Ya Fiction - Tumblr Posts

You know what I’d like?

I’d like more ya fantasy genre fiction that features homeless kids where they aren’t homeless due to the consequences of the fantasy universe...

Like- Growing up it was just cool to see kids in books I liked who had similar experiences to me

But I’m tired of the only examples being things like

“My super powers got out of control and now I’m forced to live on my own on the run”

“I’m the solitary leader of a child rebellion due to the circumstances of my dystopian society”

And even

“You aren’t able to tell what the normal age to move out is in my universe- but there are just plenty of teenagers living on their own or living on the run- and no one ever fucking questions it”

One the one hand- it was cool seeing characters like me with these cool destinies and powers

But at the end of the day it made it that much harder to have to go- “I’m not in this situation because I’m important, I’m here because my mother’s a deadbeat”

I wanna see more homeless kids in ya fantasies that live that way cause sometimes shit happens- not because they’re special- but cause that’s life...

I’ve read 32 books this year. Some were mysteries, some were thrillers, some were realistic fiction, and most were fantasy. So here’s my top 5 out of every book I’ve read!

But first, my honorable mentions

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi has some of the most beautiful descriptions and wordings that I have read. I also love the Persian culture in it. I'm always fascinated when reading about different cultures and this is one I don’t know much about. It felt unique and authentic. The reason this one isn’t in my top 5 is because I felt it relied too much on tropes and the plot was a bit cliche. The second book especially suffers from this.

Going Dark by Melissa De La Cruz is a mystery I thought was so good it helped to inspire my own. It touches on important topics like racism and mental illnesses. I love how social media is used to find clues and I was so invested in the story that I stayed up late every night to know more. The only thing keeping this book from being perfect to me is that about halfway through, the backstory is told to the reader. I would have rather the characters find it out for themselves.

When I tell you I loved Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao so much I wrote a three page paper on it and submitted it for my communications final (I got an A). I love character driven stories and Xifeng is one of my favorite characters of all time. Her arc progresses at a perfect pace and I love seeing her use the few skills she possesses to get what she wants. As a dark fantasy writer, I appreciate that the book doesn’t shy away from gruesome aspects. The reason this book isn’t in my top five is because I wanted to see Xifeng’s rule as empress. That’s it. I just wanted more Xifeng.

And now my top 5 under the cut

5. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This is not the type of book I’d normally read, but it blew away all of my expectations and I absolutely adored it. At first, I didn’t really like Monique’s character. I wasn’t interested in her failed marriage and I was pretty annoyed every time she didn’t understand what was being said to her (which happens way too often), but as she learned from Evelyn I was really rooting for her.

It was Evelyn’s story that wouldn’t let me stop reading. It was similar to Xifeng in a way where she started as a girl who was pretty, but had nothing, and manipulated her way to becoming a superstar. I was especially gripped by Evelyn’s insistence that Monique will hate her. I just needed to keep going to find out why.

There were a lot of unique aspects that I liked, such as the chapter titles. They were so fun and I kept repeated them in my head. I also like how parts of the story are told through forums and news articles. Other than the fact this this is a unique aspect, I liked it because we got to hear a different perspective than the person telling the story.

Also, yay for a bisexual main character! It was done so well and respectful, and not the stereotypical cheater character. I have been waiting my whole life for this type of representation.

The last thing I want to say about this one is that Reid really makes an art of writing. There are so many quotable lines and you can tell so much thought was put into every word.

4. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

It’s a pretty cliche story: a princess must reclaim her throne. But The Queen of the Tearling works so well because of its main character, Kelsea. She’s such a beautifully complex character. On one hand, she wants to prove herself as queen. But on the other, she wants to be free to be a teenage girl. She rules with compassion for her people. But she also has an underlying ruthlessness and short temper. She looks to the future by examining the past, and how can you not root for a character so strong that she demanded her throne with a knife in her shoulder?

I appreciate that this book didn’t go the trope route and have the ruler of the rival kingdom become Kelsea’s lover. It’s fine one time, but it’s way overdone, and Kelsee’s strengths shine through more without this trope.

I like how each chapter opens up with a quote. Like the articles in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, this gives the reader insight into what other characters think.

I have to say that even though this book blew me away, the last book has the worst ending I have ever read in my life. It was lazy, dismissive of the themes throughout the series, and just exasperating because it erases the growth of the characters and kingdom. I have no idea why Johansen would write it into existence and it somewhat tarnished my view on the series.

3. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Is it really surprising that a Hunger Games book is in my top 5? I was hesitant at first to read it because I thought it would be a sympathy story or a cash grab, but I'm so glad that I gave it a try because it was so much more than I thought.

I feel like it's a theme on my list that I like to see stories where something small slowly evolves into something big. That's a big part of why I love this book. We get to see how the games went from something no one liked to the sporting event we know it as. It was a bonus to see that Snow's impact on the games as well.

