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Why You Need to Read: “The Weight of Blood”

The Weight of Blood By: Tiffany D. Jackson Published: September 6, 2022 Genre: Horror, Young Adult, Retelling             …“the Bloody Prom,” when a girl named Madison Abigail Washington nearly burned down her entire town, killing two hundred people, including the majority of her senior class, at their first racially integrated prom, (Two).             Identity is one of… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “The Weight of Blood”

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Why You Need to Read: “The Gilded Ones”

The Gilded Ones, #1: The Gilded Ones By: Namina Forna Published: February 9, 2021 Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy TRIGGER WARNING: This book contains elements of rape, misogyny, familicide, dismemberment, human trafficking, and violence against females. Be advised.             Confusion lines my face, and I frown at her. “An invitation for what?”             “For you, Impure One. Emperor Gezo… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “The Gilded Ones”

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Why You Need to Read: “The Bone Shard Daughter”

The Drowning Empire, #1: The Bone Shard Daughter By: Andrea Stewart Published: September 8, 2020 Genre: Fantasy             I knew who I was. I was Lin. I was the Emperor’s daughter. I shouted the words in my head, but I didn’t say them. Unlike my father, I kept my face neutral, my thoughts hidden. Sometimes he liked it… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “The Bone Shard Daughter”

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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: “Tower of Mud and Straw”

Tower of Mud and Straw By: Yaroslav Barsukov Published: February 21, 2021 Genre: Fantasy             The tower took the length of the world—only it was an alien world, replicating itself over and over as it climbed to a distinct, ghostly gap into the clouds. Or did he stare down a well? (Part I. The Duchy. 5).             Critics have an… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “Tower of Mud and Straw”

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TV Episode Review: “His Dark Materials”: “Malice”

            The episode opens with the witches in the same world as Lyra and Will. And, they see angels traveling through the world. They see this as a sign that the prophecy is coming closer to fruition. This is another sign that the war—led by Lord Asriel—is about to begin.              Meanwhile, Will continues to suffer from… Continue reading TV Episode Review: “His Dark Materials”: “Malice”

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

This episode opens up with Lyra crossing over into another world—our world—to learn more about Dust and about the similarities between her Oxford and Will’s Oxford. Unfortunately, Lyra has to learn how to adapt to this “new” world as she experiences technology—the scene with the car is straight from the books—and people without daemons, poor… Continue reading TV Episode Review: “His Dark Materials”: “The Cave”

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Why You Need to Read: “Harrow the Ninth”

The Locked Tomb, #2: Harrow the Ninth By Tamsyn Muir                                                                    Audiobook 19 hours and 51 minutes Published: August 4, 2020                                                      Narrated by: Moira Quirk Genre: Horror/Gothic/Dark Fantasy             The Reverend Daughter Harrowhark Nonagesimus ought to have been the 311th Reverend Mother of her line. She was the eighty-seventh “Nona” of her House; she was the first Harrowhark. She was… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “Harrow the Ninth”

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Why You Need to Read: “Uprooted”

Uprooted By: Naomi Novik Published: May 19, 2015 Genre: Fantasy/Fractured Fairy Tale or Fairy Tale Retelling/Coming-of-Age Story             The Dragon didn’t always take the prettiest girl, but he always took the most special one, somehow: if there was one girl who was far and away the prettiest, or the most bright, or the best dancer, or… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “Uprooted”

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Why You Need to Read: “The Girl in the Tower”

Winternight Trilogy, #2: The Girl in the Tower By: Katherine Arden Published: December 5, 2017 Genre: Fantasy/Historical Fiction/Folklore/Magic Realism/Coming-of-Age             Highborn women, who must live and die in towers, were much given to visiting. Now and again, they stayed overnight for company, when their husbands were away, (1: The Death of the Snow-Maiden).             Folklore maintains traditions and cultures that… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “The Girl in the Tower”