Diversity in Fiction

Writers hear all the time how we should be diverse in terms of what we write and our characters. Our stories should be unique, not cliche. They should hold diverse characters. So what does diverse mean? I'd argue there's no flat rule for what diverse is. Everyone hears diverse and pictures something different.

Though my kids will eat just about anything, they really like PB&J to the point where they have it for lunch every day.

I use a different jelly every week to make lunch diverse. My husband thinks I'm crazy and states that grape jelly is the only proper jelly to be paired with peanut butter. I'm happy to say though that the kids are happy with the apricot, orange, lemon, pineapple, mint, apple, fig, and you name it jellies I've used.

Being diverse doesn't always mean "kids have to eat something different every day", it could mean they're having a different fruit for breakfast this week, or a different jelly for lunch.

Imagine you're reading a book and every character is the exact same. It's possible for people to share some traits. But if you can't tell the difference between two people because their dialogue sounds the same and they have the exact same ambitions that they're trying to achieve in the exact same way, that's boring!

So we diversify in various ways, but what really counts is that characters are different in some way. Diversity is important in every genre, be it fantasy, historical fiction, romance, sci-fi, etc. Some genres will require you to adhere to what was true of that time period or if it's a modern setting, the same. But you can still have people who are unique and different without making them a dragon or blue-skinned alien.

One of my favorite sayings is "Write people" and that's what I believe will naturally make characters diverse. If you focus on writing characters that are "people" with depth and motives and hopes and fears and dreams, they'll naturally be diverse because you don't need to look very far to see that real people ARE diverse.

I've broken down difference into three main groups: Surface differences, Balanced differences, and Self differences. Don't think too much about my terms, I'm just coming up with ones that hopefully fit.

Surface differences are the things that mostly affect what other characters think about that character. They may have a measure of affect on how the character's story plays out, how they see themselves, etc. But most of what a character encounters, good or bad, when dealing with surface diversity is based on another character's perception of them.

Balanced differences are aspects of a character that affect how other characters see them and actual differences at a deeper level. These are things that, like physical differences, may have a character face adversity or have an easier road, but also do impact who a character is inside.

Self differences are diverse aspects of a character that affect who the character is and how they'll approach the world.

To note, there will be some crossover in all categories! I'm not creating hard lines, but trying to establish basic parameters. Obviously a surface difference could be something a character internalizes and makes a central part of the "why" when it comes to their actions. And a self difference could result in another character judging that person based on that difference.

Surface Differences

• Physical - What do your characters look like? 

• Hair - What color is it? How does the character style or cut it? A character's hair color may be cause for prejudice in your story. The way they cut and style it might be a key to their background or indicate something about themselves. 

• Eyes - Color and shape. Are they lively, cold, dead, sparkling, humorous, etc.

• Body type - Is the character muscular, lanky, stocky, skinny, plump, feeble, etc. This can show age, what kind of work a character does, if they're well off. What words you choose are important. Different words for the same trait can bring forth negative or positive connotations, so think about what message you want to send to readers and how you want them to feel. Are they tall, short or average? 

•  These aspects instantly give readers a way to separate the characters in their mind and build an image of them. Depending on the circumstances, a character's physical appearance can affect how they're perceived or how they see themselves. Each descriptor can cause challenges or ease. If your character has the same eye color as everyone else, it might make them feel safe, or ordinary. They might like or hate blending in. In Keeper of the Lost Cities Sophie Foster grows up having her brown eyes be ordinary, but after learning the truth about who she is, she then lives among her people where no one else has brown eyes. She hates the attention! A tall person may be able to see over crowds, but finding clothes could be a nightmare. A short person may fit in with the people around the, but be suddenly in a position where they are wishing they could reach that tree branch or jump over a gap that their legs can't make. Different cultures will react differently to people who are skinny or overweight. I would die if I had to go on a cross-country journey. So what realistic advantages/disadvantages do a character's physical definitions give them?

• Gender - The key thing with this again is how each gender is thought of in the society you've written, whether it's based in a realistic setting or one you've created. Are the genders seen as equal? Does one tend to fill certain roles in society more than the other? Is any character doing something considered non-traditional for their gender?

[Story note: The number of key women in Heart of the Winterland vastly outnumber the prominent men. Don't ask me why, the story wrote itself that way. And the genders are considered equal. Though I can see it being a fun challenge to make an unequal society in a future book, for now I'm happy letting characters be themselves without bumping into people who think men/women shouldn't/can't do x.]

• Race - Also pretty self-explanatory. This can be anything from writing realistic fiction that uses the many races and ethnicities that exist in our world, to creating your own. This is tricky in fantasy(barring urban fantasy) because "europeans/africans/asians/etc" don't exist in fantasy worlds since there isn't a Europe or Asia, etc. But that doesn't mean we don't/can't base our character's fictional race on an existing one.

[For Winterland I predominately based my two fictional races on Western Europeans and Asians(with most of the influence coming from China/Japan).]

• The tricky thing with race is that there's no winning. I've seen people get huffy because a story is mostly x race. Or the one or two characters from a different race are portrayed in a way they don't like. It does make it tempting as an author to be like ARGH, forget racial diversity! Here's the key for me with any type of fiction. If you're writing realistic fiction/urban fantasy, then yes, give credit to the influences each race has on their culture, but also factor in their PERSONAL situation. Where were they born? Raised? Who raised them and what were they like?

• Then there's the freedom that comes with fantasy. I get to decide what life is like for each race, what their culture is, how they're seen by other people, etc.There still needs to be a good flavor of individuality in each. What holidays do they celebrate? What do they see as a priority in life? What kind of food do they eat? What do they wear? etc.

• Here is one of the most important things I can say about this, because I see a lot of people worrying about this: Write a person. This goes back to my writing people theme. If you write a black character and name them John Smith and they are a high-end lawyer who listens to country music and settled down in the country, someone somewhere might say you've white-washed the character. If you create LaKeisha the loud and sassy black woman who's living in the inner city and working at the local diner when she's out out grooving(do people still groove?) with her girlfriends at the club playing rap music, then you'll be accused of stereotyping.

