If you’re looking for a book full of action and adventure, or fantasy fun, this isn’t the book for you. This fits squarely into the category of slice-of-life. Sometimes, that’s a nice thing to read. It’s not usually my jam, but as you may know, I will try anything once (with the exception of a certain illegal drug). I think this book was as enjoyable as it was because of the characters.
Once again, this book is set at a boarding school - this one all girls. While our main character is a day student, we do get to see the inside of a couple of boarding rooms, and experience the rules and regulations that the girls are subjected to. Having been a day student at a boarding school, it did feel like being back there! Our MC has been sent to this new school because she got caught drinking at her last school, and her parents wanted to get her back on track. She has been sent to live with her grandmother, who is a teacher at the school. For the beginning of the book, June is very upset, as she has been taken away from her best friend, Jess. June doesn’t want to move on, or interact with her new classmates, or her grandmother; she just wants to message Jess, and speed through the time in order to get back to her. Obviously, things change, and her mindset adjusts slowly over the book. Sarah Van Name has done a fantastic job of character development here; it felt so incredibly genuine. Most of us don’t wake up one day and see all of the things wrong with ourselves and our lives, we tend to come to this realisation slowly, as things outside of ourselves change. In this book, the photography class that June takes acts as a parallel metaphor of how her view changes, and it’s done so very well. It’s not heavy handed, doesn’t force itself down your throat. The relationships of June with the people around her also change, and it too feels natural. LGBT+ rep in this book was good too! Two of our main characters are in a same sex relationship - one is a lesbian, the other bisexual, and it’s really great to see characters like this where the coming out isn’t the main focus of the story - it’s just how they are, and that’s that! There’s not a lot left to say about this book, it honestly speaks for itself. I found myself highlighting multiple passages and sending them to my flatmate, it was that well written that I needed to share it. There’s not a lot of content warnings needed, other than underage alcohol consumption and discussions of PDA. Overall Rating: 5 stars
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So I’m writing this during Pride month, because I wanted to showcase some of the amazing books with LGBTQIA+ characters/themes that are currently available in YA. Some of these books have some subtle LGBTQIA+ themes, such as The Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce and Have A Little Faith In Me by Sonia Hartl, but this book starts out with an LGBTQIA+ bang.
In the world of the Cerulean, all of the people are female. Yes, all of them. Similarly to We Set The Dark On Fire, the relationships occur in threes - although in that situation, it was two females and one male - where each party of the relationship has a clearly defined role. Here in the Cerulean, each thruple has an Orange Mother, a Green Mother, and a Purple Mother. They live together in harmony, each woman contributing to a different area of life (it’s been a while so I am currently unsure of exactly which aspect belongs to which Mother). These women are magical, and live in land above the ‘world’, tethered to a continent below. The tether is broken regularly, once the planet below has been over resourced, and the Cerulean world moves through space until it finds a new place to tether. Our protagonist is Sera - a young girl who doesn’t really feel like she fits in - she’s not good at the skills the girls learn growing up, and she has so many questions that her family can’t answer. The first half of the book takes place in the city of the Cerulean, and it is so well written it was easy to fall into it and be completely swept up into a world so different to our own, without having to suspend the disbelief. The second half of the book was actually quite jarring, as we drop through the sky and into a world that feels a lot more like our world - humans, boys, MEN, cars, roads, universities, banks and theatres. There are still magical creatures in this world, but they are oddities. I had to put the book down after the switch for a moment, and get my head around the fact that we had moved in such a way! It was odd to see men and boys, and cars. The characters in the “below world” are interesting again, and different to read. The author did a wonderful job of these two places (did I say that already? Yes? Oh, well, she did!) There are two main characters in the world below - Leo and Agnes. The world below is a conservative one; there are two islands and on one of the islands (which we don’t make it to in book