Get to know the Fantasy Reader Tag || Because I am queen

Hello, my cool little beans of the universe. 

It is a well-known fact that fantasy is obsession around here and swords are the reason for existence and fantasy characters are evil little munchkins that we shall forever love for the rest of our lives. BUT Fantasy was kind of being neglected and I felt bad for being that wicked and not talking about it as much as I should, SO I decided to do the fantasy reader tag because tags were being neglected too (but that’s okay because I don’t care about tag’s feelings #evil and I like being wicked like that). But we shall stop here and start with the actual stuff that matters. So, I saw this tag over on Ashmita’s blog and also Cherry’s blog and IT JUST LOOKS SO AMAZING, AND TO KEEP MY REPUTATION AS QUEEN OF FANTASY READERS, I HAD TO DO IT TOO.

RULES

• Make sure you give credit to the original creators of this tag – this tag was originally created by Bree Hill.
• If you want to, pingback to the post you first saw this tag
• Have fun!

THE QUESTIONS + MY ANSWERS

What is your fantasy origin story? (The first fantasy you read)

Ah hahaha. I feel like a successful fantasy reader for the first time in my life reading this question, I don’t know why. It’s like I get have my very own villain origin story, but for… Fantasy? But it was Harry Potter, the love of my life (book not author), and Hogwarts with magic spells and teachers with cool abilities such as turning into cats and growing younger the more years you’ve lived, and cool people with cool half moon glasses who popularly go by the name of Dumbledore and also innocent little prophecy whisperers like Trelawney (I hate because too innocent) and BUCKBEAK I LOVE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE and also DOBBY my squishy little Dobby I will forever love.

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… Honestly don’t know. Rick Riordan maybe, because he does not have a hobby of killing off characters simply for the sake of keeping the plot going like almost every other fantasy author (and i’ll also get riptide. Or some other sword, which would not be as good, but i’ll snatch it) and i’ll have like 50% more chance of surviving??? AND CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT I DESPERATELY WANT TO LIVE, he is definitely the most practical answer. But when have I resorted to everyday stuff like practicality just to keep myself alive hmm? I’d love for the story to be written by maybe Holly Black because although I will probably most certainly absolutely die in the first 10% of the book, I love her world building and writing style too much to give that up, AND SHE IS ALSO QUEEN, OKAY!? As for a trope, found family? Magic school? Yes. 

What is a fantasy series you’ve read this year that you want more people to read?

I read so many fantasy series this year, I am honestly proud and it also made me more evil and I LOVE THAT. But definitely Traitor’s Game because it is AMAZING, and very underrated. What can I say I am very easy to please sometimes. And it has magic and unique world building and KESTRA I love her, and this evil king who goes by the name of Endrick (VERY COOL NAME) and also mouth wateringly delicious secrets that I want to steal and keep hidden forever because I am very greedy like that. YOU NEED TO READ THIS OR YOUR LIFE WILL NEVER FEEL COMPLETE, OKAY?!

What is your favourite fantasy subgenre?

Ughhh, DARK FANTASY. ALL THE EVIL, I LIVE FOR IT. It is the best thing ever and I’m not lying. Just looking at them makes my mouth water and I NEED THEM ALL, OKAY?! And swords obviously and sorcery too because WHO WILL EVER SAY NO TO MAGIC (unless you’re a little green alien who has lived all their life surrounded by magic and has eaten food made of magic too and has come to boring old non-magical earth just to escape from it all. In that case, I ENVY YOU, ungrateful little creature). And I am insanely in love with dragons too, especially the ones that help you conquer the world, though I don’t think that counts as a sub genre? 

What sub-genre have you not read much from?

Futuristic fantasy, or science fiction as sub genre? I just gravitate more towards SWORDS and RIPTIDE and DAGGERS because hello, I’m all here for the DRAMA! Guns on the other hand just… no? I’ve got nothing against them, but swords are more amazing and SUPREME and I love them without any other reason (topic not open for judgement at the moment) and I also like medieval settings WAY more than futuristic ones because DRAMATIC. And there’s, like, this dust/sand type vibes involved and that is just so nice. But I also don’t read enough Magical Realism and I don’t know why? Need to correct that sometime soon. 

