FANTASY FAVORITES TAG// in which Faith rants about unpopular opinions

by - March 11, 2019


Greetings to all my lovely readers!

I hope you all remembered to comment on my blogoversary post (I would post a link to that but I'm writing this post two weeks in advance and I'm lazy, lol.) The answers to the Q&A will be coming next week, and now I've decided that there's DEFINITELY going to be a giveaway (of the bookish variety!), so stay tuned for that.

On to today's post, which is, of all things, A TAG!

How exactly did this conversation go? Oh, yeah:

Faith: I stole a tag from Lila!
Faith: I never get tagged for anything anymore. Writing tags must be over :(
Christine:
Nicki:
Christine & Nicki: HERE HAVE A TAG!

So, in other words, I've been double tagged for the wonderful Fantasy Favorites Tag! Without further ado, let's jump into this.

What is your favorite fantasy book?

Well, the proper answer would be Lord of the Rings, wouldn't it? But...but...IT'S NOT. *cowers under a rock* 

I know! It sounds totally sacrilegious! But never fear, it's still something good. My favorite fantasy book (or rather, series), would be: 

Anne Elisabeth Stengl's Tales of Goldstone Wood.

Image result for goldstone wood series

The characters in this series are amazing, the settings lush, the descriptions gorgeous. They rip your heart out and put it back a little fuller than it used to be. I'm in love with this series, and I think it's a love I will never get over. 

Some runners-up:
-Lord of the Rings
-Wingfeather Saga
-Blades of Acktar
-Strange the Dreamer
-The Traitor's Game
(you're not surprised by a single thing listed here are you)

What is your favorite fantasy movie or TV show? 

Seeing as I don't watch TV (except for kids' shows and Doctor Who, neither of which count as fantasy), we're going to go with movie.

There's only one right answer here, and that would be the one, the only, Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Image result for lord of the rings series

Yes, the movies are actually incredible. Do I agree with everything they changed? No! Do I like Faramir or appreciate the Osgiliath subplot or like the way Frodo treats Sam? Not at all. But these movies are, hands-down, the best ever made. There, I admitted it. There are definitely other movies that rank very, very high in my heart (Amazing Grace, anyone?) But Lord of the Rings is the single best movie series ever to grace the silver screen.

Some runners-up:
-The Princess Bride
-The Chronicles of Narnia
-It's actually really hard to think of fantasy movies? I really only watch sci-fi/action/animated movies, so I'm not really sure. 
-Dr. Strange. It's magic. It counts. xD

Who is your favorite fantasy hero/heroine?

Whyyyyyy do you torment me in this way? I can just imagine you all cackling right now. *glares*

Hero:
-Aragorn
-Leo/Lionheart of Southlands
-Sam Gamgee
-Mortimer/Silvertongue/Bluejay
-Simon Hatch
-Lazlo Strange
-Leith Torren
-many, many others

Heroine:
-Eowyn
-Kestra Dallisor
-Rose Red/Varvare
-Renna Faythe
-Others but I can't actually think of any at the moment? Lol

Who is your favorite fantasy sidekick?

Dustfinger of Inkheart! (Who's also a protagonist and a villain's sidekick but can serve as a sidekick...his role changes drastically depending on who you ask)
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Who is your favorite fantasy villain? (The one you most love to hate)

Ahhh, this is actually super hard? I feel like it's very easy for fantasy villains to be one-dimensional or creepy without much else to them, and I really love my villains to be well-fleshed-out. I'm NOT mentioning my own characters here, because I'm not that person xD (but one of them is SO ANNOYING to write and I hate her with all my heart because she BUGS me with her very existence, so her, maybe? No names given here but you might could guess if you've read it xD.)

Fine, we'll go with the Wingfeather Saga villains. Ouster Will, the Stone Keepers, Khrak, Gnag the Nameless, the spoiler characters...ALLLLL of them. This series has the best villains.

