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Top Ten Tuesday: If Awful Fantasy Locations were Tourist Destinations

2/26/2019

6 Comments

 
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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl
 
This week’s prompt for Top Ten Tuesday is ‘Places Mentioned In Books That I’d Like to Visit’. As I tried to recall locations from books that I’d like to visit, I realised that most of the places that came to mind were extremely dangerous or downright unpleasant. Since I’m quite fond of home comforts, that left me at a dead end.

As my mind whirled through all the tangents that sprung from this prompt, I hit on the idea of awful fantasy locations as travel destinations. I still could only think of eight. Nonetheless, I hope you have as much fun reading this list as I had making it.

The Other World from Coraline

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Let button-eyed replicas of everyone you know cater to your every whim! Enjoy a hot-rock massage, or catch a show before settling down for a gourmet meal.

The Mines of Moria from The Lord of the Rings

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Journey through the historic mines of Khazad-dum, greatest kingdom ever built by the dwarves and founded by Durin I himself. Slay hordes of orcs and goblins as you try to find safe passage through the mine. For a small additional fee, you can keep any treasure you can carry out!

The Unsea from the Grisha Trilogy

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Explore the ruins of this once-fertile and now utterly dark area of Ravka! Adventure awaits for the daring traveller in Ravka’s infamous Shadow Fold. Fitness enthusiasts can join the annual foot race from Kribirsk to Novokribirsk! All survivors will receive a commemorative medal.

The Crystal Caverns from Air Awakens

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The ultimate escape room experience for adrenalin junkies. Can you find a way out of the caverns before the crystal magic turns you into a monster?
 

The Netherworld from Kaelandur

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For the extreme adventurer! Spend infinity fleeing from demons and the dead as you cross the unceasing, frozen wastelands in search of an exit. Make it out alive and you’ll discover that centuries have passed and everyone you loved is dead.
 

Silent City from The Mortal Instruments

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An exotic location built from the ashes of dead Shadowhunters. Book now and you’ll get one night’s free accommodation in the dungeons.

Isle of the Dead from The Alehouse at the End of the World

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Positioned inside the belly of the giant Kiamah beast, the Isle of the Dead is the ultimate in exclusive travel destinations! Catch a ferry or travel inside a whale to this island paradise where you can enjoy some of the best ale in the world before enjoying the unique experience of having a crow god harvest your soul.
 

Endovier Salt Mine from Throne of Glass

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Enjoy a working holiday in a picturesque setting! Nestled between the Ruhnn mountains and the Oakwald forest, Endovier is a backpacker’s dream destination.
 
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Book Review: The Night My Dead Girlfriend Called by Feyisayo Anjorin

2/22/2019

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Badoo’s girlfriend, Sade, has called him every night since they first started dating, the only exception being the period between her death and the day she was buried. At first, the Nigerian police officer thinks the calming herbs Pa Fakunle gave him are causing hallucinations, but then Sade calls again. Badoo’s cell phone service provider thinks he’s a prank caller and when he tries to talk his boss into opening an investigation into Sade’s disappearance, he ends up being sent for psychiatric evaluation. While Badoo suffers this strange, personal crisis, the question arises of whether Nigeria should adopt the use of the law enforcement robots that are so popular in the Allied Nations, but Badoo cannot protest against this issue unless he’s declared to be sane.

Anjorin seamlessly merges the ancient magic of traditional healers with a 22nd-century Nigeria where police robots are the norm in parts of the world. Badoo’s efforts to move on with Bunmi result in acts of vengeance from Sade that are both humorous and chilling at once. Badoo’s sense of pride and culture as both a Yoruba and an African is keenly felt even though he is also very much a modern man. Anjorin paints this world in broad strokes, building a picture of global politics through small details in the narrative rather than exposition. This includes several surprising details, one being that the Christian rapture has occurred. Excellent pacing and tender, atmospheric prose make this novella difficult to put down. I also enjoyed reading the poems that appear between several chapters. The Night My Dead Girlfriend Called is a tour de force straddling both literary and speculative fiction genres.

Reviewed for Reader's Favorite
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Top Ten Tuesday: Underrated Books

2/19/2019

1 Comment

 
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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I am so keen for this week’s topic! I read lots of obscure books, and while many suck, there are so many treasures hidden among the coal. I could’ve gone on and on with this list but I managed to trim it down to the books that have made the biggest impact on me.

I hope you enjoy this list, please let me know if you’ve read any of these and leave me a link to your own TTT post so I can check out your list!

The Kaelandur Series by Joshua Robertson

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Lord of the Rings vibe, but darker. I only have good things to say about this series: Branimir is an enchanting protagonist with an amazing growth arc, the magic system is simple but has a high cost, the world building is complex and alters realistically during the time Bran is trapped in the Netherworld.

Between the Shade and the Shadow by Coleman Alexander

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This novel has fascinating world building, some of the most impressive features being the nocturnal sprites’ body language and mythology.

The Shad-Mon, omf, this is one of the best creepy beasties I’ve read in a long time.


Fire on the Clouds trilogy by Michael Ban

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Because talking sword chooses to call itself Creep and secretly would quite like to be a baker. Elai using his knowledge and wits to con his way out of bad situations.

Two books in, this series is the perfect balance between parody and an epic quest.

Children of the Furnace by Brin Murray

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Global Warming Dystopia that reads like something you'd be assigned at school and end up loving. The world is amazing and the characters make you want to protect them forever.

Dark of Winter by Christopher Percy

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Dark fantasy with entertaining quirks. Enemies must team up against a greater foe, and if you have a sick sense of humour, like me, you’ll love the little gremlin creepies in their corpse puppets.

The Forest beyond the Earth by Matthew S. Cox

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The plot twists and slow revelations in this dystopian novel left me gobsmacked. 

The Fall of Lostport by RJ Vickers

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Such pro-active characters, each with their own scheme to save the small kingdom of Lostport. I also love this novel because the premise of girls not being able to inherit a kingdom is used as a barrier to everyone in the kingdom.

The Spiderlily Chronicles by Nicole Martinsen

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I know a lot of people love TOG, but I loathed it. The Spiderlily Chronicles shares some similarities to TOG, except they're good.

The Heartstone Series by Nicholas Rinth

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Compelling magic system that includes some twisted ritual to imbue a crystal with magic, shipping Jack and Sylvie, the concept of the sunken tower. These books remind me a little of Dragon Age.

Aunt Sookie and Me by Michael Scott Garvin

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Grumpy aunts who do as they please and bodies buried in the vegetable garden, this novel is quirky and funny but it also takes a no-nonsense look at bigotry and bias. An excellent read with amazing reveals. 
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    Caitlin has loved fantasy from a young age. She started writing in earnest because she couldn’t find the book she needed to read.
     
    Caitlin enjoys listening to music, watching anime, researching random subjects so she can be a better know-it-all, and playing the odd game.   
     
    She lives in South Africa with her son.

    Her work received highest honours in the 2017 SAWC Short Story Competition.

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