The Romance Paradox

Tags

book recommendation, epic fantasy, romance

I like romance, but I don’t like romance. Do you see the problem? Well, I have also found the perfect solution.

For a while there, I was really into Young Adult Paranormal Romance. The evidence is all over this blog and Goodreads, but I got tired of it pretty quick for the same reason I tired of chick flicks: there is one story. After a few (dozen) books, I recognized a definitive formula to all romance novels (they literally teach it at RWA conferences) and it just wasn’t for me.

Thing is, I still like love stories. I have a certain level of romantic in me that refuses to be denied. Despite an affinity for military history, Machiavelli, and Clausewitz, I am still a girl. It’s just bloody hard to find a love story I like.

Have long adored hardcore action stories, but I never wanted to be the hero’s girlfriend, I wanted to be his lieutenant. The one who survives to the end, saves his sorry hide when he gets in a fix, then ends up taking his place to outwit the Lannisters, defend Troy, or drive the Narens from Lucel-Lor,  or lead the Rohirriam.

The solution to wanting a surprising, action-filled storyline that examines a wide array of relationships besides romantic (but still includes romance!)? For me it was—what else?—Epic Fantasy. The Tyrants and Kings series by John Marco had the perfect level of romance. Same with the Shadowmarch books by Tad Williams, Morgan Rhodes’ Falling Kingdoms and the Mistborn trilogy.

I especially appreciate how people in Epic Fantasy are a lot quicker to figure out when their romance isn’t worth causing the apocalypse—unlike people in some genres. *coughcough*

So if, like me, you crave complicated storylines, complex characters, and some swooning on top, allow me to suggest your local bookstore’s Epic Fantasy section. (In a wholly objective and unbiased manner, of course.)

Top book series I wish had Fandoms

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am hargrove, Erica Stevens, gerald morris, guardians of vesturon, indie books, intisar khanani, jadie jones, kaitlyn deann, madeleine l'engle, moonlit, my favorites, paranormal, sunbolt chronicles, the captive, the cats eye chronicles, the squires tales, the time quintet, The witches sleep, tll shreffler, ya

These eight book series are among my All Time Favorites and I believe they are tragically underrated. I see the memes and fangirling for The Hunger Games and The Mortal Instruments, and I can’t help but feel jealous and think “I know of books that are even better!” (Purely my opinion, but I didn’t particularly love The Hunger Games trilogy or City of Bones.) So I cannot hold it in any longer. Here are the top book series I believe should have massive fandoms of screaming fangirls and/or fanboys staying up until 2:00 a.m. to finish the latest installments or mourning the series’ conclusions. This list has expanded since I wrote the post, so you can expect a part 2!

The Cat’s Eye Chronicles by T.L. Shreffler

I discovered this series awhile back and downloaded the first, but only read it until recently. While I thought the first chapter was a bit slow, I quickly became engrossed in the story, only stopping for trivial things like eating. I went and downloaded the second book straightaway and am now living in agony waiting for the fourth/fifth’s release.

The Captive

This was my inaugural foray into vampire love stories. The writing can be rusty in places, but the story is absolutely, positively, awesome and the romance…oh, the romance! I was so sad to see the series end and ecstatic to hear of the author planning a spinoff!

The Sunbolt Chronicles

From what I have seen, anything by Intisar Khanani is incredible. Her original worlds with heroines who are strong, but still relatable and empathetic are unquestionably underrated. For clean, action-packed, magic-brimming fantasy, Khanani is your go-to source!

Moonlit

Horses, ancient love, horses, age-old prophecies, sorcery, horses, and a gloriously bad villain, what more could you want? I was not expecting to enjoy this book nearly as much as I did and I was highly impressed with the author’s talent. Definitely one worthy of a fandom and I will be stalking the internet for the first word of the trilogy conclusion.

