Check Out This Week's Recommendations! (30/07/2021)

The Golden Compass (Book)

In Jordan College, Oxford, 11-year-old Lyra Belacqua and her dæmon (kind of like a pet that shapeshifts and follows you everywhere) Pantalaimon witnessed the Master's attempt to poison Lord Asriel, Lyra's adventuring uncle. She rushes to the cold, far North, where witch clans and armored bears rule, Gobblers take the children they steal--including her friend Roger and where her fearsome uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world.

Only by this description, your adrenaline should be going up. This fantasy novel is full of action and excitement. You’ll get really invested in the story and won't be able to put it down. Besides anyone can enjoy this book, if you’re a kid or an older teenager I’d still recommend it.

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (TV Show)

The Netflix series follows a health worker at OK Psychiatric Hospital and a children's storybook author on their journey in accepting their own past and helping each other with healing emotionally and mentally. It portrays an unusual love story between a seemingly stoic and a lawless, anarchistic.

This series talks a lot about mental health which can be really helpful and relatable to many. The acting is amazing as well as the development of the characters. Coming back to mental health, the show brings really interesting concepts to the table so it’s definitely worth watching.

Black Widow (Movie)

Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow, confronts the darker parts of her story when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy, and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.

This movie shows you more of our beloved character black widow and her tragic backstory. It also introduces great new characters which makes the story much more interesting. It also looks at the character from a feminist perspective and they don’t have the typical villain which also makes for a very unique storyline. Overall this movie has all the greatness of marvel with a lot of cool twists so definitely give it a try.

Young Royals (TV Show)

The series follows Prince Wilhelm who is forced to go to a boarding school after a scandal about him is revealed to the public. There, he must try to fit into this new school and find friends, all while trying to hide his sexuality and his newfound attraction towards one of his schoolmates.

This show is soooo entertaining, the drama will have you at the edge of your seat. However, it’s also really cute and wholesome and the love story though being an unrealistic situation feels very real and relatable to many closeted kids. This series explores the troubles of expectations and not being able to meet them just because of being queer. Besides, the protagonists are so amazing so there’s no reason not to watch it.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Movie)

Joel and Clementine begin a relationship after a train journey together because they’ve both had their memories erased and neither of them remembers their tumultuous past. Clementine went through the procedure to erase her memories of her former boyfriend Joel from her mind, and when Joel discovers what she’s doing he undergoes the same procedure and slowly begins to forget the woman that he loved.

This film is so visually beautiful that just because of that you should watch the movie. The movie explores the intricacy of relationships and the pain of loss and it’s so well done you lose touch with reality. You get so absorbed in the storyline that you’ll finish watching it in no time. Besides the performance is amazing so just do me the favour and go watch it.

Cinderella is Dead (Book)

This is a unique and powerful retelling of Cinderella where a group of girls team up to overthrow the kingdom 200 years after Cinderella found her prince. They are required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl's display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again. Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than any of those men so, at the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella's mausoleum. There, she meets the last known descendant of Cinderella and her stepsisters and they vow to bring down the king. However, in the process, they learn that there's more to Cinderella's story than they ever knew . . .

This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they've been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them. It is a story about oppression told through a fairy tale which makes for a very original and captivating concept. If any of this sounds appealing to you then read the book, it’s that simple.

Bibliography

Bayron, K. (2020) Cinderella is Dead [Photograph] Blackwell's. https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Cinderella-Is-Dead-by-Kalynn-Bayron-author/9781526621979

Dinh, C. (2021) Brand New Posters Arrive for Black Widow [Photograph] Zedista. https://zedista.com/2021/05/11/brand-new-posters-arrive-for-black-widow/

N.A. (2004) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [Photograph] Amazon Prime Video. https://www.primevideo.com/gp/video/detail/Eternal-Sunshine-of-the-Spotless-Mind/0LPGS3GJSYAHK8Y0J7AVQ9V10O/

N.A. (2020) It's Okay to Not Be Okay [Photograph] Wiki Drama. https://drama.fandom.com/es/wiki/It%27s_Okay_to_Not_Be_Okay

N.A. (2021) Young Royals [Photograph] IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14664414/