#the farsala trilogy

[book--brackets]

The Chronicles of Faerie by O. R. Melling (1993-2003)

American Gwen and her Irish cousin, Findabhair, have long planned a summer of backpacking around Ireland, visiting sites out of the old legends of fairy folk. Little do they know that it is the summer of the Hunter's Moon, a dangerous time for mortals who meddle with the kingdom of Faerie. One night, camping out on old ruins, Finn is kidnapped by the Faerie king, who wants her for a bride and possible sacrifice. It is up to Gwen, the more indecisive of the two, to rescue her cousin.

The Farsala Trilogy by Hilari Bell (2003-2006)

Stories are told of a hero who will come to Farsala's aid when the need is greatest. But for thousands of years the prosperous land of Farsala has felt no such need, as it has enjoyed the peace that comes from being both feared and respected.

Now a new enemy approaches Farsala's borders, one that neither fears nor respects its name and legend. But the rulers of Farsala still believe that they can beat any opponent.

Three young people are less sure of Farsala's invincibility. Jiaan, Soraya, and Kavi see Time's Wheel turning, with Farsala headed toward the Flames of Destruction. What they cannot see is how inextricably their lives are linked to Farsala's fate -- until it's too late.

Everworld by K. A. Applegate (1999-2001)

David’s life was pretty normal. School. Friends. Girlfriend. Actually, Senna was probably the oddest aspect of his life. She was beautiful. Smart. But there was something very different about her. Something strange.

And on the day it began, everything happened so quickly. One moment, Senna was with him. The next, she was swallowed up by the earth, her screams echoing from far, far away. David couldn’t just let her go. Neither could the others. His friends—and hers. So, they followed. And found themselves in a world they could have never imagined. 

Now they have to find Senna and get home without losing their lives. Or their minds. Or both…

The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe (2004)

A young man in his teens is transported from our world to a magical realm that contains seven levels of reality. Very quickly transformed by magic into a grown man of heroic proportions, he takes the name Able and sets out on a quest to find the sword that has been promised to him, a sword he will get from a dragon, the one very special blade that will help him fulfill his life ambition to become a knight and a true hero.

Inside, however, Able remains a boy, and he must grow in every sense to survive the dangers and delights that lie ahead in encounters with giants, elves, wizards, and dragons.

Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice by Dave Wolverton and Jude Watson (1999-2002)

Twelve-year-old Obi-Wan Kenobi desperately wants to be a Jedi Knight. After years at the Jedi Temple, he knows the power of the lightsaber and the Force. But he cannot control his own anger and fear. Because of this, the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn will not take him on as a Padawan apprentice.

Now Obi-Wan is about to have his first encounter with true evil. He must face off against unexpected enemies--and face up to his own dark wishes.

Only then can his education as a Jedi truly begin.

Skylark by Meagan Spooner (2012-2014)

For fifteen years, Lark Ainsley waited for the day when her Resource would be harvested and she would finally be an adult. After the harvest she expected a small role in the regular, orderly operation of the City within the Wall. She expected to do her part to maintain the refuge for the last survivors of the Wars. She expected to be a tiny cog in the larger clockwork of the city.     Lark did not expect to become the City's power supply.     For fifteen years, Lark Ainsley believed in a lie. Now she must escape the only world she's ever known...or face a fate more unimaginable than death.

Westmark by Lloyd Alexander (1981-1984)

When Theo agrees to print a traveling showman's pamphlet, he only thinks of the money it will bring in. Instead, it sets off a chain reaction that results in the smashing of the press and the murder of his master. Caught on the wrong side of the law, Theo must flee the city. Soon, he has teamed up with the traveling showman Count Las Bombas (who is actually a con artist) and his servant. The trio is soon joined by Mickle, a clever, strong-willed girl with a mysterious past. Performing feats that astound and amaze, the motley crew falls into a trap set by Chief Minister Cabbarus, who is determined to wrest power from the grief-stricken king. Now they must not only save themselves-they must save the kingdom...

The Goblin Wood by Hilari Bell (2003-2011)

One terrible day, Makenna, a young hedgewitch, witnesses her mother's murder at the hands of their own neighbors. Stricken with grief and rage, Makenna flees the village that has been her home. In the wilds of the forest, she forms an unexpected alliance. Leading an army of clever goblins, Makenna skillfully attacks the humans, now their shared enemy.

What she doesn't realize is that the ruling Hierarchy is determined to rid the land of all magical creatures, and they believe Makenna is their ultimate threat - so they have sent a young knight named Tobin into the Goblin Wood to entrap her.

In this captivating fantasy adventure, the difference between Bright and Dark magic is as deceptive as our memories, hopes, and fears -- and the light of loyalty and friendship has a magic all of its own.

A young hedgewitch, an idealistic knight, and an army of clever goblins fight against the ruling hierarchy that is trying to rid the land of all magical creatures.

Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones (1993)

When Controller Borasus receives a strange letter from Earth he is both curious and alarmed. Someone has activated an ancient machine and is using it for most trivial purposes. Surely no one would dare to tamper with Reigner seals in this way? Yet the effects of such interference resonate throughout the universe, so he decides to go to Hexwood Farm to investigate…

On Hexwood Estate, Ann watches the mysterious comings and goings with interest. She knows something deadly is going on – or is Hexwood simply altering her too?

Guides for Dating Vampires by D. N. Bryn (2022-present)

Vincent Barnes has suffered four years as a vampire, and they’ve been the most miserable years of his pathetic life. Too poor for black market blood, he feeds from sleeping humans to survive. He tries to never intrude on the same prey twice, but after a single delicious taste of a long-lost childhood neighbor, he can’t help returning for seconds.

Wesley Garcia has been waking up with fang marks. Lucky for him, he needs a vampire—to use as bait. He’s certain Vitalis-Barron Pharmaceutical killed his mother, but to gain access to their covert research labs, he has to bring them a bloodsucker for their experiments. 

Step one, a dramatic offer: Stay, and you can bite me. 

Vincent leaps at the chance to gobble Wesley up.

Wes’s plan is perfect. He’ll befriend the vampire, then trick him into coming to the lab. No fighting, no fuss. But Vincent is more than Wesley has bargained for: sweet and shy, with intoxicating fangs that awaken new desires in Wes. As the two bond, Vincent believes he might have finally found someone worth putting his trust in... and Wes fears neither of them will survive the betrayal he has planned.

[booksrgood4u]

My sister and I were reminiscing about the Farsala Trilogy the other day - seriously, if you follow this blog for any of my other fandoms give this one a try.

I could tell you it’s about how truth becomes legend, or about how any cause is only as good or evil as the people fighting for it, OR I could just tell you there’s this awesome mule named Ducky who’s best friends with ducks and she saves the day. All three excellent arguments for reading this trilogy. So give it a try and join the fandom! I promise all three of us are super nice lol.

And if you’ve already read the series, give me a reblog or reply with who your fave protagonist is - mine is (obviously) Kavi!

[cadenzarose]

I just finished re-reading the Farsala trilogy by Hilari Bell for the second time! It’s one of my comfort series, and it goes by so quickly...

Anyway, I wanted to try some headshots of the characters, since I wasn’t sure how I envisioned them. Here’s what I came up with!

[serpenttailedangel]

Okay. But quick break from the steady stream of queue’d Knight and Rogue posts to instead talk about the Farsala Trilogy, because this was the series that first got me into Hilari Bell.

These books are good. Kavi isn’t as... strong a personality, for lack of a better term, as Fisk, but he’s got the same general feel of Fisk while also feeling like a more grounded version of that character type. Soraya’s growth arc is so huge. Jiaan... honestly I like the thematic concepts around Jiaan more than Jiaan himself, but whatever. Farsala doesn’t have as strong of characters as Knight and Rogue and it will always be my #2 series for that, but #2 of every book series I ever read is still pretty high up there, y’know? And it’s high up there because the characters are still great, the plot is great, and the themes are on point.

I will say that the dynamic with the deghans is a little heavy-handed, but this book is just good. It does an amazing job of humanizing everyone, giving all sides both benevolent and tainted motives and every faction moral strengths alongside plain evils. I think that, having first read it in my early teens, this book was actually pretty influential to my being able to keep an open mind to things. There are scenes that have really, really stuck with me that to this day will come to mind when I contemplate how to approach conflicts.

I just really love Ms. Bell’s books. I think that Goblin Wood tries to do something similar to Farsala, but honestly Farsala just feels like such a triumphant example of all the messages it has to tell while being so entertaining at the same time.

[rhysand-vs-fenrys]

The 7- Day Book Challenge (2/7)

[duchessvultjag]

everyone, drop everything and go read the farsala trilogy right now

[treehousereads]

[1221bookworm]

TLC Readalong Day 26: Favorite Series

Ok, for @ofpagesandink challenge, I couldn’t pick just *one* and so, since I figured the Lunar Chronicles was a given, I picked 3 series that could use some love. Some quick searching gave me the first two pictures, but the last is actually my copies of the series - rescued at the library book sale when they decided no one was taking them out enough so it was sale or the trash. Now they are well loved, despite their tatters.

Now, without further ado, the series:

The Farsala Trilogy by Hilari Bell: taking its roots from Persian lore, we find a tale of three teenagers who find themselves trying to save their country from invaders who just might not be as bad as they seem. Or are they. Also deals with how legends are created with a wonderful twist on the original Persian myth. The first book was originally published as “Flame”

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith: A spunky heroine who has to fight battles - and actually doesn’t win them. But just because she’s lost a few battles doesn’t mean she’s lost the war. Great one liners in this one about the perception (or misconceptions) of heros, and also contains the story of what happens *after* all the bad guys are dead. Combines the original Crown Duel and Court Duel.