The Monster in the Hollows (The Wingfeather Saga, #3)

What is your favorite fantasy sub-genre?

Honestly, if it's super quirky like anything by Laini Taylor or Maggie Stiefvater, I'm gonna love it. Quirky fantasy. xD (Okay, I know that's not a thing really, but for the sake of argument...)
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What is your favorite thing about fantasy?

The possibilities are endless and you can write a story with a plot that's more than angst and bad romance! *gives historical and contemporary the evil eye* 

What is your favorite fantasy realm?

Goldstone Wood, obviously. *shivers with delight* It's so dangerous but so beautiful. <3

What is your favorite magic fantasy system?

I'm really digging the magic system of the Traitor's Game right now! Only one particular race of people, the Endreans, have magic, and so the villain, Endrick, has it and is trying to eradicate it from everyone else. It gives you super cool powers, but you have to be careful, because magic is corrupting and will steal your soul and turn you bad, given enough time. It's so dangerous and awesome like everything else in that series and I love it. *runs away to cry someplace because I am slain* (Also, the powers are SO COOL.)

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Sell me a fantasy book! Have you written a fantasy book? Give me your best pitch for it! Have you read an exceptionally great fantasy book recently? Convince me to make it my next read!

I feel like I scream about all the books I love, both that I'm reading and writing, WAAAAAY too much?

But we'll try this. Try is the key word here. I hate pitching. 


A princess who never asked for this responsibility. 
A boy who only wanted a chance.
Their worlds will collide, and this war will never be the same.
Princess Esma Pentegreen longs for peace--but those days are long behind her and her kingdom. With her family entangled in a war they don't understand and never asked for, secrets and betrayals are everywhere. Spies could lurk in every shadow. 
When a patrol captures perhaps the most important prisoner the Pentegreens have ever held, Esma finds herself thrown headfirst into a conflict she had sought to avoid when she volunteers to interrogate this mysterious boy...

Me, going into author fangirl mode: Oh, and there's also a spy girl hiding more than her scars, a soldier boy determined to be the optimist here, about forty thousand other spies (plus assassins!), and a slew of magic abilities that may or may not include mind control at some point...


I won't be tagging anyone for this (look at me, being a nice person! *glares at Nicki and Christine*), but I hope you enjoyed reading this! 

Chat with me in the comments about your fantasy reads! Do you agree with my choices? Or am I ridiculously controversial here? XD Let me know what you think? 

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36 comments

  1. *fangirls at TKD description* *whispers, “Rishatta is awesome”* XD

    Haha, YAY, you did the tag! (And yep, definitely not surprised by most of the answers here.....whoops. XD)

    But SIMON HATCH IS INCREDIBLE and thank you for putting him on here. That is all. ;)

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    1. *giggles* Well, thank you. XD

      YES! Of course not ;) I'm predictable as anything. Oh well...

      YES HE IS! He is my precious smol bean of a son and I adore him with all my beating heart.

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  2. YES TO ALL THE GOLDSTONE WOOD LOVE. And the LotR movies of course. Sure, they have problems, but they're still like the BEST fantasy movies ever produced. There's really no other fantasy movie series like them. I WISH THERE WERE. But for now I'll just have to settle with watching the LotR trilogy for the 2938493284th time. (Lol like I ever get tired of it.)

    It's just getting sad at this point that I haven't read the Wingfeather saga yet. I WANT TO. I just keep hoping to find all the books, but thus far I only have the first one. I need to get the others! Also I'm DYING to read Strange the Dreamer, some Stiefvater, and Jennifer Nielson's books. Like...what have I even been doing with my life??

    Just reading about TKD makes me go into fangirl mode! ALL THE PRECIOUS PEEPS. <333

    My post had a shocking lack of LotR too. But hey, it's good to bring up OTHER fantasy books every now and again, right? Haha.

