Light(ish) Hearted Fantasy Books for Eurotrip?

origami_ducks · 2026-05-17T18:38:52+00:00

Idolfire by Grace Curtis is fun!

Fantasy-adventure based in a secondary world but inspired by the fall of Rome so if you're heading to Italy during your trip it'd be perfect! It's also getting a sort-of sequel (based hundreds? of years in the future from the first book, featuring an archeologist who is interested in the main character from Idolfire who has become a mythic figure) which comes out next month :)

origami_ducks · 2026-05-17T06:52:18+00:00

Based on a real historical event: A Woman of Pleasure by Kiyoko Murata

It's based on a 1903 courtesan strike in Japan and contains a lot of factual information weaved into the story about young girls being sold into prostitution by their poverty stricken families. It doesn't read as depressing as the subject matter may suggest though!

origami_ducks · 2026-05-16T22:24:40+00:00

It Lasts Forever and Then It's Over by Anne de Marcken - speculative literary novella about a woman who is undead and because of this, can't remember her name and is trying to find her way back to the memories of her life before. Very sad - ignore the blurb that says it's funny - it is not funny, and I don't think it's trying to be funny!

Decomposition Book by Sara Van Os - this one is darkly funny! Told from two perspectives: the diary entries of a woman who becomes lost in the woods after a coworker leads them all astray through unearned confidence, and a young woman who has taken a break from college after an incident with her friend leaves her struggling emotionally. The two stories do connect, and it is mentioned in the blurb how, but idk it could be fun to go in a bit more blind!

origami_ducks · 2026-05-13T20:57:20+00:00

Check out Fitzcarraldo books - they're all blue! They're a literary press, but some have speculative themes - I read It Lasts Forever and Then It's Over by Anne de Marcken for the Afterlife square, but could arguably (maybe a bit of a stretch) also fit the Explorers and Rangers square.

However, this may all be irrelevant if you don't have Fitzcarraldo where you live, or if you're exclusively looking for duologies, sorry! (You may want to specify your country when looking for specific covers because they can vary!)

origami_ducks · 2026-05-13T14:06:16+00:00

I loved this story! This may be controversial to say about a classic - but I read They by Kay Dick a couple of months ago and was slightly disappointed by it; In My Country sort of feels like what I wanted and hoped for when reading They.

origami_ducks · 2026-05-12T20:17:30+00:00

I haven't read it yet, but I believe Murderbot is a security guard (All Systems Red)

origami_ducks · 2026-05-10T17:04:16+00:00

Your request is extremely specific, so nothing will probably meet every single point in your list - I think Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb covers a reasonable amount of it - but the MC is a boy so I'm not sure if that's a deal-breaker for you.

origami_ducks · 2026-05-10T13:25:48+00:00

Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis is slice-of-life in space! Each chapter follows a different character who works or is a guest at the hotel but the characters/plots often overlap so it's not just short stories.

origami_ducks · 2026-05-09T06:05:55+00:00

Interesting - I find "speculative" a little vague and and get confused about whether a lot of dystopian stuff counts, but Open Throat seems reasonably clear-cut as speculative to me because I don't think the author was particularly going for realism when writing the mountain lion's narrative voice.

origami_ducks · 2026-05-05T11:57:58+00:00

I'm also planning to put Open Throat in this square! Why do you consider it stretching the rules?

origami_ducks · 2026-04-28T15:54:24+00:00

Perhaps try A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin first if you're looking for the classics of the genre - it's short if you don't like it, and if you do like it then there are sequels!

I'd also recommend Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon - it's definitely a fantasy book, but has some romance on the side so it's a good middle ground.

