Tag Tuesday: Top 10 Books I Loved That Made Me Search Out Similar Ones!

Hi friends! I decided to participate in today’s Top 10 Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl!) because this is actually a topic I’ve been thinking about quite a bit. It’s interesting how certain books can be broad in their appeal, while at the same time hitting sweet spots in niche areas. So I’m really excited to talk about this!

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Technically, it was Spin the Dawn that urged me to pick up A Dress For The Wicked, but I’m putting both here because the latter hit more of the right notes for me personally. The whole concept of a Project Runway fashion competition with (a) magic or (b) extraordinarily high stakes truly does drive me forward in life.

Dark academia, a relatively niche genre that I never thought would be my thing* until this book. And now I’m beyond excited to read The Secret History and The Maidens.

*it still makes no sense. i’m not particularly clever nor witty, so what’s the appeal for me? murder?

This has nothing to do with the book itself but rather the writing style. Laini Taylor has one of the richest, dreamiest, most whimsical writing styles I’ve ever come across, and all I’ve wanted since is more books like it. That’s actually what partially led me to The Night Circus, and why books pitched as having beautiful writing are way too alluring for me to resist.

Two words: gothic stories.

Ever since I was, I don’t know, five years old I’ve been obsessed with Greek mythology. Dear old uncle Rick only sparked that flame into a roaring blaze of mythology chasing fantasy reads.

I doubt Harry Potter was the first to make me obsessed with these two tropes but the series has both and I remember so here on the list it goes. Harry Potter was blessed with two of my favorite things: magic school, and magical competitions. I’m still such a sucker for those two things.

If anyone has any books like this, please tell me. There’s something about the alternate historical setting of Paris (and in the sequel, Russia) combined with a rich magic system that makes me go OOMP*.

*tbh…i might have meant oomph but either way i am waxing nonsense again please forgive and ignore me

I still go weak whenever anyone mentions a book is a fairy-tale retelling. I’m bad at reading books I’m hyped for (or just books in general) but there really is some magic about retellings that hit the excitement highs.

First of all, this was published in 1999????? What the heck???? It literally never occurred to me that this book was that old. I thought it was published in 2006 or something. Anyways, don’t you just love it when the narrator breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the reader? I do, and that’s why I went on to read The Name Of This Book Is Secret when I was but a little grasshopper.

…Look, I really like nonsensical, whimsical writing and sorcerous competitions with a dash of rather vague magic systems. I will always need more of it in my life.

So that’s it! Share with me some books that made you seek out similar ones!

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