Mini-Review! - Legendary by Stephanie Garber

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

Title: Legendary


Author: Stephanie Garber

Series: Caraval #2

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Amazon: USA

The Verdict:

I don't think I've ever enjoyed a second book so much when I found the first book so... meh.

Don't get me wrong - Caraval was ok. 

It was an enjoyable enough read. 

I did have some... issues... with it when I reviewed it a few years ago, but overall it was just ok.

Friday Fics Fix - The Self-Care Fanfic Rec-List

Fanfiction is a fab form of self-care (which I know I've said more than once, but that's because it's true!)

And seeing as how:

a) we could all do with all the self-care we can get atm...

and b) I have written a lot of fanfiction posts over the years...




I figured I'd take a look over my blog archives, and select some of the most useful fics for self-care.

(Side-note: looking through my archive is super-weird!)

Nerd Church - St. David's Day Special! Let's Talk Robert Downey Jr as Dolittle!

Robert Downey Jr's performance as Dolittle is amazing. And he does it with a Welsh accent.

...I think it's fair to say, though, that the accent has had a mixed response.

And since today is St. David's day - and I never lose a chance to talk about Wales and being Welsh - what better time to discuss it?!

Friday Fics Fix - Roses Are Good Omens

'“Come to my flat for drinks tomorrow?” He forces a casualness to his voice that he does not feel. “I’ve got a bottle of Glenfiddich I’ve had since 1937 and it’s about time you left the bookshop for something other than pastries and feeding ducks.”'

So... I wasn't going to do a Valentine's post.

Partly because I don't like to get overly-smooshy. 

Partly because, given my experiences with overly-explicit, sexual, holiday-related fics...

- If fandom can do that kind of thing with Halloween, think of how far they could go with Valentine's! *shudders* If I never read another pumpkin-sex fic, it'll be too soon. They find me. Every year.

Friday Fics Fix - Harry Potter Fics With Transgender Main Characters

(Warning: this post discusses Transphobia throughout, as well as referencing an abusive ex-rock-star)


Oh God, J K Rowling. *sighs*

I know a lot of people gave up on her before now, but the latest transphobia from Ms Rowling seems to be the straw that broke the camel's back* for most people.

*Do people use that phrase outside the UK? I don't know. 

...I feel like it can't have originated here, cos we don't have camels... weird.

If you have no idea what I meant, then please just rest assured that no camels were hurt in the making of this blogpost!

I Watched The Film First! *Gasps* - 5 Books That I Read Because I'd Seen The Adaptations

 ***All Amazon.com links in this post are commission links. This means I earn commission from purchases made in the US*** 

Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

You know the voice that's just like: 'you've read the book, now see the movie!'

...that voice doesn't know me at all.

I read a butt-tonne of books. 

Like, I read at the 200-per-year kind of speed.

But I watch loads of film and TV adaps. before I read the book.

Friday Fics Fix - 'Round the Houses

'Loki was left-handed and took a broom that was on the very end. He had plenty of flying practice at home, but he was still nervous. His first day had been going so badly, one more embarrassing moment would just be the cherry on top.'

It's a pet theory of mine that at some point, everything in fandom has been crossed with Harry Potter.

Sometimes this is a full-on cross-over, with the characters from the Harry Potter books/films running around with characters from Marvel or DC or Torchwood or whatever.




Sometimes, though, this crossover takes the form of a Hogwarts/Harry Potter AU.

A Hogwarts and/or Harry Potter AU is an Alternate Universe where the characters from a fandom are placed in the setting of the Wizarding World, attend Hogwarts, work as Aurors, etc.

This may or may not involve actual appearances from Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Friday Fics Fix - Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble

**This post contains affiliate links for Amazon.com (US) - I earn commision from qualifying purchases**

'"The handwriting on the first spells is far too legible to be Satan's," Aziraphale reasoned, reasonably, like a reasonable person who had just critiqued Satan's penmanship.'

Halloween may be over, but that doesn't mean we have to retreat from the gothicky side of life, dearest nerdlets!

And what I have for you this week is both gothicky and fun as all hell! (Pun unintended, but now I'm actually quite pleased with it.)

Friday Fics Fix - HP Halloween: The Ones Who Won't Grow Old

Warning: this post talks about war and related trauma

'Even in the summer, it was cold here. Once, Ginny had been used to it, spending most of the year here, but now it was more of a distant memory.'

This is the last week of HP Halloween!

Yes, November is fast-approaching, which means our month-long Harry Potter fanfiction fest is over.

