This week I read L.J. Smith's Spellbinder. Part of the Night World Series, Spellbinder follows two witches, Thea and Blaise, as they descend upon their eighteenth birthday when they must chose a coven. Told in the perspective of Thea, the timid and "good" cousin, she fights to keep her cousin from causing trouble amongst the humans. Blaise is portrayed as a heartless seductress who gets off on making boys fall in love with her to the point of insanity. She choses a boy from each school they attend and destroys them. I sense that this type of personality is one representation of how women in power are perceived, ruthless and cruel. Another is Thea's personality. Timid and anti-social, sweet and seen as "different" from the other girls of the world.
There weren't many tradition archetypes in the story as far as appearance goes but the girls did use amulets for magic while showing disgust for the humans. Their grandmother also owned an herb shop in town where they got most of their ingredients for potions, further proving the stereotype that if you own an herbal shop you practice witchcraft.
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Moon Called by Patricia Briggs My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars This week I chose to read Patricia Briggs' novel, Moon called. I got through about half of it and loved it. The book follows a shifter, or skin-walker named Mercy Thompson who can shift into a coyote. Living in a trailer next to the rich alpha of the local werewolf pack, Mercy tends to get herself into loads of supernatural trouble, earning her constant scolding from her "lovely" neighbor. But after an attack that leaves most of the pack dead, the alpha severely injured and his daughter missing, Mercy must reconnect with the people she left behind years ago to try and save the alpha and find out who attacked them. Unfortunately, while doing this she also must deal with the reconnect of the man who broke her heart all those years ago and is the reason why she left. Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hearn My rating: 4 out of 5 stars For the weekly topic of J-horror, I read two short stories from Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things – The Story of Mimi-Hashi-Hoichi and Diplomacy. The Story of Mimi-Hashi-Hoichi follows the tale of Hoichi, a blind struggling musician who is invited to live at the Buddhist temple, Amidaji, by his friend, the Priest. Amidaji was built on the grounds of Akamagaseki, the death place of the Heike who fought against another ruling clan by the name of Genji. The whole clan perished, all the children, women, warriors and even their emperor. The warriors would haunt the shores of Akamagaseki, sinking ships and drowning swimmers. The temple was built as a way to appease the spirits along with the creation of a cemetery that housed tombstones with every warrior's name. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars The Vampire Academy follows Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dragomir who are seniors at St. Vladimir's Academy, a boarding school used to educate both Moroi and Dhampirs, who are each segregated into different dorms and classes. Rose must protect Lissa from forces who mean her harm, while also trying to navigate through the drama of high school. Having run away from campus two years prior, Lissa and Rose are captured and returned to St. Vladimir's Academy, to continue their studies. Trying to cautiously fall back into a routine, Lissa continues focusing on mastering her "element" as well as academic studies. Rose goes back to her guardian training as she tries to catch up with the rest of the novices. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde My rating: 4 out of 5 stars This week I read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. This gothic tale follows the life of a young, beautiful man by the name of Dorian Gray. Throughout the novel, Dorian is influenced by Lord Henry Wotton, who puts youth and looks over morality and personality, after meeting him at a mutual friend's home – where Dorian was getting his portrait done. Soon Dorian is sucked into a society filled with seduction where he inherently sells his soul to stay forever young. |