    Loved reading your answers! So glad you did the tag. I was totally hoping you would. *grins*

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    1. GOLDSTONE WOOD *heart eyes* And oh, yes. There's nothing to compare with them. I laugh at Amazon's paltry attempts to imitate it. I mean, no one can ever top them. xD XD XD

      YES! YES YES YES!!!!! READ THEM, CHRISTINE! READ THEEMMMMMM!!!!!!! *flails*

      *grins broadly*

      I KNOW! I'm sort of amazed to see how many other things I like? Wow.

      Thanks! And I'm sure you were, Miss Double Tagger. *dirty look* *breaks down in giggles*

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  3. I quite like your answers. Then again, I haven't read half of these books, so I'm a horrible judge in that regard.

    Your pitch though? *gasp* Needs to reads it :)

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    1. Well, thank you! :D And yeah, that's kinda how it works :/

      Thank you!!! :D

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  4. Hey! The Bluejay!! He's one of the better parts of Inkworld. Meggi gets on my nerves sooooo much (as does Farid). Actually HALF the characters are SO ANNOYING and the rest are GOLDEN. Kind of evens it out, lol

    Now I feel like I'm due for some re-reads so THANKS

    But I still need to dive into Heartless. I've had it for a while now, but haven't gotten around it. Goldstone Wood just sounds so good though!!

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    1. Ugh, I hate Farid! My feelings on Meggie are pretty mixed--I just DESPISE Mortola with a vengenace. Basta, Dustfinger, the Bluejay, and Resa are the BEST, though. xD

      *innocent smile* Don't worry, I mean to reread them before too long myself. We can suffer together.

      YES! I really hope you enjoy it ^_^

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  5. That description of your story would make me buy it! Yes, Lord of the Rings is amazing and love that Dustfinger got a shout out.

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    1. AGH REALLY?! Thank you so much Skye!!!!!!!!! And Dustfinger is THE BEST. <3

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  6. (Amazing Grace = <3, it is so good!!) I'm part way through the LOTR movies, and I can't wait to see the rest!! They definitely are great.

    I'm feeling out of the loop because I haven't read any of the others. Faith, why must you keep adding to my to-read list!!?? XD

    That pitch = Gold. It is perfect, Faith!

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    1. Amazing Grace is BRILLIANT! And ooh, that's awesome! Glad to hear you're enjoying them--they're incredibly precious to my heart. <3

      *smirks* Because these books are gems of the most wonderful variety. :D

      Well, thank you very much! <3

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  7. You're not the only one who wouldn't put LotR as her favorite fantasy book! I love LotR, but... it's not my favorite.

    Doesn't mean I won't be part of the mob that jumps on certain people who stubbornly refuse to read OR watch it. (They know who they are. XD)

    I LOVE that synopsis! <3333

    Great tag! I love your answers. THE MORE I HEAR ABOUT GOLDSTONE WOOD, THE MORE I WANT TO READ IT.

    YES to Simon as a top hero! LOVE THAT DUDE.

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    1. YES! Same. ;)

      Hmmm, I do wonder--whoever could that possibly be?! *cracks knuckles* Whoever, she is, she's going DOWN. We will make her cave eventually.

      THANK YOU! <3333

      YOU MUST READ IT. I WILL SCREAM ABOUT IT FOREVER so don't you want to know what I'm talking about?! XD XD

      HE'S THE LITERAL BEST. And wait til you read book 2--he just becomes a cinnamon roll child of the most epic proportions. <3

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  8. DUSTFINGER!!!! Love him so much!!!

    And of course, LotR is, by far, one of the best cinematic experiences known to mankind.

    Loved this post, girl!!

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    1. Yes!!!! He's so wonderful <3

      Absolutely. ;)

      Thank you so much! <3

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  9. *laughs evilly* Haha! And now I have your answers!!!! I regret nothing.

