E.G. Stone's Blog, page 2

Word Nerdery: What’s in a Name?

Recently, I started doing some background preparation for a new project. This involves starting a new (physical) notebook, putting together some world lore, creating a map, and—perhaps most importantly—naming my characters. I have names for just about every character that is immediately important, however there is one (some might argue a main character) that is giving me some problems. No matter what name I pick, it doesn’t seem to fit.

(Actually, that’s not quite true. I had a perfect name, but when I did a search of it, the name was one letter away from a clothing brand, so that was out.)

This got me to thinking about the significance of names for characters in books (and in life) and what different names can mean for readers of a book. 

Now, naturally, parents go through a similar process when trying to decide on a name for their child. However, I would argue that it is slightly less complicated, since most parents are drawing on one (or two) different cultures and a set list of names. Also, they tend to have far fewer children than authors have characters. 

And some might suggest that names are less important than the actual personality of a person/character, but despite Shakespeare’s claim that a rose would smell as sweet by any other name, I can almost guarantee that Juliet wouldn’t be waxing poetic over the Death Thorn, even if it were the exact same plant. Names have power. Significant power. Give someone a terrible name and they’ll spend their entire lives trying to live it down. (Or they’ll change it as soon as legally able.) There are horror stories about people who were named something like, oh, I don’t know, Siri or Alexa, who are now traumatised for life. (I knew a Siri in school. I wonder what happened to her.)

A name can indicate certain personality traits, cultural background, financial status and much more. Can a name be shortened to a nickname? Will a person use a nickname or insist on the full kit and caboodle? All of this tells quite a bit about a person, all from a simple thing as a name.

For me as a fantasy author, names are even a bit more complicated. Is my world going to have Scottish sounding names? Why? Did a clan system exist where the Mac- affix is necessary? For first names, do I draw on a certain culture (say, Italian) to paint a picture of the world? If I don’t want to invoke a particular culture or part of the world, then I have to get into the complicated world of creating names.

Linguistically, names tend to follow the patterns of their language. Generally speaking, American English speakers aren’t going to name their children Mandarin names. Even if they’re making up a name, there are certain linguistic rules of English that they will follow, which actually limits the number of syllable combinations that are possible in name creation. Dhalir doesn’t sound like an English name, partly because “Dh” as a first syllable and “lir” as a final syllable aren’t common in the English language. 

Because names follow a linguistic pattern, creating names can be quite difficult. It is still likely that a certain culture or language will be evoked by a name because the author has that linguistic background and certain combinations won’t sound natural to them. Even if a person has multiple languages to draw upon, there is still likely to be a pattern in the resulting names. 

Even more difficult, the reader still has to be able to pronounce this new name.

If I wanted to base my character’s name off of Welsh, then it would likely be incredibly difficult for the readers to pronounce. (Sorry Wales. I have a background in learning many different languages, not to mention degrees in linguistics, and I still can’t figure out most Welsh signs. It is a severely impressive language, and it baffles me.) So instead, I have to draw on Old English or modern English or something out of myth and legend or any base language that English has bastardised (looking at you, Latin).

Now, granted, I am not facing the potential of scarring a living person for life if the name I pick isn’t exactly standard. Unless my books hit the big leagues and parents name their child after my characters, all I face are some confused readers. (And if parents do name their child after my characters, I’m still putting that trauma on the parents’ shoulders.) Still, the right name can shift reader perspective and make a likeable character a villain or vice versa. 

Names are an essential part of how we interact with the world, with people, with our pets, with everything. As such, the pressure to get it right is quite high.

That is to say, I’ve been through my typical naming lists and am now in the “name creation” part of this activity. Wish me luck.

The post first appeared on Tarney Brae Creative Endeavours.

