Hey bookworm friends! It’s been a while since I last did a book tag so I thought I’d have fun by doing The Fantasy Tropes Book Tag! I had found it on Books Are The New Black and I’m linking it here so you can see her answers too. 😄Anyway, happy Friday everyone!
THE RULES:
- Mention the creator of The Fantasy Tropes Tag ( one’s peculiar )
- Answer the questions
- Tag as many people as you like
- HAVE FUN!
THE LOST PRINCESS: A book/series you lost interest in halfway through
I thought The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires was going to be a fun vampire read. I lost interest when I realized how bored I was by the white suburban America of the 90s setting. By the time the plot finally took off, I had nothing interesting to grab hold to. And the rampant sexism and racism didn’t help either so I DNF’d.
THE KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR: A hyped book/series you were swept up by
A really hyped series I tried and utterly got swept by is Lore Olympus. I can see why it’s so well loved and I agree with all of the glowing reviews!
THE WISE OLD WIZARD: An author who amazes you with his/her writing
Now, I’ve only read one series by this author but I feel like 10 books plus a few short stories is enough to know her style is for me! I often find myself admiring the way Seanan McGuire turns a phrase. 😍
THE MAIDEN IN DISTRESS: An undervalued character you wished had a bigger story-line
Six Scorched Roses is a short novella that focuses on the love story of two side characters from the Crowns of Nyaxia series: Lilith and Vale. In it, everything Lilith does is supposedly to save her sister. But in doing so, she neglects and ignores her sister who ostensibly means oh so much to her. I know the focus here is on Lilith and Vale but the keyword in this prompt is ‘undervalued’ and I sadly think that applies to Mina here. I can’t help but wish that Lilith had trusted her with the truth and involved her in her decisions more.
THE MAGICAL SWORD: A magical item/ability you wish authors used less
I can’t think of one specific item or ability I wish authors used less. But what I DO wish they did less is misusing magical items or abilities to conveniently hand-wave a problem away. Like, no matter what items or abilities the characters have access to, they better be fully thought out and a meaningful part of the world!
THE MINDLESS VILLAIN: A phrase you cannot help but roll your eyes at
Anytime someone growls. Ultimate cringe.
But I also tend to roll my eyes at excessive repetition! Sometimes authors pick a sentence they love and just keep bashing us over the head with it. I can think of 3 examples of books that repeated lines that irked me to no end.
-Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi: “A braid fell out of his bun. He never noticed.”
-Pumpkin Spice Latte by Laurie Gilmore: “She bit down on a smile”
-Secrets to Reveal by Tilly Wallace: The amount of times the MMC asks the FMC to take off her glasses would have made me throw the book across the room if it wasn’t an audiobook!
THE UNTAMED DRAGON: A magical creature you wish you had as a pet
The question seems to only want me to pick one but I can’t do that! A Banderbear (from The Edge Chronicles), A Brushbuddy (from Witch Hat Atelier), and a Ratkin (from Legends and Lattes). I’ve previously made a list of animal companions I love and I just named three from that list, at least I’m consistent 😂. Check it out if you want to see who else I’d add to my happy fantasy menagerie!
THE CHOSEN ONE: A book/series you will always root for
The Aurelian Cycle by Rosaria Munda. I’m on a mission to get more people to read this fantastic trilogy and it’s one of my all-time favourites!
🐲🧝Since it’s The Fantasy Tropes Tag, I’m tagging anyone who loves fantasy! If that’s you, consider yourself tagged but please tag me; I’d love to see your answers!
Let’s chat in the comments!
Feel free to answer any of the prompts in the comments! 🥰Or, what’s a fantasy trope you love that was not included in the tag?
Love this! I think my pet peeve is ‘releasing a breath they didn’t know they were holding,’ it’s in nearly every bloody book and I find it so annoying lol. I’ve never heard of The Aurelian Cycle, but I’ll absolutely go and check it out 🙂
Thanks! ahah that one is also a particularly overused line, I agree! And oh my, yes please look up The Aurelian Cycle, I need the whole world to read it haha 🙂
These are fun answers—and yes, chances are that if you like one Seanan McGuire series that you’ll enjoy her other books as well. Though… “10 books + short stories” makes me think you’ve read the Wayward Children series. If that’s so, just be aware that her adult series are definitely more adult in just about all respects. The Toby Daye series can be fun, but also builds up a lot of character trauma in them. I had to stop reading that series after 14 books because I just couldn’t keep going with the tension and trauma. My favorites of hers are the Indexing books (sadly only two) and the Velveteen Vs. books (a trilogy that hints it was supposed to be longer).