Fantasy – Page 3 – Marked for Plot

Frontera

This is a book that’s been in my classroom library for a while. It hasn’t been super popular unfortunately, likely because it looks a little to realistic for kids who are browsing in the fantasy section of my library. When a kid had rave reviews for it, however, it was easy to give it a try. Frontera is a quick and emotional read. Immigration is a topic that affects pretty much any country in the world, but Frontera’s relevance is strongest to those living in Mexico and the US. At a brisk 240 pages, it won’t take too much of your time either!

Read if Looking For: immigrant narratives, heartfelt characters, badass cats, angsty teens that feel realistic

Avoid if Looking For: tightly plotted stories, lots of speculative elements, romance storylines

Magic’s Pawn

Along with Nightrunner and Swordspoint, Magic’s Pawn serves as one of the foundations of gay male representation in the fantasy boom in the 80s and 90s. Apparently, this is the year where I finally got around to reading the classics of queer men in the genre I love so dearly. While Swordspoint and Nightrunner had some issues, I found them largely interesting and engaging reads worthy of their place in the cannon. Magic’s Pawn however, I struggled immensely with. I kept listening out of a desperate desire that it would return to the heights of its opening chapters. Unfortunately, I thought this novel was a bit of a mess. I deeply appreciate Lackey for helping to pave the way for greater queer representation, but it isn’t a series I plan on returning to.

Read if You Like: examples of early gay representation in epic fantasy, magic horses, tortured protagonists, instalove

Avoid if you Dislike: graphic suicide attempts, convincing love stories, emotional depth, consistent tone in writing

A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan #2)

The Tainted Cup was one of my favorite reads of last year, and I knew that this book was going to be on my 2025 reading list. Robert Jackson Bennet is a fantastic author who has an ability to write across a wide range of styles. Though billed as traditional murder mysteries, I actually think of this series, I actually think this series lives in a hybrid between mystery, thriller, and fantasy. Overall, I liked book 1 more, but this was still a fantastic read, and I’ll happily keep gobbling them up as they come out!

For my review of book 1, see The Tainted Cup.

Honestly, if you liked book 1, you’ll probably feel similarly about book 2. If you didn’t, I doubt this will solve any issues you had.

Read if Looking For: a murder mystery/thriller in a biopunk world filled with obscure and arcane grafts that modify humans into something more.

Stud and the Bloodblade

It’s been a while since I read a good batch of comics, but ever since I picked up Fables and Abott the urge has been growing in me. While Queer graphic novels are having a real moment right now – and I should probably do some writeups of my favorites – most of the ones I read are for my teaching job. I’m lucky enough to have two comics electives on my rotation (one middle school, and one high school) which keep me fairly busy. Stud didn’t seem like a safe bet for a school-purchase, so it took a lot longer for me to get around to this fabulous looking comic. At 144 pages, it’s tough for me to find reasons to not recommend something as quick and fun as Stud and the Bloodblade.

Read if You Like: Corny superhero vibes, the intersection of satire and seriousness, He-Man references,

Avoid if You Dislike: American Superhero story structures and art style, lack of emotional depth, plots that aren’t airtight, quirky character designs

For more examples of the art, see the bottom of this post.

Sky Full of Elephants

Sky Full of Elephants seemed to be making more waves in the literary and general markets than in spec fic corners of the reading community, which is usually a sign that a book probably isn’t for me (though I’ve been proven wrong before). As comparisons to Toni Morrison and Octavia Butler began popping up, however, I knew that I needed to read it. It didn’t live up to those comparisons unfortunately, but it’s a book that’s been lingering in my head. I think it has a heaping plate of flaws, ambitious ideas, and a captivating writing style. There won’t be many readers who have a tepid reaction to this book, which I think is a good sign that it’s speaking to something important.

As a disclaimer, as a white person, I’m not the target audience for this book, which likely affects my perceptions of this book. I think it’s worth people reading outside books targetted at them, but Sky Full of Elephants is written by and for Black Americans, and is very much about Black American joy, history, and hardship.