I loved getting back into the Hunger Games universe, especially now that we get more of what the capitol is like. I have to admit that I haven't read the original trilogy in almost a decade so my memory is a little shaky, but I don't remember anything about the capitol being poor at one point. I liked this detail and getting to know capitol kids like Clemensia because it makes the capitol more complex. Before, I only knew it as a completely evil, selfish, privileged group of people, but now we can understand it better.

I love Lucy Gray's character. As a former musician, I appreciate that her power is through song and I enjoyed reading the meaning in her lyrics. I was kicking my feet reading about the Hanging Tree song and her teaching Snow about katniss roots because they live on to haunt him 60 years later. As always, Collins knows how to incorporate so much meaning into her writing.

The only thing I disliked is that it started to drag in Part III.

2. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

This one was heavy, but I'm thankful to McCurdy for being vulnerable and sharing this raw story. As someone who grew up on iCarly, she was an important part of my childhood. I listened to the audiobook version, which just made it all the more personal.

You can tell from the writing that McCurdy was meant to be a writer. She somehow manages to make such a sad story humorous, and I found myself getting lost in her the way she describes background information that I didn't even notice that she deviated from the main topic until she brought us back. Not to mention, the writing sounds like she is telling a story directly to you. It reminds me of experts like Bell Hooks, someone who I have described as having a style like talking to a close friend.

McCurdy also has a deep understanding of herself and her emotions, even during times in which she didn't understand nor want to understand the harm that was done to her and how she copes with it. It's obvious to the audience what's going on, but not to her, and she writes it in a way where we can understand the truth of her circumstances while also understanding her point of view from when she was experiencing trauma. I doubt many people can understand themselves this well.

Each chapter had me hooked. I kept telling myself that her life couldn't get worse, but then it did. There were times when I nearly cried, and once when I was so shocked that I involuntarily covered my mouth with my hand and couldn't move it back for a minute. This book will make you feel everything.

I hate how some people are shaming the book just because of the title because this is such an important story, and if you just read it you would understand the title completely.

Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury

Fantasy, sci-fi, and mystery all in one? So much diversity that you can swim in it? Quite possibly the cutest romance to ever exist? I didn't know the perfect book existed and yet here it is.

I knew this book would be a favorite of mine from the moment I saw it. You have a beautiful, colorful cover on one side, and a description on the other saying a girl has to destroy her first love in order to get magic. I still can't believe that this is Sambury's debut book.

One thing I love about Blood Like Magic (and its sequel) is that despite all the fantastical elements, the books feel so real. Voya's family feels so real because they aren't rich, they aren't powerful in a social aspect, and they aren't perfect. The cast of characters feel real because POCs, gay, and trans people are going to exist no matter what. The romance feels real because they don't instantly fall in love. The plot feels real because sometimes everything will go wrong, no matter how hard you try to make it right. And of course there's the realest aspect of them all: all Black grandmas are going to have attitude.

Ok, I have to talk more about the romance because Luc and Voya are so stinking cute. I was actually squealing and kicking my feet while reading because it's so obvious that they adore each other and can't even tell. I didn't even like the enemies to lovers trope before I read this book, but Sambury does it perfectly. I also like that she makes a distinction between physical and romantic attraction because I think it gets muddled in a lot of popular books these days.

Voya's such a relatable character. We all struggle to make decisions sometimes. We never want to be left out or hurt the people we care about. Also, her name is so pretty and it doesn't even mean anything?!

Do I even have to mention that all the different types of magic are so fun and creative? Do I even have to mention that all the advanced technology seems like it could really happen? Everyone go read Blood Like Magic and Blood Like Fate right now.

Pony Jackson

"Quando Éramos Mentirosos"

Sɪɴᴏᴘsᴇ Oғɪᴄɪᴀʟ: A família Sinclair parece perfeita. Ninguém falha, levanta a voz ou cai no ridículo. Os Sinclair são atléticos, atraentes e felizes. A sua fortuna é antiga. Os seus verões são passados numa ilha privada, onde se reúnem todos os anos sem exceção. É sob o encantamento da ilha que Cadence, a mais jovem herdeira da fortuna familiar, comete um erro: apaixona-se desesperadamente.

Cadence é brilhante, mas secretamente frágil e atormentada. Gat é determinado, mas abertamente impetuoso e inconveniente. A relação de ambos põe em causa as rígidas normas do clã. E isso simplesmente não pode acontecer. Os Sinclair parecem ter tudo. E têm, de facto. Têm segredos. Escondem tragédias. Vivem mentiras. E a maior de todas as mentiras é tão intolerável que não pode ser revelada. Nem mesmo a si.

Aᴜᴛᴏʀᴀ: E. Lockhart

-------------------------------------------------------

ALERTA SPOILERS!

