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Posts about this title from Left Unread Books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Feb 17 2025

Black Authors Who I Think History Will Remember

I started this post as a Bluesky thread a few days ago, but I realized I needed more space than a social media post would allow. So here are some of my favorite Black authors! Enjoy!!!

27 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Nov 30 2024

The Secret Power of Literature... and spoiler alert, it's not escapism.

Escapism is lovely, but that is not what reading does for me. So I thought I would share a little bit about one of the biggest things I get out of reading.

***Trigger warnings: grief, slavery, trauma, parentlessness, broken family, racism***

20 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Jun 24 2024

When you think about the best fantasy/sci-fi you have ever read, I can almost guarantee you that one of the things they all have in common is that they introduced you to characters who refused to compromise their voice. And that doesn't just go for feel-good stories or books that work to highlight systemic issues. It's also true for the stories that introduced you to your favorite villains!\ \ Think about characters like Almira (Queen and Conquerer), Rin (Poppy War Trilogy), Anequs (To Shape A Dragon's Breath) or Kiera (The Halfling Saga). One of the most endearing things about those stories is that they gave us main characters who are so firmly rooted in their own will that we almost lose sight of the fact that there is an author pulling their strings. And that is not to say that a character must have a fully fleshed out sense of self in order to hold this kind of impact. Nova (The Name Bearer) spends the first two books of this Quala having to wrestle with the fact that she has been denied any sense of identity. But that doesn't stop her from holding the kind of determination and resolve that leave us, the readers, wondering if Natalia Hernandez had any say in who Nova became.\ \ When I am reading a book, and preparing to talk about it publically, I always ask myself how consistently the character's speak for themselves. Do they make their own decisions or are they constantly compromising for the sake of the story arc? Do they stick to their guns, even when the readers will struggle with their choices (Such as the iconic moment where Ikenna kills...ok fine, i won't spoil it. But go read Blood Gifts Duology!!!)? Do their mistakes and victories make sense for who they have shown themselves to be? Do they push back when people challenge them?\ \ I don't need characters to be fully fleshed out from the beginning, but I do need them to always be consistent with however much of their identity they have come to terms with at any point in the story.\ \ Let me know some stories that do this for you!!!\ \ \ \

Writing Tip: Never Betray Your Character's Voice

Writers, as a reviewer, I can tell you. that nothing draws me into a story faster than a main character who has owned their own voice. Read more about that down below!

11 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Feb 17 2025

Black Authors Who I Think History Will Remember

27 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Nov 30 2024

The Secret Power of Literature... and spoiler alert, it's not escapism.

Escapism is lovely, but that is not what reading does for me. So I thought I would share a little bit about one of the biggest things I get out of reading.

***Trigger warnings: grief, slavery, trauma, parentlessness, broken family, racism***

20 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Jun 24 2024

Writing Tip: Never Betray Your Character's Voice

11 books

Fantasy & Frens\ \ Zoranne\ \ • Jun 30 2023

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HOW IS JULY TOMORROW????? #junewrapup #monthlyreads #redrisingseries #zorannereads

5 books

Fantasy & Frens\ \ Zoranne\ \ • Jun 7 2023

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i’m a little late with my reading update but it’s not my fault that star wars rebels has me in a chokehold 🥵 #weeklyreading #fantasyseries #thebloodgiftduology #fantasybooktok