Cozy fantasy has been launched into unexpected popularity recently, arguably first by the success of the TikTok viral Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, and a following spate of popular titles (such as The House in the Cerulean Sea, A Coup of Tea, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries, That Time I Got Drunk & Saved … Continue reading What is cozy fantasy?
The nobility of medieval Europe is often confusing, especially when trying to decipher a thousand years of change and competing systems that sometimes changed rapidly and in other places had contradictory rules depending on who you were. It can be a headache to decipher and sometimes as a writer I just want a simple answer. … Continue reading A guide to the noble titles of medieval Europe for writers
High fantasy tends to feature a lot of nobles. More often than not, authors pull inspiration from the feudal and courtly nobility of medieval Europe. However, honestly, it can be confusing to research with so many conflicting traditions, not to mention how they changed over time too. As a result, fantasy sometimes leans on not … Continue reading A guide to nobility, for fantasy writers
Gnolls are a species of hyena-like humanoids, sometimes called “beastmen” or “beastkin”, common as a stock species in fantasy. I have a soft spot for these guys - hyenas are cool and I feel like they’re often underutilized. Portrayals tend towards making them one note evil. I have problems with any portrayal of a whole … Continue reading Where did Gnolls come from?
Do you know what "Colophon" means? If you love books and words, you might enjoy learning these 25 rare bookish words.
Gaslamp fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that combines elements of Gothic horror, urban fantasy and historical fiction. Technically, that is true, but it doesn't paint a useful picture of what gaslamp fantasy is. To be more specific, Gaslamp books usually take place in settings inspired by the Victorian and Edwardian period, especially the United … Continue reading What is gaslamp fantasy?
Fantasy has a fascinating array of alternative words for wand. Interestingly, many of the words are used in different way to their dictionary definitions and I've found it hard to find much information. So I put together my own list of definitions I've learned from years of reading fantasy and mythology. There aren't as many … Continue reading Alternative Words for Wand
In pop culture, the concept of a crossroads demon has sprung up in recent years, perhaps particularly inspired by Supernatural, where they are explicitly named as a special type of demon. The concept has always fascinated me, so I wanted to delve into answering the question “what are crossroads demons?” and explore the history of … Continue reading What are crossroads demons?
Fairies have a lot of names and there a lot of ways just to spell the word. When it comes down to Fairy versus Faerie, what is the difference? Fairy comes ultimately from the Latin fata, “the fates” - the group of Roman goddesses who decided the fate of mortals. The Roman goddesses multiplied in … Continue reading Fairy versus Faerie, and other names for the Fae
I was kindly given an ARC copy of Forgotten Vows by Lily Mayne, book 2 of her Folk series. Forgotten Vows directly follows Mortal Skin, and continues where last books cliffhanger left off. These are an MM romance series focusing on Faeries. A single book review seemed like it'd just be confusing - so I … Continue reading Review: Mortal Skin & Forgotten Vows by Lily Mayne