“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison
I have been trying to pin down exactly what has contributed to my lack of productivity in the last few months in terms of my WIPs. While I have been relatively consistent with posting on this blog over the intervening months, I have not been nearly so diligent about making sure I am devoting time… Continue reading Writing Isn’t Safe
Amazon Summary: A woman returns to the house made famous by her father’s bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound—and dangerous—secrets hidden within its walls? When I first read the description of this book on the Book of the Month app, I was… Continue reading “Home Before Dark” by Riley Sager Spoiler-Free Review
I would be lying if I said I didn't see some logic behind pushing these two characters together. From my own experience, people have the proclivity to seek out romantic partners who make up for what they lack either intentionally or otherwise. That being said, I've learned there is a limit to how "opposite" you… Continue reading Unpopular Opinion: Why Zuko and Mai Don’t Work As a Couple
In preparation for my own novel, I've been reading quite a lot of fantasy novels to get me in the right headspace. As such, I've been exposed to the normal trappings of fantasy lit i.e, magical creatures as racial allegories, repurposing of traditional folk-lore stories and, of course, the concept of "destiny." Destiny gets a… Continue reading Opinion: Thoughts on “Destiny” in Fiction
Summary here. The backdrop of The Glittering Hour is an entertaining one; a post-war Britain using glamour and materialism to mask it's festering wounds left by a lost generation killed in a terrible war. It's a time of great luxury, but also of great grief and poverty; of sickness and depression. It is the perfect setting… Continue reading Thoughts on “The Glittering Hour” by Iona Grey (Spoiler-Free)
I don't have any recollection of people discussing this series in the early 2000s. I only have vague memories of Bartimaeus's face leering at me from atop a bookshelf at our school library in middle-school. I chose to read it only because I discovered it among my fiancé's books from his childhood home. It left… Continue reading The Amulet of Samarkand: Book One of the Bartimaeus Series (Spoiler-Free Review)
WARNING: SPOILER ALERT FOR DOCTOR WHO SERIES 12 FINALE EPISODE. I know I said I was done with Who but I promise this isn't just another reason to rag on the series 12 finale and why The Timeless Children is undoubtedly the most insulting episode to anyone that cares about Doctor Who and its history. The… Continue reading Why Canon Matters
I would like to preface this review by saying I have absolutely no emotional ties with Sonic the Hedgehog in any capacity. I did not watch the cartoon, I did not buy the video games, and as I child I had no interest in doing so. The only reason I chose to see it was… Continue reading My Thoughts on “Sonic the Hedgehog” (2020) Spoiler-Free
For quite a while now I've wanted to write a post about Roland Barthes' The Death of The Author theory, but I've been conflicted on where I stand on the subject. While it is obvious that a writer's experiences, biases, and other factors greatly shape a writer's work, I also believe that it is essential… Continue reading Schrödinger’s Author: Is the Writer Dead or Not?
To anyone that has read this blog for any length of time, it's no secret I love reviewing stories in all forms of media. It enables me to think critically and learn what makes a story fail or succeed. I owe much of my growth as a writer to watching other reviewers discuss what they… Continue reading How to NOT Suck at Reviewing in Five Easy Steps
The Crooked Pen 