Hello hello Wyrd & Wonder friends! I have been following the event mostly through other people’s blog posts (and also because I have no ideas/no reading plan/am still waiting for Howl’s Moving Castle) but I could not resist today’s prompt, which was “mythology”.

I love love love myths and folklore and fairy tales, so today, we are going to take a trip around the world and talk about books inspired by mythologies of various cultures!

Books I Have Read

Mayan Culture: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno Garcia

First up, a book that I read for a previous Wyrd & Wonder – Gods of Jade and Shadow. If you’re looking for a book that has:

• The Mayan God of Death
• A heroine forced into helping said god
• A thrilling race

You are going to enjoy this one. I found this to be a fun ride and I loved the way the book was steeped in Mayan mythology.

My review

Anglo-Saxon Culture: The Dark is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper

I’m still rereading these books (though it’s been so many years it feels like a fresh read!) and it’s wonderful revisiting the story. Susan Cooper weaves all sorts of mythologies into this tale – Celtic mythology, Norse mythology, English folklore, and even she also throws in lots of Arthurian legends. This is a classic series and a lot of fun.

So far, I’ve reread the first two books – Over Sea, Under Stone (Book 1) reminded me of Enid Blyton with Magic and Dark is Rising (Book 2) was a darker, more exciting sequel that takes place over Christmas.

Ancient Greek Culture: Circe by Madeline Miller

Possibly the most recent myth-related book I read, Circe was a tour de force and gave me a serious book hangover. A retelling of the life Circe which collects many of the stories about her, Circe was a hard-hitting book that took its protagonist and the surrounding characters seriously. They are flawed characters, but they are also powerful and watching Circe make her own destiny and struggle against the limitations put upon her made for an intense book.

While I love this book, I also have to caveat that this is a book about Circe’s life and doesn’t quite follow the traditional quest-type of structure with an exciting climax.

My review

Chinese Culture: The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

Set in Malaysia but drawing on Chinese beliefs and folklore, The Ghost Bride follows the poor but beautiful Li Lan, whose family is offered money – if she would marry a dead man. While dealing with all this, Li Lan leaves her body and enters the spirit world and ends up trying to find out more information about her ghostly intended.

Lyrical and absorbing, I remember enjoying this book very much. I placed it under Chinese rather than Malaysian culture even though the book is set in colonial Malaya because most of the underlying myths are drawn from Chinese culture.

Russian Culture: The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden

Here’s another series that I recommend All. The. Time! Steeped in Russian myths and folklore, The Winternight Trilogy consists of the following books:

1. The Bear and the Nightingale
2. The Girl in the Tower
3. The Winter of the Witch

The story follows Vasya, a strong and feisty heroine with a difference – she can see the supernatural creatures that live among us. I loved that Vasya was strong and independent; she makes a lot of the choices herself and we are truly following her journey.

As a side note: pretty much everyone I recommended this book to has raved about the book, it’s that good!

Books I Want To Read

While I could stop at 5 books, I did think of two more books on my TBR that fit this theme.

Indian Culture: Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

“I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions—much good it did me.”

So begins Kaikeyi’s story. The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is raised on tales about the might and benevolence of the gods: how they churned the vast ocean to obtain the nectar of immortality, how they vanquish evil and ensure the land of Bharat prospers, and how they offer powerful boons to the worthy. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously banishes her mother, listens as her own worth is reduced to the marriage alliance she can secure. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear.

Desperate for independence, she turns to the texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. With it, Kaikeyi transforms herself from an overlooked princess into a warrior, diplomat, and most favored queen.

But as the evil from her childhood stories threatens the cosmic order, the path she has forged clashes with the destiny the gods have chosen for her family. And Kaikeyi must decide if resistance is worth the destruction it will wreak—and what legacy she intends to leave behind.”

This is another Wyrd & Wonder book, given that I found it from Celeste’s post at A Literary Escape. It sounds so amazing – strong female protagonist and the book is based on the Ramayana, which I’ve been meaning to read since I heard a podcast about it.

Korean Culture: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.

Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.

Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits—Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.

But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…

I can’t lie, the cover of this book attracted me to it. It’s just gorgeous and the story sounds so interesting as well! I’m also curious to see if I can spot any similarities/differences with other East Asian mythologies!

And these are my seven books from seven cultures! Have you read any of these, or do you have any fantasy books rooted in mythology that you particularly love?