-------------------------------------------------------

O Mᴇᴜ Rᴇsᴜᴍᴏ: "Quando Éramos Mentirosos" segue a vida de Cadence Sinclair, de quase 18 anos, revelando de forma dividida o seu presente e o seu passado, alternando sucessivamente entre os dois e visões um tanto irrealistas que a protagonista insiste em ter. Logo nas primeiras páginas são-nos dadas a conhecer as pessoas mais importantes da vida de Cadence: o seu pai, que mais pela absência do que pela presença se vincula no espírito da filha, Johnny, o primo extrovertido e disparatado que sempre fez parte da sua vida, Mirren, a prima docemente complicada que lhe enche o coração, e por fim Gat, um "forasteiro" que por sorte ou azar se infiltrou na família e que imprimiu uma marca irreversível em Cadence. Cedo na história, a autora alude a um "acidente" misterioso de que a protagonista não se lembra vividamente e que lhe causou danos profundos, não só a nível cerebral mas também à disposição, substituindo-lhe as madeixas cor de ouro, o sorriso aberto e o espírito traquina por uma cabeleira preta, uma boca melancólica e um vazio no seu coração. É rapidamente estabelecido que Cadence depende de medicação, algo que não orgulha os Sinclairs, uma família que só é perfeita se se olhar de longe e que usa a elegância, as ilhas e as mansões para esconder os "cadáveres" que lhes mancham a imagem. O evento enigmático torna-se então o tema central da história, que continua a recuar e a avançar no tempo, enquanto Cadence volta, no presente, à ilha em que todos os verões a sua vida realmente acontecia, e da qual esteve absente por alguns anos. Lá reúne-se com a família, que se comporta de maneira mais bizarra do que o habitual, e com o trio que lhe é tão querido, que se mostra fraco e insiste em afastar-se dos dramas adultos. Aí, o romance com Gat desenvolve-se e com a paixão vêm problemas há muito enterrados na sua consciência. Esforçando-se ao máximo por recuperar o estado feliz que a caracterizava e as memórias do que foi o tal acidente, algo que todos se recusam a revelar, Cadence caminha em direção ao clímax do livro, onde uma revelação obscura e profundamente traumatizante a espera, não a deixando escapar à destruição do frágil castelo de cartas que constitui o que ela sabe.

Cʀɪᴛᴇ́ʀɪᴏs ᴅᴇ Cʟᴀssɪғɪᴄᴀᴄ̧ᴀ̃ᴏ:

Qᴜᴀʟɪᴅᴀᴅᴇ ᴅᴀ Pʀᴏsᴀ: Absolutamente linda! Pode não ser o estilo de todos mas eu pessoalmente adoro uma escrita floreada que não passe o limite da beleza para a palha, e este livro cumpre nisso. O estilo da autora é super visual, e algo perturbador quando as cenas são dramáticas, o que só prova a força da forma como ela executa as linhas.

Hɪsᴛᴏ́ʀɪᴀ: Eu achei a história em si ótima, agora, houve muitas coisas que não ficaram esclarecidas e isso para muitos pode significar um livro mal planeado ou negligência da autora. Eu tendo a inclinar-me para o lado oposto, acho que foi totalmente propositado não conseguirmos distinguir a realidade da imaginação da Cadence e ficarmos a perguntarmo-nos se existem fenómenos sobrenaturais ou se é ela a alucinar. Até porque o livro tem um seguimento, ou uma prequela no caso, que supostamente esclarece muitas das questões.

Pᴇʀsᴏɴᴀɢᴇɴs: Eu adorei todas as personagens (tirando as que é suposto nós odiarmos). Parecem todas ter os seus propósitos, as suas motivações e vidas fora do que se passa com a protagonista. A maior parte disto é encoberto, não é suposto a Cadence conhecer o que se passa à sua volta, isso é muito intencional, mas de cada vez que a Mirren, o Johnny, e especialmente o Gat, entraram em cena, eu fiquei entusiasmada com o que poderia acontecer.

Rᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ: A relação de Gat e Cadence é definitivamente um foco da história, especialmente por causa da grande revelação, que gira muito à volta da intensidade dos sentimentos que eles têm um pelo outro. Esta é explorada, claro, mas na grossura do livro, acaba por não ocupar tanto espaço como eu pessoalmente gostaria, deixa algo mais a desejar e muitas questões relativamente a quanto do que se passava com eles era real.

Iᴍᴇʀsᴀ̃ᴏ: Devido principalmente ao estilo de prosa da escritora, é muito fácil entrarmos no mundo que nos é descrito, ficamos realmente envolvidos no que se passa e eu nunca tive de fazer um esforço para imaginar o que me estava a ser dito.

Iᴍᴘᴀᴄᴛᴏ: Não vou mentir, depois do fim fiquei 1 hora a olhar para o livro a sentir-me perdida, e um bocadinho parva, porque era impossível aquilo ter acabado como acabou, por isso devia-me ter escapado algo. Não, não escapou. Quando percebi isso, fiquei cerca de 3 dias presa numa espécie de melancolia pós-história, porque o livro me tinha agarrado com tamanha força que não sabia o que fazer com a sua conclusão, e que conclusão! Depois de isso passar e ter começado outros livros, o impacto deste foi-se suavizando e agora, olhando para trás, não me parece que tenha sido um daqueles livros que nos mudam para sempre, só um daqueles em que o autor é esperto o suficiente para nos deixar perturbados tempo que chegue para o divulgarmos.

