Reading Recommendations: Folktales & Legends Vol. 2
A new month means another batch of reading recommendations! November’s theme is Folktales & Legends so I’m chatting about books centered around these themes. Hope you enjoy these picks! And for even more recommendations, check out my previous post.
Where the Dark Stands Still
Liska knows that magic is monstrous, and its practitioners are monsters. She has done everything possible to suppress her own magic, to disastrous consequences. Desperate to be free of it, Liska flees her small village and delves into the dangerous, demon-inhabited spirit-wood to steal a mythical fern flower. If she plucks it, she can use its one wish to banish her powers. Everyone who has sought the fern flower has fallen prey to unknown horrors, so when Liska is caught by the demon warden of the wood—called The Leszy—a bargain seems better than death: one year of servitude in exchange for the fern flower and its wish.
Whisked away to The Leszy’s crumbling manor, Liska soon makes an unsettling discovery: she is not the first person to strike this bargain, and all her predecessors have mysteriously vanished. If Liska wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her taciturn host’s spool of secrets and face the ghosts—figurative and literal—of his past. Because something wakes in the woods, something deadly and without mercy. It frightens even The Leszy…and cannot be defeated unless Liska embraces the monster she’s always feared becoming.
The fact that the story is based on folktales the author grew up with added to the fantasy elements of the story. It felt like reading a story about a fearless heroine that would would read during bedtime stories as a child. The novel gives its readers a since of wonder as we get to explore the nooks and crannies of the spirit wood and the world that the Leszy interacts with. Some creatures are haunting with descriptions of molten skin, sharp teeth, and songs that lure its listener into danger. Others are mischievous jokesters or help lost ones find their way in the night. The most terrifying of all creatures cause devastation and death.
Spin The Dawn
Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she’ll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There’s just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.
Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia’s task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.
And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor’s reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.
What a rich fantasy novel with solid world building! I loved the addition of the map in the novel that gives a detailed look at Maia’s journey. I loved the lush scenery, the lore of the world, and the journey that takes place in the overall plot. It was a highly immersive reading experience and I couldn’t wait to see what quest Maia would go on next. I also enjoyed the wide range of characters from Maia’s family who gave her strength, the cruel and conniving Lady Sarnai, to the whimsical and unpredictable Edan. The variety of characters and their depth gave this book everything.
Hillbilly
Eric Powell’s Appalachian Mountain fantasy epic that tells the story of Rondel. A lonely figure who wanders the wooded hills among witches and magical creatures as a folktale hero to those who dwell in this gritty dream world.
You’ve got a wandering traveler, magical creatures, witches, and danger around every corner. All of this adds up to one exciting adventure. I really enjoyed the world building in the first volume and how Powell Each new character villain that is introduced is so intriguing and their own lore. I was in complete awe of the artwork and the immense detail in each panel. It definitely helps to immerse you into the story and make fantasy became real. It’s creepy, entertaining, and has an heightened sense of adventure.
Bryn’s Virtues: Courage
Bryn Gonzalez-Ortiz has always known she was different—especially with her supernatural strength—just not how different. A trans girl of color with dreams of fashion journalism and a closet full of self-made designs, all she wants is a chance to be seen for who she is.
After landing a dream job at a powerhouse magazine, Bryn discovers a truth more extraordinary than she ever imagined: she’s an Amazon—descended from ancient warriors, destined to lead, and feared by gods.
Bryn is hunted by a vengeful demigod and thrown into a world of myth, monsters, and legacy. As her strength grows, so does the risk—to her dreams, her found family, and maybe the world. She must uncover the full extent of her power before everything she loves is destroyed.
Readers follow a coming-of-age story mixed with a superhero tale as the main character discovers her Amazonian heritage and the answers she’s had to so many questions throughout her life. With the support of her friends, new and old, Bryn is set on a journey of discovery but also trying to find a way to save the world from evil. What a fun and engaging novel! I enjoyed reading every moment of the story and its fast pace keeps readers eager to turn the page. Roach added all the elements that you will want in any fantasy novel: action-packed scenes, a bit of magic, the fight versus good and evil, with so much more! I appreciated the folklore and mythology intertwined into the story that were reinvented for a new reading audience.
The Iron Raven
Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Prankster, joker, raven, fool… King Oberon’s right-hand jester from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The legends are many, but the truth will now be known as never before, as Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat to the lands of Faery and the human world unlike any before.
With the Iron Queen Meghan Chase and her prince consort, Puck’s longtime rival Ash, and allies old and new by his side, Puck begins a fantastical and dangerous adventure not to be missed or forgotten. Filled with myths and faery lore, romance and unfathomable dangers, The Iron Raven is book one of a new epic fantasy trilogy set in the world of The Iron Fey.
Reading this book felt a bit nostalgic and exciting. I’ve always been a fan of fey stories in the fantasy genre and I like it takes inspiration from folklore of fairies, goblins, and mythical creatures. Being that this world is separate from ours its highly immersive and interesting. It’s a fun reading experience for the reader. I appreciate that it welcomes new readers to the series and putting in some Easter eggs for the original fans. There’s something for everyone and so much to explore with all of the different courts and realms. The book was action-packed and full of suspense, which kept me hooked into the story.
That concludes my reading recommendations for themed books about folktales and legends! What books do you recommend or what are your favorites? Comment below!
I love stories like this. As you say, you find something for everyone in them. And I think you would love the stories that Inhabit Media publishes (they have an office in Toronto, but all their storytellers are northern). The folktales of the Inuit people are sometimes beautiful (there’s one about a ptarmigan which is kinda like Goodnight Moon but for northerners) and sometimes haunting (and sometimes both!). There is one story that I literally canNOT forget, which I read probably at least a decade ago (there are many versions of the story in their catalogue now). It is so scary! Not sure what you can find in your Detroit libraries, but if they have anything from this publisher, I think you’d enjoy them.
Thank you for telling me about Inhabit Media, I’m on the hunt for some new folktales style novels. I’ll have to check them out. I love that reading these stories teaches you so much from their lore.