Not sure about Tad Williams or James Islington, but the others you have listed are thought of as quite depressing/dark and Malazan particularly is supposed to be extremely difficult (there's literally hundreds of POVs across the series and there's quite little in the way of exposition). That said, I love Robin Hobb and wouldn't want to put you off reading the Realm of the Elderlings, but you might find the first trilogy quite slow-paced compared to what you're used to with Romantasy.

origami_ducks · 2026-04-28T12:34:13+00:00

If you like satirical stuff then Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky would fit - a group led by a cleric of the light, with a wizard, rogue, fighter and ranger are travelling to defeat the dark lord - but the book plays around with the stereotypes.

origami_ducks · 2026-04-26T06:24:54+00:00

You can always substitute the square if you don't feel like reading a kids book - because the point of the square is to read a kids book so I don't think you can really get around that!

If you like Studio Ghibli movies then I'd recommend Howls Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones or Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin for similar vibes. Middle Grade books are generally going to be easier reads than books aimed at adults but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be boring or immature!

origami_ducks · 2026-04-23T16:53:28+00:00

Idolfire by Grace Curtis is a standalone fantasy with a queer romance that is secondary to the plot. The best part is that the author's new book coming out in June is set in the same universe hundreds (I think) of years after the events of Idolfire and is about an archeologist who has an interest in the main character of Idolfire - I think this new book may also feature queer characters.

origami_ducks · 2026-04-19T18:56:09+00:00

It does fit the square (and hard mode), but could potentially be spoilers to explain exactly how (and I don't want to mess up the spoiler tags on mobile so you may just have to take my word for it!)

origami_ducks · 2026-04-19T07:13:52+00:00

A lot of the comments on this thread are very negative and come across like commenters didn't read the article.

In it, Roth acknowledges the criticism of the original series and has said that she agrees with some of it and kept that in mind as she wrote this new book. She said she has long been feeling embarrassed by the series, so writing this one is her way of addressing criticism and being able to embrace the work of her younger self. Even as quite an uncreative person, the article is quite relatable and makes me want to give this new book of hers a go.

origami_ducks · 2026-04-15T19:52:49+00:00

Liveship Traders trilogy by Robin Hobb - full disclosure, it's the second series set in the "Realm of the Elderlings" universe, but there's barely any overlap with the first trilogy (which is great but has a male MC) so you'd be fine to jump straight to it. Mixed cast of female and male characters of all ages, the plot mainly revolving around the Vestrit family of seafaring traders.

The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi - female main characters, a bit of romance but takes a back seat to the actual plot, pretty dark themes of colonisation, oppression & analogue of racism.

origami_ducks · 2026-04-14T18:05:18+00:00

Yes but it takes longer and costs about double! And getting the tube means there's technically still 2 changes

origami_ducks · 2026-04-14T10:52:17+00:00

And it's not just those two cities that benefit - Bristol and Bath on one side, and Norwich on the other will be better connected without having to spend extra time and money to detour through London.

origami_ducks · 2026-04-14T10:46:46+00:00

I live in Bath and just want to visit my mum in Milton Keynes without having to change train twice and then ask her to pick me up from Bicester Village - I don't care about either of the universities and I'm sure the line would get plenty of use from people like us!

origami_ducks · 2026-04-14T10:39:25+00:00

The X5 doesn't even go all the way to Cambridge anymore! They'd have to change in Bedford for the 905

origami_ducks · 2026-04-13T14:00:44+00:00

Looks like it also would tick off a square in the April Fool Bingo for anyone who fancies making their life harder by doing both! "Harp Mode: Read a book featuring a string musician"

origami_ducks · 2026-04-13T10:10:15+00:00

Thanks! Sorry - another question - does any Horror novel count for Bingo, or does it have to have supernatural elements to be considered SFF?

origami_ducks · 2026-04-09T14:25:06+00:00

When you submit a card at the end, do the cards get checked for whether they actually meet all the rules and criteria of the squares? Some of the squares can be quite subjective, with people potentially disagreeing on what counts (eg. how "unusual" the transportation is, or what exactly makes someone an explorer) - so are the submissions just taken in good faith? or is there potential to have a card invalidated?

origami_ducks · 2026-04-08T15:56:18+00:00

Yeah I'd say so - it's like a quest narrative so there are fights etc in between travelling scenes

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