• People, I warn you, you'll never please everyone. You'll never make everyone happy. So don't try. Write your character as a person whatever traits and features you give them. Because there are black people out there, real people, who fit into a John or LaKeisha box. Traits do not belong solely to one race or another, making it impossible for John to be John. And just because 

• Clothing - Whatever the setting, there'll be clothing that is fashionable or not. There'll be clothing that gets associated with a certain group of people. Pajamas in public will probably never be seen as classy, I'm sad to say. What are the character's clothes made of? Are they well-worn? The wrong size? Do they wear something new every day or the same thing? What colors are they wearing? Culture can often dictate what fabrics, colors, or styles can be used by which people. Laborer's will most likely not be wearing the same thing as scholars.

Balanced Differences

• Positions - this is anything from jobs, to ranks, to what role a person fills. 

• How the character acts - This is what the character has learned through nurture or what they have chosen to maintain as a part of themselves because of their upbringing. A princess may speak more formally than a street rat. How they perceive meals, lodging, clothing, personal hygiene can easily be affected by what is their normal. A boy trying to support a sick mother and little sister might jump at the chance to earn day old bread, while a duchess may be upset that her bread didn't come with the right side of jam. 

• How others see the character - Will your character be treated poorly or with deference by the people around them? Are they respected because of their position, or scorned for their poverty? A character might be a slave who's treated like furniture, or the only child of a powerful ruler and treated as glass.

• Disabilities - These are impairment that may be physical, cognitive, intellectual, mental, sensory, developmental, or some combination of these that results in restrictions on an individual's ability to participate in what is considered "normal" in their everyday society.

• Disorders - A wide range of conditions that affect mood, thinking, or behavior. These can range from mild to extreme. Depression, anxiety, dementia, PTSD, bipolar, and narcissistic personality disorder are all examples that fall in this category. These do not change no matter the genre, though society's perception of them or treatments will vary. 

• Diseases and defects - Let it be known that I hate the word defect. I'm not sure why, but it hits me with a lot of negative connotations that may be the result of personal experience. First, let me say that these are not the same thing, but fall in the range of medical conditions and that's why I'm putting them together.

• Diseases are something we can't escape in real life, so there's a certain amount of realism that can be added to writing by not omitting something we all face. Colds or the flu anyone? People get sick, they just do. And people get deathly sick. I'm sure we've all had friends and/or family whose suffered through a terrible disease and possibly even died as a result. Is it contagious? 

• Defects are an often-inherited medical condition that occurs at or before birth. Down Syndrome, club foot, and cleft lip/palate are some examples. 

• Often disorders, disabilities, diseases, and defects will play a role in how a character goes through a story. What are they having to overcome? Maybe it's a family member to a key character who has one of these problems. Does that change how the character sees the world? How do they have to adapt? How does it change them? Do they let it define them? What situations are a lot more difficult to navigate because of this? Does what they have leave them tired, physically, emotionally, or mentally? 

• But they also can make a difference in how others see them. Are they discriminated against? Seen as helpless? Are they constantly shielded or offered assistance? Are people nervous around them? Is the society one who believes these people have a right to life? Are they ostracized or believed to be a burden?

Self Differences

• Motivation - What does a character want from life? What is their goal for this story? What makes them get up every day and keep going? Are they out for revenge? Do they have a family to provide for? Is someone counting on them? Do they yearn for adventure? 

• Unique - what makes a character special? What makes them stand out in their own way? Is it their ability to see the good in people everyone else has given up on? A good leader, a good follower, a good listener. Compassion, empathy, strength, determination, a strong sense of responsibility. What makes us admire or despise your character? 

• Setting - Where does a character live? Where have they spent most of their life?

• Rural or Urban? - A person who's raised in the country will be different than one raised in downtown *insert big city*.  An urban character might be more comfortable around crowds, dealing with traffic, or the general bustle of the city. They may find the country too quiet or boring. A rural character might hate the smell and noise of the city. They may miss the space or seeing the stars. Maybe they feel safer in their own environment?

 

• Modern, Future, or Medieval? - This can also dictate your characters speech, attire, or attitude. Think about what is expected of people at the time and how that affects what your characters will do.

• Family
• Members - Are the character's parents living or dead? What kind of influence are the parents? Does the character have siblings? What are their siblings like? Are they the only child, only boy/girl, youngest/oldest, etc? 

• Expectations - What do the guardians do for a living? Do they expect their child(ren) to follow in their footsteps? Do they want their child to aim higher and not be like them? Is their a position they're being trained for? What a character grows up having expected on them can be the driving force behind why they make decisions.

• Society - Is there an aspect of the family that society judges the character on? Maybe there's a stigma against multiples or more than x amount of kids, or less than x amount of kids. Is it a multi-racial family? Did one of the parents marry outside of their social sphere?

• Treatment - What is the relationship between the family members? Is there an abusive family member? Perhaps one of the parents is stubborn and so is the character. Do they butt heads? Does something in the past(perhaps the loss of a child, or a twin) make the parent withdraw from the character? The character could be a troublemaker who resents their parents attempts to get them on track.

• Religion and personal beliefs
• A persons morals, religion, or personal beliefs can greatly affect what a character does. One character may believe that everything is free for the taking and the real crime is thinking that they shouldn't be allowed to take what they want. Most villains won't see themselves as villains. Their morals will be skewed, but in their mind they'll be right. Whether you're creating your own religion or using an already established one, what your character believes will play a role in how they approach things and what they see as right or wrong.

• Education  

• What kind of education did the character receive? What about their parents/guardians? Were their parents pushing them to achieve more academically? Or were they more of the "school up to the age of 10 was good enough for me, so it's good enough for you." The kind of parents who find learning pointless or feel threatened by their child becoming smarter than they are.

