I just finished "Swan's Daughter" by Roshani Chokshi (and have already read everything she made) and I'm currently reading "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern.
While I'm also reading Leigh Bardugo (several books atm lol) I have found that they don't really fit me as something to read before bed or night before a very stressful exam.
"Swan's Daughter" is soooo detached from reality that I am convinced that this book is the reason I passed the majority of my exams. Where my mind would wonder off during daydreaming to stressful things, or having nightmares, this book provided me such beautiful and confusing scenery, relationships and experiences that have nothing to do with the real world. It sets place in clouds and castles that talk, the food is described in such beautiful detail but without any real ingredients, everything is made out of "stars and dreams", everything is so vague but perfect, like the most beautiful dream where you wake up actually well rested.
"The Night Circus" is a lil similar, yet darker. And I enjoy it as well. Though it's less vague, there are irl cities and countries mentioned, the characters are actual humans and act like those, so sometimes it does hit a reality spot.
And I've started some great books and currently trying to read them, but they have SO MANY TRIGGER WARNINGS that I've unfortunately experienced, that I can't read them properly and feel at ease.
✨So what I'm looking for in a recommendation for a book:
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Daydreamy, good for reading before bed
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Detached from reality as much as possible
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No trigger warnings of some heavy stuff (like murder, gore and blood is fine, smut is also fine, but things that are more towards SA – pls no)
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Made up words for the places they live in, no real countries or such (unless it just says that the setting is in idk Barcelona and then never mentioned again, or the setting is not in current time, but faaaar past/future or just simply not mentioning the timing lol)
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Love and relationships of any kind that are healthy or funny (just not extremely toxic)
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Generally any genre – though I found fantasy to be more prone to what I'm looking for – but it can be utopian, futuristic, sci-fi, steampunk,… Anything without the society that we currently live in
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Length is not important, nor age recommended, it can be a children's fairytale, YA or adult fantasy, millions of pages or three pages long..
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Plot is also not important, if it already fits the detached of reality part
I'm looking for a book that will just make me forget I exist in real life, that any stress I'm under will vanish as I dive into a world of unknown ✨
by jexkov