Who is one of your auto-buy fantasy authors?

Considering I actually started “seriously” reading fantasy and keeping track of magnificent beings who popularly go by the name of ‘authors’, only this year, I don’t think there’s a single author I’ve read all the books of. But I think Jennifer A. Nielson (but I HATE False Prince so) And Rick Riordan. Definitely Rick Riordan. Man, his humor is to KILL FOR. And I am now officially obsessed with Greek Mythology and want to be Athena’s daughter so bad because, like, wisdom. I LACK TOO MUCH. And agh, there’s Annabeth too, does this stop getting any better? And also Holly Black, we do not forget Holly Black. 

How do you typically find fantasy recommendations? 

Umm, apart from the fact that Goodreads is my life (or was until some time this year when I got too busy and just quit, it’s so sad) BLOGGING is the major reason why I have such a long list of fantasy books I need to get to REALLY FAST or be forever abandoned in the depths of tartarus by cruel humans who keep asking me why I haven’t read them yet. And it is also the purpose of my life to read every single fantasy book ever written, so I am a very busy olive, you know? 

What is an upcoming fantasy release that you’re excited for?

I hate to admit it, but I don’t really keep track of new releases and it is very humiliating. But see I think I’m doing my TBR a favor by trying to keep it under control like that. And I’m also generally very impatient so the wait might just end up killing me and I need to live if I want to read more fantasies, don’t I? But I’m very excited for the daughter of the moon goddess releasing in January of 2022! And others, but like trying to remeber names is universally acknowledged torture so I’ve given up trying and just accepted the sad truth that my memory when it comes to book titles is pretty much nonexistent. Thank you. 

What is one misconception about fantasy that you’d like to lay to rest?

It isn’t nonsensical rubbish. So please stop calling it that and being so unfair and GIVE IT A CHANCE. Sure, it’s all made up, but isn’t that the best thing? The uniqueness? It isn’t true, but how much more unreal than a realistic fiction novel, tell me? Fantasy isn’t useless, and it holds really important messages too, so you’d better learn to see that or stop bad mouthing fantasy just like that without reading it first, okay? 

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?

This is a very scary, scary question. Three books that determine someone’s life as fantasy reader extraordinaire or fantasy hater for eternity, and IT IS TERRIFYING OKAY! And my recommendations would also depend on what they otherwise prefer too, like humor or romance, or swords or Dumbledore’s glasses or what (I mean you don’t want to be so dumb as to recommend a romance hater a fantasy + romance book like the traitors game and then drive them away screaming forever, right? Sure, they could have a change of heart and start liking BOTH fantasy and romance but IT IS TOO RISKY). So, top three:

1. Percy Jackson (easy to get into, PERCY IS SUPREME, the humor, and also RIPTIDE)
2. Harry Potter (Hogwarts, magic, SIRIUS BLACK, centaurs, dragons, LITERALLY EVERYTHING)
3. The traitors game (reasons already mentioned in question 3)

ALL THE QUESTIONS BECAUSE I AM KIND 

I haven’t answered all the questions because I love to be a rule-breaking olive sometimes, but here’s a list of them if you want to do this tag!

1. What is your fantasy origin story? (The first fantasy you read)
2. 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?
3. What is a fantasy series you’ve read this year, that you want more people to read?
4. What is your favourite fantasy subgenre?
5. What sub-genre have you not read much from?
6. Who is one of your auto-buy fantasy authors?
7. How do you typically find fantasy recommendations? 
8. What is an upcoming fantasy release that you’re excited for?
9. What is one misconception about fantasy that you’d like to lay to rest?
10. 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?
11. Who is the most recent fantasy reading content creator you came across that you’d like to shoutout?

What is your favorite genre?? What are your thoughts on Fantasy? DOES THE MENTION OF DARK MAGIC MAKE YOU INSANELY EXCITED TOO??? Favorite fantasy books?? Fantasy books you’re dying to read?? And what do you think about Dumbledore’s glasses and Riptide, tell me!