Word Nerdery: Butter My Backside and Call Me a Biscuit – Some Fun with Idioms

This morning, I was reading the news over breakfast, as I do. It’s mostly politics and larger-scale national events, with some international pieces thrown in. However, I’ve tried to get the algorithm to occasionally show me something more lighthearted. A lot of this is gardening (still not sure how I managed to convince the algorithm that I’m that capable a gardener), but occasionally I get something about language. This morning, it was “50 Southern Phrases You Won’t Hear Anywhere Else” from Southern Living magazine, which you can read here: https://www.southernliving.com/culture/sayings/southern-sayings.

Anyways, being the language nerd that I am, I immediately started reading. There were the standard stereotypical Southern idioms, like “bless your heart” and such, but there were also quite a few that I had, in fact, heard somewhere other than the South. (Think they might need to retitle their article.) So I thought I would go through and talk about idioms, not necessarily for any writing-related thing other than they’re just fun.

I grew up in Colorado, which is right in the middle of the continental US. My dad, from whom I heard a great many of these idioms, grew up in Kansas, which is where his family had lived for quite a while (there was a brief stint by my paternal grandmother in Ohio, but not a massively long stint). My mother grew up in California and, I’m afraid, doesn’t have many fun idioms. Sorry, California. Anyways, after Colorado, I went to Ohio, thence to Scotland (a whole different collection of idioms which I will discuss at a later date perhaps), thence to Missouri.

Now, the thing about Missouri is that it is geographically confused. By the lines of the Civil War, which divided the country into North and South, Missouri is on the Southern side of things. However, it is also labelled as being in the Midwest, which is both a geographical designation and a cultural designation. Geographically speaking, the Midwest stretches from Ohio-ish area to Missouri and, excepting the deep Southern states, covers that whole swath. If you look at a map, this patch of the US is nowhere near the middle of the west. However, historically, Colorado is considered the Wild West, so I guess it makes sense. (Which makes California, what, Mars? No wonder I’m so bad at geography.)

Anyways, I live in a place that is a mix of Southern and Midwestern, culturally speaking. Idiom-wise, this place is all over the map.

But, again, looking at this article, there were many I had heard (and often used) before I was living in “The South.” 

So let’s have a look and see how many I’ve used before, just for fun.

Bless your heart – I have only used this ironically, and always with a Southern accent

If I had my druthers – I use this all the time, including in my writing

Hankering – A very common usage for me, especially regarding chocolate

Fixin’ To – Admittedly not as common a usage for me, but it does happen

Over Yonder – Again, not as common, especially given that I’m really, really bad at geography, but not unused

Let me let you go – Almost exclusively used in phone conversations, especially when I’m tired of the conversation and want to do other things

A month of Sundays – I have heard this one more than I’ve used it, but when needing to describe an impossible amount of time, then it’s very useful

You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear – Very useful for life lesson sort of things

Plumb – Usually describing a state of exhaustion, which is not uncommon for me

Gussied up – Since I don’t dress for the occasion very often (yay comfy clothes) then I don’t use this commonly, but I do use it

Hold your horses – Told to my dogs nearly every day when they’re a little too eager and I’m a little too slow

Well, I declare – Used mostly ironically, and again only with a Southern accent

As all get out – Such as “he was funny as all get out”, though I did think it was I’ll get out rather than all. Accents, very complicated things!

I’ll tell you what – I didn’t even realise this was an idiom it’s so common

Y’all – To be honest, I don’t think this is even an exclusively Southern thing, since I’ve heard it everywhere I’ve lived (excepting Scotland) and travelled

Hissy fit – Describing most upset children everywhere, or in my case, my cat when she’s in A Mood

Three sheets to the wind – Often used in writing to describe drunk characters, which honestly I don’t do very often

There were many more idioms in this list that I had heard of but never actually used, and then there were the ones that I’d never heard of before but absolutely need to use in conversation soon. If only I had conversations that would allow for such things given that I don’t naturally have a Southern accent. These include: Well butter my backside and call me a biscuit; and my personal favourite, one day a rooster the next a feather duster.

The thing about idioms is that they are so tied to a place and a people and they don’t often make sense to people outside that place or people. Sometimes they travel and become more widely known (such as “bless your heart”) but mostly, it’s a local thing. And I love them all. 

