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This set of shelves was not terrible, but I knew going in that it was dominated by two specific series, and they were likely gonna slow me down immensely. And I was right! I technically haven't even finished rereading one of them! But I do know my opinion on it already so I decided I might as well get this up before my vacation.
Once again, spoilers for most every book discussed. Without further ado -
Not a ton of space gained, but ngl, wasnt expecting much.
Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George: TOSS
This was a nostalgia book. I loved the idea of dragons having hoards that were not gold (i think this was the first media I encountered with that idea, actually), but instead things like shoes, glass, and books. And its a decent little plot with slowly growing stakes. I also really likely that our main female character's strength and skill lies in an art that is very 'feminine' - embroidery - but that is actually a major driver of the plot. But ive definitely grown out of the age bracket for it, and I also found myself grimacing a bit at one specific thing: Larkin. Larkin is another apprentice at the shop Creel finds a job at, noted for her dark looks and her crippled leg. Larkin ends up stealing from and betraying Creel in the course of the story. I find it really, really distasteful that the one handicapped character is the 'bad' one, especially when George went out of her way to make it clear that the other apprentice, a fashion forward, able bodied blonde, wasnt a mean girl stereotype, but actually a nice person with hopes and dreams. It just. Was not good. So I decided im not gonna reread this any time soon, so it should go.
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: TOSS
I dont even really know what to say here. I DNFed, not because its a bad story or the thing with Gaiman, but it just. Did not hook me on reread. I felt. Kinda bored? Which feels like sacrilege but. There we are. And since i DNFed rules say away it must go.
Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith: KEEP
Crown Duel is fucking great. You got battles, political intrigue, a squeeze of romance, and a main character who is so stubborn and headstrong and opinionated that she is the most unreliable narrator ever and yet we still root for her. Plus a world that feels so lush and alive in a way that some series dont seem to really accomplish. I love it so much I have two copies, one of which is now falling apart, so definite keep.
The Bar Code Tattoo/ The Bar Code Rebellion by Suzanne Weyn: TOSS
Rereading this made me realize that, while they are good stories, ya dystopian novels are just not my cup of tea. Which is why im letting them go. That aside, however, these are really good dystopians and I do recommend them as they do feel very relevant. The science is. Not the soundest and book two definitely gets a bit weird with the genetics, but you could easily see a world where your genetic code dictates the job you can get, the insurance you can get, if you are even allowed to buy gas and drive, becoming reality. Plus the us president is also the head of a business empire so. Thats not out there at all (unfortunately).
Harper Hall series by Anne McCaffrey: TOSS
McCaffrey has never been a favorite of mine- i didn't grow up reading her work. So Harper Hall was unusual in that when I was gifted the trilogy, I actually really enjoyed it. However, like Bar Code and Dragon Slippers, it was not as good on reread. I liked the fire-lizards, but how our main character was treated for much of book 1 by her family and friends was. Honestly awful. They literally said it was for her own good that she had a debilitating injury and nearly died of infection! It just made it a rather unpleasant read until the final chapters where she arrives at the wyre. So bye bye it goes.
The Forbidden Forest Chronicles by Patricia C Wrede: STORE
I loved this set as a kid. I used to have a audiobook of Dealing with Dragons that I fell asleep to forrrrrr 4? 5? Years straight. And it was just as i remembered on reread. But. I've definitely grown out of the age for it. However, with how much the series meant to me, I can't in good conscious toss them straight out. So, like Dragon Rider, they're going into storage and will be reconsidered at a later date.
Chalice by Robin McKinley: KEEP
I love how unique this book is. It takes place in a single county/duchy/township/whatever you want to call it, and yet has the same epic majesty of much bigger world ending fantasies. And the stakes feel just as high! Because they are for the characters! If the returning heir is unable to take over, and an outblood heir comes in, there's a chance the land will die. And our main character with it. It also has such a good romance. Most i can take or leave, but this one really sits perfectly within the overarching plot. And also there's bees. Anyways please read this its so good.
The Hero and the Crown/The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley: TOSS/KEEP
I really like the Blue Sword. Yes, it falls into the white Savior trope a bit, but i love how realistic Harry's struggles were as she tried to adapt to Hill life, from learning the language, to riding, to fighting. The romance i can take or leave, but i dont hate it. Now. The hero and the crown. I just. *sighhhhhh* it feels like Aerin gets to be. Everything. Shes the reason they are horse people, shes the reason they ride the tiny saddles, shes the reason the Hill people know Luthe and the water of Sight. She fights the dragon, she defeats the demigod, shes the reason they country becomes a desert. Its just. So much. Like damn girl why not share the spotlight at least a little? Also I hate both romances so I really could not bring myself to keep it.
Green Rider by Kristen Britain: STORE
Gods im really torn over Green Rider. I really enjoyed the first few books, but when I found out the plot for Mirrorsight I just. Could not bring myself to read it. So now im stuck in this quandry of. Do I keep the series, knowing I'll never actually finish it. Or do I let it go, and risk not having access to them again. So for now they'll go in a box and in a few months we'll see if I really missed them.
Cry of the Icemark by Stuart Hill: TOSS
This book is a fucking ride and gods damn im so sad that it no longer slaps like it once did. You got vikings vs romans, with probably the most interesting take on werewolves, vampires, MOTHERFUCKING THARAMAN THAR THE TALKING GIANT SNOW LEOPARD. Thirrin is an absolutely feral child who's bloodlust is only tempered by her love for her people and the responsibility she feels upon becoming a ruler at 14. Anddd thats the stickler. Shes 14. This is definitely a power fantasy for preteens/YA readers. Which isn't bad!! Its just. Im not one of those anymore. :( so I let it go. But if you want an absolutely nuts time I do recommend.