The Witches’ Sleep by Kaitlyn Deann

I’m normally not a fan of dystopia-esque stories, but this teen author’s debut novel was the clear exception. Paranormal excitement and political intrigue mix together in perfect harmony for a story that should be read, read, read by as many people as possible.

The Squire’s Tales by Gerald Morris

Gerald Morris’ ingenious reimagining of the Arthurian legends are among my absolute favorites. Though this is more of an MG series, I am a HUGE fan of these books and wish more people were familiar with them so I could be accompanied in my mad fangirling.

The Guardians of Vesturon by A.M. Hargrove

Another wonderful romance series from a brilliant mind. Though they might not be for everyone, I find it impossible not to adore monotheistic, honor-conscious, chaste, swoon-worthy aliens and I can’t be the only one. Forget vampire or werewolf, if I had my pick, I’d take a Vesturion Guardian before you could say “shadar.”

 

The Time Quintet by Madeleine L’Engle

This series has the singular honor of being the only one I have read beginning to end more than once. I believe Madeleine L’Engle was a true literary genius, on par with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Her stories teach love, forgiveness, and courage in the most beautiful way and we can all learn from those lessons.

Favorite lines that WEREN’T in the movies

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book to movie, Harry potter, lord of the rings, movie adaptations, the hobbit

When books get turned into movies, things have to be changed. Books and movies are two separate types of entertainment and two separate types of media, so changes and alterations are inevitable. Unfortunately, this often means that juicy bits of the book get lost in the cracks. Here are some of my favorite lines from books that, sadly, didn’t make it into the movies.

“I am quite beautiful enough for us both, thank you very much!” ~ Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince by J.K. Rowling

This was simultaneously touching and funny. When Bill Weasley is permanently scarred from his encountered with Fenrir Greyback, Molly Weasley says “What a shame. He was so young. And was going to be married, too!” At this, Fleur de LaCour (did I spell that right?) makes it clear in no uncertain terms that she still wants to marry Bill, she thinks his scars mark him as brave, and they will be blissfully happy whether anybody likes it or not.

“And you, Ferney, should get your ugly face off that fence before it gets hurt.” ~ The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

In the books, the pony Bill that appears in the first film is bought from a sour old fart in Bree who jeers and insults Strider and the hobbits as they leave. Sam, leading Bill, gives the bully fair warning before clocking him in the face with an apple.

And he took her in his arms and kissed her under the sunlit sky, and he cared not that they stood high upon the walls in the sight of many. ~ The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

This passage is in reference to Faramir and Eowyn shortly after her acceptance of his marriage proposal. When I read this, I squeed and jumped up and down like any true fangirl. In the books, Faramir and Eowyn’s love story actually had more page time than Aragorn and Arwen’s, yet theirs was cut. More’s the pity.

“Good shot, Bill.” ~ The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

Bill makes a reappearance in the final book when the hobbits return to the Shire, which has been overtaken by Saruman and Grima and the hobbits must fight to reclaim their homeland. It just so happens that Bill’s former abusive master is in league with them and Bill is given the chance to mete out justice in the form of a kick to his ex-owner’s buttocks.

“Starving.” ~ The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The dwarves first encounter the elves of Mirkwood while the natives are holding a feast. When things go south, the rest of the company escapes whilst Thorin is captured. When Thorin is taken before Thranduil, his response to every one of the elf king’s questions is “starving.” Their original conversation goes like this:

Thranduil: Why did you and your folk three times try to attack my people at their merrymaking?

Thorin: We did not attack them. We came to beg, because we were starving.

Thranduil: Where are your friends now and what are they doing?

Thorin: I don’t know, but I expect starving in the forest.

Thranduil: What were you doing in the forest?

Thorin: Looking for food and drink, because we were starving.

Sometimes I do think movie versions are better than book versions (heresy, I know), but more often I find myself staunchly insisting the books were better. It truly is a pity these lines didn’t make it into the movies. But I guess the books don’t always want to share everything with their film counterparts.