Do you have any idioms that you use? Can you add to my list of idioms, because I obviously need to grow them and use them and fawn all over them I love them so. If not, then let me let you go and I’ll see you soon!

The post Word Nerdery: Butter My Backside and Call Me a Biscuit – Some Fun with Idioms first appeared on Tarney Brae Creative Endeavours.

Word Nerdery: Romance – Why so Popular? Why so Sneered At?

Valentine’s Day has just recently passed (or, as I like to call it, Chocolate Day) and that often brings romance to the minds of many. Which, for me, immediately leads to thoughts of romance novels and other such stories. I always seem to surprise people when I mention that the romance genre is the most lucrative genre out there. They say, “surely not!” (Okay, they say the modern equivalent of that, because my language is, apparently, stuck in last century. Anyways.) In 2023, romance novels brought in $1.44 billion dollars, which trounced other genres neatly.

(For more romance novel statistics, go here)

Now, even if you’re not a fan of romance, then you have to acknowledge that it does quite well as a genre. The fact that this surprises a lot of people surprises me. The question that they always ask is, “Why?”

First off, let me get something out of the way. I do, indeed, love a good romance novel. However, I am a heteroromantic asexual, which means that while I am romantically interested in men, I experience no sexual attraction. At all. So when I read a romance novel, I read it for the romance, not the spicy bits. I don’t care beans about erotica and, frankly, I usually skip the sex scenes because I get bored. That being said, I have no doubt that loads of people love romance novels for the spice and such. But I am going to group that under the broader title of escapism.

Actually, I think escapism is probably one of the biggest reasons for romance novel popularity. In a world where lots of people have a difficult time either finding a relationship or keeping a relationship alive, reading a book about a woman meeting the man of her dreams (or man meeting the man of his dreams, or woman of her dreams, or whatever combination is out there. Don’t even get me started on alien smut.) can be a way for people to escape their own relationship woes. 

Romance novels have many different types, but they must, must have a happily ever after (HEA), whether that be at the end of the book or the end of the series if it’s a longer story. Knowing that you’re going to read a story with a happy ending is enough to bring comfort to a lot of people, myself included. No matter what drama happens between the beginning and the end, our love interests will end up together and people will be happy. That is such a rare thing in real life that it becomes a valuable thing in fiction.

And, yes, romance novels can be predictable. But again, that is a comforting thing for readers who deal with stress of all sorts in their own life. It can soothe anxiety to know how a story is going to play out. It can bring a bit of peace to a chaotic day. And if the MCs’ life is a little too perfect, if they don’t have to worry about taxes like the rest of us do, then, well, all the better!

Romance novels don’t have to be exclusively predictable montages of aesthetically pleasing people making eyes at each other. I have read many, many romance novels that actually do a better job of dealing with such things as racism, abuse, childhood trauma, disability, mental illness, financial ruin, and more than pieces dedicated specifically about those topics. By couching difficult topics that people deal with on a daily basis in the arms of a story about love, authors can deal with some serious issues while still promising their readers a happy ending.

It is immensely powerful, being able to present issues that are sometimes literally tearing our society apart in such a way that it ends well. Not to mention the fact that there are huge amounts of representation in these books.

I love reading about people with disabilities finding love, not because their love interest is magically able to fix the problem, or they have a disability fetish (ew), but because they see past it. It’s heartwarming. 

I even recently read a book about an ace woman falling in love (not sexually) with her best friend and it was charming and a great read.

And, yes, I imagine that people read a lot of these books for the sex, because that fulfils a different sort of need for escapism, though don’t ask me to explain, because it’s not my area.

Above all, I think the reason that romance novels are so popular is that they just make people happy. In this world full of doom-and-gloom news stories and war and famine and general cruelty to people, finding something that makes people happy is to be celebrated. I guess that’s why Valentine’s day is so popular, too, because it celebrates the idea of a good thing. Though, I do admit, I’m in it for the chocolate.