• A person raised by someone with a higher education or more money, will have different traits than someone on the other end of the spectrum. And then of course there's what they do with their own lives, did they seek to be something different than what their parents/guardians were? This can affect how a character talks, what they have for goals, if they're strengths lie in academic knowledge or street smarts. Maybe they can't read, but could survive off the land. 

In writing this I kept adding more and more diverse points. I finally had to tell myself enough! So yes, I'm sure I missed some, but I needed to draw the line. I also know that MOST of these points can be expanded on enough to fill an entire post. (You're welcome to tackle it!) But because this is meant to be an all-inclusive post of the various ways you can promote diversity in characters, I've tried to keep each point fairly brief. There's hopefully enough there to give you ideas and spark deeper research.

Which brings me to research! I hate research, but it's something that almost all writers need to do at some point. Regardless of genre, research is a necessary evil. I've spent a lot of time recently researching clothing and colors that may be restricted to certain classes in x time period in y country. Get some personal experience if possible. I was telling a fellow writer that I was thinking of buying what I dress my characters in and seeing what it'd be like to walk around in it. 

Talk to people, read up on subjects, educate yourself. Everyone has a different set of experiences that plays a role in making them unique. We're all diverse and writing characters who are equally diverse doesn't have to be hard and shouldn't be a "token" character. Develop a character who feels like a real person and people shouldn't care if one aspect is the same. I'll read about all male characters if they're individuals. I'll read about all royalty if they're unique. I'll enjoy stories of people who are all short if they're diverse. I want diversity in my writing, along with other things of course. Create characters who I can laugh and cry with. 

At the end of the day, write people and you will achieve diversity. 

Triple Anthology Threat!

It's been a great year for anthologies! And now, just in time for Christmas, three awesome anthologies are now teaming up to bring you four prizes!

There's a chance for you to win paperback copies as well as a $30 Amazon Shopping Spree!

Read on to find out more about this anthology and enter the giveaway! 

The Anthologies:

From the Stories of Old

In this international collection, new life is given to fairy tales, both classic and obscure.

Mythical creatures put the fairy in Fairy Tale. Mermaids, selkies, and ocean guardians experience the best and worst of humanity; sisters encounter an unusually friendly bear; a brave bride meets a silly goose; and a spinner of gold sets the record straight.

Urban fantasies modernize classics: a Frenchman learns the truth about magic, his past, and his girlfriend; a girl sets out to find love but receives a curse; and today’s naughty list makes Old Saint Nick not-so-jolly.

New worlds bring a fresh sense of wonder! In the future, a young woman fights for her people and herself; a bastard son finds acceptance in a world ruled by women; and a farmer’s wits win the heart of a frosty king.

Discover unexpected twists on old favorites, and fall in love with new tales and worlds to explore!


Now available from Amazon in paperback and on Kindle.

Fantastic Creatures

Here be dragons ... and selkies and griffins and maybe even a mermaid or two.

Twenty fantasy authors band together to bring you a collection of thrilling tales and magical monsters. Do you like to slay dragons? Or befriend them? Do you prefer to meet cephalopods as gigantic kraken or adorable tree octopuses?

Each story focuses around a fantastic creature from folklore or mythology, and they range from light and playful tales for the whole family to darker stories that may make you wish to leave the lights on. These stories carry the Fellowship of Fantasy seal of approval. While our monsters may be horrifying, you won't stumble into graphic sex and constant swearing.
Perfect for the fantasy lover who can't get enough of mythical beasts.

Now Free to Download

Steampunk Fairy Tales

     A toyshop owner builds a set of magic clockwork dolls that delight a factory town. A three-inch tall samurai faces a giant iron ogre with only a sewing needle and a coin. A scientist seeks an antidote to his formula gone wrong, with the help of his partner’s beautiful daughter. All of these stories and more are included in Steampunk Fairy Tales. Written by authors from three different continents, every enchanting tale combines the futuristic Victorian concept of steam and fashion with memorable stories, from the recognizable “Jack and the Beanstalk”, to other popular and unfamiliar works from Germany, France, Italy and Japan. With steam driven gadgets such as mechanical goggles, hoverboards, and an orchestra of automatons. Steampunk Fairy Tales is a charming and unique collection of works for current lovers of the genre, and those just diving in.

Download Volume One for FREE

Purchase Volume Two for 99 cents!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lodestar(Keeper of the Lost Cities #5) - ABB review

I stumbled across Keeper of the Lost Cities(KotLC) at my local library a few years back and felt compelled to pick it up. I quickly fell in love with a middle grade(ages 10-14) series that most definitely was not targeting people my age.


It got to the point where this was the only series I'd check on frequently to see if the next book was out and that I'd bump to the front of my reading list. (I'm rather obsessive about reading the books on my list in the order I add them, though this year I've been working on that)

For the most part I've kept my favorite to myself. Until this year that is. I've never been ashamed to be a KotLC fan, but no one I knew had read it and it's hard to convince my friends and family that they should read this children's book!!! I sound silly saying it, I know I do. But this year my sister started reading them and a friend told me I got to nominate a book for her challenge, and this is what I chose. Now having two converts, I've been determined to inform people of this awesome series.

Besides my random saying, "You should read this" I've never had a chance to really break down why I love KotLC. After reading books 4 and 5 this year, I decided to finally take on the challenge of pitching one of my favorite series to an audience of adults.

So this is going to be a little different than my normal Angry Book Blogger review. For one thing, I've never done an ABB review on a book that wasn't the first in its series. It's also really challenging to fully convey everything I love about later books without getting into spoilers. I'm relishing the challenge though.

Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath—someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.

Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.

Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.”
There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.

KotLC is a MG urban fantasy series that is sometimes compared to Harry Potter. While that is probably the "best" series to connect it to, I'm always reluctant to say that because it's also very different.

What's the same is that the story revolves around a young "human" who lives in our ordinary world until one day she finds out she's not normal, or even human, she's then whisked away to the Lost Cities of the elves where she attends the school and is destined to take down the evil that threatens the whole world.

