Akata Witch (5 points)

 I can say for a fact I was never a fan of Harry Potter. I loved magic and all sorts of fantasy, but I always regarded Harry Potter as, well, trash. I know Rowling was the first to do a lot of things, but she was way over-glorified for my liking. Praised as a female writer, and promoter of women, yet stars a male child who's story is just a copy of old Greeco-Roman myths. Love triangle and drama, it was clearly meant for children with no idea what life is like. Even if magic were real, it paints a very perfect image of how cleanly things are tied up. So, if I hated Harry Potter this much, what did I think Akata Witch had to offer? If I could have ever got off the "this is just Harry Potter" part I would have seen the other stuff sooner. It had unique aspects, juju instead of mana, rituals, sacrifices, murder mystery, racial and gender discrimination. And was I impressed? Unfortunately, not at all. Reimagining your own magic system is a feat in itself, but when some of the terms are just interchangeable (Like I said, "mana" = "juju") which may be culturally appropriate, but why not go a step further? The plot didn't make a lot of sense to me. Not that I didn't understand what was happening, but I didn't understand why the author chose to go this way. One thing I did like, in HP the big bad guy is this all-powerful ender of worlds that one teenager just blasts away, where 200 super-powerful other wizards couldn't. But in this story, the target is more reasonable. Not that I am saying it's normal for a bunch of teens to chase down a serial killer, but it was one dude, and was not someone with god-like power. Toning down the antagonist might seem like a bad idea, but when it makes it more reasonable, it can make your story much more believable. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Night Circus (6 points)

I found my favourite part of the novel was waiting to see what new thing Celia and Marco would create. The story was more about the mystery of the challenge, the creativity of the contestants, the history of the contortionist, and the future of Poppy, Widget, and Bailey. I was disappointed with the sudden romance between Celica and Marco, though it was predictable. The "love at first sight" motif doesn't sit well with me, and though the story does seem to focus on "fate" it was just too pushed. I felt there was a specific moment when the story changed ideas, from whimsical mystery to destined lovers. I did however think the author's solution to their game was unique, and the love story was essential to this. I felt bad for Isobel, and that what Marco did was misguided. Isobel is made to be the one at fault and this didn't seem right to me. We know Marco was the one altering Chandresh's memories, and should be at fault for Fredrick's death, but in
Read more

A Wild Sheep Chase (6) Kwaidan (5) Uzumaki (6)

I am very familiar with Junji Ito's work, especially Uzumaki, this being the third time I have read it. A Wild Sheep Chase feels very different than the other two. Kwaidan is quite clearly the original text for many yokai. Uzumaki Junji Ito's work is not only driven by his wonderous and creepy plots but also his art style. If the manga were only in written form, it would not have the same impact. The plot is centered around spirals, which on their own don't seem like something horrifying. Junji plays with the idea of infinity, and trying to grasp what infinite truly means. Trying to understand the vastness of endless is like trying understand the bounds of the universe. It can compare to someone having an existential crisis. We are reminded of the madness that "omniscience" brings (like the Nazi woman in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, bad reference I know). I will mention this again but, all of the "monsters" of Uzumaki are either ha
Read more