Book Tag: Get to Know the Fantasy Reader

I came across this tag on Laur's blog, Arcane Archives, and thought it looked fun, so here we are! (The tag was originally created by The Book Pusher on BookTube, who adapted it from Bree Hill's Get to Know the Romance Reader book tag.) All covers are linked to Goodreads.

What is your fantasy origin story? (How you came to read your first fantasy novel)

My mom read to my sisters and me a lot when we were growing up, so I was introduced to The Hobbit and the Chronicles of Narnia early on. We also had them on tape, so I listened to them a lot. But the books that I think of as starting my love of fantasy are Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (which I read when I was 10) and Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (which I read when I was 11). I'm still obsessed with both of these books. Ella Enchanted (and, much later, Beauty by Robin McKinley) got me into fairytale retellings, and Inkheart introduced me to the world of portal/dual world fantasy. 

If you could be the hero/heroine in a fantasy novel, who would be the author and what’s one trope you’d insist be in the story?

I would choose to be in a book by either Robin McKinley or Cameron Dokey. I know my story would be in good hands with them, and I'd be less afraid of having to fight monstrous powers of evil in their books than I would in some others'. The climaxes of their books are really about self-discovery and self-realization. As for tropes, I'm a sucker for the reluctant hero trope (I had to look up fantasy tropes, as I could not remember a single one except "oh no, there's only one bed" lol).

What is a fantasy you’ve read this year that you want more people to read?

Since it's so early in 2025, I haven't read a ton of fantasy yet, but I'd have to say Daindreth's Assassin by Elisabeth Wheatley! She has a loyal fan base on Instagram (you may have seen her Book Goblin videos, which is how I found her), but she's an indie author, so she doesn't get the promotion that big name authors like Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros enjoy. However, she's an amazing writer and I highly recommend Daindreth's Assassin to fantasy lovers!

What is your favorite fantasy subgenre? What subgenre have you not read much from?

Fairytale retellings for sure! I tend to stick within a pretty limited circle of fantasy subgenres including fairytale retellings (of course), high/epic fantasy, historical fantasy, and romantasy. I haven't read a lot of dark fantasy or urban fantasy.

Who is one of your auto-buy fantasy authors?

I get most of my books from the library, but if I had an auto-buy fantasy author, it would be Kristin Cashore! I do own two of her books (Bitterblue, which I bought during Covid lockdown when the library was closed, and Seasparrow, which I preordered because I couldn't wait for it to come out). I should probably collect the rest of the Graceling Realm series at some point!

How do you typically find fantasy recommendations? (Goodreads, Youtube, Podcasts, Instagram..)

I don't know, I feel like I soak them in through my pores lol. I think I get most of them from other bloggers, as well as IRL friends who also like fantasy. And definitely Goodreads!

What is an upcoming fantasy release you’re excited for?

I was going to say Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao for this, but it already came out. I feel like it's recent enough that it still counts?? In case it doesn't, I'll go with The Last Tiger, by Julia Riew (coming out July 29, 2025).

What is one misconception about fantasy you would like to lay to rest?

I'm not really aware of a lot of misconceptions about fantasy. I guess I'd just say that there's a lot more room for diversity in it than a lot of people give it credit for.

If someone had never read a fantasy before and asked you to recommend the first 3 books that come to mind as places to start, what would those recommendations be?

I'd probably point them to my three favorites–Beauty by Robin McKinley, Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, and Inkheart by Cornelia Funke–and hope it goes well. 😂

Who is the most recent fantasy reading content creator you came across that you’d like to shoutout? 

Go check out Laur's blog! She's really cool! Also Anna at Anna's Multiverse! 

Have you read any of the books I mentioned (or sneakily mentioned without mentioning by using their covers to illustrate a question)? What are your favorite fantasy books? Let's connect in the comments!