About Wyrd and Wonder
Though not defined as a readathon, I decided to keep rolling with team-based reading and join Wyrd and Wonder for the month of May. Wyrd and Wonder, now in its fifth year, is essentially a month-long celebration of all things fantasy. The form of the fantasy content doesn’t matter; it can be in various forms including books, movies, art, games, etc. It’s hosted by Imyril at There’s Always Room for One More, Lisa at Dear Geek Place, Jorie at Jorie Loves a Story, Annemieke at A Dance With Books, and Ariana Jane at The Book Nook.
To learn more about Wyrd and Wonder and how to sign up, visit Ariana Jane’s announcement post; she also has an update with a bingo board and read along information. It’s also important to highlight that if you sign up and post about Wyrd and Wonder between May 1-7, you’ll also be entered into a giveaway! To follow along on social media, you can find this event on Twitter @ wyrdandwonder and on Instagram @ wyrdandwonder. There is also a main schedule for Wyrd and Wonder that contains daily prompts and space to link to your intro/wrap-up and review posts during the event.
dragon image by kasana86 (Wyrd & Wonder 2019)
phoenix image by Sujono Sujono (Wyrd & Wonder 2020)
pegasus image by Svetlana Alyuk (Wyrd & Wonder 2021)
raven image by Olga Yastremska (Spooktastic Reads 2021)
tree wolf image by chic2view (Wyrd & Wonder 2022)
My Wyrd and Wonder Plans
I’m excited about how low key this event is. Most of my celebration of all things fantasy will occur via reading. But I’ll leave the door open for a good series and/or movie during this event. Though I enjoyed the last two readathons and their prompts/challenges, Wyrd and Wonder seems like the perfect event for mood reading. I probably will stick mostly to my NetGalley ARC pile. (I am woefully behind on this.) But I hope to read one or two books from my own purchased backlog.
Since I intend to mood read, I don’t have a set list, hence no photo of a reading board. However, here are some books I may decide to dive into. I make no promises!
I generally watch mostly science fiction and fantasy genres as well. My list for this is short because when I’m watching something it’s usually with my husband who generally prefers lighter shows and sci-fi. A lot of the fantasy shows queued up in Netflix are on the darker side, so I doubt I’ll get to them this month. But we did start a re-watch of THE WITCHER and will likely continue that at a leisurely pace.
Potential Library/Purchased Reads
In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens
A young prince must rely on a mysterious stranger to save him when he is kidnapped during his coming-of-age tour in this swoony adventure that is The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Pirates of the Caribbean.
Prince Tal has long awaited his coming-of-age tour. After spending most of his life cloistered behind palace walls as he learns to keep his forbidden magic secret, he can finally see his family’s kingdom for the first time. His first taste of adventure comes just two days into the journey, when their crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a burning derelict vessel.
Tasked with watching over the prisoner, Tal is surprised to feel an intense connection with the roguish Athlen. So when Athlen leaps overboard and disappears, Tal feels responsible and heartbroken, knowing Athlen could not have survived in the open ocean.
That is, until Tal runs into Athlen days later on dry land, very much alive, and as charming—and secretive—as ever. But before they can pursue anything further, Tal is kidnapped by pirates and held ransom in a plot to reveal his rumored powers and instigate a war. Tal must escape if he hopes to save his family and the kingdom. And Athlen might just be his only hope…
The fae abandoned this world to us. And the ones with power rule.
Gold.
Gold floors, gold walls, gold furniture, gold clothes. In Highbell, in the castle built into the frozen mountains, everything is made of gold.
Even me.
King Midas rescued me. Dug me out of the slums and placed me on a pedestal. I’m called his precious. His favored. I’m the woman he Gold-Touched to show everyone that I belong to him. To show how powerful he is. He gave me protection, and I gave him my heart. And even though I don’t leave the confines of the palace, I’m safe.
Until war comes to the kingdom and a deal is struck.
Suddenly, my trust is broken. My love is challenged. And I realize that everything I thought I knew about Midas might be wrong.
Because these bars I’m kept in, no matter how gilded, are still just a cage. But the monsters on the other side might make me wish I’d never left.
The myth of King Midas reimagined. This compelling adult fantasy series is as addictive as it is unexpected. With romance, intrigue, and danger, the gilded world of Orea will grip you from the very first page.
Potential NetGalley Reads
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, this book weaves together the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, magical lamp.
Neither here nor there, but long ago . . .
Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land—at the cost of sacrificing all jinn.
With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan’s oldest son to find the artifact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie’s past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything—her enemy, her magic, even her own past—is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality.
A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
House of Earth and Blood meets The Witch’s Heart in Rebecca Ross’s brilliant first adult fantasy, set on the magical isle of Cadence where two childhood enemies must team up to discover why girls are going missing from their clan.
Jack Tamerlaine hasn’t stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind, plaid shawls can be as strong as armor, and the smallest cut of a knife can instill fathomless fear. The capricious spirits that rule the isle by fire, water, earth, and wind find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home. Adaira, heiress of the east and Jack’s childhood enemy, knows the spirits only answer to a bard’s music, and she hopes Jack can draw them forth by song, enticing them to return the missing girls.
As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.