Cʟᴀssɪғɪᴄᴀᴄ̧ᴀ̃ᴏ Fɪɴᴀʟ: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Iᴅᴀᴅᴇ Aᴄᴏɴsᴇʟʜᴀᴅᴀ: Pelo menos 16 anos, a história toca em alguns temas sensíveis e tem descrições floreadas que são um tanto fortes, não é de todo um livro para todos apesar de existirem por aí uns imensamente mais perturbadores.

Cᴏɴᴄʟᴜsᴀ̃ᴏ/Oᴘɪɴɪᴀ̃ᴏ Fɪɴᴀʟ: Geralmente, como deu para ver, foi um livro que eu apreciei bastante, não é algo tão dramático como isso para gente que já tenha lido, por exemplo, certos clássicos, mas para quem só lê coisas ligeiras, esta obra choca um pouco. Depois disto tudo posso dizer, RECOMENDO ESTE LIVRO!

Pᴀʀᴀ ᴏʙᴛᴇʀ: Quando Éramos Mentirosos, E. Lockhart - Livro - Bertrand

Assɪɴᴀᴅᴏ: Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ 𝐿𝓊𝓏 Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"Agora Sou Chique" (Geek Girl #1)

Sɪɴᴏᴘsᴇ Oғɪᴄɪᴀʟ: Harriet Manners sabe muitas coisas. • Um gato tem 32 músculos em cada orelha. • Uma pessoa ri-se, em média, 15 vezes por dia. • Os amendoins são um dos componentes da dinamite. • E uma croma não pode transformar-se numa modelo… Ou será que pode? Mas Harriet não sabe por que motivo ninguém gosta dela na escola. Por isso, quando surge uma oportunidade de se transformar noutra pessoa, aproveita-a. Mesmo que isso signifique tropeçar de saltos altos e… mentir a todos os que ama. Será esta geek - agora chique - capaz de mudar e manter-se leal a si mesma?

Aᴜᴛᴏʀᴀ: Holly Smale.

-------------------------------------------------------

ALERTA SPOILERS!

-------------------------------------------------------

O Mᴇᴜ Rᴇsᴜᴍᴏ: A Harriet é muito diferente dos outros, sempre foi. É desajeitada, socialmente inepta e obcecada pelo conhecimento, mas para seu azar, apenas pelo tipo de conhecimento que é geralmente visto como estranho ter-se, como por exemplo, saber a quantos km/h o ar libertado pela tosse humana viaja e o facto de ser ilegal mascar pastilha elástica em Singapura. Basicamente, é uma geek, e o facto de ter um dicionário Oxford preparado na sua mesinha de cabeceira para confirmar que a palavra coincide com ela, não ajuda a sua situação. Apesar de aceitar a racionalidade por trás do título que lhe foi atribuído, Harriet não está particularmente feliz em tê-lo, visto que isso só lhe permite ter uma melhor amiga, a única amizade na sua vida, um stalker, que sendo tão estranho como ela fez da sua missão de vida criar uma aliança dos geeks, e uma data de bullies. A vida da Harriet não é exatamente agradável, pelo menos até Nat, que desde os 7 anos sacrifica sobremesas a favor do sonho de ser modelo, a convencer a não faltar a uma visita de estudo no shopping. Aí, depois da sua distração característica a levar a destruir os chapéus todos de uma loja e a deitar a baixo uns outros quantos expositores, acaba por conhecer Wilbur, o homem mais comicamente fora da caixa do planeta, e a esconder-se debaixo de uma mesa com o "Rapaz Leão", a pessoa mais bonita que alguma vez já viu. Para sua surpresa, acontece que Wilbur faz parte de uma agência de modelos famosa e quer recrutá-la, e que o "Rapaz Leão", não é um rapaz qualquer. A partir daí, o mundo de Harriet vira do avesso. De um dia para o outro, ela torna-se na cara da Baylee, uma das maiores marcas de moda do momento, começa a viajar pelo mundo para fazer sessões fotográficas loucas, desfila em passarelas e trabalha com os rostos mais icónicos da indústria. Tudo parece perfeito até a vida antiga de Harriet se infiltrar na ilusão maravilhosa que mais recentemente ocupa os seus dias. Harriet descobre que ser modelo não a faz menos ela própria, por mais que tente, e que o bullying constante, os problemas com a Nat e toda a frustração que ela guarda dentro de si, não podem ser sufocados por purpurinas e saltos altos. No primeiro volume desta coleção, Harriet vai ter de aprender que para prosperar tem de se aceitar por quem é, sem esperar essa validação dos outros, e perceber que ser geek, até é bem fixe.

Cʀɪᴛᴇ́ʀɪᴏs ᴅᴇ Cʟᴀssɪғɪᴄᴀᴄ̧ᴀ̃ᴏ:

Qᴜᴀʟɪᴅᴀᴅᴇ ᴅᴀ Pʀᴏsᴀ: Sendo um livro onde a história nos é contada na primeira pessoa, pela voz da protagonista, a prosa é certamente diferente, porque a Harriet é diferente. Não há grandes floreados e o estilo da escrita não é exatamente romântico, é direto e absolutamente hilariante, não só pelo que é dito, mas também pela forma como é dito e pelo seu timing. Em geral, é um estilo bastante fácil de ler, e mantém o leitor interessado.

