book-review

  • Evaluating Maturity in Books

    Every book falls into one of several predetermined age categories, intended to signal to potential readers the maturity levels of any given story. Or at the least, that’s how it’s supposed to work. In reality, age ranges have basically become tools for publishers to slot their wares in front of potential target audiences. A book

    Read more →

  • Empathy and Thought in the Modern Reader

    The market in the last several years (ever since the 2010s, really), has become oversaturated with surface-level tales of shock-value atrocities and aesthetically packaged suffering. Nobody is willing to dig into a deeper discussion on the repercussions of trauma and abuse; but they’re more than eager to coat deep and troubling topics in a rose-tinted

    Read more →

  • Book Review – “Impossible Creatures” by Katherine Rundell

    Check out the corresponding Goodreads post here! I was pretty tame in my analysis over there; but I had a lot more (admittedly salty and spoiler-laden) thoughts–so I figured, what better use than to commission them for my blog? Obligatory disclaimer: these are my opinions. This is in no way a commentary on anything other

    Read more →

  • Stop Worrying About Strong Female Characters

    Certain female characters can spark a passionate debate just by their mention. And it’s all about the same basic question—how objectively “good” is the character in the eyes of the fans? Rating objectivity in matters of taste is, simply put, a futile matter. The only metrics by which we can judge the “goodness” of a

    Read more →

  • Dissecting Romantasy

    Dissecting Romantasy

    Today’s selection is a guest post from my good friend, artist and writer Ash Alexander. You can find them on Instagram as @a_humble_humanoid, or Bluesky as @a-humble-humanoid. Romantasy is a genre I have a massive bone to pick with. I don’t fault anyone for enjoying a guilty pleasure; and everyone is well within their rights

    Read more →