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TV Episode Review: “His Dark Materials”: “The Break”

Will travels with Iorek and Balthamos to where Mrs. Coulter is keeping Lyra. They find a girl named Ama who knows about Lyra and Mrs. Coulter. Ama almost fell for Mrs. Coulter’s lies, but then she saw the way she treated her daughter. Ama knows about plants, especially edible ones. Will finds Lyra and confronts… Continue reading TV Episode Review: “His Dark Materials”: “The Break”

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TV Episode Review: “His Dark Materials”: “The Enchanted Sleeper”

Season Three, after a year hiatus due to Covid-19, opens with an explanation of the previous war amongst the angels. For those of you who do not know, His Dark Materials is Philip Pullman’s retelling of the epic, Paradise Lost. So yes, this series is and is not influenced by Christianity. The beings Lord Asriel spoke to at… Continue reading TV Episode Review: “His Dark Materials”: “The Enchanted Sleeper”

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Why You Need to Read: “The House of Always”

A Chorus of Dragons, #4: The House of Always By: Jenn Lyons                                                                        Published: May 11, 2021                                                         Genre: Fantasy                                                                                              Thank you Tor for sending me an eARC of this book. I listened to excerpts of the audiobook, too. Note: There are a few spoilers from the first three books in A Chorus of Dragons series.              After I have my… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “The House of Always”

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Why You Need to Read: “The Light of the Midnight Stars”

The Light of the Midnight Stars By: Rena Rossner Published: April 13, 2021 Genre: Historical Fantasy/Folklore             There are tales of red-haired mountain men and women who could work miracles, of a people who could trace their lineage all the way back to the great King Solomon himself. Tales of a people who kept to themselves,… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “The Light of the Midnight Stars”

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Why You Need to Read: “The Once and Future Witches”

The Once and Future Witches By: Alix E. Harrow Published: October 13, 2020 Genre: Historical Fantasy, Folklore, Paranormal             …“The Tale of Saint George and the Witches.” It’s never been one of her favorites, but she reads it anyway.             It’s the usual version: once upon a time there were three wicked witches who loosed a terrible… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “The Once and Future Witches”

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Why You Need to Read: “The Empire of Gold”

The Daevabad Trilogy, #3: The Empire of Gold By: S.A. Chakraborty  Published: June 30, 2020 Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction             Daevabad, in all its glory and infamy. The mighty brass walls embellished with the facades of its founders, her ancestors. The crush of ziggurats and minarets, temples and stupas; the dizzying array of clashing architecture and eras—each… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “The Empire of Gold”

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Why You Need to Read: “In An Absent Dream”

Wayward Children, #4: In An Absent Dream By: Seanan McGuire Published: January 8, 2019 Genre: Fantasy             This, then, was Katherine Victoria Lundy: pretty and patient and practical. Not lonely, because she had never really considered any way of being other than alone. Not gregarious, nor sullen, but somewhere in the middle, happy to speak when spoken to,… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “In An Absent Dream”

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TV Episode Review: “His Dark Materials”: “The Scholar”

This episode opens with Carlo Boreal giving Mrs. Coulter a description of our world, which is extremely accurate—“Their government is more corrupt than ours; their world is built on consumerism, not faith.” Boreal continues to explain how our world operates to Mrs. Coulter, and that includes her getting a makeover so she can blend into… Continue reading TV Episode Review: “His Dark Materials”: “The Scholar”

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TV Episode Review: “His Dark Materials”: “The City of Magpies”

Season Two immediately picks up where Season One left off. Lyra Silvertongue has crossed the bridge into a new world. A world that is devoid of people, except for one. Will Parry has found himself in the same world, and Lyra is the first person he’s seen since arriving there. However, both children soon learn… Continue reading TV Episode Review: “His Dark Materials”: “The City of Magpies”

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Why You Need to Read: “The Obelisk Gate”

The Broken Earth 2: The Obelisk Gate By: N.K. Jemisin Published: August 16, 2016 Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian *Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel 2017*             “We’re going somewhere you can be better,” he says gently. “Somewhere I heard of, where they can help you.” Make her a little girl again, and not…He turns… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “The Obelisk Gate”