one) holds the ‘savages’, and the island we land on holds the more… ‘proper people’. The ‘proper peoples’’ society is conservative and sort of… Victorian? Girls are meant to be girls, and boys are boys, and homosexuality is bad. They have cars and science, and it’s an interesting mash-up/alternative Earth with some fantasy elements. Basically, the writing in this book is what sold me. I loved how the author managed to make two very different worlds feel equally real, and I liked that the while the characters may fit some tropes, it didn’t feel awkward or clunky or lazy. Content warnings: magic, same sex relations, violence? Overall Rating: 4.5 stars When CeCe’s boyfriend dumps her after sex, telling her he needs to focus on himself and his relationship with God, she decides that the best way to change his mind is to follow him to Church Camp – surely if she spends her summer pretending to get closer to God, Ethan will take her back, right? But then she meets his “Summer Girlfriend”, and, yes, you guessed it, decides to fake a relationship of her own in order to make him jealous…
I’m not going to lie. I picked up this book expecting to absolutely hate it. It had all the signs of being a fluffy, terrible story, where the main character ends up back with someone who clearly doesn’t deserve them. Y’all, I. Was. WRONG! This books turned out to be hilarious, wholesome, informative, sex-positive, consent-positive, LGBT friendly (or, at least, not homophobic despite being set at a born-again Jesus Camp), female-friendship positive, self-care focused and basically just amazing. If you’re looking for an honest, funny, surprisingly-light-despite-the-topics YA read, this one is for you! When I saw that it was set at a Christian camp, I was a little worried. It’s actually one of the reasons I picked it up, because I was worried that it might be a contentious pick for my YA section - something I might get complaints about. Well, I may, but not for the reasons I thought! Our main character, CeCe, goes to Church camp for all the wrong reasons. She had sex with her boyfriend, and he dumped her, for God. At least, that’s what he told her. So she went to convince him that she is religious and godly, and that he should rethink the breakup. Turns out, he wasn’t the greatest person. I have been seeing a lot of flawed characters in YA lately, and when it’s done well - problematic behaviour discussed and corrected or at least thought about comprehensively - it’s great. We as humans are flawed, and it’s good to have a break from the never-had-a-flyaway-always-got-the-boy/girl/friends/money type. (I will add a caveat here. If you want an example of a flawed YA character that DOESN’T get redeemed… try Sierra Burgess is a Loser on Netflix. Not great.) This book actually allows CeCe to examine her own flaws and failings, and work to overcome them. While she doesn't necessarily become a perfect person over night, she does actually try, and she manages this without giving up a huge part of her personality. So why might I get complaints? Well, in a camp specifically for Christian kids, where the “lessons” are more about waiting for marriage and following the teachings of the church to the letter, no thinking required… CeCe ends up holding unofficial sessions that talk about masterbation, sex, consent, homosexuality and more. While she goes into the camp experience thinking Christians are al brainwashed and stupid, as she learns more about her bunk mates (read: future friends), she realises that the stereotypical, waiting-for-marriage, gays-are-bad etc Christian is no longer as fitting as it once might have been. We also get some wonderful discussions about religion as well - not conversion-y type conversations (although some of the counsellors may be) - more about how different people can worship in different methods, and that THAT’S OKAY! There are minor characters who hint at being LGBT+, though we don;t learn a lot about them, but I am including this book as LGBT+ because they discuss religion in a way that may over helpful thoughts to those who are struggling to reconcile their faith with their sexual identity. Oh, and Paul. Our wonderful, male but active female-ally leads some important conversations about consent. Seriously? Just read it. I can’t sum it up well enough in one post, or as well as the author has written it. Content Warning: descriptions of sex and genitals, Christian themes (camp is quite conservative but it doesn’t get forced down your throat!) Overall Rating: 4.5 stars Simone is a Black teenager who was born with HIV. With two fathers (Black and Latinx), she’s already different from most of her peers. After being outed at her old school as HIV+, Simone is keen to keep things under wraps at her new school – dealing with the fallout once was enough. But then she begins to fall for Miles, and starts dating him, someone begins leaving notes in her locker – Tell him, or I’ll tell everyone.