A Series of Unfortunate Events/The Unauthorized Autobiography/The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket: STORE
Another major sticking point for me. Asoue has been a major book series in my life for years. I've always loved how it shows that people arent good or bad, how you never get all the answers, and how sometimes the only choice you have is to walk away and free yourself from the cycle of abuse/neglect/trauma, even if it means leaving everything else behind. Oh and also how your author/narrator can be biased af and have secrets of his own that impact the story. However I dont know I'd ever reread them. I enjoy them, they are good books, but in a way, my memory of them has outpaced the actual reality. It did hurt to remove them from the shelf, but we'll see how i feel with some time separated.
Redwall series by Brian Jacques: KEEP
I love Redwall. They are such engaging fantasy books and really do have everything. Plots, schemes, riddles, puzzles, fighting, questing, love, loss, heros, villains, normal animals rising to the challenge, and of course, lots of glorious food. Im in the middle of doing a publishing order reread (which is why they are rearranged, no books have left), and i already know the series is staying. I dont even have to finish to know that they are that good and worth the shelf space.
Immortal Rain by Kaori Ozaki: KEEP
The day these leave my shelves is the day I die. Maybe not even then. Immortal Rain is an incredible manga, and I didn't even seek it out- I literally stumbled upon it and promptly got smacked in the face with its meditation on love, grief, sacrifice, and forgiveness, and who is worthy of it. Like asoue, there's no truly evil characters (except Fulk, fuck that guy) simply people who happen to be on opposite sides. For being a story centered on immortality and 'angels', its a remarkably human story. The fact only 8 of the 11 volumes were publishing in English is a travesty. This story, simply, changed my life. And thats why i can't let it go.
Plus it'd be so hard to get it back Manga scalpers are fucking brutal man.
And thats shelves 5 and 6! I knew going in Redwall and ASOUE were gonna dominate my time, and they really did. I wasn't expecting to let so many of the paperbacks go though- those rose tinted nostalgia lenses weren't as strong for this batch as previous ones I guess. Anyways, shelves 7 and 8 are actually mostly complete, due to being favorite books from after I started really reading again. My plan is, read more redwall while on vacation, finish redwall when I get back, and then read just the books im uncertain about keeping from shelves 7 and 8, with the goal of finishing sometime in November. Given my current reading rate I dont think ill get to the oversized or stored books this year, but by Gods they will get done.
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed and that maybe you found a new read.
The Twelve Dancing Princesses // The Night Dance by Suzanne Weyn
There was once upon a time a King who had twelve daughters, each one more beautiful than the other. They all slept together in one chamber, in which their beds stood side by side, and every night when they were in them the King locked the door, and bolted it. But in the morning when he unlocked the door, he saw that their shoes were worn out with dancing, and no one could find out how that had come to pass.
257. David Anthony Kraft and Suzanne Weyn (words); Alan Kupperberg and Brian Moore (art) - Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Coloring Book: The Lost Wand (1983)
Again making use of Marvel Comics great stable of artists and writers we get a third in the group of four AD&D coloring books, although I still do not understand why they are branded as AD&D rather than just D&D, seeing as they are clearly tie-ins to the world of the TV show which is just branded as D&D. Anyway, that's nitpicking.
Another thing I find interesting in these books is the fact that they exist in a parallel continuity to the TV show, or maybe even as prequels. They feature plenty of secondary characters from the series (Warduke, Kelek and Strongheart) but none of the main cast, none of the kids are here or Venger, Dungeon Master or Tiamat. I guess there's a reason for this and that is the fact that these coloring books are directly related to the toy line produced by LJN in 1983 which does not include any of those main characters as well, but does include Warduke, Kelek and Strongheart. If you ask me it was a lost opportunity but oh well, what do I know from Marketing?
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Old school YA dystopia books that deserve some love:
Ever since the well-deserved success of The Hunger Games books that was skyrocketed by the movies, we have been inundated by so-called YA Dystopian books. Unfortunately, it seems that a disproportionate amount of them are hollow copy and pasted versions that get paler and paler with each incarnation.
This post is brought to you by my love of dystopia from books published before or around such books as the Divergent series.
(no hate to those who enjoy the ya dystopian books that have been coming out in droves in the past decade) (if you love the book then you love it, that’s the point of literature)
I bring these to you in the hopes that I can entice those who are sick of the YA dystopian genre into seeing how they should be written. YA dystopia is what revolutionized teenagers into thinking that they could change the world, they could go head-to-head against corrupt governments. Now that we’ve grown up, it’s time to inspire the next generation.
disclaimer that this is by no means meant to be a comprehensive list, just what i have read over the years
Dystopia at its finest:
The Shadow Children Series by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry
The Bar Code by Suzanne Weyn
The Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Truancy by Isamu Fukui
The Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver
The Slated Trilogy by Teri Terry
The Blackcoat Rebellion Trilogy by Aimee Carter
The Declaration Trilogy by Gemma Malley
The Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie
Dystopia where the characters have special powers:
The Reboot Duology by Amy Tintera
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
The Pledge Trilogy by Kimberly Derting
Dystopia where the characters are more interested in the YA romance than toppling the government:
The Selection Trilogy by Kiera Cass
The Awaken Trilogy by Katie Kacvinsky
Dystopia with a dash of the apocalypse:
The Birthmarked Trilogy by Caragh M. O’Brien
The Razorland Series by Ann Aguirre
The Chemical Garden Trilogy by Lauren DeStefano
Dystopia that is way old school and probably isn’t YA but they are must reads of the genre:
1984 by George Orwell
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
This is my love note to YA Dystopia literature and I wish you happy reading.
