Spellhacker Tag!

In case you didn’t know, I’m part of the Spellhacker Launch Crew and now that I’ve got some free time I’m excited to be able to read what other folks have been doing! Two other members of the crew have made a book tag (The Tsundoku Chronicles and La Petite Pritt) so I’m mashing them together in one post. ^_^

If you haven’t heard of Spellhacker by M.K. England, here’s what Goodreads says about it:

From the author of The Disasters, this genre-bending YA fantasy heist story is perfect for fans of Marie Lu and Amie Kaufman.

In Kyrkarta, magic—known as maz—was once a freely available natural resource. Then an earthquake released a magical plague, killing thousands and opening the door for a greedy corporation to make maz a commodity that’s tightly controlled—and, of course, outrageously expensive.

Which is why Diz and her three best friends run a highly lucrative, highly illegal maz siphoning gig on the side. Their next job is supposed to be their last heist ever.

But when their plan turns up a powerful new strain of maz that (literally) blows up in their faces, they’re driven to unravel a conspiracy at the very center of the spellplague—and possibly save the world.

No pressure.

If you’re interested, you can pre-order now (and there’s even a pre-order campaign! And library requests/holds count!). It comes out January, 21, 2020.

And now, the questions!

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The tsundoku chronicles questions

Maz is the magic system in the group and similar to a natural resource that earth produces. What books have a unique magic system?
I will always love the magic system in Tamora Pierce’s Circle of Magic series. This isn’t actually a childhood favorite, I didn’t discover Tamora Pierce until I got to college but I love all of the books of hers I’ve read so far and the Circle of Magic is my favorite.

Diz is a tech genius and is able to hack just about anything! Which characters are your favourite hackers?
Not a book… but I will love Willow from Buffy until I die. Book-related, I also love Ella from Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. (Cow-cows!)

Ania is the princess of the group, but she is always ready to fight anyone who tries to hurt someone she loves. Who are your favourite rebellious princess characters?
Ella from Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. It’s a childhood favorite and she’s a princess by the end (spoilers?).

Davon is Diz’s older cousin who she regards as a brother and her family. What books have great found families?
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to read the third one in this series before 2019 ends!

Remi is smart and a genius in manipulating maz and a total fangirl! Who are your favourite smart, nerdy characters?
Stella from The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang is actually my heart.

Jaesin is the dad friend and will fight everyone to protect those he loves (and always wins). What characters do you think would always win in a fight?
Again not book, but I immediately thought of Elliot from Leverage (aka one-third of my favorite headcanon OT3). Bookish, I have to go with Damian from Empire of Light by Alex Harrow. Please go love on this damaged and recovering hard-on-the-outside-squishy-inside human.

This book centres around Diz and her friends deciding to do one last heist before they all go their own ways. What books have great heists in the story?
I have a lot of love for the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo.

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la petite pritt questions

Firaz, an explosive main character
Because I think I’m funny, I’m going with Aris from Empire of Light. I know he’s not the MC, he doesn’t narrate, he’s a love interest, but I’m saying it anyway and giggling.
(For folks who haven’t read Empire of Light… Aris can literally explode.)

Terraz, a book in which Nature plays an important role
Ash by Malinda Lo. Ash spends a lot of time in the woods behind her step-mother’s house, and in doing so begins falling in love with the king’s Huntress.

Wataz, a summer-y book
Magnus Chase: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan… come on! It’s in the title! Also I love the Magnus Chase series more than life itself (and I would die for Alex Fierro).

Aeraz, a book with more than two perspectives
I love books with multiple perspectives! For this I’m going to go with the Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare (speaking of OT3’s…).

Nullaz, a book that disappointed you
But… I’m bad at this. (frantically flipping through bullet journal for inspiration) Nope, okay, I now have a bunch of answers. I’m going to go with This is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender. I loved his first book and I loved that everyone in this book was casually queer, but I really disliked the main character and for this book and this reader (aka me) that was a no-go.

Obscuraz, a book in which the main character has to pretend to be someone else
100% The Brilliant Death by Amy Rose Capetta. All the discussion about gender and identity in fantasy settings please.

Songaz, a book with a character that is good at singing
…? I know these characters exist. But none are coming to mind. (looking through favorites of the year hopefully…) Okay, it’s a stretch but I’m going with Bea from Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. She’s not a main character (she’s Prince Henry’s sister), but she went to university for music so there we go.

Sunnaz, a book with a light atmosphere on a dark topic
One of my favorite books this year, I’ve got to say A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert. This is an ADORABLE love story and I would read a million little stories with Ruth and Evan, but it involves Ruth confronting trauma from a previous abusive relationship. Recovery is one of my favorite things to read in a story so of course I absolutely loved this.

Scentaz, a childhood book
… well I already mentioned my favorite, so I feel like I have to pick something else. Did Eragon come out in my childhood? I think it did?
(I just noticed Eragon is one letter off of dragon and I’m now dying.)
Alright, it came out in the middle of 2002, which means I was probably 10 or 11 when I read it, so that’s what I’m going with! I was obsessed with this series and I wanted to be Christopher Paolini when I grew up (bonus, he was from Montana and so was I, which in my brain made it more likely I could grow up to be like him.).

Formaz, a beast of a book
*holds up all 673 pages of Tremontaine season 1* I really really want to get to this, but it’s just so thiiiiiccccccckkkkkk.

Magnaz, a magical main character
Mairwen from Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton (a canon OT3!). In the trio of main characters she’s the witchy one and her connection with and heritage of her power is an important part of this book.

Motaz, a fast paced book
I’m going to steal the original answer for this because I agree so hard: The Disasters by M.K. England, because it’s true and because I wanted to bring all my favorite OT3’s into this post. XD

Vitaz, your favourite book
… nope. I refuse to have a favorite. So instead I’ll say that my very favorite kind of fanfiction to read is polyamorous Marvel-verse fics. I will ship anyone with anyone and be happy (with the exception of Loki, because weirdly I just can’t ship him with anyone).

Linkaz, a sequel that is better than the first book
Wait, wait, one last OT3! I loved the Adaptation duology by Malinda Lo, and I LOVED the way Inheritance wrapped things up and discussed polyamory (like, the first one set things up and of course it couldn’t end wrapped-up, which is what I liked more about the second book… whatever, I love this series, you should read it).

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Taadaa!

To summarize, since this post quickly became about OT3s:

My headcanons:

• Elliot/Parker/Alec from Leverage
• Jem/Tessa/Will from the Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare (though some people read this as canon, for me it felt like a headcanon)
• Rion/Nax/Case from The Disasters by M.K. England
• All of the Avengers and their significant others with each other

Canon polyamorous relationships:

• Mairwen/Rhun/Arthur from Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton
• Amber/Reese/David from the Adaptation series by Malinda Lo (may not actually be considered an OT3 because it’s not a triad, Reese is dating both Amber and David, but it was my first polyam rep and I love it and I’m counting it)

And that’s all! I hope you enjoyed. If you decide to do this tag because of my post, let me know! I’d love to read other people’s responses.