R.M. Archer's Blog, page 13

Underrated Character Relationships

One of the things I love most about Calligraphy Guild is the variety of character relationships, so today I thought I’d highlight some of the relationships I enjoyed most and relationships I would love to see more of in fiction–including a couple that don’t appear in Calligraphy Guild (though I have plans to use all of these at some point. ;) )

Realistic Siblings

I’m the oldest of five siblings, so I love reading about sibling characters who nag at each other a bit, tease one another, but ultimately love and appreciate one another and make up after disagreements. Duyên is also an oldest sister, though she only has two siblings: Sakura and Sinh. Her relationship with Sakura was actually inspired by my relationship with my oldest sister, and her relationship with Sinh was somewhat informed by my relationship with my own brother. It was really neat to be able to weave in pieces of my own family and highlight them that way.

The other set of siblings is Tora and her older brother Makio. (They have another older brother, Tuan, but he doesn’t play as significant a role in this book.) Tora and Makio are a little bit idealized (a consequence of Makio being a lot of what I’d want in an older brother, lol), but their relationship is so sweet and I loved writing their scenes together.

Healthy Parent-Child Relationships

Y’all, this is especially a problem in YA fiction. Where are all the healthy parent-child relationships?? I’m so tired of all the dead or abusive parents in fiction. Who’s with me in writing more of what parents should be? While a good number of the characters in Calligraphy Guild are adults no longer near their parents (and a couple of characters do have dead or negligent parents), Duyên and her siblings have healthy relationships with their parents based on the relationships I’ve experienced and seen around me. Ryuu, too, is close with his parents, though there’s not much opportunity to see it in Calligraphy Guild. And a few of the characters–Chaska, Mika, and Diem in particular–are parents who have good relationships with their children.

Arranged Marriages/Marriages of Convenience That Work

I cannot tell you how tired I am of the “forbidden love” trope when one of the characters is already betrothed. That’s just plain ol’ cheating and I cannot stand it. I think that trope is a consequence of the hate on arranged marriages in general and the idea of working at a relationship instead of just “falling in love” and everything being happy-go-lucky. Arranged marriages have so much potential for revealing commitment, putting effort into a relationship, and taking one’s responsibilities seriously, but instead we so often see them as only an obstacle in the MC’s way. If you’re going to write a betrothal that doesn’t work out, at least have it end diplomatically and with adult conversation involved. (Livia Blackburne did the dissolved betrothal well in Daughter of Dusk.)

There are no arranged marriages or marriages of convenience in Calligraphy Guild, but this is a character relationship that I would love to see done well more often and I look forward to writing arranged marriages along these lines in future works.

Happy Marriages

Sort of related to the previous point, I’d love to see more generally strong marriages in fiction. Marriages where the couple likes each other, works well together, works out their differences, is appropriately affectionate, etc. This is another of those character relationships I think gets the short end of the stick in YA due to the need for the young characters to have autonomy and therefore the obvious need to eliminate parents (read with sarcasm), but I think there’s also a trend of bickering, unhappy couples that I’d just like to see go. (As a note… bickering old couples can be fun so long as it’s obvious that they still like and love each other and they’re not just grumpy all the time.)

Duyên’s parents and Ryuu’s parents are both examples of happy marriages in Calligraphy Guild. Raiden’s parents, as well as Chaska and her husband, are more off-screen examples.

Close Same-Gender Character Relationships

This one is probably better-represented than some of the others on the list. Lots of MCs have their tag-along best friend that they’ve known for years and are really close to. Now, those character relationships can have the pitfall of the best friend’s presence doing nothing but supporting the MC, in which case it’s not really a close and realistic friendship but rather a lopsided one. But in general, close friendships between guys or between girls are probably the easiest character relationships to find off this list.

Still, I really enjoyed writing these relationships in Calligraphy Guild. Duyên and Tora, Duyên and Jie, Tora and Sairsha, and Zen and Raiden are all examples of this character relationship in action in Calligraphy Guild.

Close (purely platonic) Opposite-Gender Character Relationships

This is perhaps one of the rarest character relationships on this list, since so many people want to see these relationships turn romantic or at least have romantic potential. Unfortunately, this is a trap I can sometimes fall into as well. But I love seeing fully platonic relationships between guys and girls, where there’s just genuine support and camaraderie there and no need or desire for anything more.

Duyên and Makio are my favorite example in Calligraphy Guild because they take this a step further and their friendship is almost like a sibling relationship, but Zen’s friendships with Tora and Sairsha also fall into this category.

Romantic Relationships Acknowledged to Not Work

This is another casualty of a hyper-romanticized culture, I think. It’s rare to find a fictional relationship in which the characters want to be together but decide they’re better off refraining from pursuing a romantic relationship. The one example I can think of off the top of my head would be Jo and Laurie in Little Women. I would love to see a greater variety of romantic plot line outcomes that explore the discernment and wisdom that must be applied to relationships and the complexities of real love.

I can’t share the Calligraphy Guild example of this relationship because it spoils the book, but this is a featured character relationship and it’s one I have every intention of exploring in future books as well.