Hɪsᴛᴏ́ʀɪᴀ: Ai, a história da Harriet (apesar de ser apenas o início) é um máximo! O mundo em que se passa não é muito diferente do nosso, é realista, então, especialmente pela idade da Harriet, somos levados numa aventura em que coisas que certamente já nos aconteceram fazem parte da viagem da protagonista, e em que coisas que já sonhámos viver nos são descritas. O livro tem a quantidade certa de tudo, humor, romance, aprendizagem, emoção, realismo, ficção.... No fundo, é o início perfeito da história de uma rapariga a descobrir-se a si mesma e a encontrar amor por quem é no meio de todo o ódio e incompreensão que a rodeiam.

Pᴇʀsᴏɴᴀɢᴇɴs: Esta coleção não tem muitas personagens com um grau de protagonismo substancial, pelo menos não no primeiro volume. A Harriet, claro, é a que recebe mais atenção e exploração como protagonista da história, e, deixem-me dizer, que a quantidade não rouba à qualidade aqui. Como já foi mencionado, a Harriet está repleta de particularidades e complexos, os outros não lhe dão muito valor, e ela segue-os nessa tendência. Para ela, o facto de ser inteligentíssima não é conveniente, para que lhe serve se só afasta os outros? Para ela, o seu carisma natural, que funciona ao contrário de todos os outros, só a frustra, fá-la sentir-se desconfortável consigo mesma. Para ela, a sua aparência única é um grande defeito, para quê olhar para o espelho se já sabe que é diferente de todos à sua volta? Para ela, nada chega. Não consegue arranjar um único pedaço de si que ame porque todas as suas melhores características foram pintadas como deformidades fatais e atiradas para a pilha dos defeitos por aqueles que, por não conseguirem lidar com a inveja que sentem da sua singularidade, se decidiram a odiá-la e a fazê-la sabê-lo e senti-lo. A Harriet tem um conflito muito óbvio dentro de si ao longo do livro, um que muitos de nós conseguimos entender e com que também nos debatemos, e vê-la lutar com toda a força que tem, mesmo que às vezes isso signifique resignar-se por cansaço, contra a caixa onde a puseram é inspirador e incrivelmente emotivo. Ela é uma personagem fantástica e vê-la a conquistar alguma empatia por si e a encontrá-la em outros que como ela, também são diferentes, é muito especial. Claro que não consegue tudo no primeiro livro, mas é um começo. Além dela, também Nat é algo desenvolvida. Percebemos que ela começa, muito lentamente, a chegar à conclusão que o sonho de ser modelo foi algo que lhe foi vendido, não algo que ela tenha escolhido. Depois de ultrapassar os sentimentos de traição que a seleção da Harriet lhe trouxe, consegue simplesmente estar lá para a amiga e sentir-se feliz pela felicidade dela, sem se pressionar com o que vem a seguir. Também ela desafia estereótipos, apesar de ser perfeita em todos os sentidos convencionais, escolhe ser simpática para todos que o merecem, defende Harriet com toda a sua força e nunca abdica da sua amizade em nome da popularidade. Nem todos os personagens do livro têm explicações por trás das suas personalidades vincadas mas é para isso que as sequelas servem, para expandir personagens que mesmo superficialmente, já são interessantes de ler.

Rᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ: Tenho de admitir, o romance é sem dúvida uma das partes mais encantadoras do livro e da coleção. Apesar de este primeiro volume não se focar de forma tão profunda nele, e só o usar como uma alavanca do crescimento de Harriet, eu não me importo, porque ela merece e é uma das relações mais queridas que já li (spoilers, só melhora nos próximos livros, mas tudo a seu tempo). Não há nada da suposta estupidez que se assume que acontece na idade da Harriet em termos de relações, é tudo saudável. O Nick aprecia verdadeiramente a Harriet, vê-a e ouve-a e todas as inseguranças que a fazem hesitar em relação a ele são precisamente as coisas que ele mais adora nela. Ela acha que fala demais e não tem filtro, ele ADORA. Ela sente-se embaraçada sempre que um dos seus factos malucos lhe sai da boca para fora, ele ADORA. Ela não consegue ver beleza ao espelho a menos que esteja cheia da produção profissional, e ele está fascinado por todas as suas feições. Agora digam vocês: ADORO! Porque não há nada a não adorar e acho mesmo que independentemente da idade, qualquer leitor fica a guinchar sempre que o Nick aparece na página.

Iᴍᴇʀsᴀ̃ᴏ: Não sendo um livro de fantasia, a única questão que se coloca é se o livro mantém o leitor interessado durante longos períodos de tempo e se o consegue fazer realmente sentir a história e as emoções da Harriet. E consegue, definitivamente, nada a acrescentar.

