The Fantasy Book Tag

Hello, friends! Over the years I’ve seen (and been tagged in) several Fantasy Book Tags but I haven’t done any of them yet until now! I came across this particular fantasy book tag on Alli @ Alli the Book Giraffe’s page earlier this year and it seemed short and sweet enough to get done relatively quickly (I ate my words, it took me ages to decide on anything, lol)!

On that note, let’s get to it 🙂

What is the longest fantasy series that you’ve ever read?

This goes to Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I haven’t actually finished the series yet as I’ve still got the final book to read, but I did read all the others… But don’t ask me about any of them because I’ve got zero recollection of any of them! 😂

Favourite fantastical setting or world

Again, there are so many to choose from but one of the first that came to mind is the world from Elizabeth Lim’s The Blood of Stars and Six Crimson Cranes series. They’re not set in the same exact location but they are set in the same universe. It’s such a magical and whimsical Asian inspired fantasy world and I love it heaps!

Besides HP, what is your favourite fantasy book/series?

Nevermoor Series

If you love HP, there’s a high chance that you will love Nevermoor because it has many of the same qualities and it’s not written by a trash author (yes). This MG fantasy has easily replaced HP as my favourite, and I will never stop recommending it!

[check out my review]

What fantasy book do you wish was more popular?

Another MG fantasy, you say? Yes. Omega Morales only has 180+ ratings on Goodreads and I have no idea why because it’s such an amazing MG fantasy!

[check out my review]

Your favourite villain

This is surprisingly difficult as I’ve got two villains who I loathe & love but Holland from the Shades of Magic Series by V.E. Schwab has been my favourite for years. Ayt Mada (The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee) is a great contender even though it took me a minute to appreciate her villainy because she hurt my people. 😭

Art by Kiranight (L) and Mossillustra (R)

What’s the first fantasy book you have ever read?

I honestly have no idea but it might be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.

What is your favourite mythical creature?

…It’s a bit cliche to say dragons, right? But DRAGONS! But I also love werewolves, gumiho, vampires, faeries… So many mythical creatures!

Favourite female protagonist from a fantasy book?

This isn’t my only “favourite of all time” FMC but Matsuda Misaki is top-tier. I finished The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang this week and it was amazing! Misaki’s story was incredible and her character left me speechless/in awe so many times throughout the read.

Art by Tom Jilesen

Favourite male protagonist?

Same as above, while he’s not my only favourite of all time, Yin Nezha from The Poppy War series by R.F. Kuang is without a doubt a character that just … I have no words! 😂 His character wrecked me!!! Made me so unwell!! Just thinking about him makes me CRY!!! HELP. SO GOOD. SO SO GOOD!!!

Art by bland_apple

That’s it for The Fantasy Book Tag! I won’t be tagging anyone specifically but if you want to do this, feel free to link back so I can check out your answers! I want to know who your favourite fantasy FMC and MMC are! 😃

Blog signature that reads: Let's Chat! xoxo, Dini

Book Review: Quicksilver by Callie Hart

Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy #1)
Publisher: Hodderscape
Pub Date: 10 September 2024
Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

From global phenomenon Callie Hart comes a highly addictive enemies-to-lovers Romantasy with razor-sharp banter, heart-stopping action, and blistering hot romance that you won’t be able to put down!

Do not touch the sword. Do not turn the key. Do not open the gate.


In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn’t much a girl wouldn’t do for a glass of water.

Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen’s reservoirs for as long as she can remember.

But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.

When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently re-opens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares… but it turns out they’re real, and Saeris has landed herself in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed.

The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist’s magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him . . . or her.

Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he’s the only way Saeris is going to make it home.

Be careful of the deals you make, dear child. The devil is in the details . . .