Keeper is not nearly as dark as HP, and everything from the characters, to the world, to the family's, to the powers is radically different. I do feel like this series has the potential to be the series for this generations MG audience that HP was for mine. I actually missed the HP boat though and didn't read it until I was 20, so I'm just going off of what I've heard from people my age.

By this point I'm sure those of you familiar with my review series are going, "Kristen, where's all of the memes? I only read these things for the memes."

Now this review is for Lodestar, number five in the series, and I'll will do my best to not ruin any surprises for newcomers or fans who haven't read it yet.

There are so many things I love about this series: the world-building, the characters, the humor, the plot, etc. But I wanted to focus on some of the deeper elements for Lodestar.

Sophie Foster is back in the Lost Cities--but the Lost Cities have changed. The threat of war hangs heavy over her glittering world, and the Neverseen are wreaking havoc.

The lines between friend and enemy have blurred, and Sophie is unsure whom to trust. But when she's warned that the people she loves most will be the next victims, she knows she has to act.

A mysterious symbol could be the key--if only she knew how to translate it. And each new clue reveals how far the villains dark schemes spread. The Black Swan aren't the only ones who have plans. The Neverseen have their own Initiative, and if Sophie doesn't stop it, they might finally have the ultimate means to control her.





Things are heating up for Sophie and her bad of merry men. Keefe's obsession with smashing Sophie's name together with every character finally elicited an audible laugh from me in this book when he added "Dophie" to the list.

I'm also a fan of lame puns and corny jokes. And I had to try and explain to my husband at one point why I was laughing. It goes to show I've got a funny sense of humor, because I read it to him and he was like o_0 I went, "You would've had to been there, or rather read it." This bit from Keefe is what had me going.

And then Sophie cut him off before he could say that last word, but I think that just made it all the funnier.

What really got me with Lodestar was the amount of deep content. And that's what I'll be focusing on today.

The first beast Lodestar tackles is verbal and emotional abuse. One of the characters recalls a memory that is a bit dark and though he doesn't really understand it, he's upset by it. He's talking with Sophie once she finds out and is feeling low because he didn't stand up for himself or demand answers.

I think so many people have been there were they look back at something and are like, "What kind of loser sits by and watches that happen, or allows this, or or or." We've been there! We've felt like heels because there was something we didn't see, didn't question, didn't stop, and when we didn't stand up for ourselves or someone else it feels like crap. This character is there! They're going through that.

And his friend says, "It's not your fault." And tackles what it means to be abused and how it effects our ability to fight back, to stand up for ourselves, and any number of things.

Lodestar tackles consent and treating people like people and not objects. In a nice, MG appropriate way too. A young character of about 10 is trying to be all suave and goes to slip his arm around a girl's waist and his father stops him.

So many times I see books that have male characters acting inappropriately towards women and it's not called out. I took issue with this in my first Angry Book Blogger review. When the character doesn't check themselves, and no one else says, "no, that's not okay" a reader is going to get the impression that certain behavior IS okay. Especially when we're talking about people who haven't matured enough to know better. Yes, I can read a book and say, "that's not right." but a young  and impressionable 12 year old boy is another matter.

It goes both ways, of course. But the point stands and I love that Messenger included this part because it addressed that it's not okay to touch girls(or women) without permission and it did so in a way that's easy for a young reader to understand and in an appropriate example that fit smoothly into the story without feeling forced.

Discrimination and prejudice is also a big part of Lodestar, and even of the whole series. The elves would say they are better than humans, yet they still suffer from some of humanity's worst faults. Messenger takes a different twist on discrimination as we experience it. People aren't discriminated against because of their gender, skin color, or wealth. Instead there are things the elves of Keeper have that I would say are fairly unique.

The first is the discrimination against children. Elves live forever, for the most part, and they're very big on optimal genetic purity. Elves are given a list at a certain age that tells them who will be a good match to marry. If you marry someone for silly reasons like love and they're not on the list, your marriage is ruled as a bad match.

Immortality is a long life span to have your society constantly sneer at you because you married the "wrong person." And this carries over to the children. Children of a bad match are considered less. Dex(my favorite character) is the brunt of such prejudice and at one point his mother talks about how hard it was to see him grow up to be shunned by the other children.

I mean, wow, just wow. Because I know many people have been in Dex's shoes where for one reason or another they are outsiders. They're alone and they do eat lunch somewhere that they feel safe. And what really made this scene great is a few of the popular kids go on to say that they're sorry they were so wrapped up in themselves that they couldn't see when someone was alone.

In an amazing excerpt that could easily be lost with everything else going on, Dex talks about his feelings on the matchmaking registry. The other characters are excited or nervous to get their lists, and Dex quietly says he's not even sure if he will get a list. He'd rather be with someone because they love each other, but more than that, he doesn't want to take part in something that he feels is wrong.

I can't begin to imagine what Dex's family faced with his parents being ruled a bad match. I do love how well his parents have taken the disgust of their society, though. They've embraced that people don't like them and try to be even kookier in public just to see people get all ruffled about it. I love the attitude of finding some humor in it.

To go a step further with the discrimination, this society believes that children become less powerful--and by extent important--with each child born after the first. So many elves only have 1 or 2 children so they're not having imperfect children. Elves believe that  discrimination against children who are not the firstborn.

And eve stronger is the discrimination against multiples(twins, triplets, etc.). And this is another way that Dex's family has come under fire. Dex has a set of triplets as younger siblings and this book we see his mother open up about how she felt.

I think parents everywhere can connect with this one. I remember when I brought my oldest to the pediatrician, I got lots of sideways remarks about how amazed the doctor and nurses were that she was a "normal" baby because I'd delivered her at home. I ended up switching to a new pediatrician after several visits of hearing what a shocker it was that she was whatever.

And I think most parents, if not all, have come across someone somewhere who feels the need to remark on their children. So though I don't have experience with Mrs. Dizznee's situation, I did very much connect with her frustration that no one could just see her babies as children who were amazing.

