Matthew Weiner recommended Wings of Desire (1987) in Movies (curated)
Michelle Rodriguez recommended West Side Story (1961) in Movies (curated)
Misty Copeland recommended The Turning Point (1977) in Movies (curated)
Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated Tinker Bell (2008) in Movies
May 11, 2020
Pup Academy
10.0
Rate It
TV Show
Dogs from all over the world travel through magical portals that are disguised as fire hydrants,...
Air Bud Entertainment Dogs Puppies Talking Animals
The Christmas Blanket
8.0
Rate It
Book
What is the meaning of Christmas? That's what eight-year-old EJ wants to know. The other kids say...
Picture Books Children Kids Holiday Seasonal Christmas
Jewel Mania™
Games and Entertainment
App
Jewel Mania - The new match 3 sensation is here, with brilliant jewels in over 600 dazzling puzzles!...
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Storm Glass (Glass, #1) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
Despite the part that Opal played and her great contribution to Sitia, she does not consider her magical abilities to be anything worth boasting about and struggles with low self-esteem for most of the book. All the while, her abilities grow and blossom in the face of suspense and danger. Her specific talents keep her busy solving one magical dilemma after another, introducing her to new characters along the way, as well as bringing in familiar faces - some welcome and some not.
The romantic aspects to the book involve her being torn between two men, Kale of the Stormdance clan, and Ulrick, a fellow glass-maker. While Opal shares qualities with both young men, I prefer her chemistry with the moody, quiet Kale over the self-absorbed Ulrick.
One of the more interesting characters in the book aside from Opal is her school nemesis, who also happens to be in the running for becoming a Master Magician. Their interactions teach Opal a few things about herself, both magical and psychological, and they develop into unlikely allies. Theirs is one of several loose ends left in the book that will likely be continued in the next book, Sea Glass.
There are spoilers, so read at your own risk.
I very much enjoyed this book. I loved this view into a post slavery world filled of women who have to deal with the grief that has followed them throughout their lives. Sethe, though she has made her mistakes in her life, is still a sympathetic character who relies on her grief to survive through what she has done. Her daughters are strong women in their own rights. Beloved, being childlike and taking out her rage of her death on her mother and her family through stealing the attention and food for herself. She isolates, makes it so the others feel death hanging over themselves to understand her pain.
The format, being more stream of consciousness and not a cohesive, linear narrative, lends itself well to the magical realism of this book. This is nothing like a Harry Potter type of magical realism though. This is steeped in the tradition of former slaves, magical in their beliefs of the world and the afterlife. Not the people being able to control magic, but allowing it to be a real thing in their lives either way.
I really liked this book. If you want to understand why, check it out for yourself.
Stranger Magic
Book
Our foremost theorist of myth, fairytales, and folktales explores the magical realm of the...