This book was complex. I did have a feeling at the beginning of the book that the author may have been trying a little too hard to get as many diverse characters into the story as fast as possible, though I do understand that this is in fact how life works! It just seemed as if we were getting “diverse placeholders” instead of actual people with personalities we could root for. I did eventually become invested in most of the characters, so that was good. The storyline was simple, in that it was a slice of life, and I knew who the person leaving the notes was relatively early on. It was still a good read, and one I will be recommending, because HIV is not a topic that we see discussed in YA lit a whole lot, and when we do, it’s often historical (set during the AIDS crisis), or used as a plot point- eg someone gets AIDS from a partner/hospital and has to learn how to deal with/live with that. While these are both important, it was a breath of fresh air to have it be a part of someone, something they had grown up with. There were some complexities around friendship in this book as well, which I thought were handled well. The bi-erasure by an LGBT+ friend was a bit painful, but it was talked about and resolved in a good way. I also liked that there was an overarching message around taking a step back and seeing WHY someone is lashing out, rather than simply reacting to the behaviour. Many, many important topics covered in this book. We delve into HIV, how and when the virus can be contracted; masturbation; sex; safe sex; contraception; standing up for friends; sexuality; reasons why people lash out; all on a backdrop of a standard high school and their drama department. #ownvoices: QUILTBAG, WOC Content Warning: See above final paragraph, hospitals, mild bi-erasure. Overall Rating: 4 stars This book was one of the first in the new wave of YA Mysteries - not thrillers, but actual, someone wants to be a detective and solve a crime in the tradition of Agatha Christie, and Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators.
Our story is set at a school most of us could only dream of hoping to attend. Accepting on the elite of the elite - based on talent, not only on money - the Ellingham Academy is a remote school at the top of a mountain. Founded by the millionaire Albert Ellingham, near the start of the 20th Century, the school was marked by tragedy not long after it was opened. One student was killed, and the founder’s wife and child kidnapped. The only clue was a pieced together note, signed only: Truly, Devious. Our main character is Stevie; a teenage girl who was desperate to go to Ellingham Academy for one reason only: to solve the mystery of Truly, Devious. A newcomer to a boarding school that is not your average, Stevie knows only one person before she starts - Janelle, one of her housemates (yes, instead of the standard dorms, they have “houses” - actual houses with a student to a room. Stevie’s housemates are a diverse bunch - a teenaged author for one - and their house parent is one of the teachers. The house is eclectic, the people nuanced and well rounded. I think, aside from the mystery aspect - which was done so very well - my favourite aspect of this book was the diversity. Janelle is black, focused on STEM, and likes girls! And, even better, it didn’t feel like a diversity grab. Janelle felt like a realised character, and I would 100% be keen to read a spinoff regarding what she does once she leaves Ellingham. The other wonderful thing was that our main character has anxiety! Not that anxiety that people might think of - oh no, so nervous before a test (thought that is perfectly valid, I would never want to demean or make small anyone’s mental health struggles) - but full blown, on meds, carries-meds-with-her, panic attack having, capital A anxiety. As someone who has and is medicated for anxiety, I am always happy to see a decent representation in YA books, especially when it is done without any stigma, and with friends who understand and support instead of judging. Maureen Johnson has done a fantastic job of portraying mental health in a realistic and non-inflammatory way. This book will be added to my M/H awareness list (will be? Already is!). There is also a non-binary character, who is dating Janelle. Again, would love to see more of these two, I think they would make a great spinoff. Don’t read this book (without having the second and third within easy reach) if you don’t like cliffhangers! Books one and two do end with a cliffhanger. The mystery aspect is done spectacularly - I read mysteries almost exclusively for a while - and there were twists and red herrings that I truly (haha) didn’t see coming. Overall, I thought pacing was good, flow was good, mystery was good. Did not like waiting for the sequels! Audiobook narration was also very good. Content warnings: murder, blood, gore, murder, death by suffocation, death by starvation (? not sure, also not sure which book) Rating: 4.5 stars I am currently in the process of re-reading this (ok, as an audiobook) so that I can read the sequel!