So to all you romance lovers out there, I say read your books! Swoon over your love interests! Find a story that makes you happy and run with it. And if you don’t like romance much? Well, there is always fantasy. They have dragons in fantasy!

The post Word Nerdery: Romance – Why so Popular? Why so Sneered At? first appeared on Tarney Brae Creative Endeavours.

Word Nerdery: Write What You Know, a Discussion

I recently went to my monthly bookclub at the library. (Libraries are wonderful.) We were talking about R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface, which I didn’t like much for various reasons, though it was interesting. But in the discussion, one of the points that came up was whether a person is allowed to write “outside their lane” as it were. This discussion focused on the characters in the book, but it got me thinking.

For ages, one of the cornerstones of writing advice has been, “Write what you know.” If you know the sounds and scenery of the highlands, write that sound and scenery. Write your pain, write your joy, write what you have experienced so that you can share such experiences with your readers. Now, of course, this advice is a bit broad and can be misinterpreted, because if you stick only to “write what you know” then there would be no fantasy novels. 

(A funny point that was brought up in the discussion was that thriller authors would have to be exclusively spies or murderers if people stuck to that advice. Which would make it easy for the police, I suppose.)

There’s no need for you to know anything about Yellowface to take part in this sort of discussion, and I’m curious what you think. Essentially, the book involves an author who plagiarises her dead friend’s book, passes herself off as Chinese American adjacent, and thus receives massive criticism for writing an experience that she didn’t have ownership of. (There is a lot more that went into this book, so if you’re interested, feel free to read it, but that’s the major point for the sake of this essay.)

Between the advice, “write what you know,” and the criticism the character received for “writing” a story that wasn’t of her culture or heritage, I began to wonder. How much of a story that isn’t our own are we allowed to write?

I’m autistic and disabled. I’ve never not been autistic, but I have been not disabled. So theoretically, I could write about an autistic abled person, and an autistic disabled person, but am I allowed to write about a neurotypical character who is abled? Who is disabled? Who is of a different gender? Who is of a different sexuality? Who has a different cultural background? Who is of a different race? Who has experienced trauma that I’ve not personally experienced? 

I full-heartedly believe that people should be allowed to write the stories of their own people. Black people should be allowed to write stories about Black heritage and history and future and experience. And I also understand that there are some things that another person of differing background could never understand. A white person could never fully understand what it is to be Black, so they shouldn’t try to take ownership of a story about Black voices. But can they write a book with a Black MC?

One of the points that was brought up in the discussion was the role of sensitivity readers. I think that sensitivity readers help to make sure an author portrays an accurate and respectful image of the people being portrayed. And that makes a huge difference when telling a story, because the author has made a point to ask the community whether their story represents them well. I think that’s one way that some of the question of writing a story that isn’t necessarily yours can be answered. But does it answer everything?

This is a topic for which I have no answers. I have many stories to tell and not all of them are experiences that are strictly mine. I have done research and tried to write in a respectful tone, and so have many other authors who run into the same problem. I would argue that all authors may run into this at some point. Where is the line that we shouldn’t cross? How do we write a compelling story only with our own perspective? 

I don’t know. I can do my best, and enlist readers to help shape things, but I don’t know the answer. If you have any thoughts, I would love to hear them. Any thoughts would be most appreciated!

The post Word Nerdery: Write What You Know, a Discussion first appeared on Tarney Brae Creative Endeavours.

Word Nerdery: Classical Fantasy vs Modern Fantasy

Some time about a year, year and a half ago, I watched a video essay on the theme of death and mortality in The Last Unicorn movie. Yes, I am that much of a nerd, though I will admit I prefer reading essays to watching them. Still, having grown up watching the movie, it surprised me to realise that it was based on a book. (It says so right in the beginning credits, but at seven, I was disinclined to read credits.) I immediately put the book on my TBR list and promptly forgot about it.

Then, sometime the beginning of December, I went to Barnes & Noble on my first bookstore trip in the new place (five months after moving. I know, I know, but I really and truly dislike driving, so don’t go out much. Even to bookstores). There, I found a copy of Peter S. Beagle’s The Last Unicorn with a snazzy new cover. I picked it up and got around to reading it over the Christmas holiday.