Read if You Like: books designed to make you uncomfortable, or to challenge your ideas, utopian societies, big twists, ethical dilemmas in books

Avoid if You Dislike: magic with clear and explainable rules, inconsistent character development, weird potshots at walking dogs on leashes, ambiguous endings

Breath of the Dragon

I was a little hesitant when I heard Fonda Lee announced she was writing a book with Bruce Lee’s daughter. In part, I’ve put Jade City on a bit of a pedestal, which is always a dangerous proposition. However, I tend to be leery when children pick up the work of their parents (Lord of the Rings, Dune, etc), and this book was advertised as an homage of Bruce, as is most (but not all) of Shannon’s books. I’ll admit this isn’t necessarily rooted in anything particularly logical, and some people do it better than others.

Early reviews were that it was a fun, mindless, YA martial arts story that was a pleasant read. Thus, I picked it up on vacation and shelved it for when I needed something to read without putting too much energy into a book. Cue the week I go on 4 field trips in 6 schooldays, supervise 80 kids making pancakes, and generally don’t get any breaks to do the administrative parts of the teaching job that never end. This book met my expectations, meaning I don’t regret reading it, and probably won’t grab the sequel when it comes out.

Read if Looking For: Fight scenes, tournament arcs, over the top villains, tropes on tropes on tropes

Avoid if Looking For: depth in any aspect of the story

Price of a Thousand Blessings

Price of a Thousand Blessings was one of my most anticipated books coming out this year. Fantasy with a focus of the fantastic, a gay lead who isn’t totally consumed by a romance plotline, and an appealing cover. It didn’t quite hit the heights I was hoping for, but I’ve already purchased the sequel, and this is exactly the type of story I wish traditional publishing were willing to pick up more often.

Read if Looking For: a serious take at a magitech world, reincarnation elements, epic(ish) fantasy with a m/m subplot, secret police pulling the strings

Avoid if You Dislike: slow pacing, characters in denial about their crushes, obvious twists that protagonists refuse to see

The Raven Scholar

Much like Will of the Many last year, The Raven Scholar has taken my little corner of the internet by storm. It’s a mystery, but not a mystery. A tournament arc, but for adults not teenagers. It’s got a scholar main character, but feels as ambitious as epic fantasy! The hype is real, and I’m seeing a lot of people rave about this as their book of the year.

I’m a little bit more pessimistic than most. It’s a good book, and I absolutely intend to pursue the sequels. However, I think there are more issues than a typical review is ready to admit. If you’re willing to commit to the premise and enjoy the ride, I think it’s absolutely worth a read. If you like internal consistency, this book may get under your skin.

Read if Looking For: readable prose, sassy ravens, tournament(ish) arcs, mystery(ish) plots, political maneuvering to set up for an epic fantasy trilogy, tropes executed in fun ways

Avoid if You Dislike: the nagging voice in the back of your head reminding you that the explanations for badass twists don’t make sense if you think very hard about what’s happening, a protagonist whom everyone hates for no discernable reason

The Vessel’s Blood

I was asked to read this book by the author. I did not receive any payment for this review, and the book was purchased with my own money. My review is my honest opinion about the book.

Compared to many readers, my taste in books can verge on the unknown. For others, my reviews are remarkably mainstream. I can say with certainty though, that this is the least-reviewed book I’ve ever read (with the sole exception of a book of poetry retelling the story of Cronus written by a friend). It also happened to have a rather intriguing premise: what would the story of a man whose destiny is to turn into a god, their own soul consumed, when everything goes wrong? Throw in a pair of gay protagonists who don’t immediately fall in love, and it should be right up my alley. In general, I loved the ideas behind this book, but have some large reservations about the writing craft elements that didn’t work for me. Thankfully, craft can be workshopped.

Read if Looking For: non-romantic gay epic fantasy, spoiled brats acting like soiled brats, books that focus on scenework over narration, expansive worldbuilding

Avoid if Looking For: books tackling existential questions, romantasy, breakneck prose

The Rage of Dragons

Recently, my epic fantasy books have been political and social in nature. They’re wonderful, but I’ve been itching for the style of Epic Fantasy featuring big armies and world-ending cataclysms. The Rage of Dragons lived up to that promise admirably. It’s more action-heavy than a traditional epic fantasy, with less emphasis on worldbuilding than is traditional. It lived up to the hype, and while I’m not planning to rush into a sequel, its a series that’s on my list to return to sometime in the next few years.

Read if Looking For: lots of fight scenes, quick pacing, the power of friendship & hard work, African-inspired fantasy settings

Avoid if Looking For: chosen one protagonists, unproblematic romance subplots, dragons as a major part of the story (probably more in sequels though)