Tag: book review

A Dragon and Knight Thing (Book Review)

A while ago I read a blog post about a book called ‘The Dragon of Ynys’ by Minerva Cerridwen. Not being one to read much fantasy fiction, I felt this one was intriguing enough to buy and try. Being relatively short and with such a strong recommendation in the blog (sadly I lost track of whose blog it was) I soon found myself enjoying this feel-good story of a dragon and knight who unite on a mission.

She wrote it originally in response to a call for submissions by a small publisher who celebrated LGBT+ stories. The requirement was for a story with a dragon in it and so along came the dragon of Ynys idea.

Summary

When various items of clothing and jewellery go missing in the town of Ynys, the local knight has to find the culprit. Eventually realising that a dragon is hoarding things in a cave nearby, he makes several trips to retrieve things and forms a friendship with the dragon, known as Snap.

Soon after, a missing baker causes the two of them to go and look for her. At the same time, whilst making new friends and coming up against hurdles on the way, the characters also deal with subjects such as gender identity.

Review

The way that acceptance is discussed and interwoven into the storyline is something Minerva can be very proud of. Her writing is sensitive and thoughtful with regard to these issues. Weaving a knight and dragon story of going on a journey and overcoming barriers with conversations about mental health and self image is very clever.

This is a short but fun story which makes you feel good about humanity. It draws to attention very relevant topics and also highlights characters who are rounded and lovable.

This fantasy book is very different to anything that I have read before. I found it sweet and enjoyable, and was rooting for the characters all the way along. I certainly suggest checking out the first chapter to see if it grabs your interest. I was pleasantly surprised and glad that I went with my gut instinct. Perhaps I may even try a few more fantasy books in future. The Dragon Of Ynys definitely got me interested in the genre.

For a review of some other short books that I liked, click here.

Booktube Again

After two months off, I am back on Youtube talking about all things book. I love books so much that I have decided to do some of the Booktube Tags which ask questions about reading habits.

It is nerve-racking making a Youtube video but I definitely find it fun too. Trying to build an audience is tricky as it is with any social media but getting to read comments underneath and chat about wonderful books is so rewarding.

My blog is my main priority at the moment but engaging with readers and writers on Booktube is an added bonus. Many have already spotted who are my favourite authors as I do come back to them regularly. However, I regularly talk about newer authors and different genres that are outside of my comfort zone.

Anyway here is the link if you have a couple of minutes to check it out: https://youtu.be/a9N5GgIEdnI

A Book I Forgot To Mention…

This morning I was having a cup of tea and thinking about a book that I finished reading a couple of months ago. The reason for this recollection was that I had just ordered the next book by this particular author and it made me think about just how powerful her other story had been.

Clever, witty, heart-breaking.

The author is a well-known British comedienne, Shappi Khorsandi, and the book is called ‘Nina is not OK’. It tells the story of a sixth former about to go to university whose alcohol addiction turns her life upside down.

Starting off as a fun habit, the drinking problem becomes hugely impactful when her mum moves to Germany and she finds herself kissing her best friend’s dad. Something much more sinister happened on a night out when flirting got confused with consent.

Shappi is a funny woman who I have watched and enjoyed hearing doing her comedy act live. Her writing is powerful but is in no way morbid. She deals with the humorous side of life whilst also not being afraid to unpick the awkward side of night life and inequality. Her narrative is touching and very thought-provoking with really relatable issues such as body confidence, self-esteem and social media pressures.

Covering life as a student whose dad passed away due to drinking related illness, Shappi tells a torturous tale which really makes you get behind the main character, Nina, and wish her well in her battle against the bottle as well as dealing with an abuser.

For my original comments on this book check out my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/qpQSWb43rDs

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