4 books that inspired my writing

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Let’s get one thing out of the way, I am a slow reader. I’m talking glacial-pace slow.

And when I do get around to reading, there are several novels that have inspired my writing in regards to world building, language use and character development specifically. I am new to Substack, so let me introduce myself: Hi, I’m MG Hunt (you can call me Monica) and I’m a fantasy author and illustrator from Melbourne, Australia.

I am usually drawn to fantasy novels, either high-fantasy (set in an alternative world to our own) or low-fantasy (magical elements in a world that looks familiar to our own). 

I read both young adult and new adult fiction. And, I am conscious that my critical adult brain may not relate to some of the popular themes in young adult fiction. Nonetheless, I do find a lot of enjoyment in young adult fantasy. For me, it evokes a sense of nostalgia, like reading Suzanne Collin's 'The Hunger Games' for the first time. Now in my late twenties, both young adult and new adult fantasy remain my go-to genres.

So, here are my top 4 novels that have inspired and aided with my writing and world building.

Four books on a wooden shelf. The spines are facing the camera, and the titles of the books from left to right are: Nevernight, Scythe, The Priory of the Orange Tree, and Shadow and Bone. There is a small pot plant next to the last book on the right hand side. A selection of my favourite novels.

1. The Priory of the Orange by Samantha Shannon

“To be a Miduchi is not to be pure, Tané. It is to be the living sea. That is why I chose you. You have a dragon’s heart”

I adore the detailed and expansive world in this book. The unique cultures, religion and lore within this novel is exciting. Throw in some magic and dragons, and you have me hooked.

In short, Priory of the Orange Tree is set in a high-fantasy realm, where a part of the world fears dragons, and another part worships them. The kingdom of Inys, ruled by Queen Sabran, relies on her conceiving a female heir to protect her realm from devastation of the Nameless one, one of the most destructive dragons in known history.

The novel features captivating female protagonists that go through processes of relearning their deeply held beliefs. It is the character arc that the protagonists Ead and Tane (and Sabran) drew connections to how I may approach the collision of two separate worlds, and the excitement and intrigue that brings.

I am in awe in how Samantha Shannon writes dialog. She’s able to capture the unique differences in tone and speech patterns for each character well. This is something I endeavour to work on and perhaps emulate in my own writing.

Book titled 'The Priory of the Orange Tree' by Samantha Shannon. The book is placed upright, on a slight angle, and it is sitting on a wooden shelf next to a pot plant and a reed diffuser. My copy of The Priory of the Orange Tree, sitting on my shelf.

2. Arc of a Scythe series by Neal Shusterman

“It is that we all still die a little inside every time we witness the death of another. For only the pain of empathy will keep us human. There’s no version of God that can help us if we ever lose that.”

Set in a world where humanity can no longer die naturally, the Scythes are a group of humans that control the population by ‘gleaning’ people. I was intrigued by the dystopian concept of this series. Though I haven’t ventured into dystopian themes in my own writing, I am always interested by concepts of envisioning a new, shockingly disturbing version of our world (yes, I know that sounds dark… I'm a little strange.)

What I particularly love about this series is that the themes explored in this world are not overly complex but remain impactful. Shusterman’s audience is aimed at young adults, and I believe the themes explored in this series are relevant and engaging to this type of audience. This is something I look towards when I write my own young adult novels. 

When writing, I often wonder if the themes I am writing about (such as violence, death, etc) are too intense for a young adult audience. But I reflect on the type of books I liked to read when I was a teenager (I believe I would have loved Scythe if I read it in my teen years), and the way Shusterman approaches heavy themes is well done.

The romance between the two characters Citra and Rowan is present but doesn’t take over the themes in the book. It is a nice garnish, so to speak - and personally, those are my favourite kinds of romance themes in novels. Unless it is branded as a romance novel, I do like the themes of romance to take a back seat compared to the main storyline and themes of the book, which is something I have tried to do in my upcoming novel, ‘Still Waters Run Deep.’

Book titled ’Scythe’ by Neal Shusterman The book is placed upright, on a slight angle, and it is sitting on a wooden shelf next to a pot plant and a reed diffuser. My copy of 'Scythe', the first book in the series. The cover reminds me of a Soviet-era propaganda poster.

3. Nevernight, from The Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff

"Never flinch...never fear. And never, ever forget."

The Nevernight Chronicles features sixteen-year-old protagonist Mia Corvere, resorting to violent vengeance for what has happened to her family. Though this is a series, for this I will be focusing on the first book, Nevernight.

Although Mia is a teen, this book would probably not be classified as young adult. This is due to some of the adult themes in this book. But I take reference in how the author Jay Kristoff writes Mia, and how she navigates heavy situations. This book is dark and gritty, and completely different to other ‘school/training’ books that I have read before. The Red Church certainly makes for hardened individuals, and in some way, I see parallels to how I wrote about the underground group, Velum, in my own novel ‘Still Waters Run Deep’.

I adore the way Jay Kristoff writes. Every book that I’ve read of his is filled with so much literary control, he crafts each sentence with nuance and with weight.

Finally, Mia’s morally grey complexity with her relationships, with herself and her family are so interesting and well written. I enjoyed the brutal and fascinating ride this novel took me on.

Book titled ’Nevernight’ by Jay Kristoff. The book is placed upright, on a slight angle, and it is sitting on a wooden shelf next to a pot plant and a reed diffuser. My copy of Nevernight has seen better days. It was given to me by a close friend, who had spilled water on it in her bag - I like that the pages are a little crinkled!4. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

“There's nothing wrong with being a mapmaker." 

"Of course not. And there's nothing wrong with being a lizard either. Unless you were born to be a hawk."

Shadow and Bone is part of a trilogy, but for this post I am focusing on the first novel. I enjoyed how Leigh Bardugo wrote the female protagonist Alina Starkov. I found the descriptions of how she acquired and uses her magic to be interesting, and influential to my own writing. I also enjoyed the world-building, particularly the dark divide in the Kingdom of Ravka - the Unsea shadow fold. It was quite different to other books I have read.

This series also takes influence from Russian folklore and mythology. Taking elements from mythology based in our own world, and putting a high-fantasy spin on it is certainly interesting. It is something I would be eager to try in my own writing.

Book titled ’Shadow and Bone’ by Leigh Bardugo. The book is placed upright, on a slight angle, and it is sitting on a wooden shelf next to a pot plant and a reed diffuser. My copy of Shadow and Bone.

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Published on October 06, 2024 23:05
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