Book Review: Zona: The Forbidden Land by Fred G. Baker

Check out my newest review here!

Book Review: Logistics. A Christmas Story by Chris Coppel

Check out my review here!

Book Review: Jane Grace: Library of Light by Trace Sonnleitner

Check out my review here!

Book Review: The Stolen Heir by Tayma Tameem

I understand my activity on this blog has been lacklustre but there is a reason for it! Other than struggling to finish my novel, I’ve been working as a book reviewer in Online Book Club. So for the coming future, that will be the source of my written reviews.

If you want more regular activity and updates from me, I post on Instagram one-four times a week so it’ll be less dead over there.

In the meantime, if you’d like to check out my review on this book, click here. Hope you enjoy it!

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Sarah J. Maas and misleading Fantasy.

After reading Crescent City and writing the book review, I simply chalked it up to the fact that this book was a product of too much hype. It was okay but didn’t nearly give what was promised. However, I then had a conversation with my sister who had less than pretty things to say about Court of Thorns and Roses, another bestselling series of the same author. It came to my attention that there is something more to be discussed when it comes to Sarah J. Maas books and the immense support her books get.

The common critiques given during the conversations with my sister was that the fantasy elements were pretty half-hearted, the romance was tepid, characters were silly and most of all, it reads like a fanfiction. Which would be great but the book industry still doesn’t take fanfictions seriously whilst giving Sarah J. Maas a pedestal for writing great “epic fantasy” so… are we looking at a little hypocrisy here?

Speaking of the book industry, we have our main problem. If you told me that Crescent City by Maas was a romance story between a Fae/Human and an Angel after they were thrown together for an investigation on the Fae/Human girls’ dead friends then my review would’ve been far kinder. Except that’s not how Crescent City was marketed. Even in the blurb section, it describes this book as an “epic adult fantasy” when really it should be a “fantasy romance”. Am I only one who thinks that this is an incredibly important distinction? Especially when looking for books to read.

Book Review: Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Book Information:

• Author: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
• Year Published: 2008
• Page Count: 360
• Genre: Historical Fiction & Mythology Fusion
• Pacing: Drawling | Slow | Suspenseful Build | Fluctuating | Steady | Fast | Vague
• Type: Fantasy | Mix | Realism

Book Review: Sandalwood Death by Mo Yan

Aside from the intense fantasy adventure stories I usually read, historical fiction is another personal favourite genre of mine. It’s not always as action-packed but often the internal conflicts exude more energy than anything else. Sandalwood Death is one of those books. This was a friends’ recommendation showcasing a fearless rendition of political corruption in Imperial China.

Book Review: A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

Book Information:

• Author: Rosanne Brown
• Year Published: 2020
• Page Count: 480
• Genre: Fantasy
• Pacing: Drawling | Slow | Suspenseful Build | Fluctuating | Steady | Fast | Vague
• Type: Fantasy | Mix | Realism

Book Review: Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Book Information:

• Author: Margaret Atwood
• Year Published: 1985
• Page Count: 324
• Genre: Dystopian, Tragedy.
• Pacing: Drawling | Slow | Suspenseful Build | Fluctuating | Steady | Fast | Vague
• Type: Fantasy | Mix | Realism

Pros & Cons: Original vs Fanfiction

Original and Fan-fiction have always had a clash for many reasons. However as time went on, both mediums are now starting to live together in the entertainment industry. Perhaps not in full harmony but whether each party likes it or not, both mediums now have an interest and use in todays’ market.

This week I wanted to talk about some of the pros and cons of each of these mediums (including the community around them) and how they contribute to entertainment audiences: