This & That – 2 Books with Strong Friendships, a Quest, and SHIPs!
“This and That” is a feature created by Megan @ Reading Books Likes a Boss and borrowed here with permission. Megan created this feature and I owe this post to her brilliance. Not only should you check out her blog, generally, but her This & That recommendations are utterly perfect! Megan created this feature to showcase books that either sound similar or have similar themes, and thus I am recommending that you read the "that book" because you are a a fan of the “this book.”
About the Books:
THE RAVEN BOYS (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them--until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.
His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.
THE FOXHOLE COURT (All for the Game #1) by Nora Sakavic
Neil Josten is the newest addition to the Palmetto State University Exy team. He's short, he's fast, he's got a ton of potential—and he's the runaway son of the murderous crime lord known as The Butcher.
Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn't need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed.But Neil's not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil's new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can't walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he's finally found someone and something worth fighting for.
Amazon (FREE FOR KINDLE) | GR
p.s. I am using the redesigned cover for The Foxhole Court made my Diva Booknerds because it is gorgeous and because I think that the original covers are pretty terrible and may turn you off from the series (although they shouldn't!!)
The Why:
So if you're like me, you waited so long for The Raven King and by now you've read it and you have the most massive book hangover EVER and you're wondering what to read now . . . and that feeling inspired this post!
Since I first read The Foxhole Court, I have thought about The Raven Cycle series. Putting aside the awesome (seriously, some of my all time favorites) ships (especially the M/M ships) in both of these books, what I think makes me think of them together is the friendships. In both books, we have an outsider joining a seriously intense group of friends and, ultimately, the friendships become even stronger. We have a lot of heartache in both (although All for the Game is definitely more violent) but also a lot of hope. We have both groups of friends on a quest for something and the narrative of the books in both series is not only one of self-discovery and coming of age but the journey/the quest moving the plot forward while the self-discovery occurs. I could break down a lot of the characters in a side by side comparison but I don't want to give you any spoilers for either series. Although TRC is full of magical realism and MS creates a simply amazing world, All for the Game has some incredible world building as well around an imaginary sport and the seedy (and often explosive) underworld connected to this college sport and its competition. Lastly, I will tell you that both of these series rank in my top five favorite series of all time -- they are so, so good and I hope you read them both!!
Since I first read The Foxhole Court, I have thought about The Raven Cycle series. Putting aside the awesome (seriously, some of my all time favorites) ships (especially the M/M ships) in both of these books, what I think makes me think of them together is the friendships. In both books, we have an outsider joining a seriously intense group of friends and, ultimately, the friendships become even stronger. We have a lot of heartache in both (although All for the Game is definitely more violent) but also a lot of hope. We have both groups of friends on a quest for something and the narrative of the books in both series is not only one of self-discovery and coming of age but the journey/the quest moving the plot forward while the self-discovery occurs. I could break down a lot of the characters in a side by side comparison but I don't want to give you any spoilers for either series. Although TRC is full of magical realism and MS creates a simply amazing world, All for the Game has some incredible world building as well around an imaginary sport and the seedy (and often explosive) underworld connected to this college sport and its competition. Lastly, I will tell you that both of these series rank in my top five favorite series of all time -- they are so, so good and I hope you read them both!!
So, what do you think? Do you want to read the All for the Game series? Have you read it already and, if so, what do you think of my pairing?
Do you have a favorite This & That pairing? Let me know!
Oh I love the idea of seeing friendship form!! I haven't read either one of these, but boy you are tempting me to get these.
ReplyDeleteI've heard so many great things about Stiefvater's series; everyone raves about it. I really need to read it or at least one book from it. Do they have to be read in order? I was thinking of getting the last one she released.
ReplyDeleteKathy,
DeleteI definitely would not recommend reading them out of order. They are sort of epic and the story is very detailed and complex and builds on itself throughout the four books. It's hard for me to even re-read one without reading them all every time.
I just read another post before this about The Raven King and clearly I'm missing out on reading one of the best series ever. I need to get on it!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read either and that needs to change. I bought all the Foxhole Court books thanks to Kynn and you, but I haven't felt the urge to pick up the books yet. I will though. Hopefully soon!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't hel but notice that cute fox on the cover!
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds good so maybe I should check it out.
I like this post (or is it meme?), I didn't even know it has it's original creator.
I am actually working on the similar post right now, but that is because I am participating in Bout of Books and that is today's challenge.
I really need to read The Raven Cycle series. Everyone raves and I love those covers!!
ReplyDeleteI will definitively have to check that book out because I loved The Raven Cycle!
ReplyDeleteOMG, Kynn will not stop talking about how amazing this book is and now you! I got my free kindle copy, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of this series, but it certainly sounds interesting. I do love books that focus on friendships. I do love that cover, too. Thanks for the rec!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read The Raven Boys yet but The Foxhole Court sounds really good to me.
ReplyDeleteKaren @For What It's Worth
I haven't read the Raven Boys but I hope to do so soon. If I like that one. I'll check this one out!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read The Foxhole Court, but that does look like a really good series! Plus I love The Raven Boys so I may have to try it.
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ReplyDeleteI LOVE the Raven Boys! <3 But I haven't heard of the Foxhole Court though. I've been dying for the last installment of the series. Love your blog feel free to CHECK out mine when you can! ^_^
ReplyDeleteNobonita@Daydreaming Bookworm
Okay so this is such a fun feature! I still need to read The Raven Boys sadly but this post has introduced me to another book that I clearly need to add to my TBR.
ReplyDeleteI am not really into M/M stories but I love books about friendships so I am unsure whether I should read it or not. BUT I heard so many great things about The Foxhole Court that I am very curious and tempted to read it :)
ReplyDeleteThe focus is definitely not on romance -- it's kind of a dormant thing that only perks up in the last book
DeleteI've never heard of this one, but I will check it out! Thanks for the rec!
ReplyDeleteKynn (from Divabooknerds) has been pushing me to read Foxhole Court, but I haven't been in a contemporary mood which is weird because I'm always in a contemp mood lol! If you really liked Foxhole Court, then I would definitely recommend the Captive Prince trilogy if you haven't already read it! One of my next fantasy reads will be Blue Lily, I just can't wait to get to TRK!
ReplyDeleteI've heard about both books but haven't read it yet! I'm definitely interested to start The Raven Cycle series, seeing that everyone practically praise it. Also, the way you describe The Foxhole Court is awesome and made me want to read it. Thanks for the recs :)
ReplyDeleteI really want to read this series!
ReplyDeleteI'm one of the few people on the planet who hasn't read Stiefvater's series yet, but I love your description of both books' positives. Sound like books I'd love!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Eva! I guess my comment didn't go through when I commented. Great pairing, Eva! And thanks for the shout out! You're so sweet! (I'll pay you for those compliments later ;) ). I hope to read The Raven Cycle soon. I wanted to read it in May, but that didn't happen. Story of my life. I love books with strong friendships, especially when the characters are so compelling! I look forward to reading your next This & That pairing! <3
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