We Set The Dark On Fire is a beautiful book. From the very beginning, we are introduced to a world that is similar to our own, but with a rich history and mythology which guides the current citizens. The retelling of the legend of the Sun God created a fantastic beginning to the book, though I’m a sucker for a series with it’s own established mythology! The additions of the notes from the Medio School for Girls handbook at the beginning were a good addition; they lent an extra level of understanding to the structure of the school and the Primera and Segunda roles, without having a giant, awkward knowledge dump somewhere in the book. Through these snippets and the descriptions, we can create a solid picture. When I first heard about this book, it was right around the time the POTUS was talking about building a wall. It was touted as a grim possible future for our world, and sadly, that hasn’t changed much! The higher up the mountain you live, the higher your standing in society. Our main protagonist has climbed her way up the social ladder from her position inside the school, despite a much lower status at birth, which hasn’t sat well with some of the other students; girls who started further up the ladder and can’t handle that someone with no pedigree could possibly be better than them at anything. What the other students don’t know, however, is that Dani’s birth was further down the mountain than they realise. The story starts with the school being attacked in the middle of the night, and we feel Dani’s fear that her fake papers - papers which tell the authorities that she has the right to be there - might be discovered. For years she has hidden her illegal status, and is so very close to achieving the goal of being a part of one of the highest families - something that will mean she never has to worry about being found out again. This storyline will hit home with some people, especially those in the United States, and it’s nice to see a topic like this being promoted as a general storyline; I think that this will make it more accessible to some readers. The audiobook reader is wonderful, pronouncing the Latinx vocabulary well (caveat - not a native speaker nor do I know one, so this is completely subjective on my part), and varying the voices for the different characters. And, of course, this book is #ownvoices Latinx, but it is also very much LGBT+! I won’t spoil the ending for you here, because what would be the point in reading it if I did, but if you like f+f romance against a backdrop of rebellion… This book is for you! Also, polygamy is an expected and accepted part of the culture, which is refreshing. The book is well paced, and the story compelling. I wanted to know more, especially about Sota, and I wanted to see how things worked out for the romantic situation. Character development could have been boosted in some parts, especially Carmen but I know the second book goes more into her story, so I’m ok with that. The ending could be annoying for some, but I just wanted the next book! Content warnings: violence, rebellion, same sex relationships, polyamory (not grapic sex or anything like that!) Overall Ratings: 4 stars Circle of Magic is one of my all time favourite series/worlds. I read or listen to them so often - I’m talking minimum once a year, often more.
Set in a fantasy world which resembles our own world, circa 1600’s; before electricity, when horses were the main form of travel for long distances. As a fan of high fantasy (Game of Thrones, Name of the Wind, Assassin's Apprentice), this sits nicely with me. Our characters are young - 11 I believe at the start of the series, though they do grow with the books. Despite this, I recommend it to a variety of ages - the writing is not childish, nor are the themes. Our four young main characters are all ‘found’ by a Great Mage, Niklaren Goldeye. Daja, Sandry and Briar have no inkling that they are mages, and Tris has been tested more than once by her family, who are unnerved by all of the strange things that happen when she is emotional. The four are brought together at Winding Circle Temple, and sent to Discipline. Unlike its name may suggest, Discipline is not a punishment. It is a safe place for the four to discover their magic, learn to understand it, and eventually how to control it. Each of the four books in the original series focuses predominantly on one young person at a time, and their magics - metal, weather, thread and plant. However, at the end of the first book, Sandry spins the magic and the consciousness of the four into one being, in order to survive. From this point on, the children can speak to one another in their minds. The world building is solid, although contained, in the first four books. In the second series - The Circle Opens - and the third series - The Circle Reforged - we step out of Winding Circle and into the world at large, encountering a variety of different peoples of differing races and beliefs. Representation is good in these books, both in terms of skin colour, social status, and gender. We also have a bi-sexual adult, a non-specific queer adult, polyamory and one of our main characters is interested in women. These relationships are not pushed in the face of the reader, and younger children may miss them entirely - until our main character, but even then it’s PG - but in this instance I actually like this. The books were first published between 2000 and 2013, before the recent push for LGBTQIA+ representation, yet they still fulfill the request for “books about gay people that aren’t coming out stories”. These characters are simply who they