Hi! Searching to get super invested in a group of nasty little guys in spec-fic!
Looking for as many of the below as possible:
\- A large ensemble cast with well developed relationships/dynamics between the characters! last book I LOVED in this regard was Six of Crows- shoddy worldbuilding bothered me but wasn’t a dealbreaker. Would love to get invested in some good, fucked up character drama
\- well-written female characters, preferably mostly female characters (though I know that’s a tough find)
\- LOVE cultural/linguistic worldbuilding, don’t have the greatest attention span for detailed physical descriptions. I enjoy very distinctive fantasy races/cultures/languages but will read a book with good character writing without worldbuilding rather than vice versa! was very drawn into the worldbuilding of Cloud Roads by Martha Wells and was super invested- until the actual plot and characters turned out to be not nearly as original as the explorations of Raksuran society
\- I like stories that explore darker themes and subject matters! Any series with a major aspect of injustice will instantly make me very invested. Always enjoy a protagonist that just gets fucked over again and again and has to keep on going!
\- Don’t enjoy romance for romance’s sake, but I will like it as a vehicle for character explorations. f/f vastly preferred!
As for other stories I’ve like in the past: Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey, (for last-bullet-point-y reasons), have been a long time fan of Warrior Cats (fun non-human-society + dark themes/ injustice + large cast + well, kitty drama lmao) and out of the realm of books, the gems from Steven Universe and characters in Infinity Train are some of my favorite characters of all time.
Not a fan of stereotypical hero‘s journey/ everyman protagonist/chosen-one sorta deal. I’m in college, so YA or adult is fine!
by theobhan