First, May the Fourth be with you! Happy Star Wars Day, everyone!
The prompt today for Wyrd and Wonder is magical location. Given that this event celebrates the fantastic and our love of everything fantasy, needless to say there are a lot of magical places to share. So here’s a list featuring some of my favorites for the Wyrd and Wonder magical locations “challenge.”
Prythian
I have a feeling that many of you probably already know what or where Prythian is. And I’m sure by the end of Wyrd and Wonder I may tire you of this series. But Prythian is set in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. It’s where the fae reside and (nearly) the whole of Prythian sounds like such a place for exploration. There are 7 different types of courts: 4 seasonal (spring, summer, autumn, winter) and 3 solar (dawn, day, night). Each has its own aesthetic and celebrate similar “holidays” with various customs. I definitely have an emotional attachment to this series, which makes Prythian sound extra appealing to me.
Hy-Brasil
Hy-Brasil is a hidden island in THE MAGICIAN’S DAUGHTER by H.G. Parry. It seems so calm and simple and full of nature. There are bunnies and beaches and you can walk around the whole island if you desired. Just avoid the puca. It just sounds kind of relaxing and cozy.
Tanria
Tanria is the magical land in which Hart and Mercy live in THE UNDERTAKING OF HART AND MERCY by Megan Bannen. Admittedly, my memory is a little fuzzy with this as it has been close to a year since I last read it. I’m not sure I’d want to live in Tanria as I remember thinking it a bit desolate. But it has a lot of interesting aspects from zombie souls to talking animal mail deliverers.
Elfhame
Elfhame is the setting of Holly Black’s The Folk of the Air trilogy. I read these books at least two years ago, so again, fuzzy memory. And, again, it sounds like an interesting place with all of the different courts and politics and creatures. But there’s a lot of trickery in Elfhame and the fae there are more conniving and mean than in ACOTAR. I wouldn’t want to be part of their games, but it would be a fascinating place to visit.
Celestial Kingdom Immortal Realm
This place is in Sue Lynn Tan’s The Celestial Kingdom duology, which is complete. The descriptions of this place are so lush and colorful. You can live on the moon or under water. There are a bunch of other places, too, but my memory is bad because I read a lot and can’t remember everything. (I also read book 2 while sick with COVID! It was good, though, go read it!) But my point is it would be a fun place to visit.
What are some of your favorite Wyrd and Wonder magical locations, regardless of whether you’d want to live there or not?
Magic portal artwork by Tithi Luadthong. The gorgeous artwork has been licensed for use for this [Wyrd and Wonder] event online. You are welcome to use the banners on your Wyrd and Wonder posts, but please make no changes and always credit the artist(s).
I couldn’t finish mist and fury 🤣 one was rough and two was just awful haha and then I realized after giving them away that my 1/1 copies might have been worth something 😂whoops. Anyway. I did the same with ToG. Suffered through one book and said noooo what why she literally said in an interview that she destroyed male characters based on who she was crushing on at the time 🤣
Yea, this series doesn’t seem like your cup of tea based on what I typically see you review! The original covers are definitely worth a pretty penny, you’re right. I spent some time checking eBay a lot just to find affordable copies…I think I did pretty well! I haven’t read TOG yet, but it’s on my TBR.
My favorite magical location is the night circus.
I still haven’t read that yet! I own the book…it’s just a matter of committing the time.
Tania seems a little scary to me, with the zombies and all! I’m so curious about the Sarah J. Maas series. I’m probably the last person to read it😁
Ha yea it seems a little dangerous, but interesting nonetheless. As for the ACOTAR series by SJM, you can learn a lot about it by all the memes on bookstagram haha.