Reading Fantasy & Making ‘Frens’ with Fantasy Booktok Creator and Publisher, Zoranne Host
If you’ve spent any time on Fantasy Booktok, you’ve probably seen Zoranne come across your FYP with “Another week! Another reading update!”. About a year-and-a-half ago, she decided to go all in on being a full time bookish content creator, and left her hospital desk job for a world of swords, quests, and fantastical tales. Sounds pretty great to me. Her Dad, like any concerned parent, questioned if this was actually a good idea. Turns out, it was. In addition to growing her community, Fantasy & Frens, she also announced this past year she’d be adding a new job title to her name: tastemaker and publisher at Bindery Books. If you’re not familiar with Bindery, they’re a super innovative publishing model empowering bookish Creators and their communities to publish under their own imprints (the manuscripts chosen often go to marginalized and underrepresented aspiring authors). A bit like Patreon, but for the book world, readers who join the community under an imprint get access to early sneak peeks, author interviews, and other exclusive content. In an industry that’s begging to be disrupted, this new model allows readers to be at the forefront of the publishing process. And an opportunity for book creators to finally be compensated. Bookish content creators have long gushed about their favorite reads, and helped others discover amazing books and authors for free, and as Zoranne so aptly puts it, “We don’t do it for the money.” But it’s wonderful to see bookish creators start to get opportunities to turn something they love deeply into a sustainable career. So what’s first for Zoranne?
Image courtesy of Zoranne Host
And the Sky Bled by S. Hati is the first novel being published under Zoranne’s Fantasy & Frens imprint, and I for one, cannot wait to get this book in my hands. Here’s the synopsis:
In the occupied city of Tejomaya, calor—a magical fossil fuel—is found only in the blood rains that fall from the sky. While a six-month drought has brought Tejomaya to a desperate standstill, rumors of a secret stash of magic propel three unlikely treasure seekers to risk everything.
Tenacious and street-smart Zain Jatav has been forced to steal calor for her slumlord bosses for years. Finding the magic reserve might be her only key to freedom. But she’ll have to contend with Iravan Khotar, a slumlord himself and an ambitious revolutionary hoping to use the same magic to save his people from the mysterious illness devastating the slums—and to bolster a fight against their oppressors. Meanwhile, heiress Anastasia Drakos leads the ruling council of Tejomaya from the safety of a nearby island. With the hidden magic, she could finally take full control of the city and crush the slums beneath her unyielding fist.
As Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia draw closer to finding the treasure, their paths tangle, and not for the first time—they met before, a decade ago, in a fire that destroyed each of their lives in different ways. Their reunion might bring the already-weakened city to its knees.
Exploring the devastating mechanisms of power, this searing climate fantasy breathes life into a crumbling world hovering on the brink of total destruction.
Preorder And the Sky Bled here.
Apply for an ARC copy to review here
Zoranne and I finally had the chance to sit down and talk all things fantasy, her publishing imprint (she just announced her second book title!), if her upcoming wedding’s going to be bookish, the challenges of being a content creator, advice for bookish creators starting out, and of course, some incredible book recs throughout. Watch the full interview above, and share with your fantasy-loving book friends. Below you’ll find helpful links to the books mentioned throughout our chat, and where to find Zoranne across the interwebs.
P.S. I can’t believe we made it through that entire chat without mentioning Malazan! 😉 Happy reading, all!
Allllll the Fantasy + Romantasy Books Zoranne and I mention throughout this chat (aka your new TBR):
The Will of the Many by James Islington
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
Jade City by Fonda Lee (The Green Bone Saga)
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu
Of War and Ruin by Ryan Cahill (The Bound and the Broken is also on Kindle Unlimited)
The Fifth Season by N.K Jemisin
Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight Archive #5)
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight Archive #2)
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid
The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri
Black Tide Sun by H.M. Long (sequel to Dark Water Daughter)
The Silverblood Promise by James Logan
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (aka beginner Romantasy)
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas (more beginner Fantasy)
Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
The Licanius Trilogy by James Islington
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Percy Jackson by Rick Riordon
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sarafi by Shannon Chakraborty
Where to find Zoranne online:
Fantasy & Frens community on Bindery
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P.S. If you end up getting a copy of any books through an Amazon affiliate link above, you’ll be helping me support this site and newsletter. Thanks in advance for supporting a fellow bookworm! BTW, I will always disclose affiliate links when they’re present. :) Happy reading!