Realms Review: 'The Foretelling'

Imagine a world where women ruled the lands, where women went to war with men and won, taking prisoners and killing the rest. In The Foretelling, by Alice Hoffman, women are feared by men, but the protagonist, Rain, is curious about her role in this tribe of Amazon-like women.
          Due to the traumatic circumstances surrounding Rain's conception and the brutal birth Rain's mother, the chief, went through, Rain's mother rarely looks, let alone speaks, to her daughter. As the daughter of the tribe's leader, Rain is determined to learn her role and be a great leader like her mother. But, more importantly, she tests her boundaries to prove she's worthy of her mother. Determined to be accepted, she accomplishes amazing feats, but also tests the limits of her own culture, even making contact with a boy outside her tribe.
          Despite The Foretelling being listed as a children's book in some stores, we strongly believe that this is actually a young adult novel for several reasons. The protagonist is a teenager, though quite mature for her age due to her culture's expectations of her. The story has several coming-of-age elements to it, as well, and there is a lot of dark content. The book also released before the YA category (target audience) took off in publishing. If released today, we're 99% certain it would be released as a YA title.
          Hoffman weaves a story that imbeds itself in your heart as you root for the main character and long to see what happens with Rain's various relationships with those around her. And a little bit of magic, woven in so carefully that it seems a normal everyday thing, never hurts, especially to us fantasy-lovers. We rate The Foretelling with five out of five stars for Hoffman's incredible storytelling, diverse characters, and ability to make it a truly unforgettable tale.

Realms Review

Realms Review: 'A Great and Terrible Beauty'

Many of us are used to stories where magic is defined by rules. In fact, most, if not all, magic has rules, but what if you didn't know them? What if you had to figure them out on your own? Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty does just that. Gemma, the protagonist, stumbles across a magical world she has discovered through visions. She, and three other girls, unravel their powers there, and discover when they return to their world that the magic lasts for a little bit outside the strange world, but doesn't last forever. It wears off, leaving them wanting to return, but an evil also lurks in that world.
          Bray's elaborate and beautiful settings hook you in and make the reader lust after the magical world and Victorian England, where most of the story takes place. The characters are all well-developed and exceed your expectations as you read on and learn they are more than their stereotypes. Felicity is not just the snobby leader, but a girl who dreams of being more than she's allowed to be. Pippa may be beautiful and seemingly stuck up, but she hides a terrible illness she's afraid of. Ann seems to be a weak sidekick, but she also has a quiet strength. Gemma, the protagonist, is not easily manipulated, and finds her own sense of leadership along with her sense of self; she changes immensely throughout the whole trilogy.
          For a novel with well-written and strong female characters, as well as a dangerous plot full of unexpected twists and turns, A Great and Terrible Beauty might be the right story for you. The beginning, we found, was a little slow, but if you can plough through it, we promise it picks up, and we promise you won't be disappointed. We give this book four out of five stars.

Realms Review

Author Interview: Mary B. Sellers on Shoulder Bones and Magic

Shoulder Bones cover

Realms YA Fantasy Literary Magazine: Will you give us a brief background about who you are and where you’re from?

Mary B. Sellers: I was born and raised in Mississippi, and have spent my entire life in the Deep South. I graduated from The University of Mississippi’s Honors College program in 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Religious Studies. I now work as one of the associate publishers at Blooming Twig Books, and freelance for a couple of online and print publications, including Click Magazine, where I write a monthly cocktail article, Real Talk Mag, and Thought Catalog.

Realms: Would you say that some of your stories in Shoulder Bones are influenced by your childhood and adolescence?

Mary: Definitely. While I wouldn’t describe any of my stories as autobiographical, I did pull from certain events and feelings that I experienced over the years. I was surprised by how much my southern upbringing influenced those stories.

Realms: Not all of your stories in this collection feature young adult characters, but for the ones that do, what appealed to you about using YA characters?

Mary: I’ve always found myself drawn to writing about young girls, because I think that’s the most important time in a woman’s life. It’s also the most challenging for a variety of reasons. They are old enough to grasp a good many “adult” feelings, and yet they’re still classified as a child.

Realms: Do you think adults have something to gain by reading YA stories?

Mary: Certainly. I’m still a huge fan of reading some YA literature. One of my favorite YA collections is Kelly Link’s Pretty Monsters. It’s absolutely fantastic.

Realms: One of our favorite stories in your collection is “Playtime,” when the dolls and toys come to life. What is the inspiration behind that particularly story?

Mary: I loosely based that story on the Pinocchio and Geppetto. That tale always disturbed me as a child, and I wanted to explore the darker themes and reinvent a scenario that wasn’t “Disney-fied.”

Realms: In your introduction, “Little Ghosts,” you speak about seeing things that cannot be explained. Do you believe that children and adolescents are more receptive to these little ghosts?

Mary: Yes. As children, we’re much more in touch with the supernatural and magical. Our imaginations are at their most powerful, and we haven’t yet been “grounded” by science and reason.

Realms: Do you believe there is magic in the world? What kind?

Author Mary B. Sellers

Mary: I would like to think there is. It may not be as grand as flying broomsticks and fairies, but I think we can make our own magic, as well as find it, if we look in the right places. I think magic is intrinsically tied to emotion, if that makes sense.

Realms: What is it about fantasy and the supernatural that draws you?

Mary: I’ve always loved a good ghost story. I’m attracted to darker themes, and stories that have a point or lesson to them. A lot of the time, I find that fantasy and the supernatural are really great at providing this.

Realms: Which author(s) influence you the most?

Mary: Kelly Link, Kevin Brockmeier, Karen Russell, Flannery O’Connor, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Judy Budnitz, and Helen Oyeyemi.

Realms: What is your favorite YA fantasy story?

Mary: I mean, I’ve gotta say Harry Potter. There’s nothing like it, and I grew up with that book, those characters, and went into three-day-long depression when I finished the seventh book.

Realms: If there was the kind of magic in this world that is in storybooks, what would you want to be or be able to do?

I’ve always wanted to be able to fly. I know that sounds cheesy, but I’ve had countless dreams about it. However, it’s ironic to me, because I’m also deathly afraid of heights. It’s probably for the best that I’ll only be flying in my dreams, honestly….

Shoulder Bones is an eerily beautiful collection of short stories that feature feminism, the South, and the supernatural. It contains some of the best, most original work we've read, and the stories will send shivers down your spine. If you're a fan of horror, fantasy, and strong female characters, this is the collection for you! You can buy the book here on Amazon. 

To read more work by Mary B. Sellers, you can view her portfolio on her website.