Counter Spell: How Three Amazing Young Adult Novels Reclaimed Witch Stories

Reading Time: 6 minutes Witch Stories: An Introduction Part of stories’ power lies in their ability to reflect the world back to readers. They can echo societal issues in compelling ways. This is especially the case with witches. I love witch stories because they often feature strong friendships in the face of an otherwise …

5 Unique Audiences That Would Adore Netflix’s Lucifer

Reading Time: 8 minutes As a show shrouded in controversy, Lucifer did not get a fair shake among tv audiences. Netflix allowed it to have a second chance at earning its rightful place as a cult favorite. The show was canceled in its third season by FOX, only to be revived by Netflix for …

Steps To Never Get Reading Burnout Again

Reading Time: 11 minutes If you are reading this post, you probably know what it’s like to have reading burnout. I sure do.  I loved reading so much that I dedicated a whole college degree to it. Let me explain. I studied literature at university.  My university years were the best. I lived in …

6 Ways “Arc of a Scythe” Will End Your Reading Slump

Reading Time: 7 minutes Late to the game as always, I’ve come to rave and rage about a trilogy. While it is set in the future, Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe series is a shoo-in for a wonderful point of reentry for Hunger Games and Twilight fans. If you haven’t read a story that …

Barking Mad: Patrick Ness’ “Chaos Walking” Strikes a Chord

Reading Time: 5 minutes Patrick Ness thought of two ideas when he created the Chaos Walking trilogy. First, he thought of information overload. Then, he considered the idea of hearing a dog’s thoughts. The result is agonizing sweetness and thoughtful exploration of humanity. As readers often note, there is a tragic event that takes …

The 5th Wave Book and Exploring the Fear of Human Extermination

Reading Time: 4 minutes Summary of Post: This post is a discussion of Rick Yancey’s The 5th Wave and its reflection on humanity’s anxiety around the future and the unknown. In particular, I want to talk about Yancey’s focus on the effects of the alien invasion on the characters within the story, especially: Cassie Sulivan, Ben Parrish, and …

Meeting History and Toxic Masculinity in Classic Naguib Mahfouz Novel

Reading Time: 3 minutes Some of you may know that I lived in Egypt in the 90s. I was mostly isolated by my mental illness, but even then, I had noticed the prominence of the Si-Sayed figure. What I didn’t ever expect is that this figure appears in Naguib Mahfouz’s 1956 classic called The Palace …

Gushing over Brandon Sanderson’s The Well of Ascension

Reading Time: 3 minutes While I did enjoy The Final Empire novel, Brandon Sanderson completely blew me away with the sequel, The Well of Ascension. Here, I will gush, ooh, and ah over this powerful story about morality, duty, and love. WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

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