Tag: unconventional looking / conventionally unattractive heroine

fuck-yeah-monsters-and-villains:

UPROOTED by Naomi Novik

Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.”

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

Check out this book on Goodreads: Uprooted https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22544764-uprooted

Reblogging the first entry of my blog. This book more or less was the incentive to start blogging about villains and monsters. @metamashina mentioned it on their first episode of their podcast and it made me very happy that finally someone was talking about exactly the kind of fiction I’m interested in. So thank you for inspiring me!

While lurking in the Star Wars fandom I’ve seen Reylos recommending stuff to each other but it was always sporadic and unorganized. Why was no one running a recommendations blog for stuff that is similar to the reylo dynamic? Why was no one blogging about exactly the things I’m interested in? Whyyyyy? Oh. Ok. Guess I have to do it. Story of this blog. 😊

Also read this book! Capable heroine, grumpy, but sexy wizard, creepy woods, elements of Polish folklore and graphic depictions of female friendschip…

fuck-yeah-monsters-and-villains:

HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE by Diana Wynne Jones

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl’s castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there’s far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6294.Howl_s_Moving_Castle

Reblogging myself because this book deserves more attention. I even prefer it over the movie. The characters are more consistent, the plot makes more sense and I the development of the romance is better.

WINTERSONG by S. Jae-Jones

Beware the goblin men and the wares they sell.

All her life, nineteen-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family’s inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns.

But when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above. The Goblin King agrees to let Käthe go—for a price. The life of a maiden must be given to the land, in accordance with the old laws. A life for a life, he says. Without sacrifice, nothing good can grow. Without death, there can be no rebirth. In exchange for her sister’s freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King. He accepts.

Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the Goblin King still inspires her—musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent blossoms, Liesl’s life is slowly fading away, the price she paid for becoming the Goblin King’s bride. As the two of them grow closer, they must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.

Check out this book on Goodreads: Wintersong (Wintersong, #1) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24763621-wintersong

I really like this book. It reads a little bit like Labyrinth fan fiction. Of course it features original characters. But the author is actually pretty upfront about it.