Adopted Families/Foster Families

I don’t have a whole lot of personal experience with adoption or fostering, but my grandparents were foster parents and I would like to adopt one day. I would love to see quality representations of these types of relationships that don’t downplay the difficulties or the love involved. In a lot of cases I’ve seen, adoption is more of a plot point than a real piece of the character and their story, and while that can also be done well, I’d love to see more holistic representations of adopted families and foster families.

This is another relationship that didn’t fit into Calligraphy Guild, but it is a piece of my current work-in-progress as well as a few of my other pending stories.

Respectful Mentor/Student Character Relationships

This is another one that’s easier to find, at least depending on how respectful you want your mentor/student relationship to be. Mentors are a common archetype, so it’s fairly easy to find mentors and main characters who appreciate them; but a lot of student characters disregard their mentors a significant percentage of the time, or respect their knowledge of a skill but not their wisdom as a person, or else the mentor looks down on the student’s youth and inexperience, or the mentor dies and leaves the student on their own without a new mentor.

The mentor/student relationships in Calligraphy Guild aren’t perfect (in none of these categories do I think these character relationships should be perfect, but rather examples of characters aiming for the ideal), but there’s always a great deal of respect present. The students respect the wisdom and experience of their elders, and the mentors don’t talk down to the students but bear with their struggles and inexperience. Dai is my favorite of the mentors in Calligraphy Guild, with both Duyên and Tora, but Zen and Raiden are both great mentors to Ryuu as well.

Want to read more?

If these are character relationships you’re excited about, too, check out Calligraphy Guild when it releases on June 17th! If you sign up to my mailing list, you can read the first chapter for free here on my website.

Your turn! Are these relationships you’d like to see more in fiction, as well? What are some relationships you’d like to see that didn’t make my list? Comment down below!

And don’t forget to check out the Calligraphy Guild blog tour! There have been some awesome posts so far and there are even more yet to come!

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Calligraphy Guild Blog Tour Schedule

I can’t believe we’ve already reached blog tour season for Calligraphy Guild, and yet at the same time it feels like it’s been a long time coming. Regardless, I’m super excited to announce the stops for the Calligraphy Guild blog tour! I’m so grateful to all of these authors/bloggers for participating, and I hope you’ll enjoy their posts and consider following their blogs! (I’ll add direct posts to specific posts as they go live.)

June 1st

Lavender Bleu – Author interview

Tasha Van Kesteren – Lai Duyên character interview

Kristina Hall – Book review

June 2nd

Laura Morgan – Book review

June 3rd

Issabelle Perry – Tanh Ryuu character interview

June 4th

Kayla Green – Book review

June 5th

Dawn Dagger – Book review

June 6th

Erin Phillips – Author interview

June 7th

R.M. Archer – Relationships I’d love to see more in fiction

June 8th

Kristianne Hassman – Sairsha Kincaid character interview

June 9th

Naomi Sowell – Book review

June 10th

RaeMarie – Book review

June 11th

Eden Anderson – Book spotlight

June 12th

Miranda – Lôi Tora character interview

June 13th

Libby Powell – Author interview

June 14th

R.M. Archer – Calligraphy Guild shout-outs

June 15th

Bethani Theresa – Book review

June 16th

Grace Johnson – Book review

June 17th – RELEASE DAY!!

Edna Pellen – Author interview

 

Pre-order Calligraphy Guild!

Check out this page to get your pre-order goodies before they’re gone!

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Book Review: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Next up on the Calligraphy Guild comp titles list is one I almost didn’t read, lol. I saw this one in the bookstore a couple months ago and didn’t feel like I got a lot of information from the blurb so I just kind of moved on, but after being disappointed by Spin the Dawn and Daughter of the Moon Goddess (reviews linked) I asked for other Asian fantasy recommendations and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon came up again. My library had it, and I’m really glad I checked this one out!

Synopsis

In the valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli spends her days working hard in the fields and her nights listening to her father spin fantastic tales about the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon. Minli’s mother, tired of their poor life, chides him for filling her head with nonsense. But Minli believes these enchanting stories and embarks on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how her family can change their fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest.

Review

The writing style of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon was more distant than I usually prefer, but it was well-suited to the folklore tone of the story. Minli’s journey was fun to follow, and I enjoyed the thoughtful encounters she had along the way. The pace was a great balance for delving into the theme without ever feeling like the story dragged, and I loved the thematic parallels between Minli’s arc and her mother’s.

Probably my favorite thing about Where the Mountain Meets the Moon was the way it not only talked about the impact of stories but showed that impact throughout, from the stories told formally to the ways characters used storytelling more casually to sell goldfish or trick evil tigers. The way all of the formal stories tied together was also really neat and helped round out the world, which was also a really strong element.

This review is briefer than some of my others primarily for two reasons: First, because it’s not a very long book. It’s MG, so it moves pretty quickly. Second… I read it two weeks ago and have a royally patchy memory. But I really enjoyed Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and it’s among my favorite Calligraphy Guild comp titles!

