Ashley Griffin

As if it isn't enough to contend with the stereotypical things said about fandom cultures of all shapes and sizes, the English-speaking Hallyu community has a poorly researched, highly questionably-made book to be poked and prodded at with the publication of this children's book. Mortimer Children's Books created a swift read that is more cash grab than "a true celebration of Korean wave music." An error or two are even forgiven with academic textbooks but incorrect historical facts are hard to accept when even an improved search engine effort could've saved the book. For true novelty, and possibly snarky reasons, this book could be worth adding to one's K-pop collection for the sake of dark humor. For this, I rated it with two stars. That aside, there are better quality books for fans to introduce themselves to than this, old and new.

The debut album certainly establishes, "We're here! We're here!" for the members of ATEEZ. The album explores hip-hop and its various genres -- both fusion and derived -- and paces well. At just under 20 minutes, it leaves you interested in hearing more. 4/5 stars due to it being a debut, which is not always the easiest thing to knock out of the ballpark with illustrating the unique colors of a group.