Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars Indigenous MC, magic school, dragon riding, Viking-meets-Regency era society, poly romance….WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG!?! Not a lot, is the answer. Anequs is a breath of fresh air as a female YA protagonist. She had aContinue reading “ARC review: To Shape a Dragon’s Breath”
Author Archives: Haylee Swinford
ARC review: Beau is Non-Binary of Everything
My Overall Thoughts – 3/5 “But if my life was shorter…perhaps angels might start picking a hammer and chisel to build something eternal. Perhaps there might have been a David with broad wings spreading wide at his back.” The writing in this book was poetic and beautiful, and that was its biggest draw. I enjoyedContinue reading “ARC review: Beau is Non-Binary of Everything”
what’s on my shelf
I am a polygamist when it comes to my books. I read several books at once, usually three or four. And when I’m participating in buddy reads in my Discord book club, it can easily be more than that. The Vampire Lestat (Vampire Chronicles #2) by Anne RiceI really enjoyed Interview with the Vampire andContinue reading “what’s on my shelf”
using prophecies in fantasy without making eyes roll
Good ol’ stand-bys, ubiquitous fantasy tropes, are difficult to avoid. And sometimes we don’t want to avoid them. Goddammit, sometimes you just need a good, solid prophecy to write the story your want to write. “It’s not my fault all these other people before me have written prophecies, too!” you say. And you’d be right. Unfortunately, theyContinue reading “using prophecies in fantasy without making eyes roll”
Gary Paulsen: in memory
I was so sad to hear that Gary Paulsen died on Oct 13th. Hatchet and other middle grade survival novels like it were my favorite books when I was in elementary school. But I hadn’t read it in at least 25 years so in memory of Paulsen’s contribution to children’s literature, I decided to giveContinue reading “Gary Paulsen: in memory”
spook-tober reads: the hollow places
Imagine if you found the wardrobe to Narnia…only, instead of a wardrobe it was a hole in the drywall, and instead of a magical wonderland ruled by a Jesus-lion, it was a paper-thin nightmare world that trapped people in the “upside down.” Kara (lovingly referred to as Carrot by her quirky Uncle [who is mostContinue reading “spook-tober reads: the hollow places”
spook-tober reads: my best friend’s exorcism
My Best Friend’s Exorcism is a book about life in the 80s. It’s a book about demonic possession. It’s a book about classism. But more than absolutely anything, it’s a book about real, true, life-long friendship. Abby’s parents have fallen from high places and she’s the poor kid at a fancy private school on scholarship.Continue reading “spook-tober reads: my best friend’s exorcism”
characters to love
About two years ago, I casually turned on a television show I’d heard mentioned a few times. I was in a kind of gloomy mood and something set in the gloomy Scottish highlands sounded perfect. I turned on Outlander just to see if I’d be into it. I most definitely was. After watching the entireContinue reading “characters to love”
characters as worldbuilding tools
“DON’T INFO DUMP,” said every writing-advice-giver ever. And that advice is so annoying, isn’t it? You’re going along, writing your first draft…or maybe you’re revising your old draft…whatever stage your in, if you’re trying to build a world in a well-paced, interesting story, then it can be difficult to find places for brief bouts ofContinue reading “characters as worldbuilding tools”
so you have too much worldbuilding exposition…
How do I know if I have too much exposition? ex·po·si·tionˌekspəˈziSH(ə)n/ (noun) a comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory As a basic rule of thumb: if your exposition distracts from the main narrative, then it’s too much. That sounds a lot simpler than it actually is, though, doesn’t it? Because it’s difficultContinue reading “so you have too much worldbuilding exposition…”
H.J. Swinford 