The Truth Series by Dawn Cook: be forewarned, this series is a little hard to track down, but it is well worth the trial, I assure you. When the main character is kicked out of her house by her mother in search of a “bed time story”, she doesn’t expect it to end well. Instead, she finds that the “bed time story” is real, and even grander then she would have imagined. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some bumps along the way, and she soon finds herself responsible for the fates of two colonies of people. With help from her friends, and the love of her new husband, she still has a chance to make it all come out right. Not as sappy as it sounds, plenty of adventure and scrapes along the way, interspersed with the special moments that cement growing friendships.

If anyone has read these series and wants to talk - reach out. Tag me. Message me. These series need more love.

[ellcrys]

so I just accidentally [essentially mechanically...] logged into my middle school goodreads account which, btw, I completely forgot even existed (...I suppose this is what happens when you use your spam and semi-spam email interchangeably and also use the same password for both of them lmao #notagoodthing) and man oh man the nostalgia is real ;-; I’m going through my ‘favorites’ bookshelf at the time and am being reminded of all my childhood favorites and now all I want to do is to go back and reread them all afjakdjksd.

[fantasywordcraft]

What’s the difference between our public behavior and our private behavior? And why does it matter?

[dare-to-dm]

2, 3 and 4 for the books ask!

Did you reread anything? What?

I am constantly rereading books. My personal philosophy is that I would rather reread a good book many times than read a mediocre book once. if it weren't for my book clubs, I would rarely go out of my way to find new books.

Some of my top rereads last year were The Farsala Trilogy by Hilari Bell, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson.

What were your top five books of the year?

If we're just counting books I read for the first time, then my top books of the year would be:

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

The Huntress by Kate Quinn

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

I gotta say, it's a damn shame that I never read anything by Octavia Butler until last year. Her work is amazing!

[book--brackets]

Would love to submit (for the fantasy poll)

The Farsala Trilogy - Hilari Bell

The Seven Realms - Cinda Williams Chima

A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray

Protector of the Small - Tamora Pierce

Poison - Chris Wooding

Caught in Crystal - Patricia C Wrede

The Conjuror Princess - Vivian Vande Velde

Faerie Wars - Herbie Brennan

Troll Fell - Katherine Langrish

Kushiel's Dart - Jacqueline Carey

The Queen's Thief series - Megan Whalen Turner

I added the ones that weren't already on the list, though keep in mind some are under their series titles, not the names you submitted

Protector of the Small my beloved!!

[cozycreaturescorner]

If you havent read the Farsala trilogy I highly recommend, strong female character, complex morals, good story! Personally it's my ideal book series, if you like fantasy you'll probably enjoy it

oohh that sounds good!! i'll see if it's in our circ system!

[yokasaris]

10 Favorite Characters

Kavi (Farsala Trilogy) Eleanor Shellstrop (The Good Place) Milliarde (Baten Kaitos: Origins) Varric Tethras (Dragon Age) Mordin Solus (Mass Effect) Havelock Vetinari (Discworld) Rosa Diaz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) Ranulf (Fire Emblem 9/10) Donna Noble (Doctor Who) Perry Cox (Scrubs) I’ve never seen a full episode of Brooklyn, but I love Rosa and Holt. tagged by: @kich-rp , thanks!

[serpenttailedangel]

Y’know, I thought I would read a lot more books with all the lockdown stuff this year, but actually I’ve mostly consumed LNs that, while entertaining, have absolutely terrible prose and pacing and integration of narration and dialogue as compared to the norms for western writing, and most of the reading I’ve done that’s more in line for gleaning skills applicable to honing my ability as an author wanting to publish with a western publishing house has come in the form of re-reading books I own. I’ve also developed a healthy hatred for my local library, which still hasn’t gotten its shit together for even curbside pickup despite all the bookstores being open.

[rhysand-vs-fenrys]

Ten Favorite Female Characters

Rules: List ten of your favorite female characters from ten different fandoms and then tag ten people. I have some series where I have a couple favorites...

I was tagged by @aelin-and-feyre, but also at least 2 other blogs. Tumblr is being stupid and I can’t find the posts to see, so I’m sorry for not tagging you!!!!

Feyre - A Court of Thorns and Roses (Sarah J Maas)

Lysandra // Yrene Towers  - Throne of Glass (HRH Sarah J Maas)

Penryn - Angelfall (Susan Ee)

Katsa // Bitterblue - Graceling (Kristin Cashore)

Alianne - Trickster’s Choice (Tamora Pierce)

Sadima - Skin Hunger (Kathleen Duey, who will hopefully write book 3 this century)

Soraya - The Farsala Trilogy (Hilari Bell)

Makenna - The Goblin Wood (Hilari Bell)

Yoko Nakagima - The Twelve Kingdoms (Fuyumi Ono, and I like Yoko most after book 1)

Kate // Emily - The Hollow Kingdom (Clare B. Dunkle)

It was so hard to pick!!!!

Tagging (and I’m sorry if you’re one of the blogs that tagged me, I should really write this stuff down): @feyre-archerons-scrapbook, @madiemo, @cassianandfenrysaremyboyos, @feysandsmut, @dorianthekinkymf, @illyrianinterrasen, @westfallsbitch, @songbirdsbooks, @nestasbucket, @asterinthesiren, @my-ships-will-never-be-sank