Hi everyone!
I'VE MADE MY OWN BOOK TAG.
Today I'm trying something new. Let's hope it works out!
Maybe it's just me, but I've seen that the trend of doing book tags as blog posts at least, is dying down. And even though I myself don't do book tags a lot, I just couldn't resist sharing this particular idea with other bloggers and bookstagrammers.
WELCOME TO THE WISHFUL CROSSOVERS TAG!
How does it work, exactly?
Does what it says on the tin. You share any two books or fictional worlds (or even characters) that you really wish could have a crossover.
It happens a lot of the times that sometimes we intensely wish for two certain characters that are maybe very similar, or the opposite, to each other- and their meeting would be a really fun or interesting thing to explore.
It's like imagining a fanfic AU, come to think of it.
Some general questions:
YES, it can be between anything. No boundaries between genre, age range or even media (books, movies, series, graphic novels, manga, anime)
And YES AGAIN, you can do more than one pairing in a single post. Any number of pairings you want, and any day of the week that you wish.
Not many rules to this tag. Just these:
Just make sure to elaborate on the reason WHY you would like a particular crossover to happen.
Link back to the original (this) post, obviously
(Optional) Tag other book influencers you would like to do this tag as well!
That's all for the general info. I truly hope this tag becomes something enjoyable and more and more people do it!
And if you like what it is by the end of it, consider yourself tagged.
And also don't forget to share your entries with me by tagging me on any of my socials- Instgram @aamnaiswriting_ and Twitter @AamnaRehman6
When you think about it, wanting a crossover for these two series makes a lot of sense. If you don't know what these books are about, I'll try and give a brief introduction.
Icebreaker follows the story of Mickey James III, the third in line in a generation of NHL legends, but also just a teenage boy dealing with immense pressure, depression, and vicious media scrutiny. We follow his journey in his first year of college as he navigates this new life while trying to get drafted into the big leagues. Oh, and his biggest rival (and also crush) is on the same college team as him.
On the other hand, Heated Rivalry follows the story of two young rooky NHL players, Shane Hollander and Illya Rozanov, who start a secret on-and-off relationship. They hook up whenever they're in the same city while also falling in love with each other. (And surprise, surprise, they're also pitted as rivals by the media)
Both of these books, apart from the romance, also have a great and nuanced focus on mental health and depression (more so in the Long Game, the amazing sequel to Heated Rivalry). It is explored in such an organic and realistic way, portrayed through the characters Illya and Mickey James, who, although they have different reasons as to why they're struggling, is shown going through different stages of their journey with the utmost care.
They go for therapy, they find support in their loved ones and they fight the stigma around opening up about mental health in the sports industry.
Most of all I just think that my sweet, stubborn boy Mickey could do with having a queer hockey icon to look up to, and just get a hug. And I just want Illya to know that his experiences are valid and that if they met, he would be the ultimate hero to Mickey. Like, if Illya and Shane existed in the same world as Mickey, it would carry such tremendous meaning for the teen boy to have the top hockey player validate his struggle- with mental health and his identity as a queer sports person.
(I also wishfully imagine a very teary-eyed meeting and sitting in a quiet corner and sharing-your-stories kinda meeting).
And yes, this post was totally used as an excuse to talk about my favs, because these definitely are one of them.
Icebreaker was one of those books that just slipped the new release hype radar this year, and i really want more people to read it. (I also have like, embarrassingly long reviews for each of the books mentioned on Goodreads, so...)
Time to Chat!
Anyway, thank you so much for reading till here. I really hope you enjoyed this post!
I'd love to know any of your thoughts, so don't forget to try out this tag for yourself or connect with me on any of my socials!
Until next time,
Bye!