General rating: 4 stars

Similarity to Calligraphy Guild: 4.5 stars (thoughtful pacing, deep themes throughout, the emphasis on storytelling and its power, the family dynamics, the Asian setting)

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Book Review: Timely by The Phoenix Fiction Writers

Honestly, this was probably my least favorite PFW anthology thus far. Still a 5-star read, just not quite beyond 5 stars as previous anthologies have been. Timely is, as the title suggests, themed around the concept of time (which is how I finagled it onto my CG comp titles list, lol) and it features two guest authors in addition to the PFW contributors (three guests, if you count the fact that Kyle Robert Shultz is no longer part of the Phoenix Fiction Writers).

The first few stories were great. The Clockwork Toymaker was super sweet; I loved the character dynamics and the steampunk setting. In Bermuda’s Belly, again, the characters and their relationships were a highlight, and the setting was also quite dynamic; I almost felt claustrophobic reading about the tight spaces on the submarine.

The Timekeeper’s Daughter was one of my favorites! The steampunk setting with its fixation on clocks and the way gifts work is fascinating, I loved the sibling relationship between Annora and Althea, and Annora’s struggle with her gift and the whole plot overall was one of the most compelling in the anthology.

The Weight of Dust was probably my second favorite. The Butler was written so well as an automaton, the setting was vividly dynamic, the Butler’s sense of purpose was so well-done and effectively contrasted with the time element of the story… The little bits of memory were really sweet, as well.

Adamant was the first story I didn’t connect with as well. It’s uncommon that I don’t like Beth Wangler’s writing—and I didn’t dislike this story—but I think I struggled with the genre of Adamant. Space sci-fi is rarely my thing in books, and I tend to struggle with war stories as well, so I think the combination in Adamant just didn’t click well for me. Despite that, the core relationship was sweet and the musgroves were interesting. The musgroves’ dialect was pulled off wonderfully. And LouEesa was a fun character.

I think Daughter suffered from the same issue as Adamant—it was a sci-fi war story. I was also struck by how many adverbs were used right out of the gate, which kept me from stepping into the story right away. Still, the concept of the Chasm was interesting and I would be curious to learn more about Anneke as a character. And I think Daughter was done well for what it was, so readers who enjoy the genre better would likely find it quite enjoyable.

The Hundred Acre War was interesting. The particular mix of genres struck me as a bit odd, combining Winnie the Pooh with a sci-fi war, but I don’t think it was poorly done—and it’s a very on-brand sort of combination for Shultz. Again, sci-fi wars aren’t my thing, and I’ve never been a huge Winnie the Pooh fan either, so this one continued the trend of “eh” for me. But, like I said, it was well-done for what it was and I’m sure other readers would enjoy it fine.

With Into the Crimson Deep, things turned back around. This story is a sequel to Matthews’ The Staff of Callewhyr in the Of Myth and Monsters anthology, which I quite enjoyed. It was really cool to return to those characters, and in Into the Crimson Deep we get to see a new corner of the world that Matthews has built and meet additional interesting side characters. Into the Crimson Deep was a great second installment, expanding the reader’s understanding of rukthar lore, and I hope we’ll get to see more of Renlyn and Arnak in future anthologies!

Little Lost Heart, Sing was an excellent conclusion to Timely. It was sweet, with a bit of a dark tint, and the lore of the forest was faintly reminiscent of George MacDonald or Tolkien. Philbrick really plays to his strengths with stories about children, and Henry’s dry humor was equally well-done.

I did enjoy the majority of the stories within Timely; as you can tell, those that I had more difficulty with all had genre in common. If you like sci-fi war stories, you’ll probably enjoy this anthology; and if not, there are still plenty of other stories in the anthology to love! If you like spec fic of any flavor, I do recommend Timely (and PFW’s previous anthologies, as well).

Rating: 5 stars

Similarity to CG: 1 star (for the family and found family dynamics in the first few stories and the importance of time as a theme)

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Book Review: Sing to Me of Rain by E.B. Dawson

This book has been high on my TBR since I first heard about it, and my Calligraphy Guild comp list was the nudge I needed to finally buy it. I’m not always a huge fan of E.B. Dawson’s short stories, but I don’t think any of her novels have let me down yet and Sing to Me of Rain is definitely my new favorite of her works!

What is Sing to Me of Rain about?

An innocent naiad. A wounded boy. An adventure that will change their lives forever.

Plip is a naiad of the Great Waterfall, destined to one day sing the songs that send rain out into the world.

Akino isn’t destined for anything but trouble. His father long gone, his mother working on a plantation far away, he doesn’t really belong in the village below the Waterfall. And the villagers don’t let him forget it.

When Akino convinces Plip to travel down the mountain with him, for his own selfish purposes, he launches them into a world more dangerous than either of them could imagine. A world where people are not always what they seem and the rain does not fall evenly across the land.

Review

I rarely underline in fiction books. It took me long enough to be comfortable underlining non-fiction, and something still feels taboo about underlining fiction, but I barely got five pages into Sing to Me of Rain before deciding I needed to read it with a pencil in hand. The character conversations have so much depth! There are so many wise insights, and I underlined so many paragraphs. The depth never feels forced, either; it all comes about naturally through the characters’ musings about the world and the ways they see life. You don’t see that sort of worldview or reflective dialogue in a lot of fiction these days, and it was so refreshing to read!

