A review by reflectiverambling_nalana
The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas

4.0

And approachable academic look at the representation and fan reaction of black female characters in modern fantastical media works that had active and creative fans. It examines fans of the Hunger Games, Harry Potter, the Vampire Diaries, and Merlin. Being actively involved in two of those fandoms, a fan of a third, I had only limited knowledge of one. Even without personal knowledge of one of the series, the author was clear in her approach enough to invest me in the topics brought up in this section which leads me to believe the book to be general enough that someone not acquainted with the material can still hear the message and enjoy the approach.

The author is gentle in her bias in that she acknowledges ignorance and less dignified reactions and view points without malice but does not shy away from reality.

Highly recommended and encouraged to see media criticism share the same types of shelves that popular science can fill.