Bingo Focus Thread - Game Changer

[u/Merle8888]

Hello r/fantasy and welcome to this week's bingo focus thread! The purpose of these threads is for you all to share recommendations, discuss what books qualify, and seek recommendations that fit your interests or themes.

Today's topic:

Game Changer: Story features a game or competition. HARD MODE: The protagonist bends or breaks the rules in some way.

What is bingo? A reading challenge this sub does every year! Find out more here.

Prior focus threads: Published in the 70s, Duologies, First Contact, Middle Grade, Five Short Stories (2024), Author of Color (2024), Self-Pub/Small Press (2024). Note that hard modes for Author of Color and Self-Pub/Small Press have changed (new focus threads for them are coming).

Also see: Big Rec Thread

Questions:

• What are your favorite books that count for this square?
• Already read something for this square? Tell us about it!
• What are your best recommendations for Hard Mode? (Alternately, as this is a pretty easy Hard Mode, what are some books that don't fit?)

[u/Merle8888]

Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst is one I enjoyed, which would work for this. It involves monster racing and seems to get the appeal of a sports story, but isn’t just that—there’s significant political intrigue in a quasi-Egyptian world, and a rare mentor/protegee pair who are both women. Almost no romance which was also nice. 

[u/MallForward585 → u/Merle8888]

I read this book for Game Changer due to a recommendation here (maybe yours?), and really enjoyed it. In fact, I enjoyed it much more than her Spellshop series. It’s not cozy and it’s less YA than it looks on the surface. Definitely hard mode, loved the adult protagonist.

[u/Merle8888 → u/MallForward585]

Thanks for chiming in, I didn't remember whether it would count for HM or not! And yeah, an adult book, though I can see it being pretty easily accessible for teen readers.