Even beyond the deep conversations, the characters are charming in and of themselves. Plip has such a lovely sense of wonder and optimism. Akino is more cynical, and yet the fact that he’s a child is still evident in the black-and-white way he sees things. Tsomo and Ujio are two very different types of mentor characters, but both suit their roles perfectly; I loved the dynamic that Ujio had as a protective figure for the younger characters. And Burung was fun, with his quirks. Not to mention that the emotional attachments Dawson created between the reader and characters were incredible. I have never read a book that was able to make me so sad so quickly.

The setting was so rich and vibrant! I loved seeing the beautiful world that Dawson created, and the interesting creatures that inhabit it. It’s such a beautiful blend of bright and soft, as if the world were painted in jewel tones and then the edges were softened by hazy light. It’s vibrant and rich and deep, but it feels soft and approachable and hopeful.

A few passages I underlined:

Music had surrounded them their entire lives, and yet this was different somehow. The naiads’ songs were powerful, but each naiad sang alone. Plip had never heard anything as beautiful as all those voices rising and falling together, singing the same words with the same heart.

***

“Nobody wants children who aren’t their own.”

“Nobody is a dangerous word. It tends to spread lies.”

***

“Masters take many forms, my little friend, but we are none of us as free as we would like to be.”

Overall, this was a beautiful book, from the setting to the characters to the relationships to the writing… Absolutely a 5-star read.

Rating: 5 stars

Similarity to Calligraphy Guild: 4.5 stars (for the setting, deep character conversations, strong friendships, multiple mentors, emphasis on the journey over the destination, music as a prominent feature, etc.)

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Book Review: The Story Peddler by Lindsay A. Franklin

This week, I am pleased to announce that I have found another book off the Calligraphy Guild comp titles list which I actually enjoyed. The Story Peddler was a great read, and I’m quite excited to get my hands on the remainder of the series. But before we get into it, what is The Story Peddler?

Blurb

Selling stories is a deadly business

Tanwen doesn’t just tell stories—she weaves them into crystallized sculptures that sell for more than a few bits. But the only way to escape the control of her cruel mentor and claw her way from poverty is to set her sights on something grander: becoming Royal Storyteller to the king.

During her final story peddling tour, a tale of treason spills from her hands, threatening the king himself. Tanwen goes from peddler to prey as the king’s guard hunts her down . . . and they’re not known for their mercy. As Tanwen flees for her life, she unearths long-buried secrets and discovers she’s not the only outlaw in the empire. There’s a rebel group of weavers . . . and they’re after her too.

Review

The Story Peddler suffered from a little bit of Large Cast Syndrome (i.e. there were characters I got confused because I didn’t have enough brain space to keep quite everyone straight), but not as badly as some other books I’ve read (and, being a writer of large casts myself, I have a fair amount of grace for LCS). That said, I really enjoyed the characters, both those I kept straight in my head long-term and the couple that got scrambled from time to time.

Tannie was a good balance of outspoken and independent on the one hand with reasonable and humble on the other hand. Last week I talked about my dislike for Xingyin in Daughter of the Moon Goddess for her independence and brazenness, and I think this balance is what made the difference between my dislike for Xingyin and my appreciation for Tannie. Tannie speaks her mind… but she knows when speaking her mind is a bad idea–even if that realization sometimes comes a moment too late. And she’s independent, but not to the point of arrogance; she appreciates those around her, and she values their help when it’s needed.

Braith was also a well-balanced female lead. She was somewhat more traditionally feminine than Tannie, which made for a good balance between the two perspectives, and her gracious resistance to the king’s cruelty was a great example of the strengths within classic femininity.

Then there were all the side characters, and each had their own strengths and qualities. Brac was a great support for Tannie, and I appreciate his seriousness about settling down and providing for a family. I feel like that’s something lacking in a lot of male characters, and I like seeing characters–of both genders–seek out and find fulfillment in family and dominion. Mor was, of course, sweet and charming, and his dedication to Gryfelle was also admirable. Zel immediately caught my attention for very similar reasons as Brac did, but without the drama that came with Brac being interested in Tanwen since Zel is already married and has a family to care for. Warmil is a fantastic gruff mentor character and I love him to death. Basically, all of the side characters are great and I’m really interested to learn more about them in consequent books.

The worldbuilding isn’t the most ground-breaking as far as setting is concerned, but it was described wonderfully in voice, so I’ll give it a pass. Especially because the magic system is so cool. Music and colors and stories that become tangible? That create physical effects? It’s so much fun. I’m super interested to see more of how it works and what it can do.