    You have great answers and I one hundred billion percent agree that Lord of the Rings are the best movies ever. Because they are. But seriously, YOU'VE WATCHED DOCTOR WHO??? WHY HAVE WE NEVER TALKED ABOUT THIS, GIRL????

    Ugh, I need to pick the Traitor's Game up again, but then I'm also scared to read it because it will be over *pouts*

    ASDFGHJKL That blurb for TKD, Fangirl mode engaged (I'm kidding, it was engaged when you mentioned Doctor Who, so I was pretty much fangirling throughout the entirety of this post) XD

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    1. *glares evilly back* YOU'RE THE WORST PATRICK!!!!!!!

      They are the best movies! And yeah, I've only seen Season 1 and part of season 2, so...yeah. Nine is the only Doctor I know and I've seen only bits of Ten. XD So I'm not much of an expert at this point. I need to finish watching it. XDDDDD

      YES READ IT! At least you HAVE the sequel in front of you and don't have to WAIT a year for it! Get through the durn book child. It's worth it. I promise. Simon is the cinnamon roll of cinnamon rolls and I adore him. <3 You need to adore him too.

      Hahahahaha thank you! (And yes, Doctor Who is very much automatic fangirl material. Lol.)

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    2. Okay... but I got that reference XD

      They are, I've seen them so many times that I could probably quote them in my sleep. You're right that there aren't very many good fantasy movies out there. Have you seen Snow White and the Huntsman? Oh really?? We just started rewatching them because we got all of the episodes from nine through eleven for Christmas and we just started season two as well! Have you seen Tooth and Claw yet?

      I know, but also I get weird with books that I've anticipated for a while and if I think I started them too soon I'll pick up another book and read it before I fully start the anticipated read *glances at Coldest Girl in Coldtown* I'm sure I'll love him because I love cinnamon rolls <3

      Welcome (but it is though, especially where I'm concerned)

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    3. *stands there gaping* YOU KNOW ABOUT PATRICK?!!!!!!!!!!

      I haven't seen that one--my mom is Not Interested so I haven't had the chance :/ But yes, I have seen that one! I think that was the last full episode I watched? I need the rest of the season! *cries*

      Agh yep xD But seriously, read it, you won't regret it. Not at all. *also glances at Coldest Girl in Coldtown* You will ADORE him. He's just the most precious bby of all time.

      (Oh yes...XD)

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    4. Lol, I'm assuming that you were quoting Connel and Donnel if you were not then I have no idea who Patrick is XD

      Really? I actually went and saw that one in the theaters because my mom was more willing to watch it a second time in theaters than take me to a friend's party. It's soundtrack is so good, and also when you watch it you're probably gonna see a lot of Winter Cursed elements ;P We just watched that one on Sunday! It's one of my favorites, you knows how I feel about werewolves. You do! Though you'll be crying after you finish the season too *cries as well*

      I know I won't! I love Neilson's writing. *scoots away from the Coldest Girl in Coldtown* Well, I do like precious babies...

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    5. Obviously I was quoting Connel and Donnel! "I'm not talkin' to you, Patrick. I'm talkin' to the Patrick standin' next to ya." XD XD XD Oh my goodness I don't think I've met anyone else who knows those!!!!

      Oof, if it's like Winter Cursed then I NEED TO WATCH IT, BY GOSH. *fangirls* I know I'll be crying...I already know (kinda) what happens (thanks, spoilers *glares at internet*) so I'm already prepared to cry. *sniffles*

      DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DOOOOOOO IITTTTTTTTT

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    6. Girl, I was shocked when YOU said that. I was just like... no, she couldn't be XD

      Lol, main inspiration and soundtrack for Winter Cursed. I'm pretty sure that Ravvena is Ismena's older sister XD Ugh, I know what happens too and I'm crying too. This show is so dang tragic, but also it's so good and obviously I'm obsessed XD

      I WILL I WILL I WILL!!!!

