August 30, 2017
When someone mentions fantasy book covers, inevitably a stereotypical image pops up. One of knights standing near dragons, perhaps a chain-mail bra-clad woman with him. Or at least, that’s what used to be the norm. As today’s standards of what’s “cool” and socially acceptable continue to shift, so do the covers of speculative fiction books. Fantasy, science fiction, and horror…
August 15, 2017
When she isn’t answering your Dear Sherry letters, our resident Writing Coach, Sherry Peters, is taking her own advice to Just Write. Today, we’re happy to share the news of her book release! Mabel the Notorious Dwarf is the latest in the Ballad of Mabel Goldenaxe YA fantasy series. The titles of the books may speak for themselves, but the…
August 9, 2017
Labyrinth Lost (2016) Written by: Zoraida Córdova Genre: YA/Urban Fantasy Pages: 340 pages Series: Brooklyn Brujas, Book 1 Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire Why I Chose This: I saw this cover while browsing my local bookstore and immediately fell in love. Magic, mayhem, a world of monsters and gods? I was sold straight away. The premise: The only way to get her family…
August 2, 2017
Clariel (2014) Written By: Garth Nix Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Pages: 419 (Trade Paperback) Series: Old Kingdom (Book 4) Publisher: HaperCollins Why I Chose It: I read Sabriel, the first in the Old Kingdom series, back when I was a teenager, and it quickly became one of my favorites, full of unique magic, truly scary bad guys, and even a…
July 19, 2017
The Dragon’s Playlist (2017) Written by: Laura Bickle Genre: YA Fantasy Pages: 219 (Kindle) Publisher: Pronoun Why I Chose It: 100% truthfully? It was free. I’ve been enjoying Bickle’s Petra Dee books, but I wasn’t so sure about this one. Part of it is that after 30 plus years of fantasy reading, I have dragon fatigue. But in the end,…
July 13, 2017
Island of Exiles (2017) Written by: Erica Cameron Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Pages: 400 (Trade Paperback) Series: Book One of The Ryogan Chronicles Publisher: Entangled Teen Why I Chose It: I heard this one described as the kind of young adult fantasy we really need in the market, with things like a strong female protagonist and great magic. Granted it…
July 4, 2017
In 2013, Rainbow Rowell published Fangirl, a young adult novel with an interesting speculative twist. The novel itself wasn’t speculative. It revolves around a set of twin sisters who grew up absolutely enthralled with Rowell’s answer to Harry Potter, Simon Snow. The main focus of the novel is one twin, Cath. Cath isn’t ready to leave her days in the…
June 14, 2017
Caraval (2017) Written by: Stephanie Garber Genre: Teen/Fantasy Pages: 407 (Hardcover) Publisher: Flatiron Books Why I Chose It: Caraval first enticed me with its cover, then more with the magical ticket on the back cover, and then finally with the description within the jacket. I like carnivals and games and magic, and I have two sisters. While the premise itself sounds…
May 31, 2017
As you may have noticed, here at Speculative Chic, we love following the award circuit. While we don’t get to read all the things for all the awards, we do make a pretty darn good effort, if I do say so myself (and as Editor-in-Chic, I do say so!). However, there are some awards that pop up and say, “Here’s…
August 26, 2016
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2016) Written by: Jack Thorne, John Tiffany, and J.K. Rowling Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy Pages: 320 (Hardcover) Series: Book Eight of Harry Potter series Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books Why I Chose It: I’ve been a fan of the Harry Potter books for a long time so it was a given that I was going to read…