Now, the love triangle. Y’all know I hated the love triangle in Daughter of the Moon Goddess, where one of the guys was committed to someone else and the other wanted the independent main character to settle down with him… Well… this love triangle has very similar dynamics. And yet, I didn’t hate this one. Why? Because of the main character and the underlying worldview of the book. You can see my complaints with the DotMG love triangle in that review, so I won’t repeat myself here. But in The Story Peddler, Tannie understands and appreciates the second love interest’s commitment to someone else and does her best to quench her feelings because she knows to put the other characters involved ahead of herself. And with the first love interest, she appreciates his desire to settle down, appreciates the potential of finding happiness with him, and appreciates his dedication to her and true love for her. Her internal struggles with both feel realistic, and the love triangle didn’t feel like it overtook the plot (another issue I had with Daughter of the Moon Goddess). And, honestly, I was right with her in being conflicted over the idea of her with Suitor One. ;P

Also, I have to mention the quote that “art has a queer way of revealing truth.” (Karlith’s faith elements were another subtle highlight of the book.)

Overall, I really liked this one and I’m excited to see how this story unfolds (or crystalizes, perhaps?)

Rating: 5 stars

Similarity to CG: 3 stars (for themes of community, family, and the importance of the arts)

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Book Review: Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

This Calligraphy Guild comp title candidate also made my anticipated releases list for this year. I don’t often read books within only a couple months of their release (unless they’re ARCs for review), but my library had this one so I snatched it up and… I’m really glad I only checked it out from the library. ;P You’ve already seen the cover that helped to snare me; here’s the blurb that played a part.

Blurb

A captivating debut fantasy inspired by the legend of Chang’e, the Chinese moon goddess, in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm.

Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.

Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor’s son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.

To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies across the earth and skies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting, romantic duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic—where love vies with honor, dreams are fraught with betrayal, and hope emerges triumphant.

Review

I hated this book. I’m sorry, but that’s the truth. I pushed myself through 500 pages, hoping it would get better and then simply hoping it would end so I could write up my review, and when I finished I seriously wondered why I’d spent so many hours on Daughter of the Moon Goddess for the sake of a review that would take me about twenty minutes to write. (The count starts now.)

The first offense was the pacing. I almost dropped this book after the first two chapters. Not even kidding. Why? Because the pacing was so dang fast. And we’re not just talking “Let’s get the ball rolling right off the bat.” No. We’re talking “Wait, what’s happening? You just raced past the information I needed to make sense of this.” The character development (if you can call it that) and the worldbuilding were so under-explained in the beginning. How does this magic system work? What are the different realms and how are they related or separated? Why in the world does a girl who’s been living nearly alone on the moon know how to serve in a noble household and understand the motivations of bullies?

Once things finally slowed down around the fifth or sixth chapter, I thought I might be able to settle in. The setting was beautiful (if dull in the way it was described), I loved the Asian cultural elements, Liwei was sweet (if under-developed in his motivations). I was a little bored, and I didn’t understand why Xingyin seemed to hardly think of her mother when that had been the foremost issue in her mind in the beginning and there was no real reason it shouldn’t have been anymore… but I didn’t hate it.

But after a few more chapters, Xingyin and Liwei’s relationship took a turn. Liwei disregarded an impending betrothal that he knew about, Xingyin was hurt, the two broke it off, yada yada, and this is why I hate “forbidden romance” stories involving royalty because no one ever cares that the state of the kingdom is actually important and commitments are important and no you can’t just have some fling with someone else just because you want to. (…Can you tell I’m very sick of this trope.)

Anyway. After that, things just continue to go downhill. Character developments and events are frequently skipped past, it becomes apparent that Xingyin is very arrogant in her independence, she insists on doing things her own way regardless of anyone else and she’s outspoken to her own detriment… I really did not enjoy her character for the bulk of the book, and it didn’t even make sense. Why was she so focused on her own achievements and her own skill and bla bla bla when she was supposed to be focused on saving her mother? Her pride overshadowed the actual plot.

And that’s not to mention the love triangle, which took up 80-90% of the book. Liwei is betrothed. Wenzhi is… fine, I guess. I did actually kind of like him for a chunk of Part Two because I thought he might actually be a good influence on Xingyin, but then… that fell apart. Because none of the men in this book are allowed to actually be decent characters, apparently. (Maaaybe the General, but I don’t even remember his name and he didn’t have a big enough part to count.) Anyway. Liwei pursues Xingyin even though he’s already betrothed, and Xingyin puts up a pitiful fight against his attention. She finally decides to go with Wenzhi to start a home and a life together right before it turns out he’s evil. And then she gets her happily ever after with Liwei because he’s ditched his perfectly nice, kind, loving fiancée for someone he knew ahead of time he didn’t have a future with.

There is so. much. drama. And angst. And not nearly enough depth to the worldbuilding or the prose or the characters or… anything, really, because all of the page time was devoted to angst that wasn’t even romantic.

But. Rant aside. I did like Xingyin’s best friend, Shuxiao. She was the only reasonable character in the book to show up at any significant junctions. She was a warrior, but she seemed to have a good dose of femininity all the same. She was loyal. She was respectable. She understood when to keep her mouth shut and when to open it. Honestly, I’d much rather read a book about her. I might have actually been able to stomach it.

Oh look. We’re right at the twenty minute mark. What did I tell you?

If you’ve read this book and liked it, good for you. Personally, the worldview and the writing were pretty much opposite of what I enjoy in a book. But it did have its good parts–few and far between as they might have been, for me.

