Welcome to our Fun Friday Roundup!
We're back for another Fun Friday Roundup, this time featuring all the fantasy faves from Twin Crowns authors Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber. The two C/Katherines, or Katie and Cat as they sportingly allow us to call them, are not just coauthors of the Twin Crowns trilogy, but also sisters-in-law and friends. It's no surprise that, with so much in common, they reveal a similar love of fantasy that drew them toward the written word. Here's a rundown of their picks!
Katie and Cat's Fun Friday Fantasy Faves Roundup
Leigh Bardugo
“No mourners. No funerals."
Synopsis Sneak Peek
Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone . . .
A convict with a thirst for revenge
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager
A runaway with a privileged past
A spy known as the Wraith
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes
Kaz’s crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.
The Princess Bride
William Goldman
"Enough about my beauty," Buttercup said. "Everybody always talks about how beautiful I am. I’ve got a mind, Westley. Talk about that.”
Synopsis Sneak Peek
As Florin and Guilder teeter on the verge of war, the reluctant Princess Buttercup is devastated by the loss of her true love, kidnapped by a mercenary and his henchmen, rescued by a pirate, forced to marry Prince Humperdinck, and rescued once again by the very crew who absconded with her in the first place. In the course of this dazzling adventure, she'll meet Vizzini—the criminal philosopher who'll do anything for a bag of gold; Fezzik—the gentle giant; Inigo—the Spaniard whose steel thirsts for revenge; and Count Rugen—the evil mastermind behind it all. Foiling all their plans and jumping into their stories is Westley, Princess Buttercup's one true love, and a very good friend of a very dangerous pirate.
Throne of Glass series
Sarah J. Maas
“You could rattle the stars," she whispered. "You could do anything, if only you dared. And deep down, you know it, too. That’s what scares you most.”
Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) Synopsis Sneak Peek
When magic has gone from the world, and a vicious king rules from his throne of glass, an assassin comes to the castle. She does not come to kill but to win her freedom. If she can defeat twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition to find the greatest assassin in the land, she will become the king’s champion and earn her freedom. Her name is Celaena Sardothien – beautiful, deadly, and destined for greatness.
A Wrinkle in Time
MadeleineL'Engle
“Life, with its rules, its obligations, and its freedoms, is like a sonnet: You're given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself."
Synopsis Sneak Peek
Meg Murray, her little brother Charles Wallace, and their mother are having a midnight snack on a dark and stormy night when an unearthly stranger appears at their door. He claims to have been blown off course and goes on to tell them that there is such a thing as a “tesseract,” which, if you didn’t know, is a wrinkle in time. Meg’s father had been experimenting with time travel when he suddenly disappeared. Will Meg, Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin outwit the forces of evil as they search through space for their father?
Song of the Lioness series
Tamora Pierce
“Alan, you seem to think we won't like you unless you do things just like everyone else. Have you ever thought we might like you because you're different?”
Series Synopsis Sneak Peek
This story, all four books, is about the making of a hero. It’s also about a very stubborn girl.
Alanna of Trebond wants to be a knight of the realm of Tortall, at a time when girls are forbidden to be warriors. Rather than give up her dream, she and her brother—who wants to be a mage, not a knight—switch places. She becomes Alan; Thom becomes a student wizard in the school where she would have learned to be a lady.
The quartet is about Alanna's struggle to achieve her goals and to master weapons, combat, polite behavior, her magic, her temper, and even her own heart. Singled out by a goddess, accompanied by a semi-divine cat with firm opinions, somehow she survives her many adventures to become a most unlikely legend.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Laini Taylor
“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.”
Synopsis Sneak Peek
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands;" she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her . . . and she’s about to find out.
It was such a blast hearing all about the fantasy faves that inspired Cat and Katie! See any you love? Tell us in the comments below, or let us know which of the coauthors' picks got added to your TBR!
Have you checked out our Fun Friday Book Recommendations on The LitJoy Podcast yet? They're great for when you're short on time and in need of something new to read, and we'll be sharing more throughout the summer as The LitJoy Podcast takes a summer vacation! Kelly and Alix, along with a slew of fascinating guests, talk everything from fantasy to romance to nonfiction books. Need details on the books they mention? Hop back over here, because we'll be sharing roundups of all their book recommendations right here on the LitJoy Lounge each month!
Missed this Fun Friday interview with Twin Crowns authors Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber? Want to hear more about what drew them to the thrilling world of fantasy? Check out the Fun Friday Podcast Episode below!
Fun Friday Breakdown
- [0:29] Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
- [1:14] The Princess Bride by William Goldman
- [2:55] Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
- [5:29] A Wrinkle in Time by MadeleineL'Engle
- [6:29] Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce
- [6:47] Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Author Bios
Katherine Webber
Katherine Webber is from Southern California and spent much of her childhood in the Palm Springs desert. She is the author of Only Love Can Break Your Heart and The Revelry . For younger readers, she cowrites the Sam Wu Is Not Afraid and Dragon Realm series with her husband, Kevin Tsang. She is currently based in London with her husband and young daughters.
Catherine Doyle
Catherine Doyle lives in the West of Ireland with her husband Jack, and their dog, Cali. She holds a BA in Psychology and an MA in Publishing. Her award-winning and bestselling work, which includes middle grade and young adult fiction, has been published in over 25 languages.
*As a reminder, we at LitJoy care about your emotional well-being, and highly recommend checking for trigger warnings when starting any new book! We hope you'll do so for any and all of our book recommendation roundups. Your mental health comes first!
