Take Flight with Dragon Reads

Between the Year of the Dragon, the popularity of Fourth Wing, and the release of a new book in the legendary YA series The Inheritance Cycle, I’ve got dragon books on my mind. Try one of these titles to get into the spirit, with options for all ages!

Dragon fantasy romance doesn’t always have to be serious and scary. You can tell from the title that That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming will be a fun ride, perfect for when you want your scaly dragon demon story to come with a good dose of banter, fluff, and spice. When spice farmer Cinnamon imbibes a little too much mead one night, she stumbles into an injured dragon demon named Fallon. Sparks fly as they embark on a quest to save their world from a monster Cin believed to be a goddess.

Also try Consort of Fire by Kit Rocha, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose, and When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill.

Teen fiction has plenty of dragon tales to offer too; check out the brand-new So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole. 17-year-old Faron was chosen to lead the fight against the dragon-riding colonizers of her country, the Langlish, successfully driving them out. But when her sister becomes permanently bonded to an enemy dragon and Faron is told the dragons—and those connected to them—must be killed, Faron must decide where her loyalties lie.

Also check out Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim, Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, and Fireborne by Rosaria Munda.

Let’s not forget dragon books for kids and families! Perhaps the most popular is the Wings of Fire series, starting with The Dragonet Prophecy, but my personal favorite is The Tea Dragon Society by K. O’Neill, the coziest graphic novel I’ve ever read. It features a blacksmith apprentice Greta who finds a lost tea dragon in the marketplace and becomes immersed in the world of dragons. Great for readers of any age!

You may also enjoy Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott, City of Thieves by Alex London, and Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin.

~ posted by Jane S.

Author Spotlight: T. Kingfisher

Fall is upon us, and with spooky season right around the corner, I can’t think of a better time to put T. Kingfisher on your radar. T. Kingfisher, aka Ursula Vernon (who writes children’s books under that name), is a prolific writer of humorous and often terrifying works of fantasy and horror. Some of her works even add romance to the mix for a delightfully chilling, thrilling, yet sweet read! T. Kingfisher does it all and often manages to make you laugh even when she is freaking you out. Below are some highlights of her adult fiction to add to your TBR pile/shelf/room. 

The Twisted Ones

Here is an example of Kingfisher’s trademark humor:

“Coonhounds usually get dumped when they turn out not to be very good hunters. Bongo is an excellent watchdog, by which I mean that he will watch very alertly as the serial killer breaks into the house and skins me.

But if the UPS guy ever tries to put one over on us, Bongo’s on the case. If dogs had religion, Satan would be the UPS guy.”

The Twisted Ones, T. Kingfisher (pg. 8)

With things that go bump in the night and creepy creatures from the forest, The Twisted Ones is sure to keep you up late with all the lights on and all the doors and windows locked tight. 

Hot Monster Summer

A friend of mine recently showed me a funny new twist on the “Hot Girl Summer” trend: Hot Orc Summer. As a fan of all kinds of romance, my brain immediately went to the currently exploding subgenre of Monster Romances! Here’s some highlights from the genre. And remember, if SPL doesn’t have a title you want, you can request that we purchase it here (including ebook purchase suggestions!)

Washington author Travis Baldree awakened me to a new genre of fantasy I didn’t know I needed: the cozy fantasy. The surprise hit best-seller Legends & Lattes is the story of an orc and a reformed succubus just trying to live a quiet life and run the citadel of Thune’s first ever coffee shop. Featuring Dungeons & Dragons-like high fantasy (without all the battle, but still some of the mayhem) and a sweet lesbian romance.

A Little Too Familiar by Pacific Northwest author Lish McBride kicks the spice up a notch, but grounds us in the completely mundane problem of lone werewolf Declan falling in love with his apprentice witch roommate Louise. When Declan’s past comes calling, he’ll have to trust Louise and the magic she wields, even though he swore never to go near it again.

Things get spicy real fast in Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians, a humorous take on an alien abduction gone sideways. A group of women abducted by aliens gets stranded on an ice planet, then rescued by a big blue horned alien named Vektal who claims the leader of the women is his mate (she makes his chest purr, a surefire sign of true love). First of an ongoing series.

 

What’s new in Pacific Northwest Science Fiction and Fantasy

The Pacific Northwest has always been a little different, as these wildly imaginative recent Fantasy and Science Fiction titles by NW authors attest.

Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton.
Facing a battle in Seattle against a mutant horde, Cheeto loving crow S.T. takes Dee, the sole surviving human, under his wing, in the hilarious sequel to Hollow Kingdom.

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21^st Century: stories by Kim Fu
Startling and surreal, delightful and disturbing, these edgy short fictions brilliantly capture 21st Century life through an dazzling range of original SF and Fantasy scenarios.

Revelator by Daryl Gregory
Tennessee bootlegger Stella wants to leave her kinfolk’s strange folk beliefs in the past, but the dark force they call Ghostdaddy – the God in the Mountain – may have different ideas. A Southern Gothic thrill ride.

Spear by Nicola Griffith
In this queer retelling of Arthurian legend, Peretur, a girl raised in a cave by a protective mother, is drawn to battle and adventure—while love and fate offer their own irresistible pull.

Night Shift by Eileen Gunn
An escaped tapir on the run; a flight delay that lasts for decades; a dreary late shift saving the world: even the Twilight Zone was never quite this strange. Visionary tales and essays from Nebula winner Gunn.

A Little Too Familiar by Lish McBride
Sure, rent is high in Seattle, but is that reason enough for a witch and a werewolf to become roommates? Louise and Declan are about to find out in this fun, swoony paranormal romance.

Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire
Part of the beguiling Wayward Children series, this portal fantasy sends Antsy through into a dusty shop in another world to escape the malign intentions of her menacing stepfather, but at what cost?

Ordinary Monsters by J. M. Miro
Hunted by a man made of smoke, orphans with uncanny powers find refuge in Cairndale Institute among those even stranger than themselves, in this enthralling Victorian fantasy adventure.

The Heavenly Sword by Alice Poon
Only one thing could prevent a goddess in the earthly form of the young warrior Sai’er from vanquishing the usurping tyrant Zhu Di and his henchmen: love. A lyrical martial arts saga.

Our Favorite Fantasy Fiction of 2022

I’d say Fantasy Fiction is enjoying a “renaissance,” but it never went away, and has garnered massive mainstream interest since a certain boy wizard’s first day at Hogwart’s, or even since Bilbo left the Shire. That said, today’s fantasy readers can choose from an unprecedented diversity of subgenres, settings, voices and themes. We recently compiled an exensive list of our favorite fantasy novels of 2022; here’s a small taste of what you’ll find there:

Half a Soul, by Olivia Atwater. Don’t blame tart-tongued Theodora Ettings for making such a scene amidst the glittering demimonde of London’s marriage market. A faerie curse has snipped away half of her soul, and all of her restraint. Might the dashing Elias Wilder, Lord Sorcier of England, restore her to her former self – or is she just fine as she is? As the duo delve into a mysterious sleeping sickness sweeping the land, faerie magic and Regency romance combine with cozy mystery for a swift and witty genre-blender, first of a series.

The Sturgeon’s Heart, by Amy E. Casey. Duluth, Minnesota, is a great place to disappear. Fleeing childhood fame, Sarah revels in her newfound anonymity, working as a cashier at the grocery store. Jo seeks a fresh start after an acrimonious divorce. Across the hall from Jo is Howard, whose skin is literally disappearing, turning transparent and revealing all that lays beneath. These three lonely seekers will find each other in the most startling and mystical way, in this ravishing and moving contemporary magical realist fantasy.