Rating: 2 stars (generously, for the sake of the Asian cultural elements and Shuxiao)

Similarity to CG: 1 star (for the Asian culture and the fact that the main character plays a wind instrument)

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Book Review: The Reflections by E.K. Seaver

Y’all get a bonus review this week because today I have the privilege of participating in the blog tour for E.K. Seaver’s upcoming book, The Reflections!

What is The Reflections?

Everyone in the Alliance knows about the Reflections. It’s the opportunity to get into the University, the only government-recognized form of education, and those accepted are guaranteed success and comfort for the rest of their lives. Thus, when Em Gades receives the silver invitation, her future is secured. The worst that could happen is she gets sent home, right?

Until she arrives, and the rumors about the Reflections prove true. The only way to live is to get into the University, and to do that you must be one of the four remaining Chosens at the end of the competition. Although she was warned beforehand to trust no one, Em quickly forms attachments to her fellow teammates with the hope that as many of them can survive as possible. However, as Chosens are rapidly executed for failing competitions, Em struggles to understand that, if God is real, why he would let something so terrible happen to a group of mostly innocent teenagers. With likely no more than a few days left to live, she and the other Chosens must navigate life or death situations and find answers to the question:

Are their lives worth the deaths of others?

Review

I enjoyed this book. It was a little hard to keep track of, and not the most emotionally gripping book I’ve ever read, but I enjoyed it all the same.

There were a lot of characters to keep track of. I got Nathanael and Michael mixed up at least once. A lot of the other characters I just didn’t even try to keep straight because (honestly) I figured they would die, anyway. The 4-6 core characters were mangeable, so I stuck with those and with whatever other characters had notable enough features to cement them in my brain.

I didn’t connect a whole lot with Em, but y’all know I don’t normally connect with MCs anyway. Her thoughts on things did more waffling than I might have liked, going back and forth between “FIGHT THE ALLIANCE” and “go along with the Alliance ’cause maybe we can change it later,” which might have stuck out to me less if those transitions had been smoother; they felt a little choppy and unexpected a lot of times.

I did like Flinn. Flinn was great. A little more forward than I generally like, even with a flirtatious type, but still fun to read overall. And I liked the way he made Em feel safe. I’ve known guys like that, guys who take care of those around them and just feel safe, so I could connect with him and with Em’s feelings toward him.

Choi deserved more page time. I wanted to know more about him, about his relationships with his girlfriend and his sister. He was such a sweet character and I would have liked to see more of him.

I was pretty lukewarm about the other characters; since there were so many, very few characters really got a chance to develop as deeply as I would have liked for getting to know them, but I think that’s just one of the hazards of a large cast when the large cast is a necessity of the setting.

The plot had moments that felt quite reminiscent of other dystopian stories (notably Divergent and The Hunger Games), but that didn’t bug me too much. I enjoyed those setups, and dystopian seems to be more trope-heavy than some other genres.

I would have liked to know more about the world. (I know, I know.) It wasn’t under-described, exactly. We did technically know everything we needed to know about the setting. But I was never able to get clear on why The Alliance thought The Reflections were a good idea (or why they’re called The Reflections), or exactly how the government connects with the school, or what is the bigger picture of the world… I would have liked more depth and cohesion to all of that, and more on how it impacts everyday life and not just The Reflections.

I did like the faith elements woven in. They felt organic to the character and they added a depth and a bit of a different dynamic to the story. SPOILERS AHEAD I also liked that the conversion scene was simple and not a big to-do; there was no artificial structure, no lightning strike, just the peace of someone turning their heart over to God. END SPOILERS

Overall… I guess I would have liked more depth all-around (and more research into ballroom dance and the relaxation of muscles after death, but that’s just me being a nerd and knowing things), but The Reflections was an enjoyable story, a good balance of “oh no we’re going to die” and down time for the character relationships to develop, and an interesting introduction to a larger world. I’m curious to see where Emily goes next, both with this series and her writing as a whole.

Rating: 4 stars

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About the Author

To find an E. K. Seaver, you must set a trap. The best option is to lure her in using chocolate, blankets, and a typewriter, but if none of those are on hand, spare books and Broadway music can be easily substituted.

She prefers to be wild and free, though. Whether it includes adventuring through the Rocky Mountains or curled up at a local bookshop, she uses her freedom to produce art. From books to scarves to paintings, Ms. Seaver strives to honor her King in every aspect of her creative works. She desires her stories to hold meaning beyond the tale and attempts to follow in the footsteps of storytellers who came before her.

You can find her and her wild adventures on Instagram @ekseaver.author

Check out the rest of the blog tour!April 1- Grace JohnsonApril 2- Kristina HallApril 3- Joy CarolineApril 4- Kate HoppmanApril 5- Libby PowellApril 6- R.M. Archer (You are here!)April 7- KadsApril 8- Laurel Burgess

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Book Review: Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Today, I continue my series of reviews for “books I finally read because I thought they might resemble Calligraphy Guild.” Spin the Dawn has only been on my shelf since August, so it got read more promptly than a lot of books I own. It’s been on my Goodreads TBR for ages because the cover is gorgeous and the idea of sewing magic in an Asian-inspired fantasy world sounded really cool, so I finally bought it while I was out of town and I thought it would be a good choice for my comp titles list for its setting and craft-based magic system.

