Weekend Reads: The Near Witch by V. E. Schwab (Lauricia)

Greetings, all!

As I’m writing to you this month, Texas is emerging like a burrowing mammal from our great Icepocolypse. The sun is finally shining in a clear sky, and the temperature is finally scheduled to rise above freezing. Those of you in the north may scoff, but we southerners are simply not prepared for this type of weather. As a meme I saw phrased it, “I love that no one in Texas owns actual snow clothes. It’ll snow and you’ll see everyone outside in mismatched pajamas and a hoodie.” Not to mention four layers of socks on our hands for gloves. It just doesn’t make sense to own clothing for weather that usually occurs only once in a decade or so!

But enough of the weather. We’re here to talk about books you need to read. For this weekend, I recommend The Near Witch by V. E. Schwab.

In the village of Near, the winds on the moors sing a haunting song. It’s best not to listen too closely, though, because bad things happen to those who do. Like the boy Jack, whose mysterious death led to the mob hunt and murder of the Near witch two generations ago.

Lexi knows the story, but still the wind calls, its haunting tune trying to tell her something if only she would listen just a little closer. She can’t let the wind distract her, though, because the children of Near are disappearing, whisked away from their beds during the night. Lexi has to find out why, or her little sister could be next.

The Near Witch is one of those stories that contains everything I love about the fantasy genre: mystery, magic, a touch of romance, and an able heroine I can relate to. It’s a “quiet and strange” story, in the author’s words. Quiet and strange in the style of Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones and Neverwhere and Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Quiet and strange in the way that I am most drawn to in a story.

I don’t remember how I found this book, but I am supremely glad that I did, and that I bought the hardback version because it’s going to have a long life on my shelf of treasures. I hope you adore it just as much.

Until next time, happy reading!

Weekend Reads: The Mapmaker's Daughter (Katie)

Weekend Reads (Katie) and a vlog!

Hi everyone! I'm excited to bring you another vlog from Katie's Thoughtful Spot, (1-2 minute videos where I talk about books!), in which I'm featuring a book for St. Patrick's Day.

You can see which book I'm referencing below, and I hope you'll check out my vlog to hear my thoughts about it!

The Mapmaker's Daughter by Joanna Emerson

A Steampunk Novel
Winner of the 2018 Realm Makers Award for YA Fiction

The Potato Famine is almost a decade behind young airship builder, Paddy O'Brien, but its effects still haunt him.

Then he finds his mother dead in the garden. But he has no time to investigate her murder, because a refugee falls from a strange airship, practically into his arms.

How did a gorgeous Asian woman ended up on the south coast of Ireland? Under usual circumstances, her company would be more than welcome. But she's being pursued by pirates, and Paddy's been drafted into a militia. These are anything but usual circumstances.


***Please let me know how I can pray for you during this stressful time. I am more than happy to do so, and I'll be checking in throughout the week. {{{HUGS}}}

What We're Reading: Shadow of the Fox (Lauricia)

Yumeko is a kitsune. Okay, technically she’s only half-kitsune, but even that’s more than enough to get her into trouble. Although her jokes and pranks exasperate most of the monks that she lives with, her trickster nature could be the only thing that enables her to stay one step ahead of those who pursue her; those who covet what she carries.

Tatsumi is a shadow warrior trained to hunt and kill yokai when instructed to do so by his clan. Equipped with a sword that imprisons a demon, Tatsumi is an unstoppable force – as long as he feels no emotion. Why, then, after a lifetime of training, does the presence of one girl stir up so much feeling? The more he comes to care for her, the more likely it is that he will be overtaken by the demon, but this girl’s draw is irresistible. Even so, he must focus and stay on task until he finds the thing he has been sent to retrieve.

Once every age, the great Kami Dragon grants the fulfillment of one wish to the bearer of The Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. For the safety of the land of Iwagoto, the scroll was torn into three pieces and hidden in four remote monasteries, to be guarded against the possibility of the Dragon’s wish being fulfilled for evil. Now a new age is beginning, and the Kami Dragon will soon rise once more. There are many who long to see their greatest wish come true, and they will do whatever it takes to retrieve the four pieces of the scroll.

Rich in Japanese folklore, Shadow of the Fox is a fantasy novel written by Julie Kagawa. I first learned of this author when I read her Iron Fey series, a collection of novels in which the author takes common fairy tale elements and twists them in a way that is both unique and refreshing. Julie Kagawa then went on to do the same thing with the Christian myth of Saint George the dragon slayer in her Talon series. Shadow of the Fox, the first book in a series by the same name, is rich in a manga/anime flare and weaves a spellbinding tapestry lush with the mythology of the Japanese culture. Fans of Howl’s Moving Castle, Bleach, or Sword Art Online will be thrilled with Shadow of the Fox and the soon-to-be-released sequel, Soul of the Sword.

Your Turn: Edgy Vs. Squeaky Clean Fiction

Lately, I have been reading a lot about where to draw lines in Christian fiction. Should Christian fiction deal with controversial topics? Can characters use offensive language? Most importantly, how do we, as authors, portray Christ's message and still engage with the world around us?



In Zachary Totah's article "On Behalf of Young Christian Readers Who Don't Want Clean, Unrealistic Stories," posted on the August 8, 2017 edition of Speculative Faith, he says,

"Don’t give us stories filled with characters peering down from their ivory towers, removed from the struggle and mess and brokenness of living in a fallen world.

Rather, give us stories with real, raw, vulnerable people. Who deal with hard situations. Who live in realities where life beats them down and doesn’t always work out as planned. Stories that aren’t afraid to use fantastical elements."

Totah continues,

"And that’s exactly where stories by Christians enter the picture. If they can stop the obsession with making sure nothing offensive, scandalous, or challenging gets within 100 feet of the storyline, they can offer hope.

They don’t live in a timid, perfect world that can’t emphasize the brilliant light of Truth because it refuses to acknowledge the darkness plaguing the world and the characters themselves. They live in stories where rough things happen. Where characters make big mistakes and there isn’t always a clear right answer."

So, what do you think? Is there a place for edgy fiction dealing with tough topics that uses realistic language (read: swearing) in Christian books? Or do you think Christian authors should steer clear of controversy and language? Let us know both what your opinion is and why you hold it.

Thanks!

Erin

Attributions:
https://pixabay.com/en/dog-wolf-yelp-moon-tree-night-647528/