The Dizznee's are not the only one to face judgement for multiples. The characters of Tam and Linh Song are twins, but twins without the support of family. Embarrassed by their children, the Songs tried to convince the twins to lie about their age and they also failed to support them as they developed their abilities. Linh in particular had a power that was a lot to grasp and ended up causing an incident on accident. Instead of supporting her, the parents allowed Linh to be exiled. Not willing to let his sister face exile alone, Tam joins her.

With a pardon, the Song twins are now back in the Lost Cities and their parents sidle up to them at one point. The father demands respect and the encounter is awkward. The parents do not feel they're in the wrong and the children have become stronger emotionally away from their parent's influence. Tam tells his father that respect is earned and just as this is causing waves, Sophie steps in with the best lines of the entire book.

This part of the story hit home for me. I like to keep my past struggles in the past, safely tucked away where people can't judge how I handled them. But I've recently come to the decision that I want to share, because I want to help people and encourage them. 

And that's why this segment of Lodestar hit home. Different situation from the twins of course, but I've severed ties with my father after a history of emotional manipulation and abuse. My family has taken a lot of heat for cutting relations with a man who's both a psychopath and has narcissistic personality disorder. People say that you should stay connected to parents because they're parents. We HAVE to respect them we HAVE to keep them in our lives. 

I believe this is a harmful viewpoint. Parents should protect their children, they should support them. It doesn't matter if you share DNA with someone, a relationship that is unhealthy is just that. No one should stay in an unhealthy relationship. It is harmful for the world to insist that people just deal with something because "family." 

I imagine that in this story, the parents will change and make some good choices and earn their kids back. But that's not always the case and for addressing a subject that desperately needs influential, healthy recognition, I commend Shannon Messenger.

I needed to see this. Lots of people who are still stuck in abusive relationships need this. We need to know that we are strong, and important, and smart, and worth it. It doesn't matter the lies the manipulative/abusive parent tells themselves, because they are lies. 

My friend Smeagol is going to help me out with a series of pictures to explain! I think most people know the story of Gollum/Smeagol, but I'll try to cap on the important things and hope this makes sense to everyone.

Smeagol's life was idyllic until he comes in contact with a ring that manipulates him into believing that it is the most important thing in the world. It's even worth killing for.

Gollum loses everything. His health, his home, his friends, his happiness, and his ability to do anything without the ring. In essence his life now orbits around the ring.

He then develops a split-personality where one side is almost an extension of the manipulative power in his life. The little voice in his head that says he's not worth it, that he doesn't matter, and no one cares about him except the abuser. Manipulation makes Gollum feel like less and that he needs the abuser in his life. 

It is VERY hard to break from an abusive situation and take a step back from the person who's manipulating you. You have to convince yourself that the lies are lies, that you're not crazy, and that you ARE worth more. 

Because in the end, the person who is abusing/manipulating you will drag you down. They will kill you slowly, on the inside. They'll drain your will to fight, your sense of self, and your feeling of self-worth.

Even if they're going down, they're bringing you with them. Adding in another LOTR character. Wormtongue poisons the mind of those around him with his words. He makes it so he's controlling the king and the king can't function without him. 

It's not easy to break from a relation where your emotions have been toyed with. Verbal and emotional abusers do not leave physical traces of abuse and they break down your mind. They make you think you're crazy and that it's not manipulation. It's a sick lie that all too often people can't escape from.

That's why we need more scenes like this. Because people need to know that they're not crazy, that it's okay to walk away. To people out their trapped in a situation like this, YOU deserve to be free. You are worth it.

Back to Lodestar, I love that the Song twins are healing and becoming people who don't need someone just because "they're family". I love that Sophie stood up for her friends and delivered the best lines of the series. And I love that Shannon Messenger has used her ability to impact so many people in a positive way.

This isn't a normal review. But I didn't want to detract from the key things here. 

I can truly recommend Keeper of the Lost Cities for anyone of any age. These books are funny, interesting, gripping, and full of great dialogue. The world is amazing, the characters are a joy to read, and the plot never fails to impress. And more than all of that, Shannon just has this talent words can't express. The pieces I've shared here may get lost on a younger audience, but I believe anyone(young or old) who's gone through some of these things or has someone close to them who's faced a struggle that relates will love finding the deeper side to these books.

Top 10 Books of 2016

Another year of reading has come to an end and I'll be sharing my top 10 favorites of this year! I'm really excited to share what books I fell in love with and maybe give you an idea of what to read in 2017!

It's been an interesting year as I had some unusual favorites. The first new thing this year is I started reading Indie authors. I've always been a library browser and unless I've somehow come across an indie book in my local library, I've mostly read traditional. Honestly, I don't really care who publishes a book and have never checked. BUT to the best of my knowledge this is the first year I've really been picking up indie books on purpose.

The second thing is that I'm a pretty solid YA only reader. I'll branch out on occasion, but I rarely read adult fiction. I had a LOT of adult books on my reading list this year and surprisingly enjoyed many of them.

The last thing is going to have the people who know me chuckling. I hate Romance. I will go out of my way to avoid books in the Romance genre and I'm even picky about romantic subplots in other genres. I was amused to find 2-3 Romance books make my list as well as some books with strong romantic subplots.

I think all of this says that I'm picky, but that when someone does write a romance or an adult book that jives with me, I love it more than my normal fare. I like reading about characters who are closer to my age or mental maturity. I like a good romance. I just have hard time finding romance that isn't all insta-love and this is lust but let's call it love, and other popular romance tropes. And I have a hard time finding adult books that are both clean and have the engaging writing style of YA. (I like the writing style of most YA and that's why I'm drawn to it.)

I've organized my list starting from the book coming in at #10 and counting down to #1. Every book has genre(s), the blurb that comes with the book, a picture of the cover, links of where to find the book, and my brief thoughts on it.

#10 Operation Space Cats: The Rescue Mission
Genre - Children's, Christian, Sci-fi

Furry crew to the rescue!

