Book Review: Buffy and the Heroine's Journey by Valerie Estelle Frankel

An engaging look into the heroine's journey as the Chosen One comes to you from award-winning author Valerie Estelle Frankel.

Buffy and the Heroine's Journey takes the reader through Buffy's journey from movie Buffy through to the Season Eight comics (which I knew nothing about) discussing this heroine's journey as the Chosen One. Similar in some ways to the epic journeys of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, but so different in other ways as Buffy goes from high school to college to adulthood and the various feminine archetypes in the early and late seasons. As the back cover states, "Buffy blends 1990s girl power and the path of the warrior woman with the oldest of mythic traditions." This is the focus of this in-depth study into her character.

As a fan of the Buffy the Vampire series and its spin-off Angel, I was eager to read this book, especially after enjoying Frankel's books on Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. Frankel deeply explores Buffy's journey. How she fought against the patriarchy. How unlike other heroes who went it alone, she builds a team who help her battle evil throughout the series. It explores Buffy's relationships with her mother, her sister, each of her friends, her romances with Angel, Riley, and Spike, and her father-daughter type relationship with Giles. This book delves into Buffy's relationship with other slayers like Kendra and Faith, and her role as she trains potential slayers to prepare for an epic battle.

This is an academic look at a cult favorite. It's deep. It's intense. But it's worth the time to read it. I found Buffy and the Heroine's Journey by Valerie Estelle Frankel totally fascinating and am glad to add it to my Buffy collection.

Paperback: 236 pages
Publisher: McFarland; 1st edition (February 27, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0786467924
ISBN-13: 978-0786467921

I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

I read this book for the following challenges:

Book Review: The Many Faces of Katniss Everdeen by Valerie Estelle Frankel

Fans of The Hunger Games series will enjoy The Many Faces of Katniss Everdeen: Exploring the Heroine of The Hunger Games by Valerie Estelle Frankel.

Frankel, an award-winning author of the Henry Potty children's series and several books on pop culture, explores Katniss Everdeen in this new book for fans of the series and educators looking to discuss The Hunger Games in the classroom.

Having enjoyed Frankel's book, Katniss the Cattail, I eagerly agreed to read The Many Faces of Katniss Everdeen. Exploring Katniss in her numerous roles, be it as reality star, warrior woman, protector of children, teen solider, or more, Frankel delves deep into the multiple identities that have drawn readers to this heroine who changed the world. Just as much a social commentary as it is a look into history and an investigation into a popular character, The Many Faces of Katniss Everdeen fascinates you with the vast amount of information Frankel provides and the depths that she is unafraid to go.

Simply put, once I opened this book, I never wanted to put it down. With Catching Fire due out in theaters on Friday, now would be the perfect time to dive into The Many Faces of Katniss Everdeen. I look forward to more books from this amazing author.

Paperback: 178 pages
Publisher: Zossima Press (June 1, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1936294222
ISBN-13: 978-1936294220

I received a free copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinion, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Book Review: Katniss the Cattail by Valerie Estelle Frankel

Just in time for the release of The Hunger Games movie, comes an unauthorized guide from award-winning author, Valerie Estelle Frankel.

Katniss the Cattail provides fans of Suzanne Collins's series a detailed look into the names and symbols found in all three books: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay.

From Alma Coin to York, from bows and arrows to Snake, and a thorough discussion of Katniss, Peeta and Gale, this book provides historical and literary background information on everyone and everything you could imagine from the books. Civil War admirals, Roman leaders, Persian kings and those made famous by Shakespeare's plays fill its pages. You'll soon discover  the characters of Panem mean a lot more than their odd-sounding names.

Frankel also provides information on "Allusions to Literature and Life," discussing dystopia, history, Greek and Roman mythology and reality TV. The final pages of the book include a list of names by origin and the districts and their products.

This is a superb book for any lover of The Hunger Games series. It would also be an excellent resource for writers, showing the importance of carefully considering the names of their characters. Be warned, however, this book contains many spoilers, so it's a good idea to finish the series before reading it.

Highly recommended.

Title:  Katniss the Cattail
Author: Valerie Estelle Frankel
Paperback: 104 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (February 13, 2012)
ISBN-10: 146996824X
ISBN-13: 978-1469968247
SRP:  $6.95

I received a free paperback copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions. I received no monetary compensation to provide this review.

This is the fourteenth book I've read for the following challenge: