being feminist focused, Iron Widow is a fantasy/Sci-fi action which includes mental superpowers, romance, revenge and an intense twist.
6. Paranormal romance
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
If you’ve read my description of A Discovery of Witches then you already
know I have my beef with Twilight. However, before I start ranting, I will say that Twilight is a paranormal romance that did define a generation and for that it’s on this list. The first book, in many ways, felt like a modern-day retelling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and it did touch me. I also loved many of the side characters, such as many of the shapeshifters and Edward’s vampire family.
My main beef with the story: The protagonist, Bella. She had zero personality of her own. If you disagree, tell me one hobby or passion that Bella possessed that was not related to Edward. In all honesty, she offended me as a woman and I would cry if I had a daughter that was a Bella. I mean, haven’t we gone at least a tiny bit forward in society, that a woman should have value on her own? Do you remember book 2 where Bella just sits in despair for MONTHS because her man (whom she dated for a total of a couple of months at the age of 17) left? Ahhhhhh!!!!!! (Yes, I am screaming in frustration).
Still, some great side characters, some touching moments and now a classic vampire retelling.
Book 1
MtG
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Friesenpress
Date of Publication: July 23, 2020
ISBN-10 : 1525572016
ISBN-13 : 978-1525572012
ASIN: B08DWQ4FHK
Word Count: 135, 430
Cover Artist: Friesenpress
Tagline: Everybody dies but only few of us manage to live
Book Description:
Evangeline is living the life of a normal teenager until mysterious, severe symptoms begin appearing. After passing out in the middle of a party, life as she knows it spirals beyond her grasp. She is then diagnosed with a rare, genetic blood disorder that causes her body’s white blood cells to kill the red ones. In the delirium of her deteriorating health, a door to a parallel world opens before her; however, once she steps through it, the portal closes, and she is unable to return to Earth.
The place Evangeline now finds herself in is called Terra Nova, a world wherein vampires rule supreme, with no traces of humanity left to speak of. Curious but afraid, she quickly learns that Terra Nova is not the shadow-side of Earth, but rather the tragic result of government experimentation. In order to survive, she must keep her mind open and accept the changes her body is undergoing; soon enough, those who she initially thinks are murderers become her trainers, whose help she must enlist if she ever hopes to return home—and soon enough, a romantic bond begins to bloom.
Meanwhile, Evangeline’s brother and friends back on Earth try to figure out what happened to her, how the government is involved, and how to bring her home. Unbeknownst to any of them is the mysterious outcast Bambi, whose secrecy disguises her power in making a devastating choice: save one world at the risk of destroying the other.
Excerpt:
Evangeline stood
up and sighed. She started to walk down the street in the direction of the
Duke’s house, done her trailing for the night, when she heard a voice behind
her, “Did you expect to track someone who is already tracking you?”
She turned to see Josepina standing in the middle of the road in a blue gown
with blue and gold embroidery along its hemlines and birds of all sizes and
shapes embroidered into every spot and space on it. Looking at the dress
Evangeline wondered how Josepina stalked her so inconspicuously. Did she go
around town hiding in holes?
“Yeah, I guess I
was a little optimistic in my skills,” Evangeline said.
“Not a little,”
Josepina said, “You must know something about me now. I could lead his highness
in eternal circles, Evangeline. You would have more chances tracking him,
actually. So why is it that you hoped to find me?”
“Well, I guess I
was just practising tracking...” Josepina was looking at her with an amused
smile. Evangeline knew that Josepina could sense if she was full of shit. Obviously
Evangeline could have practised on anyone. She changed approaches,
“Well, I guess
I’ve never known a lady of...pleasure?”
Josepina’s smile
grew broader, “And what do you hope to learn from me?”
Evangeline’s
face turned red, “Nothing, actually. I guess I was just curious about you
because you have so much more life in you than most people here. You still talk
about everything and seem to think about everything. It’s…. rare. And your
clothes...how do you do it?”
“That is a much
more interesting question than I thought you had,” Josepina said, “the
dress...well, I create them out of hunger during the day with whatever
materials I find. Crocheting and embroidering is time consuming. A perfect
activity. Dressing up is also time consuming. Another perfect activity. Though
I think most find the contrast of the bright clothing and their own ugliness
something of a depressing reality.”
Josepina looked
up at the night sky and then at Evangeline, “I will walk with you to the
Duke’s” She began to walk and Evangeline stepped up beside her.
“The way we are
now,” Josepina continued, “vampires as you like to call us, is a stagnant way.
We cannot change, on the outside or the inside. You have seen that Ehvan can
memorize facts, but his mind will always be that of a child. The inner
maturation of his brain is related to the physical changes that happen within
it. Something that cannot happen in this state. Someone whose mind was not
very...developed...before, will not develop much now. They will know more
facts. Learn skills. But they will not grow inside as humans.”
“And you?”
“I suppose my
goal was always to understand other humans and through that to understand and
know myself. I never considered that it was anything unusual, but looking
around me now, I see that it is a rare goal.”
“I wonder what I
would be like as one of you,” Evangeline said offhandedly.
“An odd thing to
wonder after seeing us,” Josepina said, “though the fact that you actually
thought to ponder this means that you would do better than most. You have
almost no sixth sense ability but you have more depth than most pretty, young
girls.
“Thank you. You
know, I didn’t think you liked me much, to be honest.”
“I’m still
deciding,” Josepina smiled a little shrewdly, “However, you stood in front of a
city of beings that could rip you apart and you were able to look at us and
speak to us as if we were still people. I respect that. Respect is more
important than like.”
Evangeline let a
couple minutes pass in silence before she asked the next question,“So, is it
really true about the physical intimacy? I mean, is it impossible for you now?”
Josepina looked
at her with that half-curious, half-knowing look and Evangeline quickly added,
“I’m just wondering since there are some married couples that I have seen...”
Evangeline was
doing her utmost to convince her face not to turn red. Of course she wasn’t
just curious out of the blue. She was in an unspoken, apparently platonic,
bed-sharing arrangement with a male whom she wanted to kick in the head for the
majority of each night while at the same time looking forward to each morning
in his room. Every day, when she put down her book and climbed under the covers
she lay stiff and anxious, wondering if he would lie down beside her, knowing
that he occasionally did, but never being awake when it happened.
Josepina’s lips
curled into a wide, knowing smile and killed any chance Evangeline had of
keeping the colour on her face normal.
MTG has worked in numerous positions, mainly in managerial and executive roles. These include the editor-in-chief of a cultural magazine, an executive director, and most recently, the manager of a non-profit organization that works with immigrants and refugees. She has extensive experience working and studying abroad, including Germany, Italy, Korea, Abu Dhabi, and Pakistan; these experiences taught her about many cultures and worldviews, which influenced her writing.
Terra Nova, her first publication, is Book 1 of a series. The series’ concept emerged when she, like the protagonist, was diagnosed with the blood disorder paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), and her then-boyfriend (now husband) joked she was becoming a vampire. She currently works and resides in Canada.
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