When Tebbs, the curious cat discovers part of his human family is missing in space, he plans to go on a rescue mission with Granny. But first he must recruit a team to help locate them. Problem is, he’ll be sneaking the small crew aboard, and hoping Granny won’t find out.

Enter the space cats … A mixed bunch of furry felines who have many lessons to learn about what it takes to make a team great. Bravery, teamwork, and most of all faith!

When mishaps occur, and danger lurks ahead, they’ll need to rely on each other. Will the team falter? Or can they pull together to make their mission a success?

Join Tebbs and the team for a series of adventures that are out of this world. Adored by kids, cats and kids at heart!

OSC is a super cute children's book full of colorful illustrations. I'd recommend for 8-10 year olds, but it would also be great for advanced young readers or parents who like to read to their children. My 4 year old loved the pictures of the kitties and the rocketship. She's too young to really understand the story or to sit still through the whole thing, but she's quite happy just flipping through and making up her own story until she's older. 

Tebbs and his friends are lovable and will inspire children, while teaching valuable lessons. This is obviously way below my age range and that of course means it doesn't mentally engage me like a book geared towards an older audience, but I did enjoy it and seeing my daughter go crazy over it. We're definitely buying book 2 when it comes out!

Full review: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon.

#9 Augment
Genre - Young Adult, Sci-fi, Novella

By Government-enforced mandate, genetic augmentation and implant technology cannot coexist in the same human body. Sixteen year old Viki's life has depended on her implants since she was five. Now her implants are failing. When Viki discovers that the malfunctions are due to illegal augmentation, she is determined to find those responsible.

However, Agent Smith of the Search and Retrieval Bureau is also looking for the geneticists who augmented Viki, and his orders are to capture them by any means necessary-even if it requires risking Viki's life by using her as bait.

Viki's friend Halle, a rogue AI, is doing its best to help her search, but Halle has its own problems. Agent Smith had been closing in on the AI before being reassigned to Viki's case, and Smith's partner is still on the hunt. Searching for the geneticists risks exposing Halle, but Viki and her friend must find them first-they are her only chance for survival.

I read very little sci-fi this year, and most of it I felt underwhelmed by. Augment was my first sci-fi of the year, and definitely my favorite. The dedication between Viki and Halle was my favorite part of the story, and I loved reading a book(Especially in the YA genre) that had the character focusing on struggles that weren't romantic.

I would've liked it to be a little longer so I could've immersed myself more in the story. But this is another story that I'll be buying the second book of.

Full review: Goodreads.
Purchase: Amazon.

#8 Resistance
Genre - New Adult, Christian, Fantasy, Adventure


Could God ever love a half-blood all of society looks upon with such fear and disdain? Jace once believed so, but when a tragic loss shatters the only peace he’s ever known, his faith crumbles as the nagging doubts he’s tried to put behind him descend on his grieving heart. With them come the haunting memories of the bloodstained past he longs to forget, but can never escape.

Taken from home at a young age and raised to serve the emperor, Kyrin Altair lives every day under a dangerous pretense of loyalty. After her unique observation skills and perfect memory place her into direct service to the emperor, Kyrin finds herself in further jeopardy as it becomes increasingly difficult to hide her belief in Elôm, the one true God.

Following the emperor’s declaration to enforce the worship of false gods under the penalty of death, many lives are endangered. But there are those willing to risk everything to take a stand and offer aid to the persecuted. With their lives traveling paths they never could have imagined, Jace and Kyrin must fight to overcome their own fears and conflicts with society as they become part of the resistance.
Resistance is marketed as NA but the characters are teenagers, so in my mind that's YA, but either way, I enjoyed this. For the first time I had to set a book down and grab a notebook to write down thoughts. I'd say this was a precursor to me wanting to write reviews on my blog as after this book, the habit of jotting down notes has become more frequent.

This is a book that should be a movie so that I can grab someone while watching it and be like, "Oh my gosh!" I loved the tension and the action in this book, as well as the tough situations the characters were in and what they had to overcome.

Full review: Goodreads.
Purchase: Amazon.

#7 Pride and Prejudice
Genre - Classic, Historical Romance

Elizabeth Bennet is young, clever and attractive, but her mother is a nightmare and she and her four sisters are in dire need of financial security and escape in the shape husbands.

The arrival of nice Mr Bingley and arrogant Mr Darcy in the neighbourhood turns all their lives upside down in this witty drama of friendship, rivalry, enmity and love.

After being madly in love with the BBC version of this story, I finally sat down to read the book. I was thrilled to find it just as engaging as the movie and that BBC did a good job of sticking to the heart of the story. I think I'll have a new appreciation for Pride and Prejudice when I watch it. Overall, a great read with the riveting dialogue I was expecting and several great new scenes and clips that I wasn't familiar with.

Full review: Goodreads.
Purchase: Amazon.

#6 Rose of Prophecy
Genre - Fairytale Retelling, Romance, Short story


She is afraid. Not because she is alone. Not because thick roiling clouds obscure the moon. Not because the wind rushes through the forest like a wild dragon. She is afraid because she is late. And to be late means death.

Her life had been happy once.

Despite the destruction wreaked by Tauscher, traitor to the King... Despite the distant war led by the Prince and fought with the help of her three brothers... Despite her own poorly-chosen nickname... Despite the absence of the luxuries she grew up with, Beauty enjoyed life.

Of course, that was also before her father left home on a hopeful errand but returned weary and ill, bearing a velvety scarlet rose which he claimed would never wither. But even life in the ancient hall, tucked away in the center of Mosswood, surrounded by roses of every description, overshadowed with mystery and home to a scarred figure who was more beast than man, wasn't too bad after a time.

But now...now, in a flash of light, Beauty finally glimpses the truth. And the cost. The price which must be paid, or the sacrifice which must be made.

It is a curse which even love alone may not be able to break.
I love retellings and I went into this with mediocre expectations as it is a short story. I didn't expect to be engaged with so little time to do it. I was pleasantly surprised when not only did I love this story, but it has taken my spot as the number one Beauty and the Beast retelling. There's a couple of things I can never quite go for in BatB, or its many retellings. I was excited to read a book that finally dealt with those.