Iᴍᴘᴀᴄᴛᴏ: Já mencionei várias vezes a faceta emocional do livro, não será uma surpresa que nesta categoria ganhe imensos pontos. Além disso, a primeira vez que peguei nesta obra foi em 2017, e desde aí já a reli várias vezes sem me fartar, e posso dizer que todas as cenas que têm o objetivo de tocar o leitor ainda tocam. E sim, com certeza ainda guincho quando é hora do Nick, então alguma coisa aqui foi bem feita.

Cʟᴀssɪғɪᴄᴀᴄ̧ᴀ̃ᴏ Fɪɴᴀʟ:⭐⭐⭐⭐+ ½

Iᴅᴀᴅᴇ Aᴄᴏɴsᴇʟʜᴀᴅᴀ: Parece-me que qualquer um a partir dos 13 anos pode, e deve, ler este livro. Até quem tem bastante mais de 13 e se revê no que eu disse, vale a pena, é uma delícia. Só não recomendo que leiam mais cedo porque há o tema do bullying, a Harriet realmente sofre forte e feio, e porque quão mais perto da idade da protagonista quem lê for, mais fácil é entendê-la.

Cᴏɴᴄʟᴜsᴀ̃ᴏ/Oᴘɪɴɪᴀ̃ᴏ Fɪɴᴀʟ: Este livro tem um ligar muito especial no meu coração e continua até hoje a ter uma coisa ou duas para eu aprender, não só os factos engraçados, esses dão sempre jeito, mas também a nível pessoal, porque aceitar a nossa individualidade é sempre uma lição dura de interiorizar. Assim, RECOMENDO este livro vivamente!

Pᴀʀᴀ ᴏʙᴛᴇʀ: Geek Girl - Agora sou chique, Holly Smale - Livro - Bertrand

Assɪɴᴀᴅᴏ: Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ 𝐿𝓊𝓏 Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Olá, peço desculpa se digo alguma coisa estranha porque estou a usar um tradutor. De qualquer forma, queria perguntar-lhe se já leu "Powerless" quero saber se achas que é um bom livro, porque estou a pensar se o devo ler.

Olá, fico muito feliz por saber que, apesar de não falares português, segues o blog e valorizas a minha opinião. Bem-vindo/a!

Sobre a tua questão, honestamente nunca li nem ouvi falar desse livro, mas pela pesquisa rápida que fiz, aparentemente é bastante popular no booktok...e eu não ando por aí.

Não tomes a minha perspetiva como verdade absoluta, mas pela sinopse e fatores que levaram à popularidade da obra, estou disposta a assumir que é mais uma das que prioriza as ideias em vez da execução...e que está demasiada agarrada a clichês e a um entendimento superficial de " Os Jogos da Fome" (nos quais se inspira).

Do meu ponto de vista, o livro não vale o investimento, mas se o quiseres mesmo ler, tenta arranjar uma cópia na tua biblioteca local para não perderes nada se não o apreciares. Relativamente a sugestões de leituras do mesmo género, não me estou a lembrar de nenhuma, mas não faltam opções maravilhosas no blog se quiseres explorar outras tipologias literárias.

Assɪɴᴀᴅᴏ: Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ 𝐿𝓊𝓏 Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

— Nice try, Jane Sinner, Lianne Oelke.

Character aesthetic of Jane Sinner, budding psychologist with unclear motivations. Existential angst in it's purest form 🧡

🧡 Nice Try, Jane Sinner 🧡

Character aesthetics | Jane Sinner |

Fantasy books written by women are often assumed to be young adult, even when those books are written for adults, marketed to adults, and published by adult SFF imprints. And this happens even more frequently to women of color.

This topic’s an ongoing conversation on book Twitter, and I thought it might be worth sharing with Tumblr. And by “ongoing,” I mean that people have been talking about this for years. Last year, there was a big blow up when the author R.F. Kuang said publicly that her book The Poppy War isn’t young adult and that she wished people would stop calling it such. If you’ve read The Poppy War, then you’ll know it’s grimdark fantasy along lines of Game of Thrones… and yet people constantly refer to The Poppy War as young adult – which is one of its popular shelves on Goodreads. To be fair, more people have shelved it as “adult,” but why is anyone shelving it as “young adult” in the first place? Game of Thrones is not at all treated this way…

Rebecca Roanhorse’s book Trail of  Lightning, an urban fantasy with a Dinétah (Navajo) protagonist has “young adult” as its fifth most popular Goodreads shelf. The novel is adult and published by Saga, an adult SFF imprint. 

S.A. Chakraborty’s adult fantasy novel City of Brass has “young adult” as its fourth most popular Goodreads shelf. 

Tasha Suri’s Empire of Sand, an adult fantasy in a world based on Mughal India, has about equal numbers of people shelving it as “adult” or “young adult.” 

Book Riot wrote an article on this, although they didn’t address how the problem intersects with race. I also did a Twitter thread a while back where I cited these examples and some more as well. 

