The Golden Enclaves

Posted by Dave Switzer under Reviews of books

{4.5/5} “There’s not much democracy in enclaves; they’re run like a cross between a vicious international corporation and a village full of vexatious eccentrics. Most of the denizens don’t care what the council are doing as long as everything keeps running smoothly from their perspective, and the only people who gets a significant vote anyway […]

The Last Graduate

Posted by Dave Switzer under Reviews of books

{4.5/5} “It’s never a good idea to get attached to freshmen, and doing it this early in the year was an invitation to misery, but after they’d saved me and Orion from blundering around almost choking ourselves to death, it had worn off enough of the cold-aloof-senior mystique I’d cultivated that they’d started talking to […]

What If…? (season 2)

Posted by Dave Switzer under Reviews of TV shows

{4.5/5} “You here to help for a change, or just narrate?” — Peggy Carter, to the Watcher What If…? season 2, aired in 2023 When Yondu is killed, Nebula is tasked with getting to the bottom of what he was protecting. When Peter Quill comes to Earth in 1988 with destruction on his mind, a […]

A Deadly Education

Posted by Dave Switzer under Reviews of books

{5/5} “People seem to have no trouble convincing themselves that I’m dangerous and evil even when they aren’t actively looking for reasons. Of course, I could have killed him just be draining his mana, but I didn’t want to actually become a maleficer and then go bursting out of this place like most monstrous butterfly […]

Nimona

Posted by Dave Switzer under Reviews of movies

{5/5} “I love the secret lair. The garbage and the smell of sadness really pull the whole thing together.” Nimona, released in 2023 A thousand years after Gloreth rid the realm of monsters, a commoner is becoming a knight for the first time, Ballister. At his knighting ceremony some energy streaks out of his sword […]

The Ivory Tomb

Posted by Dave Switzer under Reviews of books

{4.5/5} “Maybe someday she’ll break and cross a line that she can’t imagine crossing now. Maybe over the centuries she’ll lose her grip and descend into some darker place. Right now, I can tell you that we’d have three more demons devastating Eruvia without her help, and she’s not doing any more harm than you […]

Mavka: The Forest Song

Posted by Dave Switzer under Reviews of movies

{4/5} “Mavka, let’s find you an outfit that says I’m a non-alarming local human.” Mavka: The Forest Song, released in 2023 Because of a tragedy ages ago, the humans on one side of the Dark Mountain and spirits on the other side leave each other alone. Mavka is a spirit, who brings the forest back […]

The Marvels

Posted by Dave Switzer under Reviews of movies

{4.5/5} “‘I touched it, and then–‘ ‘Why did you do that?’ ‘Because it was glowing and mysterious.’” — Danvers and Fury The Marvels, released in 2023 When Carol Danvers is investigating a malfunctioning jump point for Nick Fury she, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan all switch places. And they keep switching places when they use […]

The Quicksilver Court

Posted by Dave Switzer under Reviews of books

{5/5} “We crossed the bridge, pacing its stones between overlapping pools of light as the river rushed in darkness beneath us. There was no point trying to be stealthy in our approach; my grandmother could sense my presence. As both a Demon and a Witch Lord, she could kill us in the blink of an […]

Dream Scenario

Posted by Dave Switzer under Reviews of movies

{4.5/5} “We focus mostly online, sort of trying to holistically pair brands and more, shall we say, unconventional celebrities if that makes sense.” Dream Scenario, released in 2023 Paul is a mild mannered professor. He shows up in his daughter’s dream but he fails to help her when she’s in trouble. An old girlfriend runs […]