are, and there is no overt judgement about it. Which I love! These books are violent, there are murders, natural disasters, plagues, death, pirates, explosions, gang violence, fires - you get the idea. The language is rich and descriptive, the scenes easy to follow and the cast or characters - though large, is not too confusing. Content warnings: as above - violent, there are murders, natural disasters, plagues, death, pirates, explosions, gang violence, fires. Foul language is not an issue, but the writing is graphic. And beautiful. Added note: the audio books for the first series are performed by Full Cast Audio, with Tamora Pierce herself as the main narrator. The audiobooks are wonderful! Overall rating: 5 stars. Yup, 5. They hold up even with multiple re-reads, and the reading age spanned is a bonus. The amount of times I have suggested this book to someone, you’d think I would be able to say the title without getting tongue tied! However, that’s not yet the case, but that’s okay, because you get to read it, instead of having to hear me attempt to say it!
This book is like Gossip Girl, but on steroids. It’s set in the future, where an entire city - New York to be precise - has been transformed into a single tower; a tower with 1000 floors. The higher up the tower you live, the higher your social standing and, most likely, your wealth. In the tradition of Gossip Girl, we get different perspectives of various teen who live in the tower - male, female, gay, straight, rich, poor, white, people of colour. The diversity is nice, because it’s unthinkable that there would be only straight, white, rich people in a city. We open the book with a girl falling from the top of the tower. When I read the intro the first time, I was a little skeptical as to what the point in reading the book was, given that we know how it ends. I was pleasantly surprised when I found that I almost forgot about said girl - except when someone was on the roof - because I was so sucked into the various stories of the teens. World building was good - humans, sci-fi not fantasy - set in a world that is clearly ours but set in the future. Technology sounds both fascinating and I want it, while simultaneously sounding somewhat horrifying, especially the quantum computer (Nadia) one of the characters has installed IN THEIR OWN HEAD! The author does a wonderful job of weaving together the storylines. Some of them are obvious - schoolmates, siblings etc - while others are a little different - the girl from down tower who was a cleaner for someone further up tower. They all come together by the end of the book, and while I was excited to hear that there was a sequel, I wasn’t unhappy with the ending, had it been a stand alone book. If you like Gossip Girl; if you like Pretty Little Liars; if you like Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies - give this one a shot. Content warnings: discussions of mental health, discussions of (kind of) incest, death by falling, drug use, kissing, same sex relationships. Overall Rating: solid 4.5 - I had a friend with dyslexia who said this was the first book they had ever read and enjoyed - so much that they got it out more than once! Whoo boy. The Diviners. What a series! I’m going to start by saying that
With that out of the way, I want to add that this is a review of the audio book. A lot of the time, this makes no difference to the overall review, but the narrator for The Diviners Series, January LaVoy, is one of the most phenomenal audiobook readers I have ever come across, and I listen to audiobooks literally (no, seriously ask anyone who knows me) every day. The Diviners is a creepy, mysterious, magical, decadent, historical novel set in the 1920’s in New York - home of speakeasies, Ziegfeld Girls, flappers and more. The story starts by following Evie O’Neill - a young girl who is sent to live with her uncle Will, the curator of the "Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult" in New York City. Evie is sent to stay with Will because her behaviour is unbecoming of a young lady, so her parents send her away in the hopes that a new location may help her to mature, away from her friends at home. Evie is hiding something, however. She has the power to ‘read’ objects - to see things about their owners, just like a real life psychic. WHat Evie doesn’t realise, until she gets to New York, is that she is not alone. We meet a wide cast of characters in the first book, and a number of them are also Diviners - people with special skills, Characters. This book has a lot! So, briefly, I will separate the main players into categories: Diviners
In the audiobooks, each character has a specific voice; one which reflects their background, race and social standing. Theta - a singer/dancer/actor from Kansas has a deep, throaty voice; Henry - a gay male from Louisiana and best friends with Theta, has a perfect southern drawl; and Memphis - a young black teen from Harlem, has a male-sounding, NYC accent. Honestly, hand on heart, you can come into the audiobook at any point and pick out which of the main characters is speaking. As for the story...Don’t listen to it at night. It’s all about a dead serial killer called Naughty John… There’s a song… just… listen in the daytime, ok? Content Warning: magic, LGBT+, creep factor 1000% (the song on audiobook…*shivers*), gore, death, ghosts, language may be strong, discussions of mental health Overall Rating: 5 stars for the audio, 4.75 for paperback (it’s a very thick book) Clariel. A prequel published after a trilogy, about a character inferred at briefly in book two. And so. well. done.