With unforgettable characters, a fast-paced plot, and compelling world building, A River Enchanted is a stirring story of duty, love, and the power of true partnership, and marks Rebecca Ross’s brilliant entry on the adult fantasy stage.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
Axie Oh’s The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an enthralling feminist retelling of the classic Korean folktale The Tale of Shim Cheong, perfect for fans of Wintersong, Uprooted, and Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.
Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.
Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village–and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon–may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.
Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin–as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits–Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…
A Thousand Steps Into Night by Traci Chee
From New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist Traci Chee comes a Japanese-influenced fantasy brimming with demons, adventure, and plans gone awry.
In the realm of Awara, where gods, monsters, and humans exist side by side, Miuko is an ordinary girl resigned to a safe, if uneventful, existence as an innkeeper’s daughter.
But when Miuko is cursed and begins to transform into a demon with a deadly touch, she embarks on a quest to reverse the curse and return to her normal life. Aided by a thieving magpie spirit and continuously thwarted by a demon prince, Miuko must outfox tricksters, escape demon hunters, and negotiate with feral gods if she wants to make it home again.
With her transformation comes power and freedom she never even dreamed of, and she’ll have to decide if saving her soul is worth trying to cram herself back into an ordinary life that no longer fits her… and perhaps never did.
Artwork and Links
Most of these book links navigate to Bookshop.org, where a purchase made there helps support independent bookstores. These are not affiliate links and I do not make a commission from any purchase made using these links.
The Wyrd and Wonder artwork is by chic2view from 123RF.com. The gorgeous wolf image has been licensed for use for this event online. You are welcome to use the banner on your Wyrd and Wonder posts, but please make no changes (except to resize if needed) and always credit the artist!
Welcome to the party! We’re so glad you’re joining us! Looks like you’ve got some really good options going, and I hope you enjoy mood reading… it might mean it’s easier for us to tempt you to other things though 😉 Most of your TBR is new to me, but I will say I liked The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and I think it’s something you’d like to. It’s just very ethereal and beautiful.
Thank you! Happy to be here for the first time! 😀 I’m mood reading within all my NetGalley approvals, for the most part, which luckily look like great reads based off of reactions I saw floating around the Twitter realm. I’m glad I was able to introduce you to some new-to-you titles. You know me–if The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is ethereal, I’ll most likely love it. <3
Welcome!
I’ve heard about In Deeper Waters. Still super curious about that one. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is also a lot of fun 😀
Thank you! I found out about IN DEEPER WATERS when I asked book Twitter for some standalone recs. I’m pretty sure I’ll read it during W&W since it’s a library book and I’d rather not have to re-check it out. 😉
I absolutely loved The Stardust Thief ( my review of it is the one Wyrd and Wonder things I have actually prepared). I hope to get to A River Enchanted this month.
To be honest I’ve skimmed through the reviews to avoid spoilers, but overall I’ve seen a lot of positive reactions about THE STARDUST THIEF. Feel free to comment here with your review if I forget to double back and check! I hope I enjoy it as much as you did! 🙂
Mood Reading for Wyrd and Wonder seems like an excellent choice! Have fun!
Why thank you! Mood reading is my fav. Enjoy W&W this month, too!
These look like a lot of fun! Good luck with W&W!!
Thank you, Greg!
Hallo, Hallo Celeste,
Wicked happy we started conversing on #bookTwitter which led me to this lovely post today! I had some connectivity issues the last few days (bad timing, eh?!) which left me a bit behind going into our first week, but I’m thankful I’m back on now! This is why we wanted to curate the vibe we have during #WyrdAndWonder; the lo-key be as your are Fantasy adventure is what spoke to us the most when we first developed the event and it was echoed through Annemieke & Ariana who’ve joined our team this year. It is quite incredible how we all share the same thoughts on that as it is such a foundational part of what was originally created.
You’re quite right – we never defined it as a readathon of sorts but it does tend to become one in a way! At least for some of us (myself included) — I tend to look at it as a personal bookish holiday from the chaos of life as well! I might not be able to travel but I can travel through the vortex of the stories I’m reading and feel equally recharged! 🙂 Also, I spied a book on your list I dearly have become intrigued by myself – which I originally read on Ariana’s blog – which you might know already as I disclosed that bit of news on my blog over the weekend. I even have it checked out from the library and its on the stretch goals for May: “The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea”.
The whole layered effect of how the author created that world spoke to me – plus, I’m a huge appreciator of Mythos, Folklore and Cultural influences in Speculative Fiction as a rule. I credit part of that to @Mythothon (on the Mythos side of the ledger) but the other bits were strongholds in my readerly wanderings already.
I can’t wait to see where Wyrd And Wonder takes you!
Wicked brilliant Introduction 🙂
Hi Jorie! I’m glad we connected on Twitter, too! Thank you for taking the time to stop by and visit my blog and, in particular, leave such a warm comment on my W&W introduction post. 🙂 The low key vibe is exactly what I’m looking for, which is particularly helpful since I’m also trying to find the time to blog about as many prompts as I can fit into my schedule, ha.
Hopefully you’re able to meet all your goals during W&W…and, who knows, maybe even reach your stretch goal with THE GIRL WHO FELL BENEATH THE SEA! Ariana mentioned above that she thinks I’ll really enjoy that book, so hopefully I’m able to get around to it this month. I usually make it through 4 books a month, so anything extra for me I consider a bonus. Sometimes I wish I was a fast reader because there are so many good fantasy books out there. 😉
I look forward to following your W&W journey! 🙂