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Rape of the protagonist’s mother, sex work, suicidal ideation, forced sterilization (recounted), blood, injury & gore depiction including decapitation & emesis, murder & torture, war themes, extreme childhood poverty (recounted)

Shoutout to Leslie for buddy reading this with me because it is a super fun book to have someone to exchange thoughts and theories with! 💜

TL;DR: Oops, I’m coming in with a slightly unpopular opinion here even though I ultimately ended up enjoying the story. I’ve seen everyone and their mum reading and talking about this book for months. While my reading experience was fairly average and I can’t say that I fully get the hype, I can understand why it is hyped because it ticks off all of the fantasy romance boxes. From hate-to-love romance and high sexual tension (and steam!) to faeries and vampires, and enough action to keep you invested—this has all of the elements that make this genre so popular and well-loved. Although I didn’t love it as much as everyone else did, I liked it enough to want to continue the series and I look forward to seeing where the author takes our characters next!

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Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [274]

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today.

I’ll spend the rest of my Sunday in bed with Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson. This is the next Owlcrate book I’m reading with Leslie, Julie, and Ali. I remember how excited I was to read it when it was released and now four years later, I’m finally reading it! 😂 I’ve completely forgotten what it’s about and I’m only five chapters in but I am enjoying it so far!

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Let’s Talk Bookish: Writing & Posting Book Reviews

✨ Welcome back to another week of LTB! ✨

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.

This week’s topic is:

Suggested by: Laurie @ Laurie is Reading
Prompts: Writing book reviews is a huge part of running a book blog. Do book reviews make up a big part of your blog content? Do you prefer to write long or short reviews? How does reviewing advance copies (ARCs) and working directly with authors and publishers change your approach to writing the reviews? Do you post on platforms other than your blog (i.e. Goodreads, The Storygraph, social media) and do those reviews differ from what you share on your blog?

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ARC Mini-Review: The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow

Special thanks to Amazon Original Stories for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

The Knight and the Butcherbird
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Pub Date: 11 March 2025
Genre: Adult Dystopian Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

New York Times bestselling author Alix E. Harrow weaves a dystopian fairy tale that follows the town storyteller as she struggles to protect a local demon from the knight hired to kill it.

In this gritty, haunting tale about doing whatever it takes for love, a small-town storyteller resolves to keep the local monster—and her own secrets—safe from a legendary knight.

Nestled deep in the steep hills, valleys, and surrounding woodlands lies Iron Hollow, a rural community beset by demons. Such horrors are common in the outlands, where most folks die young, if they don’t turn into monsters first. But what’s causing these transformations?

No one has the answer, not even the town’s oral historian, seventeen-year-old Shrike. And when a legendary knight is summoned to hunt down the latest beast to haunt their woods, Shrike has more reason than most to be concerned. Because that demon was her wife. And while Shrike is certain that May still recognizes her—that May is still human, somewhere beneath it all—she can’t prove it.

Determined to keep May safe, Shrike stalks the knight and his demon-hunting hawk through the recesses of the forest. But as they creep through toxic creeks and overgrown kudzu, Shrike realizes the knight has a secret of his own. And he’ll do anything to protect it.

I am not at all surprised that I ended up loving The Knight and the Butcherbird. Being more familiar with Harrow’s work by now, I knew that she would throw in some twisty elements that, when they click, they click hard and she managed to do it again with this short story. This is an unconventional love story set in a dystopian future where the results of climate change, environmental degradation, illness, corruption, and war have warped the world as we know it and turned it into a bleak and disease-ridden reality. Even in this future reality, the ugly side of human nature prevails against the weak majority. It was almost terrifying how easy it was to picture this future because of the state of our world and I think that made this an even more impactful read for me.

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#TopTenTuesday: Excellent & Engaging “E”

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s topic is: Books that Include/Feature [insert your favorite theme or plot device here] (for example: unreliable narrators, coming of age, darkness vs. light, time travel, metafiction, a specific romantic trope, good vs. evil. cliffhangers, flashbacks, plot twists, red herrings, loose ends, stories within stories, meet cutes, symbolism, etc.) (submitted by Alice @ The Wallflower Digest) but—surprise, surprise—I’m going rogue… Again! 🫣

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