Synopsis

Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she’ll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There’s just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.

Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia’s task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.

And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor’s reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.

Review

Unfortunately, I didn’t click with this one very well.

The first chapter was really promising. It laid out the main character’s backstory and family relationships, it established a strong voice, and it set up for something family-centered and potentially slow and thoughtful. That tone lasted for a few chapters, with a little bit of the “ordinary world” and the inciting incident (which was very reminiscent of Mulan). But once Maia got into the competition, things started to go faster than I would have liked.

For most of the book, I felt like individual scenes moved too quickly and there wasn’t enough connection to Maia in her narration to feel like the stakes mattered. None of the obstacles felt particularly intimidating because they were always overcome so quickly and there seemed to be so little depth to Maia’s feelings and experiences in the prose. It wasn’t exactly a matter of telling instead of showing—the prose was mildly descriptive—but I would have liked for more time to have been spent drawing out Maia’s feelings to really ground the reader instead of racing from one obstacle to the next to the next.

The pacing also hindered my ability to connect with the characters. Maia was all right (I don’t tend to connect with main characters, especially not female MCs, so this is no surprise); Edan felt very much like the stereotypical, brooding, enemy-to-lover character for a large portion of the book. We did finally get a few slower scenes in Part Two where I was able to connect with him more, and I did come to appreciate his character better. I like the Balardans, Maia’s brothers, and Longhai when he was first introduced. But, as usual, none of my favorite side characters were given the page time or depth that I would have liked. When things really got going with the contest, Maia’s rival tailors (including Longhai) all blurred together (with the exception of Norbu, after a while). The contest is where I really would have liked to see things slowed down and more time spent on building up characters and establishing motivations and all of that.

I probably look for a lot more in a book’s worldbuilding than most readers, so take this next part with a healthy dose of salt, but I would have liked more depth from the worldbuilding. We get to see bits and pieces of certain settings, and we learn the bare minimum about the religion and magic system for the story to make sense, but I would have liked to see the world do more to impact the characters. It felt like the pieces of the world that we saw were only there to move the plot along and the characters didn’t really think much of them. This was particularly true of Maia’s views on magic; I never understood her disbelief in magic beyond the first time or two she saw it. I would have liked to see more of a shift in her worldview—complete with internal conflict.

And a personal pet peeve since working at a horse camp. Early in Part Two, Maia and Edan ride horses. Except it’s abundantly obvious that neither the author nor her editor(s) have ever ridden a horse in their lives, because the portrayal is so inaccurate. Maia’s horse doesn’t behave like horses behave, the impact riding has on Maia’s health makes no sense whatsoever (no, you would not be winded after riding a horse for an hour), and Maia’s confidence in riding is completely illogical (there are about five dozen steps in confidence between fearing you’ll fall off a horse and deciding to attempt needlework on horseback). After reading two cringe-worthy pages about Maia’s horseback riding experience, I’m very tempted to write a blog post about how not to write about horses and horseback riding.

But anyway. Horse-related rant aside. I didn’t totally hate Spin the Dawn. It was mediocre. The plot was all right, if faster than I prefer. The worldbuilding was sufficient. The characters were tolerable (a few had their likeable moments). And the formatting and cover art are gorgeous. But I would have liked more depth, more time for things to be fleshed out, more research done on horseback riding… and I could have done without the sex scene I had to skip (or what was close enough to being a sex scene that it made me uncomfortable enough I felt I had to skip it). Content-wise, there was also a fair amount of implication from side characters that Edan was gay, which I found unnecessary and which, from a writing perspective, never really made sense or felt adequately explained since he’s… clearly not, later in the book.

I was intending to read Unravel the Dawn as well and review the duology as a whole (since I bought Unravel the Dawn a few months ago, also), but Spin the Dawn wasn’t enough to keep my interest.

General rating: 3 stars

Similarity to Calligraphy Guild: 1 star (for the emphasis on family early on and the craft-based magic)

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March 2022 Wrap-Up

In case the lack of monthly updates weren’t enough indication… it’s been a crazy year. I’ve been super busy getting things together for Calligraphy Guild‘s release and some things—like monthly updates—have fallen off the business wagon as it’s gone racing along. (Weird analogy? Probably.)

But anyway, here we are with a quick update on what I’ve been up to this month, anyway. (For a full quarterly update in a couple of days, sign up to my newsletter!)

Writing

I’ve been super busy with Calligraphy Guild this month. I reached out to a number of bloggers and authors about reviewing Calligraphy Guild at the beginning of this month, and about half of them were interested. Plus, I got emails back from two of the most well-known authors of my list! One doesn’t have time and one probably doesn’t have time, but I got to send an ARC to one of them and the fact that they both took the time to respond is a huge win in my book (…no pun intended).

Speaking of ARCs, I got all of my Calligraphy Guild ARCs sent out over the course of this month and I’m super excited to hear what readers think of the book! (I appreciate the long-suffering post office lady who had to process ten book packages for me all at once.)

