Hello readers! A little while back, I did the Fantasy Book Tag, and you guys really seemed to like it. So today I thought I’d do another fantasy tag called the Get to Know the Fantasy Reader Book Tag, created by A Lil Bit Mads on Booktube.
She also mentioned it was a spin off of another tag called the Get to Know the Romance Reader tag, and I might do that one soon, too.
What is your fantasy origin story? (How you came to read your first fantasy novel)
I think what brought me into fantasy was vampire books. Twilight was really popular when I was high school. Before this, the only thing I really ever read was Stephen King books.
If you could be the hero/heroine in a fantasy novel, who would be the author and what’s one trope you’d insist be in the story?
I would have to say Brandon Sanderson. He has written an autistic character before, and I really enjoyed the representation.
The trope I love the most is trials. It would be difficult, of course. But I think it’d be fun to do it with a small group of my found family.
What is a fantasy you’ve read this year, that you want more people to read?
I would have to say anything middle grade fantasy. I feel like middle grade books are so vastly underrated in the book community.
The ones I have read this year are Nevermoor and Percy Jackson. I just think there is so much you can gain from reading middle grade books and I wish more people will give them a chance.
What is your favorite fantasy subgenre? What subgenre have you not read much from?
My favorite subgenre is portal fantasy. I like learning about the fantasy world with the main character. It really avoids any confusion or info dumping.
The one I don’t read much of is magical realism or surrealism. I just don’t enjoy them most of the time. Surrealism especially is nonsensical at times and will have open endings. I need things to be more concrete than that.
Who is one of your auto-buy fantasy authors?
I would say Brandon Sanderson. I have now read 12 of his books, and am at the point where I will read anything he writes.
How do you typically find fantasy recommendations? (Goodreads, Youtube, Podcasts, Instagram..)
When it comes to fantasy recommendations, I usually go to Becca and the Books. She is my favorite Booktuber, who I have watched for a long time.
Most people who I consume content from do not have the same book tastes as me, and I don’t mind that at all. She and I never really have the exact same taste, but she is really good at explaining the books in a way that I can tell if I will like what she is reading.
She reads a ton of fantasy including YA and adult books. And also convinced me to try fantasy romance when I never thought I’d be interested in it.
What is an upcoming fantasy release you’re excited for?
Kalynn Bayron’s newest book coming out in September and is a fantasy retelling of Frankenstein.
I really became exhausted of retellings a few years ago, but got back into them in 2023. If they are unique, I’d love to give them a try.
What is one misconception about fantasy you would like to lay to rest?
I think the biggest misconception is that all fantasy is really long and super dense. YES there are fantasy books like that, but there are also so many that aren’t.
I find YA and middle grade fantasy are much more easy to digest, but so are a lot of the subgenres such as portal fantasy, fantasy romance, and even urban fantasy.
Anyone who tries to belittle you for not reading Lord of the Rings or something isn’t worth talking to in the first place.
If someone had never read a fantasy before and asked you to recommend the first 3 books that come to mind as places to start, what would those recommendations be?
Mistborn is a great place to start for anyone looking to get into fantasy. It does have somewhat of a complicated magic system based on types of metals, but there is a glossary in the back of the book.
The first series is set in a medieval time, the second series has much shorter books and has a western setting, and the third one will be futuristic.
If you are a romance reader, I would recommend Shadow and Bone.
This is a very beloved fantasy series in the book community, and there are other connected series to read if you end up loving it.
Alina is a bit naive at times, but I always enjoyed her character development.
The last one is a portal fantasy series called Wayward Children. This one follows a bunch of different characters who sort of fall into other worlds and somehow end back in our world.
They go to a school for children who have returned to our world and want to go back. The odd number books follow a storyline, and the even number books give back stories to each character.
There are a lot of characters, but it’s not hard to keep them all separated. And there are 10 books, but the books are all around 200 pages.
Happy blogging and bookish adventures! 📚🦒✨
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