The topic of diversity in adult SFF is important to me, partly because we need to stop mislabeling the women of color who write it, and also because there’s a lot there that isn’t acknowledged! Besides, sometimes it’s good to see that your stories don’t just end the moment you leave high school and that adults can still have vibrant and interesting futures worth reading about. I feel like this is especially important with queer rep, for a number of reasons. 

Other books and authors in the tweets I screenshot include:

Witchmark by C.L. Polk

A Ruin of Shadows by L.D. Lewis

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

The Day Before by Liana Brooks

A Phoenix First Must Burn edited by Patrice Caldwell

Shri, a book blogger at Sun and Chai

Vanessa, a writer and blogger at The Wolf and Books

TLDR: Women who write adult fantasy, especially women of color, are presumed to be writing young adult, which is problematic in that it internalizes diversity, dismisses the need and presence of diversity in adult fantasy, and plays into sexist assumptions of women writers. 

Sneak peak into something I’ve been working on

Author’s Note: it’s not a fan thing, it’s something of my own that I thought might be cool to share. Feedback appreciated, hope you like it.

⚠️: none

word count: 218

Pandora, a girl whose name shows just how confident her parents were that she’d be trouble, was actually quite a surprise, in that, she was nothing of a surprise. You see she lived on (or rather near as the thing itself was uninhabitable to life as we know it) Alnilam, although most people get a better idea of where she lives when she says “Yeah, you see that middle star on Orion’s Belt? That’s where I live” and as an approximation, the statement wasn’t incorrect. Living in such a place seems exciting until you realise that the nearest shopping centre is near Iota Orionis B. Alnilam is, for the most part, just empty space, its sort of like living on the space prairie. Which is an odd comparison as there aren’t any cattle up there either. Maybe a better comparison is that it’s like empty space with a couple of really bright lights. Pandora didn’t know why her parents worried about her so much, it’s not like there was actually anything for her to do around here. She often found herself thinking, “what if I made there be something to do around here?” And such things like that. She was an ambitious girl by all accounts, no one doubted that she could do anything, for better or worse.

Hope you like, feel free to comment on anything about it, it doesn’t have a title either if anyone has any ideas.

Please in the name of Apollo and Dionysus

I’ve been told by dozens of agents that there isn’t a market for my #ownvoices series about a group of queer kids surviving the apocalypse.

please reblog this if you’d be interested in an LBGT+ sci-fi YA book, I want to prove a point

I think that there’s something to be said about the recent influx of comments saying that YA fiction as a genre needs to be replaced by something that divides YA fiction into younger teens and older teens/newer adults. While this is something that could be done, and done well (because there is a difference in tastes from being 12 and being 18) it is really telling when the reasoning behind “let’s divide YA fiction into subsections of age” is just to allow smut/sex scenes in the YA-realm without facing the criticism.

YA fiction has always, always been for kids and teenagers aged 13-18. Yes, it’s very likely that younger kids will pick up these books. I was 11 when I read The Hunger Games and Divergent. Similarly, I was 13 when I started reading adult fiction. But I knew what I was getting into, and I knew that going up an age group would entail more mature topics. I understand that it is on me, as the consumer, to research the content of the media I consume and protect myself. By reading genres that were above my recommended age level, I knew that I might read things that made me uncomfortable, and I was okay with it because I also knew that those genres were not written for me.

Which brings me to S/JM, Shelby Mahurin, etc. Because these books are adult books written and then published in the YA genre. These were absolutely not categorized correctly by publishing. These books were not written for kids aged 12-18, but they were advertised as such. And because of it, kids were introduced to themes that they weren’t ready for. There’s a big difference between “coming-of-age” stories and “erotica but it’s fantasy” and authors/publishers need to start respecting that difference. 

So yes, it’s the responsibility of consumers to understand what they might encounter in the material they read. But publishers and authors are equally, if not more, responsible to ensure that the content they release and advertise is appropriate for the audience they target. You cannot tell me that A/COMAF going on every YA bestseller’s list won’t result in young teenagers picking up those books. You cannot. At some point, if an adult book peddled as YA is shoved into everyone’s face, the teens are going to pick it up. 

This responsibility has been completely tossed aside in the past few years, and maybe it’s because of a cultural shift that has flooded media with a demand for violence, sex, whatever. But this general demand does not make it okay to now target younger audiences with that material. Teenagers have the right to demand media that does not make them uncomfortable, and it is unfair for other (ADULT) audiences to demand they change the name/makeup of their genre so stans can keep reading “YA books” by their faves instead of demanding that said authors publish those books under the appropriate marketing.

If your response to criticism is to say that the YA genre needs to be shifted or defined so that teenagers don’t encounter porn in their books, that’s extremely problematic. It’s great that you enjoy those books, and it’s great that you read YA. But this genre has always been for teens. It’s not our fault that it was taken over by explicit topics when the fact that it even happened in the first place was the result of publication shirking their duties to ensure appropriate media. Please stop telling us to “redefine YA lit” or “do your research” when we complain that books make us uncomfortable.

I can’t tell the difference between young adult and new adult anymore

I’ve been working on some illustrations for The Spook’s Apprentice to put in my portfolio, since my book illustrations are a bit scant at the moment.