I’ve also gotten a lot of my CG-related social media posts prepped and scheduled, though I still have a lot more to get done next month. But if all goes well, I’ll have all of those set and scheduled within the first week or two of April and I’ll be able to turn my attention to other things.

The biggest Calligraphy Guild announcement for this month is that pre-orders went live! If you were wondering why I have a new site shop… that’s why. Getting the shop set up was a little stressful, but I’m glad to have it all set for both pre-orders and whatever I decide to sell directly in the future! Anyway, the pre-order package is awesome—I’m super blessed to have gotten to work with so many excellent artists to put it together—and you should definitely check it out if you’re interested in Calligraphy Guild and you like candles and tea (and bookmarks and character art…).

I’m also super proud of myself for doing more with my email list this month! I really struggle with newsletters for some reason, but I’ve kept my email list up-to-date with most of my stuff this month (including the most important highlights, of course) and I seem to be developing a workable system to keep that up moving forward! So now is a really good time to sign up to my mailing list. ;)

With Calligraphy Guild taking up so much mental bandwidth (and time), I don’t think I’ve worked on any other book projects. I have have The Dark War Trilogy rattling around in the back of my head, of late, so I’ve done a bit of fiddling with its Pinterest board and I’ve jotted down some small notes, but that’s the most I’ve done with another book this month.

Reading

Finished

The Riven Realm by Deck Matthews Air Awakens by Elise Kova The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’NeillSpin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim (review coming next week)In the House of Tom Bombadil by C.R. WileyThe Reflections by E.K. Seaver (review coming next week)

This month I finally finished The Riven Realm. I read the first novella last February or March and it’s been sitting on my “currently reading” shelf for the year since. Not because it was bad—in fact, I quite enjoyed it—just because I got very distracted and seemed to never be in the mood for that flavor of fantasy. But I finally finished it this month and I quite enjoyed the last two novellas. I’m looking forward to reading future installments in the series. (See my review above for more detailed thoughts.)

Air Awakens, The Tea Dragon Society, and Spin the Dawn were all on my “potential Calligraphy Guild comp titles” list, so they got pushed to the top of the list. I enjoyed Air Awakens, though it bore no resemblance to CG (see review above for further thoughts). The Tea Dragon Society was the closest in vibe and content to Calligraphy Guild and it was really well-done (it did have some potential content issues in the background; see my review for details); it was one of only two books I rated five stars this month. Spin the Dawn was disappointing, and I’ll be fleshing that out in a review next week.

In the House of Tom Bombadil is a book that’s been on my TBR ever since I heard it was coming out (so… last fall, I believe) and I finally reached a point in The Fellowship of the Ring where I was re-acquainted with Tom Bombadil and felt like I was prepared to read Wiley’s book. And it did not disappoint! Wiley’s writing is always incredibly insightful and he draws out such important principles, and the combination of his wisdom and wit with his appreciation for Tolkien and the character of Tom Bombadil made for a wonderful book. (I’m not sure if it speaks to Wiley’s writing or if I’ve just gotten more emotional over the past year or so, but there was one chapter that brought me to tears.) This was my other 5-star read.

I have the privilege of being part of the blog tour for The Reflections, so you’ll hear my thoughts on that one next week, but I enjoyed it!

Currently reading

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan (This book made my “anticipated releases” list, but it’s been fairly disappointing thus far)The Aeneid (In theory… It’s really just sitting there)The Story Peddler by Lindsay A. Franklin (this one has been on my TBR for years and I’m enjoying it so far!)The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (see The Aeneid)North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson (reread)The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (reread)Life

Despite all of my hectic work efforts (in fact, partially because of them), I’ve managed to work on building and strengthening some relationships, and I’m hoping to be more intentional about reaching out to people and maintaining relationships as things calm down with Calligraphy Guild for a month or two before the official release.

What’s Next?

Next month I’m hoping to get a lot of my remaining Calligraphy Guild prep settled and out of the way, plus a lot of my other social media posts for at least a month or two in advance. This will likely include prepping things for my online release party in June, since I have an editing job that will absorb a lot of my attention in May and I want to make sure my other projects aren’t getting in the way while I’m working on that.

I’ve been able to focus on reading more this month than in most recent months, so I’m hoping that trend will continue and I’ll be able to get a good chunk of my TBR knocked out next month (at least the novels I’m in the middle of, and hopefully also the three books I have checked out from the library and haven’t started; Dune would be a nice bonus if I’m able to make enough progress to read that as well).

If I’m able to get enough of my social media stuff out of the way (which has been eating up a lot of my time this year), then I’d like to also make substantial progress on my non-fiction project next month. I’m hoping to get at least one draft done by the end of the year, if not two drafts, so I really need to buckle down on it whenever I get new systems up and running and have time and brainpower again (which should be soon, if this week has been any indication!)

If you’re curious about what I’ve been reading and writing prior to this month, plus other media I’ve been enjoying this quarter, sign up to my newsletter and you’ll get my expanded quarterly update in a couple of days!

Your turn! How has this month been for you? Are you working on any big projects, or just trying to stay sane through everyday life? What are you most looking forward to next month? What are you reading lately?

Have a great April!

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