Like I've always hated that the father told Beauty about his deal with the Beast. If you REALLY don't want your child to take your place, then don't tell them!! What kind of parent allows their child to go live with an angry, creepy beast or even tells them about the situation in the first place so they have to deal with the guilt?

A great story that finally fixes those bumps that've always annoyed me and managed to pull of the miracle of submersing me in the world with only a short time to do so.

Full review: Goodreads.
Purchase: Amazon.

#5 The Other Countess
Genre - Romance, Historical Fiction


England, 1582

ELLIE - Lady Eleanor Rodriguez of San Jaime - is in possession of a gold-seeking father, a worthless title and a feisty spirit that captivates the elite of the Queen's court, and none other than the handsome new Earl of Dorset . . .

WILLIAM LACEY has inherited his father's title and his financial ruin. Now the Earl must seek a wealthy heiress and restore his family's fortune.

But Will's head has been turned by the gorgeous Ellie, yet their union can never be. Will is destined to marry a worthy Lady so the only question is - which one . . . ?
After ordering this, I picked it up and there in all of its sickeningly bright glory was the infamous pink sticker of doom. It bore its red heart at the center as if mocking the fact that mine was sinking. "Not Romance!" I groaned. Why was there no warning? No bright red banner that flowed over my screen covered in hearts and fireworks while sappy music played in the background. I'd been suckered.

At last it was the only unread book in the house. I glared at it in loathing and disgust. "You wicked, wicked thing." I hissed. But it didn't seem to care. So I read it.

And I loved it. The romance is fun, a little sweet, but not too much, and there's this touch of humor throughout. Circumstances have put Ellie and Will on less than perfect terms, but fate throws them together after a particularly rough parting years back.

Staged in Elizabeth's court, the first part of the story is interesting and fun, and I couldn't help but feel for both parties. Ellie's father has a never-ending fool's quest that ruined Will's father and now Will has to try and recover the family finances. Meanwhile Ellie's living on the fringes of the court while her dad has found another sucker. The two meet and while Ellie recognizes Will, he has no idea who she is and starts a flirtation.

But when he eventually finds out, things take a sour turn. About halfway, things shift from the bustle and intrigue of court, to the quietness of the countryside where Ellie is now living in the village that's on Will's land. The two patch things up, but now Will has found a way to repair his finances in a beautiful Countess(who unlike Ellie, has money to go with the title).

What makes it interesting is that I rather liked the Countess who under her prickly exterior seemed a genuinely nice person. You have these people that are caught in this mesh of "We need to do this for family/our people." and despite the fact no ones really happy about the various situations, they feel trapped.

I loved the responsibility that each party felt and that Will's betrothed wasn't made out to be this horrible person that we should cheer against.

Full review: Goodreads.
Purchase: Amazon.

#4 Neverseen
Genre - Middle Grade Urban Fantasy


Sophie Foster is on the run—but at least she's not alone.

Her closest friends from the Lost Cities have gone with her to join the Black Swan. They still have doubts about the shadowy organization, but the only way to find answers is to start working with them. And as they settle into their new lives, they uncover secrets far bigger than anything they’d imagined.

But their enemies are far from done, and unleash a terrifying plague that threatens the safety of an entire species. Sophie and her friends fight with everything they have—with new allies joining them—but every choice has consequences. And trusting the wrong person could prove deadly.

In this game-changing fourth book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must question everything to find a truth that will either save her world—or shatter it. 

I've been a fan of the KotLC series ever since it came out. I don't remember what compelled me to pick up the first book, but I'm glad I did. Every book of the series is a five star from me, even if there's a couple things I'm not fond of, the books as a whole are just SO FREAKING GOOD. 

My favorite character is Dex. He's the loner, the outcast, the social reject kind of kid. So by this point he's not so much because he's part of the group, but I can relate to Dex. He's not popular, or well-connected, or apparently devilishly good looking like Keefe and Fitz. His power isn't thought highly of and his parents are ruled a bad match, plus he has triplets for siblings(another prejudice in elvin society). He's so the underdog, and yet he's got a big heart.

I really missed him in this book, it has to be said, but the plot, the writing, and the characters will always keep me coming back. I actually wasn't sure where to put this exactly on my 10 list, so I just picked a spot. 

As always, the plot of this series just keeps jumping from one thing to another in a crazy rollercoaster that keeps you in the seat because you have NO idea what's over the next hill and you HAVE to see. It's intense, there's lots of surprises, suspense, emotion. Keefe delivers as usual(for awhile) with his famous quips and mannerisms.

There's always some introspective moments as characters take on big internal issues. It was torture waiting for the next book, but I survived! (trying to keep this spoiler-free since it's book 4)
 

Full review: Goodreads.
Purchase: Amazon.

#3 Lodestar
Genre - Middle Grade Urban Fantasy

Sophie Foster is back in the Lost Cities--but the Lost Cities have changed. The threat of war hangs heavy over her glittering world, and the Neverseen are wreaking havoc.

The lines between friend and enemy have blurred, and Sophie is unsure whom to trust. But when she's warned that the people she loves most will be the next victims, she knows she has to act.

A mysterious symbol could be the key--if only she knew how to translate it. Every new clue seems to lead deeper into her world's underbelly and the Black Swan aren't the only ones who have plans. The Neverseen have their own Initiative, and if Sophie doesn't stop it, they might finally have the ultimate means to control her.

Book 5 of the KotLC series finally came out in November and I actually went and bought it instead of waiting for my turn at the library(waiting for this book is excruciating in that line). I've yet to be disappointed in this series, so I was confident in buying my own lovely little hardcover copy. 

Shannon Messenger delivered as usual and I loved this book quite a bit more than Neverseen. I'd mentally shifted my mind to accept that Dex is not going to be a key player(I'm not against being proved wrong!) and decided to focus on the other elements of the series. (I hate getting sucked into love triangle/squares anyway and Sophie's just a kid, she doesn't need a love interest yet.)