Friday Fics Fix - HP Halloween: Star-Crossed Rumors

'...But it wasn’t a dream and he was fully clothed. When he looked back over at the group of girls, they giggled even harder, whispering to each other'

Yes! It's time for another week of HP Halloween!

Because October = Harry Potter fanfiction.

I don't make the rules I just... wait, no, I do make the rules! Yay me! 😆

(...I'ma blame the caffeine. #JustSaying. 😅)

Friday Fics Fix - HP Halloween: Nostalgia Ain't What It Used To Be

'“To mine” interjected James, the tall boy with mousy hair and glasses. “Padfoot ran to mine and now he’s staying there.'

Welcome to the second week of F3's* HP Halloween!

Yep, October is for Harry Potter fanfiction - the king of fandoms in terms of quantity (you can't deny it, it's totally true!)

*F3 = Friday Fics Fix. It's just easier to say sometimes. 😅

Friday Fics Fix - HP Halloween Begins!

'Malfoy looks shocked, like a deer caught in headlights, nowhere to run and just staring wide eyed at Ron, pushing Harry towards him. Suddenly Hermione realises what Luna meant: the bet.'

It's October! Which means a whole month's worth of Harry Potter fanfiction, 'Friday Fics Fix' posts, here at Dora Reads!

(Because that way I can avoid Halloween-themed fics and therefore hopefully avoid reading things I can't un-read. 😅)

Friday Fics Fix - Nerds Are Secretly Vindictive Emos. Oh, and Merlin and Arthur Got Captured Again.

'“We’re not going to die here,” Arthur snapped. “Someone will come to rescue us.”'

Who wants a dash of angst?

Sometimes I feel like we nerds/fandom members, as a group, are too into angst.

But... meh. 😉

Sometimes you just want to to see your favourite characters tormented - and that's ok.

Review Time! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Watersnakes by Tony Sandoval

This post contains affiliate links for Amazon.com (USA.) I earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Title: Watersnakes

Author: Tony Sandoval

Genres: 

Graphic Novel, Fantasy*, Young Adult, Magic Realism, LGBTQ+ (F/F), Horror*, Ghost Story* (*ish) 

Buy Now USA

Friday Fics Fix - Crows and Culture

“You are the only raven-man?” 

“To my knowledge,” Diaval said. “Though most of the ravens I meet don’t believe me when I say I am sometimes human.”

I LOVE Maleficent.

It's an amazing movie, and I am super-super excited for Maleficent 2!

And only like, 70-75% of my love for Maleficent has to do with how stunningly attractive Angelia Jolie is in the title role! 😅

Via Giphy

Comics Wrap-Up - It's A Beautiful Thing When Boy Meets Boy

It's Thursday, and that means it's time for superheroes and all the comics-y goodness! Woo! 😀

Nerd Church - Game of Thrones: No-One's Very Happy, Which Means It's A Good Compromise

This post has Game of Thrones **spoilers** EVERY GOD-DAMN-WHERE! Ok? Ok.

It's best to get the spoiler warnings outta the way. 😉

Also, y'know this is Game of Thrones, so general WARNING for potentially distressing content.

Friday Fics Fix - What Is Dead May Never Die

'He does a lot of odd little things that Sansa suspects he isn’t even aware of anymore. Things that helped him get through another day, another hour, with Ramsay.'

Game of Thrones after many long, long years, is coming to an end.

We have one episode left - only one.

But if the Harry Potter fandom has taught us anything, it's that fanfiction will continue, long, long after the end of the series.

Friday Fics Fix - Friends Don't Let Friends Execute Other Friends

'...it started with a bandit, sword falling downwards towards Arthur’s exposed side. 

It started with Merlin, leaping from behind a tree, hand outstretched, eyes gold, a wordless cry of fear on his tongue. 

It started with a bandit flying through the air, and Arthur turning to Merlin with fear in his eyes.'

I love BBC's Merlin.

First, cos it's just generally awesome. Second, cos anything that continues to re-tell Celtic/Welsh mythology makes me happy! 😁

Nerd Church - The Dilemma of Morally Dubious Media (Ft. American Psycho, Game of Thrones and Harry Potter)

Warning: this post discusses morally dubious media, including but not limited to: rape, murder, incest, general violence.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

American Psycho is about a serial killer that takes pleasure in raping and killing women in the most horrible ways, and the narrative goes into gratuitous detail about it.

Do I have your attention? Buckle up, dearest nerdlets!

No matter what, there is always gonna be media - books, films, TV series, whatever - that is kinda dubious on the ol' morality front.

Is that ok? Is that something we should be consuming? Is that something that people should be creating?

And if it isn't, is that something that we should be supressing?

Should we be, to put it bluntly, censoring it?