Originally I planned to use my gel pen for finer hatching like I usually do, but I have some older pieces done that way that I’m still pleased with, so I tried thicker hatching using my mapping pen instead. I think it looks pretty good so far. I’m also trying to be a bit more creative with composition. I’ll probably do three full page illustrations and three insets, and then pick the best ones out of those.

Two more illustrations for The Spook’s Apprentice. Yet more fun with foreshortening, which is usually my mortal enemy. I think I’m slowly getting the hang of it.

Are the illustrations scary enough? Or... too scary? Probably not the second one!

Here are the last two illustrations for The Spook’s Apprentice. We’re firmly back in my comfort zone with ‘scary old ladies’, but the last one was probably the hardest to do with the thicker hatching. I’m still not entirely sure it works on that one.

Reading about YA author drama on TikTok and Goodreads feels like when I read a forum thread derail about professional wrestling. I'm sort of interested but at the same time I have absolutely no idea what's going on.

YA FICTION CLICHE BINGO

REMEMBER: A trope isn’t an evil thing in itself! Tropes are like seasoning. A little pinch here and there is fine, but too much will spoil the dish. 

[ R E F L E C T I O N ]  — Elizabeth Lim

“A reminder that where there is beauty, there is also strength and courage and resilience.”

dates read: 06.15.20  — 06.15.20 rating: 5/5 genre: ya, fantasy, adventure overarching theme: mulan is constantly haunted and challenged by the underworld to face the possibility of destroying her family’s honor and exposing her true identity. only when she confronts her true self, does her real reflection shine back at her. ships: mulan/shang baby! otp for life! cool parts: lots of subtle nods back to dialogue featured in the movie but does an excellent job of pulling it in and making it nuanced in a fun way. all of the exchanges feel genuine. mulan is like a real life Hercules as you read about her traversing the underworld.

                                                      Fav Quote; 

“I am Fa Mulan, a girl who would sacrifice her life for her family and for China. I am a girl who journeyed into the Underworld to save her friend from dying. I am a girl who has fought battle after battle to finally recognize herself in the mirror. And now I do.”

Ideas I'm never going to make

So, I have a lot of ideas I am never going to write because they're not my style. So, instead of never talking about them, I'll leave them here to maybe give some inspiration to others. Most of these ideas are 1-5 years old with a handful being over ten years old and I would love to see them written, I just have no drive to write them.

Don't know how often I'll do this, but don't worry I get a ton of ideas that never go anywhere, so I'm sure there will be more!

Onto the ideas:

A dystopia where only two people actually exist, like actually. The planet and everything on it is destroyed and by the end, it's revealed the other party caused this to happen so they could be alone with the other survivor (romantic or platonic).

A passionate romance where the two parties are dangerously obsessed with each other. It starts where only one party seems dangerous, but is revealed later on they both are. Knowing this is bad, they decide to embrace those feelings for a short time to hopefully get it out of their system.

Two enemies end up stranded together. The injured party is cautious when the healthy is trying to help them. It's revealed later that their bosses were conspiring together to kill the pair.

A mature magical girl. It's still your normal Sailor Moon, but the MC is an adult with children. Specific to what I outlined, her husband was kidnapped because of his research and she gains magical powers to go and save him.

The origin story of a pirate girl. She starts off apart of a fairly kind crew, but she wants to make a name for herself and leaves only to find a mythical being of some kind and be cursed to travel with them. In my case, it was a grim reaper.

A vampire and a vampire hunter who end up on bad (putting it lightly) terms after the hunter assumes the vampire killed their newborn child. Plot twist for me was it was actually the hunter's father and the vampire had to find a way to prove it.

A detective agency that is the center of mysterious murders. Their agency is accused of killing their detainees as anyone who goes in never comes out. Is the killer one of the detectives or is the killer just trying to frame them? The setting for me ended up where the whole group was trapped in the police department like Resident Evil 2 almost.

This one is about to be ten years old and has more detail than the others. Two kids (in about the Gothic Era) go to a toy maker's shop. This is to pick up a toy before their families embark on a long trip somewhere. The toy maker is a mysterious man, but one of his toys end up cursing the children to age backwards. In this reality, objects hold memories so they're told by the toy maker to find objects that have sentimental value as that will maintain their age until they can rid of the curse.

The tale of a sun deity and moon deity creating the sun and moon cycle. The moon was a shy anxious child and the sun was a bright cheerful child for me.

An unassuming tale of a newly wed prince and princess where the story begins as "normal" until night falls and the prince is unable to stay awake. His princess then undergoes her own form of unconsciousness where her daytime "Princess Peach" version is switched for a warrior "Biscuit Krueger" version. Who is duty bound to protect her sleeping beauty. This transformation is similar to Greed and Ling from FMA:B where there's two souls inhabiting one body.

I actually had way more than I thought, so I'm gonna cap it at ten -_-;

Thanks for reading and here's to hoping one day I can read these ideas in their entirety~ 🍂