Shortly after reading The Last Unicorn, I reread The Hobbit for the nth time. I grew up reading Tolkien, which then led to Anne McCaffery, and then to a whole pile of mystery books which have nothing to do with this. Anyways, I haven’t read The Hobbit in a good long while, and I realised during my reread, and my reading of The Last Unicorn, that fantasy really has changed quite a bit over the years.

I will be the first to admit that I haven’t read a lot of the big names in fantasy. Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings has been on my shelf for about six months now and I haven’t even touched it. I only read Robert Jordan’s The Eye of the World last year and still haven’t gotten around to book two. I also haven’t read George R.R. Martin, but I’m not putting him in this category since he was published more recently. The older fantasy novels, though, the Tolkien and the Anne McCaffery, and the Peter S. Beagle, are noticeably different than a lot of the modern fantasy books out there.

In structure, the classical books have a very event-driven style. The Hobbit focuses primarily on getting to The Lonely Mountain and dealing with Smaug rather than the intricacies of characterisation. We get very few descriptions of the characters and the world, except in vague, painterly strokes when a scene needs to be set. I know that The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings vary quite significantly in style, but they both are Tolkien works and are therefore similar in that regard. The events take centre stage.

The Last Unicorn is similar, though it focuses more on character-as-plot-device than anything. The plot is still central, but the characters drive the plot. (For example, Lír is painted as a “hero” and has classic hero tasks.) The description is still limited and the character dynamics are less fleshed out than I see in modern stories. The events of the book, as concerns the characters, take centre stage.

In modern fantasy, of course the plot is central to the story, but I have noticed a lot more focus on the characters-as-people rather than as merely plot devices. There is a lot more description, a lot more little things that characterise the people involved, and they don’t usually exist just to serve the plot. (Okay, to be fair, there are many side characters that exist just to serve the plot, and even I have had a few of those, but in general, these plot-people only exist on paper for a few scenes rather than throughout the book.) The prose seems to be more involved, as though they’re trying to portray life exactly as it is rather than paint a general picture. 

Stylistically, the two types of fantasy are so far apart as to be almost separate sub-genres. 

Now, granted, I haven’t read every classical fantasy book out there. Certainly the various Dragonriders of Pern novels by Anne McCaffery read quite different to Tolkien stories and have a lot more detail, but even those are quite different than modern stories in direct comparison.

Nor have I read every modern fantasy book out there. My tastes are wide and varied, so I’ve dipped into most all sub-genres of fantasy, but I readily admit that I haven’t read the Big Names. However, even the Robert Jordan book that I have read (and this straddles the line, having been published in the late 90s), is quite different than Tolkien. (Despite sharing most major plot points and character archetypes, that is.) 

Direct comparison between say, V.E. Schwab and Peter S. Beagle is significantly vast. Both authors are quite readable, quite entertaining, but they are so different that it’s difficult to compare them well. The language style is more poetic in The Last Unicorn than in A Darker Shade of Magic. The characters are more ephemeral, more shaped by reader imagination than author direction. The plot is grand and epic in both, but with very different scopes. 

As an author, I find the differences to be both astonishing and very interesting. As a reader, I can tell you that I love both styles of fantasy (and need to read more of both). And, as a reader of more than just fantasy, I can tell you that this style shift does not at all hold true in other genres. 

Mystery novels written in the 30s and 40s read very similarly to those written today (disregarding technology, of course). Romance novels from two hundred years ago have the same general plot points and themes as romance novels from the 80s as romance novels today (minus various amounts of spice). Subtle changes in society obviously make reader expectations different, but on the whole, these feel very much fluid across time. Not so with fantasy.

Frankly, I do not mind at all. I fell in love with Tolkien as a child and I continue to love it today, even after having read a vast amount of books in all sorts of genres and styles. I’m pleased to see how fantasy has evolved over time, and I am eager to see what happens next in the world of dragons and magic.