It can be a little off putting to read a prequel to a series which you know and love, especially when there is so much time between publishing. Sabriel, the first book in the original trilogy, was first published in 1995, then Lirael (my absolute FAVE - come on, it’s set in a library underneath a glacier…) in 201, with Abhorsen, the final in the trilogy, in 2003. Clariel, which is set chronologically before the other three, wasn’t published until 2014 - that’s a full 19 years after the first book was published! Clariel is set in the same world as the rest of the Old Kingdom stories, but 600 odd years in the past. Clariel is a young woman with blood ties to both the Royal Family and the Abhorsens. In the time she lives, the King refuses to rule or to abdicate, so the towns and cities are, for the majority of instances, ruled by Guilds. Clariel is the daughter of a prominent Goldsmith, and expected to study at the elite academy and marry well. With no interest in marriage, Clariel faces a crisis when her family is massacred at the Governor's mansion. Clariel escapes, then is recaptured, but before she can be harmed she is rescued and taken to Abhorsen’s House. Kept under guard as the Abhorsen believes her to be a danger to herself, Clariel is desperate to be free to avenge the deaths of her family. Enter Mogget - the cat shaped Free Magic Elemental formally known as Yrael. Those familiar with the Old Kingdom trilogy will know Mogget as a helpful-if-it-helps-him character, one who must not be freed of his binding collar (bound by a miniature of one of the seven bells, attached to his red collar). If Mogget is freed, he will try to kill the current Abhorsen. With his collar on, he can only deal damage by way of words and knowledge. Mogget assists Clariel in escaping from the Abhorsen's house; during which she releases and binds two free magic spirits to herself, weakening her link to the Charter but allowing her to use Free Magic and bend it to her command. That’s all I will tell you, as really, you should read it! This book is interesting to read as a post-original sequel. Clariel becomes a character who is a dark antagonist in the original trilogy. It was fascinating to me to watch her transform from a normal young woman who is against her parents' plan for her life; into the antagonist of the future. It shows well how small points in ones life can send one on a path that was not previously illuminated, and that even from great love can come unspeakable evil. The other standout point in this book is that Clariel reads as asexual/aromantic. In Lirael, Lirael herself reads somewhat grey, although this is expanded upon in Goldenhand. In Clariel, ace/aro is the beginning and end of her sexual orientation. She does not want to marry - not because she wants to choose her own husband, but because she has no desire towards anything sexual or romantic. And the author has written it so that it’s really not a big deal. There is one Aunt (Limmen), who asks her niece to be sure that she is not suppressing feelings, but Clariel herself is very clear that she is just not interested. While this goes against the norm, it’s not something that makes people shy away or attack her for. Content Warnings: Gore. (It’s Old Kingdom, they’re basically dead bodies walking around and falling apart because of decomp - zombies that have been necromanically re-animated instead of getting a virus.) Blood, pain, death. Overall Rating : 4 stars (doesn’t quite take me the way Lirael does, though writing this has made me want to re-read from Clariel to Goldenhand!) |