• Book Reviews

    review; a throne of swans

    Title: A Throne Of SwansAuthor: Katharine & Elizabeth CorrGenre: YA, fantasyType: PaperbackPublisher: Hot Key Books In a world where the flightless are ruled by those who can fly… When her father dies just before her birthday, seventeen-year-old Aderyn inherits the role of Protector of Atratys, a dominion in a kingdom where nobles are able to transform at will into the bird that represents their family bloodline. Aderyn’s ancestral bird is a swan. But she has not transformed for years, not since witnessing the death of her mother – ripped apart by hawks that have supposedly been extinct since the long-ago War of the Raptors.  With the benevolent shelter of her…

  • Discussion Post,  Media

    ;the hero’s journey vs. the heroine’s journey

    A few years ago, I did my Masters in Creative Writing, and as part of it, had to break down the tropes and pitfalls present in the fantasy genre – the genre I was writing in – for it. I never thought of presenting that on the blog, but a while back, I was thinking on it again. And I thought, why not? Did you know that there is a difference between the Hero’s journey and the Heroine’s journey? Until I started this research, I sure didn’t! The traditional Hero’s Journey is when the (generally) male protagonist is called upon to act in a secondary world, usually of strange powers…

  • Quarterly Wrap Up

    jul – sept 2019; it’s a wrap

    These last three months have been A Lot in many ways. I won’t be going in depth, I think, because the last three months seem like they lasted forever. I feel like nothing much happened in July? The clay classes I was going for were great – I’ve finished a number of projects, and am on project number 4. I’m very proud of how things are going, but being creative on this front means I haven’t been as productive on the writing front. August had a very good thing and a very bad thing happen. My cousin had her baby! An adorable little baby boy who is growing so fast.…

  • Handle With Care

    handle with care; the sci-fi edition

    A lot of things in the science-fiction genre seem to cross over into the fantasy genre. Or maybe the media I consume is a blend of the two. That is, after all, my favourite type of story. This will be another short post, because sci-fi is something I am trying to get more into, but I do wind up reading the same sorts of things over and over. Stories with aliens can be a definitive hit or miss for me. They either work very well, or not at all. Usually, the relationship between aliens and humans is written as an allegory for racism, but in a lot of ways it…

  • Book Reviews

    review; my fate according to the butterfly

    Title: My Fate According To The ButterflyAuthor: Gail D. VillanuevaGenre: MG, contemporaryType: PaperbackPublisher: Scholastic Press When superstitious Sab sees a giant black butterfly, an omen of death, she knows that she’s doomed! According to legend, she has one week before her fate catches up with her – on her 11th birthday. With her time running out, all she wants is to celebrate her birthday with her entire family. But her sister, Ate Nadine, stopped speaking to their father one year ago, and Sab doesn’t even know why. If Sab’s going to get Ate Nadine and their father to reconcile, she’ll have to overcome her fears – of her sister’s anger,…

  • Blog Tour,  Book Reviews

    BLOG TOUR; Relic by Bronwyn Eley ft. Book Review & Graphics

    I was lucky enough to be chosen to be part of the blog tour hosted by Shealea @ Caffiene Book Tours for Relic by Bronwyn Eley, and boy, are you all in for a treat! The launch post for the tour can be found here. Be sure to check out these awesome bloggers! Title:RelicAuthor: Bronwyn EleyGenre: YA, fantasyType: E-BookPublisher: Talem PressSeries: The Relic TrilogyPublication Date: 12 September 2019Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository In the city of Edriast, there is no deadlier duty than to serve as the Shadow. As the personal servant of the powerful Lord Rennard, the Shadow’s life is all but forfeit. Rennard possesses one of five…

  • Recipes

    recipe; snickerdoodle cupcakes

    I haven’t actually made these cupcakes in quite some time, because they tend to be a little messy, a little sweet. So yum, for sure, but in the past couple of years, we’ve had to watch our sugar intake. They are a supremely indulgent treat, however, and I’m hoping to make them again next month for my birthday. The original recipe can be found here, and I’ve played around with it a little. Ingredients Spiced Sugar Topping: 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 cup sugar Cake Batter: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 tablespoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (if desired) 1/2 cup…

  • Books,  Discussion Post

    ;five asian 2020 debuts to look forward to

    I’ve barely read all the 2019 books I want to read, and even some of the 2018 books I’ve had on my TBR, but I’m already looking at 2020 and eagerly anticipating so many books. These are only some of the books I cannot wait for, my full list is extensive and I won’t be posting that anywhere to keep my stress levels a little low*. *Though, my stress levels are never low. What I know of these following books comes from Goodreads mostly, but they sound right up my alley, so you know I’m excited! I am usually not a huge fan of Romeo & Juliet retellings, but These…

  • Discussion Post,  Media

    ;movies i thought i imagined

    I was recently thinking about movies I used to watch as a kid. This was prompted by a BookTube video I filmed talking about books I read as a kid and I realised because I hadn’t seen anyone else talking about a book series and I couldn’t find my copy, I started doubting whether or not it actually existed. Maybe I had imagined reading the whole thing? Then I found my copies of the books and was very relieved, but it did get me thinking about a few movies I vaguely remember watching when I was younger but never saw anyone else talking about.* *I checked IMDB and all these…

  • Twisted Tales

    TWISTED TALES; tristan and iseult

    This post is going up late because I forgot. Oops. Also I don’t know much about this story except that it is a tragic romance, and honestly, I love those when done well? Twisted Tales is a series of photosets depicting POC fancasts of fairytales that are traditionally cast as not-POC. Featuring:Lewis Tan as TristanAshley Madekwe as IseultKeanu Reeves as Mark When King Mark heard of the death of these two lovers, he crossed the sea and came into Brittany; and he had two coffins hewn, for Tristan and Iseult, one of chalcedony for Iseult, and one of beryl for Tristan. And he took their beloved bodies away with him…