Kingdom Above The Cloud Guest Post - Christy's Cozy Corners

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Welcome to the Prism Books Tour for Kingdom above the Cloud. Stop by each blog for excerpts and reviews from the book! What are your favorite fantasy worlds in books? Maggie Platt, author of Kingdom above the Cloud, shares her five favorite fantasy worlds with us below.

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Kingdom Above the Cloud

(Tales from Adia #1)
By Maggie Platt
YA Fantasy, Christian, Allegory
Paperback & ebook, 239 Pages
April 17th 2020 by Ambassador International

What if the nine Fruit of the Spirit and the Seven Deadly Sins were locked in a battle for control?

Abandoned as infants, Tovi and her twin brother were raised by an eclectic tribe of warm, kind people in a treehouse village in the valley. After her brother’s sudden disappearance Tovi questions her life and her faith in an invisible King. Ignoring her best friend Silas’ advice, she decides to search for her brother in the kingdom on top of the mountain.

Above the cloud, the Council of Masters receives their orders. Tovi and her brother are the objectives. King Damien has a plan and Tovi is the key. The Council of Masters want her, but will she remain unscathed?

Amidst the glamour of the kingdom above the cloud Tovi is torn between her own dark desires and unanswered questions. It starts with a snake and a crown. When the ring is complete, will her life be over?

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Guest Post from the author: The 5 Fantasy Worlds that Shaped My Writing

I have moved homes approximately 7 billion times. As any frequent mover knows, heavy books often don’t make the cut. No matter how much you love them, they end up in the Good Will pile after you’ve moved them house to house a few times.

So, despite deep connection with my books, only a few have survived from my childhood. Most of my shelves are full of books that I have collected in just the last 2 years since moving into my current house. However, when I look at the oldest beat-up volumes, I can’t help smiling. These well-loved, dog-eared, creased and worn-out books all have fantasy elements and made me the writer that I am today.

5. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

While they are my favorite books in the entire world, the Harry Potter series comes in #5 simply due to when these books came into my life. I did not start reading them until I was in college, so we don’t have quite the same history that I have with the others on this list.

J.K. Rowling is an absolute genius. The Wizarding World is so complex, with its long history and constant intrigue. My very favorite of the series is Half-blood Prince, and a big reason for this is the depth of the back stories we get to witness through the pensieve. I recently started reading the series with my 7-year-old niece, and it is incredible to watch her eyes light up as she steps into this world for the first time.

4. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

When I read Wrinkle in Time, I really wasn’t aware of Christian fantasy/Sci Fi other than the Chronicles of Narnia. This book transported me to other worlds along with the Murry children as they searched for their dad. The spiritual themes were life-altering for me as a young reader. L’Engle used their adventures (and misadventures) to explore topics of faith, love, and good triumphing over evil. As a writer, I can only hope that my readers encounter God in new ways, just as I did in A Wrinkle in Time.

3. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

This is cheating a bit. The novel itself is not a fantasy, but the two young main characters create their own fantasy world in the woods. I read this book in elementary school, and I remember connecting so deeply to Jesse, Leslie, and their magical imaginations. And when the book takes a terrible, heart-breaking turn, I remember feeling physically ill in my own sadness. That kind of powerful writing sticks with you, and it has inspired me to not shy away from the difficult parts of the stories I write. Just like in our real lives, there is suffering and grief that must be included in our characters’ stories. By writing these things in a real way, we tell the readers that they are not alone in the difficulties of their lives.

2. Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

My biggest inspiration for Christian writing is C.S. Lewis. He wrote tons of books, both fiction and nonfiction, that influence millions of people. When it comes to fantasy, he wrote more than Narnia. There’s the Screwtape Letters (which I loved), Out of the Silent Planet, and many others. But when it comes to influencing my writing as a Christian fantasy author, it is all about Narnia and Aslan.

I love the whole series, and my very favorite scene is in Voyage of the Dawn Treader when Eustace is stuck in dragon form and Aslan has to help him lose his skin to become human again. I think about that scene all the time! How often am I the dragon, and how often do I need Jesus to come rip away the darkness and ugliness of my sin? How often is Jesus trying to turn me back into who I am supposed to be? I’m so thankful for writing like this that teaches through metaphor about God’s incredible love for us.

1: Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

I still go straight into my feels whenever I think of Tuck Everlasting! I first read this book in elementary school, and it was the single most influential book on my writing career, all because of two words: What if?

Tuck Everlasting grabbed my imagination. It’s about a girl named Winnie who meets the Tucks, a family that had become immortal when they accidentally drank from a magic spring. The story is incredibly beautiful and sad and hopeful and wonderful, so I won’t spoil anything for you in hopes that you will read it!

I remember – in my little girl brain – thinking that it was like the author had said: what if? WHAT IF there was a family of immortal beings, and one of them fell in love with a normal girl? (Yeah, I know… Twilight, right?? This book came decades before Twilight). That “what if?” question followed me. I started asking it of myself all the time, and it’s how most of my stories have been born. My recent novel, Kingdom Above the Cloud, started as this question that popped into my mind: “What if the fruits of the spirit and the deadly sins were embodied by characters who were at war?”

I could read Tuck Everlasting over and over again. It continues to inspire me. It is so simple, yet so moving and profound. I have not seen the movie, so I don’t know if it measures up. But I HIGHLY recommend the book.

There they are! The five most influential fantasy books that have stayed on my shelf through countless moves. What are your favorites? Which fantasy worlds have inspired you?

Thank you!

Thank you, Maggie, for the guest post! I have to agree with your choices! I haven’t read Tuck Everlasting, but I did see the movie and loved it. I’ve read the others, and they are wonderful fantasy books with wonderful worlds.

For older YA readers, one of my favorite fantasy worlds is the world that Leigh Bardugo created in the Grishaverse books. So good!

About the Author

Maggie Platt is a writer, traveler, cancer survivor, and dreamer. Her greatest joys are being Auntie M to her amazing nieces and nephew and sitting with students and friends over cups of coffee and deep conversations. She works at her alma mater, Anderson University, and she lives in a cozy little cottage nearby where students come to sit on her couch just to laugh, cry, and talk about life.

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