Leigh Bardugo is an incredible YA author famously known for her immersive worlds and cast of diverse, interesting characters. Her previous YA fantasy series include the Grisha trilogy, King of Scars, and the popular Six of Crows duology. Set in a world known as the Grishaverse in which different Grisha possess magical powers under different orders of magic—The Order of the Living and the Dead, the Order of Summoners, and the Order of Fabrikators—Leigh Bardugo created fictional countries with such unique cultures and locations that they almost seemed believable. And let’s not forget how much we all fell in love …
One of the major themes of books and movies this year seems to be nostalgia. Everyone is constantly looking for a hint of that childhood magic and mystery, and with Halloween coming up, it’s a perfect time to revisit some of our favorite scary stories reminiscent of elementary and middle school Halloween parties. Here’s a list of seven of our favorite childhood spooks. 1. The Black cat by edgar allan poe Image via dreadcentral There are so many perfectly disturbing Poe stories that are suitable for Halloween, most of which feature themes of delusion, madness, and all-around creepy vibes. The …
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is perhaps one of the most disturbing psychological thrillers ever written. It follows married couple Nick and Amy who are about to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary until Amy disappears. The book is written from two points of view—that of Nick and his disturbing reactions to Amy’s disappearance as well as Amy’s perfectionistic diary entries. Gone Girl is famous for a particularly unexpected twist and shocking realization that Amy and Nick aren’t who we think they are. When I was in my late teens, I read Gone Girl for the first time, a book that …
If there’s one writer that any fan of mystery or crime has read, it’s the one and only Agatha Christie. The creator of the red herring has written at least seventy-two books, some featuring recurring and popular characters like Hercule Poirot, the detective with an unforgettable mustache. Yet surprisingly, Christie kept much of her personal life as mysterious as her novels. In celebration of her 129th birthday, let’s look at some of the reasons why we love the Queen of Mystery. 1. Hercule Poirot was based on a real person image by the federalist Hercule Poirot, the …
Readers love to daydream about being whisked away to their favorite fictional worlds. But we also want to meet our favorite characters; to ask them questions about their lives, to become part of their world, to know them on a personal level. Such passion has led many a reader to what we might call a “character obsession” in which you relate so heavily to or love a character so much that they feel more real than some of the people you might know in real life. So why do we relate so heavily to fictional characters, and why do we …