Me and Book Series…in GIF

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book series, fangirling, gif, humor, reading

Me starting a new series:

Me when I decide I’m a fan of a new series:

Me when I finish the first book:

Me realizing the next book isn’t out yet:

Me when they announce the official release date:

Me when, after moving it back four times, they announce the “official” release date:

Me being forced to wait:

Me when the sequel finally arrives:

Me when I start reading the sequel:

Me when I finish the sequel:

And they lived happily after—just kidding, they’re all dead

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am reading, epic fantasy, everyone dies, sad endings, tragedies

The “happily ever after” ending, or HEA, is a relatively new invention in storytelling. If one had tried explaining the concept to a Greek poet, the well-meaning individual would have most likely been laughed out of the country. Shakespeare showed he had no problem with tragedies and let’s not even mention the great Russian authors.

It has only been within the past two hundred years or so that the HEA became commonplace. While one could find non-tragedies before then, they were for the most part rare and lesser known than tales that ended in mass murder and general mayhem. Then came along the stories where the characters you loved survived to the end, got married, had babies, and lived to be surrounded by adoring children and grandchildren and old and fat and happy beyond imagining—the ultimate HEA.

But lately, I’ve seen the tragedy cropping up again just like a plague. Writers seem to be getting kicks out of killing off dearly beloved characters. From John Greene’s teary endings to George R.R. Martin’s the infamous slaughters, J.K. Rowling’s massacre to Suzanne Collins’ end-of-trilogy herd thinning, authors are going rogue.

Sad endings can be beautiful in their own way. Poison Dance by Livia Blackburne was one of these. Rhiannon Paille’s The Ferryman and the Flame epic fantasy romance series is basically one tragedy after another and the reader becomes all the more emotionally involved for it. I concede that sometimes a tragedy at the end can be more powerful and in some cases more believable. My favorite movie of all time ends with pretty much everyone either dead or fleeing for their lives. Still, in general I prefer happy or bittersweet endings.

I don’t want everything to be sunshine, puppies, and daisies. There have been one or two series that I finished thinking “more people should have died” because I think that would have fit the tone of the stories better. But the books I fangirl over and have hope for an HEA—the ones that I preorder months in advance and keep me up late at night—those had better end with my OTP’s getting together and the bad guys getting their just desserts. So long as that happens, I am content. If not, I sink into a cesspool of emotions and rot there for days or weeks until I find something to distract me.

Books are supposed to get your feelings into play and when feelings are involved, there’s bound to be sadness. I suppose I can’t call foul when an author breaks my heart or a story doesn’t turn out quite the way I want. Still, when a story is written well I end up caring about the characters, so of course I want them to find what they’re searching for in their lives. That might be too much to ask in some cases, but to authors everywhere I would like to point out that happy endings are good. Of course, they have to be believable, but there is nothing wrong with happiness!

Top Ten Books I cannot wait for in 2014

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books I cannot wait for, epic fantasy, fantasy, lists, paranormal romance, readerly, upcoming releases, ya, young adult

I look forward to this year’s book releases with rapt anticipation. It promises to be full of assassins, romance, adventure, magic, and awesomeness!

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3) by Sarah J. Maas

The previous book in this series…if I start talking about it, we’ll end up with a massive, tear-infused rant and we can’t have that. But I have to read this one. I have to. (Chaolaena forever!)

Ferran’s Map (The Cat’s Eye Chronicles, #4) By T.L. Shreffler

I want this book so freaking bad it’s not even funny. I LOVE the series with a fanatic passion and NEED the thing. (On a side note: I have shipped Sora/Crash since they met and that will never change.)

Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms, #3) by Morgan Rhodes

I’ve read the first book in this series and mean to order the second one. I have high hopes for the further installments of this series and look forward to getting my hands on Falling Kingdoms’ sequels.

Windswept (Moonlit, #2) by Jadie Jones

Holy crap, talk about emotional involvement in this book’s predecessor. Moonlit had ageless love, horses, a prize villain, and just…pure awesome.

Final Advent (No Angels, #3) by Eli Hinze

This is the final book in the trilogy and it promises to be epic!

World of the Beasts (The Witches’ Sleep, #2) by Kaitlyn Deann

This book was actually on last year’s list of releases I couldn’t wait for. The first was great, but the author has put off the second’s release. Again. *shoots accusatory glare in general direction of Miss Deann*

Sunbolt 2 (The Sunbolt Chronicles, #2) by Intisar Khanani

I did some beta reading for this one and I can tell it is going to be one firestorm of a piece! You will certainly be getting a lot of fangirling come the release. (Title currently undecided.)

Fire Soul (Tortured Elements, #2) by Olivia Rivers

Frost Fire ended in a bloody cliffhanger. But I loved Drake to bits and I want, want, want to know what happens to the poor baby.

Born of the Blood (The Night Gives Up Its Secrets, #3) by Mary Eason

Another book that was also on last year’s list. Hopefully the release won’t get postponed again, because I really want it!

Broken (Shadowlight Saga, #2) by Mande Matthews

This series is incredible—Norse mythology retellings infused with warrior girls, magic, dark lords, honor, precious characters…HAND IT OVER!!!

Hopefully I’ll find that each of these will exceed their predecessors in incredibleness. (Though that might be asking a bit too much.) I am very excited to read each of them and there better not be any more postponed releases!

2013 Reading Challenge: I did it!

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am reading, epic fantasy, fantasy, goodreads reading challenge, historical fiction, historical romance, indie author, mystery, new years resolution kept, paranormal, paranormal romance, self-published, ya, young adult

With the end of the year fast approaching and the time for New Year’s Resolutions bearing down on us, I would like to share (brag about) one of my resolutions for 2013 that I actually kept. Way back in January, I challenged myself to read 77 books in 2013 and what do you know, I did. There were books that made me laugh, one or two that even made me cry. Heroines and heroes I loved to bits, but also those I’d like to bludgeon to death. There were new additions to my Shelf of Awesome as well as a handful of disappointments. Overall, I had a pretty awesome year as far as literature goes. So feast your eyes on the cover candy!

(Click the covers to see my reviews of the books or their Goodreads pages for the ones I haven’t reviewed yet.)

So behind…

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blogger, blogging, book review, books, fantasy, indie author, indie book review, indies, just for fun, procrastination, reading, review, self-published, ya, young adult

I am so very behind on my reviews that it isn’t even humorous. I’m going to have to do a whole post just to show you how very behind I am. but until then, this is what I am currently reading! (It’s pretty flipping awesome so far!)

As the last of the Incenaga Witches, Emmeline has been tortured and forced to use her power to kill. But unlike the Incenagas before her, she has survived. With her freedom restored, she should feel safe, invincible even. After all, she has the protection of Prince Erick’s army and a power strong enough to obliterate any enemy. Yet Emmeline lives in fear for the next person who will try to control her, and no one can seem to find the tyrant threatening to claim her.

Until it’s too late.

With everything on the line, and the enemy at her throat, will Emmeline be able to use her power like never before? Even if it kills her?

In The Underground Witch, the second novel of the Incenaga Trilogy, Debbie Dee delivers enough adventure, heartbreak, and suspense to captivate readers at every turn.

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

My vacation haul!

Tags

Andrea cremer, Cassandra rose Clarke, Colleen houck, Erin kellison, falling kingdoms, Leigh burdago, Morgan Rhodes, Rae Carson, shadow and bone, shadow bound, tamora pierce, Terry Brooks, the Assassin's curse, the girl of fire and thorns, the PIRATE'S wish, the scions of shannara, tiger's curse, tiger's quest, trickster's choice, wolfsbane

The magic of reading

Tags

Harry potter, magic, muggles, reading, wizards