The post Word Nerdery: Classical Fantasy vs Modern Fantasy first appeared on Tarney Brae Creative Endeavours.

Book Review: ImPerfect Magic by CN Rowan

I am a sucker for snark. It’s just one of those things that makes me smile, and seeing it in books is an even better thing. C.N. Rowan’s imPerfect Magic is full of snark. And not only is it full of snark, it’s full of the best kind of snark: intelligent snark. (Well, okay, there is some snark for snark’s sake, but honestly, I can’t complain.)

This book follows Paul, a Cathar priest who accidentally became immortal and has been wandering France (well, the world, but mostly France) for centuries. He cannot be killed, as every time he dies, he gets resurrected in a new body. He is friends with Aicha, a Druze warrior who drank from the fountain of youth (or cup of life, I don’t remember which); and Isaac, a former rabbi who shares his head with an angel. 

The story begins with Paul trapped in a cellar, being tortured by a wizard with poor magic skills. The wizard connects to someone that he and his companions thought dead: Jakob, Isaac’s brother, who also shares space with an angel. This leads to a quest to find the missing man and angel, but there’s someone out there pulling the strings, and the truth of it may bring back some demons from Paul’s past to roost.

This book reads a lot like a Jim Butcher novel. Intelligent prose, characters who have enough power to cause someone to have a Very Bad Day, but who generally are pretty good people. There are magical beasties, questions of good and evil, and a plot line that was twisty without making you lose your way. I will say that some of the snarky responses did go a bit over my head, but that’s because I’m really, really bad a pop culture references. Most of the time, though, I liked it. It’s not always the best trauma response, but when you’ve been alive for 800 years, it’s probably appropriate.

Also, Aicha was really cool.

My only, singular complaint is that I am really bad at geography on a good day, and I’d love a map. Yes, I know it’s France and I can go look up a map, but still. 

Overall, I would say that this book is definitely one worth reading if you’re fond of urban fantasy. It was well written and a great read for a rainy day. An excellent book and well worth the read.

The post Book Review: ImPerfect Magic by CN Rowan appeared first on Quill and Pen Society.

Book Review: Shades and Silver by Dax Murray

Fourth of five books I read for the Indie Ink Awards. I really enjoy unique twists on legends and fairy tales and magical creatures. To take something that is considered established, even if not necessarily real, and create something new out of that magic is quite the feat. So I was pleased to read Dax Murray’s Shades & Silver, a twist on the legends of unicorns and fairies, all in one.

This book follows two different Ástfríður as they work to discover who they are. The first is Britt, a disabled Ástfríður who is about to craft her horn and choose which metal will represent her life. They are unsure of themself and must delve deep to discover what path they want to choose, and whether they will let their disability define them or merely be a part of them. The second Ástfríður is Astrid who is afraid that the others will discover their secret; that they cannot manipulate metal like the other Ástfríður. But there is more than a secret at stake, there is love, and lives.

I was really not quite sure what to expect when this book first started. It began with Britt’s story and the language was very poetic, flowing, that I immediately got lost. Then, Britt’s chapter ended and Astrid’s began, which was a bit jarring. I expected the two to weave together, but it felt very much like Britt’s story was merely an extra scene or a prequel or something. Related, but entirely unconnected. Still, once I understood this, I could dive into Astrid’s story.

The chapters were very short, which was fine given that the story was relatively fast-paced. But there wasn’t a lot of explanation given as to what was going on with the other characters that wove in and out of Astrid’s life. There was her first love, who sort of disappeared from her life for reasons I still don’t quite understand. And the reason for her oddness was never really explained. I’m not sure why it happened, not completely. 

As a short story, I think this piece works quite well since not all the threads of the story are necessarily resolved. As a novella or novelette, I don’t think it works nearly as well since my expectations are that more threads will be explained. 

I will say that the disability representation was done quite well, and having the Ástfríður be a completely non-binary society was very interesting. 

Overall, I would say that this book was interesting and unique, but it was a bit disjointed regarding having Britt and Astrid’s stories in the same volume, and it didn’t really provide the closure I felt like I needed. A good book.