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    7. I AM A LITERAL CONNEL AND DONNEL FANGIRL. Like...I watch those videos way more than is healthy. Have you seen the closed captioning one?!

      ACK GIMME THIS MOVIE THENNNNNN (it has Chris Hemsworth, too, right? Because Chris Hemsworth...*trails off, heart eyes*

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  10. Obviously, I need to read more fantasy because I've only read the LOTR and some Wingfeather Saga. OH, I have Inkheart and watched the movie (and loved it). Need to read that one still ;)

    Love this post ... except contemporary and historical are so good and about so much more than those things ... at least the good ones are ;p Hahahaha ;D

    keturahskorner.blogspot.com

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    1. Yes! Inkheart is absolutely fantastic. <3

      Haha, I guess I'm just not a contemporary/historical person xD It takes a LOOOOOTTT of convincing to get me to like even the good ones, unfortunately. xD

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  11. Tales of Goldstone Wood are possibly my favorite epic fantasy series. Narnia is a close second, but EANRIN. AND LIONHEART. AND ALL THE REST. Just. So much yes. :DDD

    I feel like Inkheart is so under-appreciated. It's so great!! I think more people should read it!! Because Dustfinger is the best!! *heart eyes*

    Oh man...All I hear about the Wingfeather Saga is AMAZING EPIC THINGS. I still haven't read it... I really should.

    YASSS TO QUIRKY FANTASY. It totally counts as a sub-genre! Maggie Stiefvater is THE MASTER of this, in my opinion. I've never read anything quite like a Stiefvater book...

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    1. THEY'RE SO GOOD. I mean, Eanrin. *squeals* Who can compare.

      It really is! He's the best. <3 I wish more people would read it and see it as more than a kids' series!

      IT'S SO GOOD READ ITTTTTTT

      Maggie Stiefvater is QUEEN. There is no one who compares to Stiefvater.

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  12. I've heard so many good things about Maggie Stiefvater and Laini Taylor but I haven't read any of their books. *hides in shame* Perhaps I'll have to try them out--I tend to like "quirky fantasy" too. :)

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  13. ALL THE FANTASY BOOKS. <333
    Okay; the Wingfeather Saga and Tales of Goldstone Wood are AMAZING BOOKS. AND OF COURSE, LOTR. <333 Dustfinger is AMAZING. :-)

    And yes; Amazing Grace was a wonderful movie. :-D

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    1. I KNOW! <3

      Yes, yes, and yes! And I wish I'd known about Dustfinger sooner! He's absolutely brilliant.

      Isn't it? Look at me, managing to squeeze my favorite drama into a post about fantasy xD

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  14. The Wingfeather Saga villains are the absolute BEST!

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    1. They're pretty darn amazing, that's for sure <3

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  15. I love Goldstone Wood too!!!! Lord of the Rings is kind of the ultimate, right? So, sometimes I don't mention it in all my favorites just because it's almost a given. Like it's the epic standard, so that makes it perfectly acceptable to fangirl over other books/series so they get some love, too. Because that's good. LOL

    Doctor Strange is DEFINITELY on the fantasy end of the spectrum in the Marvel universe. Also, I would argue that Thor is, as well.

    Your pitch!!! I need this book NOW! Awesome job!

    I... *hangs head in shame* STILL haven't read the Wingfeather Saga, even though it keeps getting shouted about during the SilmAwards and I really, really, really need to. All my friends have read it and loved it.... sigh. I'm so behind on reading. I'm thinking I need to bite the bullet and buy the books so I can actually get around to reading them.

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    1. Ahhh, that makes so much sense! I think I totally agree with you--I couldn't have said it as eloquently but definitely :D

      YES! Ooh, I agree about Thor. I like the Doctor Strange movies better for some reason, but Thor is one of my favorite Marvel heroes. <3

      THANK YOU! *squeals*

      AGH JENELLE WHAT ARE YOU DOING GO READ THEM XD

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