First, after the cliffhanger from Neverseen there was a LOT of interesting parts that tied into that. And then things are definitely ramping up as the plot thickens and more baddies with more sinister plans come out of the woodworks. 

There's a lot of awesome bits tucked in that I think can impact both the MG audience and adults. Messenger broaches things like appropriate behavior around girls in terms of physical contact, verbal/emotional abuse, discrimination, prejudice, looking outside of our bubble and noticing when someone needs a friend, that the end doesn't always justify the means, prejudice, not participating in a system that's flawed, forgiveness, not trying to change people to be like you, and something that particularly struck a cord with me. 

After needing to separate myself and my family from my psychopathic paternal parent, I've gone a long way on the road of healing. It's also given me a unique experience to empathize with people who are in unhealthy relationships with their parents. So often we're told that we should stay with our parents and we should make them a part of our lives, and the list goes on. I see people who are still fighting for their parents acceptance and love after their parent has treated them like pond scum. And I see people who keep themselves in an unhealthy relationship with a parent because they think they're a terrible person if they remove themselves.

I can not explain how much it impacted me to see Shannon Messenger tackle the idea of it being okay to remove yourself from harm. To see a situation that's easy for 10-14 year olds to understand and is at their level(not too intense or graphic) and then have a character step up and say, "No, we will not be treated this way anymore. We choose to not have you in our lives." was just . . . wow. And then Sophie stepped in and said one of the most powerful lines I've ever seen in fiction. I called my mom and read it to her, I read it to my husband. 

People NEED to know that it's okay to walk away from a parent who's relationship is negatively impacting you. Adults . . . I'm talking to you. It does not make you a terrible person. You should not feel that you have to remain in a situation that's causing you emotional, mental, or physical harm because that person is a parent who you're supposed to respect and allow in your life. 

This is a brilliant story with so much going for it that everyone should read it. 

Full review: Goodreads and ABB.
Purchase: Amazon.

#2 Friends and Foes
Genre - Romance, Historical Fiction

After five years of tracking and capturing spies on English soil, Philip Jonquil, Earl of Lampton, is in pursuit of his last quarry. But at a traveler’s inn, he encounters an unexpected and far more maddening foe: Sorrel Kendrick, a young lady who is strikingly pretty, shockingly outspoken, and entirely unimpressed with him. Indeed, Sorrel cannot believe the nerve of this gentleman, who rudely accuses her of theft and insults her feminine dignity. 

Doubly annoyed when they both end up at a party hosted by mutual friends, Philip and Sorrel privately declare war on one another. But Philip’s tactics, which range from flirting to indifference, soon backfire as he finds himself reluctantly enjoying Sorrel’s company; and, much to her dismay, Sorrel finds Philip’s odd manner to be increasingly endearing. 

In the midst of this waning war and growing attraction, Philip catches wind of the French spy he’s been tracking, and Sorrel inadvertently stumbles upon a crucial piece of the puzzle, making her indispensable to the mission. But can two proud hearts negotiate a ceasefire when cooperation matters most?
Once again, I accidentally snatched up a Romance. But again, I was pleasantly surprised. This book will adorn my shelves one day and I'm hoping to read the rest of the series soon!

It's a clean, slow-burn romance. It's sweet, it's sarcastic, it's funny. There's some sort of sub-plot besides the romance going on but you really only see that at the beginning and at the end. It's more there just to set the stage of why the characters are in a situation together and why they start off on the wrong foot and grate on each other's nerves.

It's so hard to say what the best part of this was because it really boiled down to the two main characters. The romance (obviously) was good, the dialogue was stellar, and everything was so vivid and engaging. I started this right before bed and was like nooooo, I have to sleep! But the next night I stayed up until one in the morning to read the rest because IT WAS THAT GOOD! I couldn't put it down and I even laughed out loud in a few places.

The back and forth banter between Philip and Sorrel was humorous and witty. The private thoughts they each had were hilarious too. It was almost like a modern day Pride and Prejudice feeling(modern part being the writer and writing style, the story itself isn't modern). There was that same engagement with the dialogue and it had me hooked.

It was really hard to know where to rank this one. Actually, my top 3 were all really close.

Full review: Goodreads.
Purchase: Amazon.

#1 The Firethorn Crown
Genre - New Adult, Fairytale Retelling, Romance

Princess Lily, the eldest of twelve sisters and heir to a mighty kingdom, desperately seeks a break from her mother's matchmaking. Tradition forbids marriage with the man Lily loves, so she would rather rule alone than marry someone who only wants the crown.

Fleeing an overzealous suitor, Lily stumbles into a secret underground kingdom where she and her sisters encounter a mysterious sorcerer-prince and become entangled in a curse that threatens the safety of her family and her people. Lily can free them, but the price for freedom may be more than she's willing to pay.

As I said, it was really close between my top 3. So what decided The Firethorn Crown as the winner? Three things: First, I read this as an ebook and I'm a very, very, very slow ebook reader and what normally takes me a couple weeks to read on Kindle took me 2 nights to finish. Second, that was around planning a party. I stayed up late the night before the party to read this, had to force myself to stop. Then after the party, I stayed up all the next night to finish. So picture me drop dead tired, running around like crazy, and I'm staying up late to finish a book in record time. THAT HAS TO MEAN IT'S GOOD. The last reason is that I went and ordered myself the paperback shortly after(my husband's giving it to me for Christmas, yay!).

Now this book I read after starting my ABB review series here on my blog, so I have an entire post dedicated to the book and why I love it. I won't say too much here because it'd just be repeating stuff. But this was an amazing retelling that is my favorite one for the 12 Dancing Princesses. Great characters and plot, amazing descriptions, and overall just an absolute pleasure to read.

Full review: Goodreads and ABB.
Purchase: Amazon.
    
And there's my top 10 for the year! A lot of good finds for the year, and some that have made it onto my all-time favorites list. Hopefully there'll be something that grabbed your attention and you'll have another book to add to your 2017 pile!