There are "spoilers" (I don't think they're spoilers because some of these movies have been out for years,) so beware. If you don't like horror, skip the post.
BEST BOOK I READ IN 2021
The Grace Year
by Kim Liggett
read by Emily Shaffer
Wednesday Books | October 8, 2019
No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.
In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.
Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.
With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between.
Purchase via Bookshop (Affiliate)
30% ON ROTTEN TOMATOES DIDN'T STOP ME
Earwig and the Witch
Goro Miyazaki
December 30, 2020 (JPN)
A headstrong orphan discovers a world of spells and potions while living with a selfish witch.
As someone who's done a whole series about Rewatching Ghibli (this link will direct you to this blog's Ghibli label,) it only seemed right for me to review the latest Ghibli film. I had many reservations going into this movie: it has terrible ratings, and Goro is directing... If you read my Tales of Earthsea review, you know how I don't entirely trust his creative direction. I gained a little trust back after From Up on Poppy Hill, but...