Hey guys,
So I’m in a slump and I haven’t gotten suggestions that really match what I’m looking for, so I’m trying again but modifying my request.
So here’s what I’m looking for:
- An audiobook
- Written by a woman (enby and trans authors are also welcome)
- With an easy to follow writing style: I would still prefer good writing, and I don’t mean to suggest that I’m looking for YA (although I am open to YA), I just don’t want anything dense or superfluous.
- Complex/well developed/unique characters: particularly, women characters with actual flaws.
- Open to the following genres: fantasy/scifi, thriller/suspense, mystery/crime, and pretty much anything that falls under those categories.
- A romance subplot.
- Something that hooks you early on.
- Something plot driven
Some things I am NOT looking for:
– Books that make you sad. Obviously, sad moments are fine, I just don’t want to be sad for more than like 30% of the book.
– Super predictable plots
– Literary fiction
A couple of books that fit what I’m looking for as examples:
– The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (and the Stolen Heir duology)
– Everything by T. Kingfisher
– Everything by Naomi Novik
– Everything by Gillian Flynn
Side note: I am also particularly interested in books that handle gender in a unique way. Like books without gender roles or sexism, so if you can think of any books that fit this even if they don’t match the above criteria, please LMK.
by petielvrrr
1 Comment
One series that I’m absolutely loving is the Leveling Up series by KF Breene. The first book is Magical Midlife Madness. The FMC is in her 40s, newly divorced and finds herself in a magical world within our own. There is a romance subplot, but the story is mostly about the FMCs journey. It reminds me of Cruel Prince in that the romance takes a back seat which I’m really enjoying. It’s there but not at the forefront. Also the first book in the series is in a graphic audio version too. The others are not graphic audio, but they do have audiobooks and I am actually enjoying the narrator. The only thing I will say is that there are 9 books. I have been eating them all up. I’m already on book 6 and I started listening to the series on May 13. The books are about 8-10 hrs each. There are cliffhangers at the end of the books but the world building is not dense. The characters are witty and quirky but not in a corny way.
The other book that comes to mind is A Ship Of Bones and Teeth by Karina Halle. Technically this book falls under dark romance and there are some trigger warnings but the characters are well developed. The FMC could be considered a villain but is not (?) and we definitely see her flaws. The romance is not subplot. It’s more hand in hand with the story. It is a standalone book and there are spicy scenes so beware.
Another one I really like is From Blood and Ash by Jennifer Armentrout. Even though it is technically YA I feel that the FMC is not childish. She can be logical about things and knows how to pick her battles. One thing that turns me off about some YA books is that the FMC is super defensive about everything. Like if the MMC tells her “dont run into that danger over there!” the immediate FMC response is “you don’t tell me what to do” and then she runs into the danger. That just drives me up a wall. The main character here is not like that. Sometimes that’s her knee jerk reaction internally, but she is self aware enough to kind of think “he’s right. That is dangerous” or whatever the situation is. We do see her and the MMC develop throughout the story and there is a romance subplot but it is not the main plot.
For now that is all I have. If this doesn’t sound like something you’d read I have other recs. Let me know.