Hadeer Elsbai's Blog, page 3

oct 2024 updates

much of my media consumption plans for october were dashed because i spent the month editing my novella. it was a very eye-opening process — this is the first brand new thing i’ve written since the duology. i’ve been trying to be more attuned to my writing and editing style so that i can spare myself future despair when writing new projects. in theory, if i know what to expect from myself, the process will be easier. of course, every project is a little different, but i like to think that they a...

september 2024 updates

i wrote something! i finished something! ever since completing my duology i’ve been languishing in the no man’s land of writing — half-starting a variety of projects, outlining, not committing, then committing and writing nearly 20k words, only to decide to trunk that project. then, on a whim, i had an idea — what if a woman, left at the altar, was approached by an entity that gave her the chance to get revenge?

at first i thought, okay, a horror novel, but as i started planning and writing, i r...

character spotlight: emma swan

[Character Spotlight is a new series adapted from old blog posts where I talk about some of my favorite characters in various media.]

I fell in love with Emma Swan from the moment we met her, when she reveals herself as an undercover bail bonds person to her blind date, who is actually her mark. What a way to come out swinging. (Sidenote, for the sake of this post, please ignore the steadily declining quality of Once Upon a Time.)

At first, Emma Swan is the epitome of lonely, friendless orphan. Sh...

august 2024 updates

it has been far too long since i’ve sent an updates newsletter, mostly because…there has not been much to report, but i would like to be better at keeping track of the media i’m consuming so that i don’t end up forgetting half of what i want to say about it.

on the book side of things, i will say that sometime in the next few months i will have fun news regarding the alamaxa duology, something i’m pretty excited about! so watch this space (and instagram).

writing-wise, i’m chugging along, editing...

house of the dragon season 2 review

predictably, i completely dropped the ball when it came to weekly reviews; i am nothing if not inconsistent. now that the season is over i’d like to wrap up these reviews by discussing my thoughts on the season generally, and the finale specifically.

there are a lot of divisive takes regarding the finale out there. personally, i liked it a lot! yes, it was a bit slow, there weren’t any battles or explosives, but a ton of stuff happened and several storylines were wrapped up.

first, alicent: her ...

house of the dragon season 2 episode 3 review

there is a crystal clear theme in episode 3: war is circular and pointless. it’s a snake eating its own tail. we see this said rather plainly by rhaenys and ser simon strong, but it’s encapsulated thematically with the episode’s opening battle between two houses, and the closing sequence with alicent and rhaenyra.

a lot happens in this episode — pieces are starting to fall into place, the dance of the dragons has begun. i felt a powerful sense of grandeur and epic scale watching this one, and it...

house of the dragon season 2 episode 2 review

this episode starts with the fallout from last week, of which i have one more thing to say. i think that, if i step away from my expectations of seeing the book scene brought to life, i can come to appreciate the show scene more. i was also talking about this scene with my brother, who suggested that perhaps the book scene might have just been too much — too drawn out, too cruel, too nasty, for most viewers. i think sometimes i become desensitized to things, especially when i have very specific ...

house of the dragon season 2 episode 1 review

i surprised myself by having way too many thoughts about the premiere of house of the dragon’s second season, so i’m going to tell you all these thoughts.

the second season of house of the dragon begins with a whimper rather than a bang, especially given the last season’s finale. the majority of the episode feels more like recap and setting up scenery — except for the blood and cheese final sequence, which i’ll talk about later.

first, this is a small issue, but i’m finding myself confused by som...

march 2024 updates

i am truly cutting it close here when it comes to preorder and event stuff, as The Weavers of Alamaxa releases tomorrow (a fact that snuck up on me rather sneakily; i kept thinking release day was on a thursday for some reason, but it is in fact not).

there is still a chance to preorder from riverbend bookshop for a signed and personalized copy as well as a link to an exclusive virtual event with me. but if that’s not your thing, then a preorder from your favorite bookshop is great too.

also, if ...

february 2024 updates

i’m not sure if i’ve ever posted the uk cover here in this newlsetter, so please feast your eyes on both the us (left) and uk (right) covers side by side:

i adore the orange/gold and green color scheme of the uk cover. i adore both of these covers so much!!!

for the release of the weavers of alamaxa, the follow up and conclusion to the daughters of izdihar, i’m partnering with my local indie bookshop riverbend books for a preorder campaign. if you preorder the weavers of alamaxa from riverbend, ...