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Book Review: Orphan Planet by Rex Burke

I rarely get a chance to review sci-fi books, despite being quite fond of the genre. Even more rarely do I see colonisation books these days. I’m not sure why, but they rarely cross my desk. I find the idea of colonising the stars quite fascinating. Leaving our planet, broken or simply overcrowded or just fuelled by the thought of a new world. Reaching for something different, new. Alien. 

Rex Burke’s Orphan Planet follows this exact concept, though in this instance, the focus isn’t quite as much on the new world, but on the people we meet along the away. The book follows Jordan, a professor of history who volunteers to join Odyssey Earth’s voyage to a new planet. He is woken up partway through the voyage, however, to babysit six ship-born teenagers after their first teacher and caretaker dies. What he discovers are teenagers who are highly intelligent, perfectly functioning without him, and who have absolutely no clue about what life is like outside the ship. After an unexpected situation arises, Jordan and the teenagers need to pull together to survive. If they listen to him, that is.

I was not entirely sure what to expect when I started this book. Immediately, though I was drawn in to the narration style, which focused on ship-life Jordan and the Jordan of Earth. The teenagers were well crafted and felt exactly as I remember being when I was younger: eager to take on the world, sure of my abilities, and just a little afraid that I was doing everything wrong. I even liked the other adults, just trying to do their jobs and get to this new planet in one piece. The only character that didn’t jive with me all the time was the AI, and that’s only because I only understood half of the pop-culture references (I am, I fully admit, woefully popculturally uninformed). 

The “situation” that arose was a great escalation of the story, stressing the relationships and people in just the right way. I liked that Jordan had to step up and make the teens listen to him, but that they sort of still didn’t. I really liked the reaction of the teens to their new situation. It perfectly fit their life experiences up to then and it was great to read. 

The prose, the characters, the plot, all of it combined into a wholly unexpected book that was both poignant and feel-good at the same time. I absolutely intend to continue reading and would highly recommend this book to any who are interested. An excellent book.

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Book Review: Odd Blood by Azalea Crowley

I love me a good paranormal romance, especially when the typical tropes are twisted and turned and there is some representation thrown in to make it a bit more realistic. (Okay, yes, I know we’re dealing with paranormal romance here, but still. I want my characters to feel real, even if they are…vampires.) It was, therefore, great fun to read Azalea Crowley’s Odd Blood.

1. Thoughts on the plot

This book follows Josephine Pajimula as she meets Eadwulf, a vampire who has been asleep for…a while, and needs to hire a caretaker for his ward while he figures out how to adapt to the new world. Josephine, feeling stuck in her life and desperate for a change, agrees. She is then thrust into the world of vampires and thralls and consorts and rules, as well as some feelings for Eadwulf that she never expected.

I think this book was a great twist on the typical vampire romance. Eadwulf may be tall, but he is decidedly not the normal “alpha” type vampire. None of the vampires in the story fit what is usually the case with PNR, and frankly, I think it worked out really well. The plot was atypical as well, focusing on the little things and building up to the big thing rather than immediately starting off with the big thing, as I often see in PNR. I do think that the twist at the end was a bit unexpected, since there had been no real hints leading up to that point, but as this was more romance than mystery, I’m not too worried about it.

2. Thoughts on the characters

As an MC in a romance, Josephine is definitely not typical. Asian, neurospicy, and demisexual (late blooming demisexual at that) she has a lot of fantastic representation to build upon. Even disregarding those traits, I think she’s a very interesting character since she doesn’t at all fit the typical mould of PNR that I see so often. She is intelligent, capable, just a little lost in the regular world. 

Eadwulf, as previously mentioned, is also not your typical vampire love interest. He’s a bit…goofy, to be honest. A cinnamon roll of a character, most definitely, and in the best way. I do think that he could solve a lot of the potential issues he has with Josephine if he would just communicate, but alas, that’s one of those romance tropes that seems to persist.

3. Favourite part

I think the characterisations were definitely my favourite throughout the book. With the exception of Birdie (see point one), every character felt very well developed and a complete person in their own way rather than someone who exists just to further the plot. Josephine was a great protagonist and I loved reading her story.

4. Critique

I really enjoyed this story, but it did break a lot of the expectations for a PNR book. That’s perfectly fine; I love a good rule breaker of a book, but in this case, I think that it could have used just a smidge less of the break with expectation. Particularly with the way the story built up to the climax, which really felt as if it came out of nowhere. I liked the focus on the small, day-to-day things that made up Josephine’s experience, but it made it that much more difficult to follow the climax of the story.

Also, five acres is a whole lot smaller than the author thinks. That’s just one of those details that bugged the ever living daylights out of me.

Overall, I enjoyed Odd Blood quite a bit. I think Josephine and Eadwulf are adorable and I loved the representation in the book. A good book.

The post Book Review: Odd Blood by Azalea Crowley appeared first on Quill and Pen Society.

Book Review: Ace of Hearts by Lucy Mason (Indie Ink Awards)

This is the first book I judged for the Indie Ink Awards, and I am now able to share reviews with you!

I am very fond of romance novels, despite the fact that I am asexual. I usually skip over any sex scenes, and some of the physical attraction insta-love books aren’t overly interesting to me, but I love romance in general. So when I got the chance to review Lucy Mason’s Ace of Hearts, which is a romance novel with an asexual main character, coupled with some extra drama, I was thrilled. There might have been squealing involved.

1. Thoughts on the plot

This book follows Hesper, a college librarian and artist, and her best friend, Felix, a football player whose career ended before it could really begin due to an ACL injury. To help Felix afford his education and physical therapy, Hesper offers to marry him so he can get her insurance and other benefits. The only problem is: she’s asexual and has been in love with Felix for most of her life. Add in some shadows from the past that haunt her and living together in a tiny house, and you have a perfect romance novel storm.

I really liked the story in this book. It had everything I’ve come to expect from a romance novel, including great character communication and the little events/dates that make up a good romance. There was even a fancy dress affair, which added a bit of something fun and over the top, a perfect note for a best-friends romance. The added drama with Hesper’s past was just the counterpoint this story needed to move past the realm of a bit unrealistic (but still lovely) into poignant and memorable.

2. Thoughts on the characters

I really liked both characters and both view points in the book. Hesper was, naturally, my favourite, since I saw so much of myself in her. Perhaps not in the painting, but in the creating and the need for little routines to make life less overwhelming. And especially in the heteroromantic asexuality (though I lack a best friend like Felix, alas). She was smart without being arrogant, kind and strong and a wonderful character to read. And the interactions with Felix? Lovely example of actual communication!

Felix, too, was a great character to read, and I liked seeing the relationship from his point of view. I really appreciate the fact that he accepted Hesper for who she was without holding it over her or making a big deal out of things. It was just, “This is Hesper and she’s my best friend, so it’s all good.”

3. Favourite part

I appreciated the whole plot in general as a representative romance novel, but I especially liked the fact that Hesper being ace wasn’t the primary point of the story. It was a big piece of it, certainly, and I did like the detail that was involved in that to make it understandable for people who might not have that sort of experience, as well as touching on what most allosexuals might thing about ace people. However, the fact that Hesper was ace wasn’t the point of the story. The point of the story was a best-friend romance with an added bit of drama to overcome as a pair. And I loved the entire ride.

4. Critique

I don’t have any major critiques for this book. It was smoothly written, very few (if any) errors, and the story made me happy, which is rather the point of a romance novel I think. I did wonder about some of the motivations for Hesper’s father’s actions, since they seemed so illogical; honestly, though, I don’t think they were meant to be logical. That’s the point of the whole situation. 

Overall, I would say that Ace of Hearts was an excellent romance novel that had a great range of characters and two MCs that I could lost myself in for a while. It was a very well done representation and didn’t feel out of place at all in the story, no matter the reader’s sexual orientatian. An excellent read!

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