July Reviews

The great state of California went back into lockdown this month, so I got to celebrate my 25th birthday in a very lowkey way by reading outside a lot (at least until the heat wave drove me back inside). I'm pleased to say that this month, like last month, was filled entirely with books starring LGBT+ characters (and mostly LGBT+ authors!). Let's just dive right in:

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

This book was more adult-y than I was expecting. I have no idea why I went into reading this book believing it was for a slightly younger audience, but that was not the case and I'm not mad about it.

Princess Denna has been engaged to marry the prince of Mynaria for years. All her courtly training (and hiding her magic) has led up to this alliance, but now that she's in her new home, nothing is going according to plan. An illegal group of militant magic users have been on the rise, threatening the lives of the royal family, and after an assassination leaves the kingdom reeling, Denna feels the need to hide her steadily growing magic more than ever. Then there's her tumultuous relationship with her betrothed's sister, Princess Mare. Mare is strong-willed and stubborn, and she's unlike anyone Denna's ever met before. When the two of them join forces to discover the true culprits behind the assassinations, sparks fly, and both Denna and Mare feel pulled between their duty and their hearts.

This book was not quite an enemies to friends to lovers story, but it was close enough. Maybe like a reluctant friends to friends to lovers, or something adjacent. Close enough that I loved watching their relationship bloom from awkward forced friendship to genuine affection. I eat that shit up.

The setting was very intricately created, and I would have actually liked a bit more world building exposition, simply because I felt like there was so much more to be explored, things I wanted to hear more about. I suppose that paves a great path for sequels or books set in the same world, and this book was already close to 400 pages, so it's probably for the best that there wasn't an extravagant amount of background.

I loved that within the medieval setting there wasn't a problem with a same-sex couple. The issue wasn't their sexuality, it was that Denna was engaged to Mare's brother, and that was honestly very refreshing. No more homophobia, it's cancelled, I only want books where queer relationships are seen as normal.

This book, in addition to being about two princesses falling in love, was all about the courtly and political intrigue and murder, so I had a great time with it. It was long and fantastical, and while some of the language used ('sunlengths' instead of hours, etc) took a little getting used to, it was predominantly modern-feeling language usage set in a medieval fantasy time. I enjoyed the mystery of the magic users and the potential way (and I just have to say that my suspicions were spot-on from pretty early on in the book, even if I had the motive wrong, so I felt pretty good about that).

Overall this wasn't what I was expecting, but it was a well-written love story that I enjoyed reading.

Similar to: Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller

You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson

There were people all over the internet raving about this book when I bought it, and it did not disappoint. I don't buy an extraordinary number of new releases (usually I'll save up to buy a few in bulk or receive them as gifts), but this one I knew I had to get as soon as possible.

Liz Lightly does not like to stand out in a crowd. All she wants it to get through high school and attend the same school as her late mother. But when her expected financial aid falls through, Liz has to turn to drastic measures to keep her dream alive. Enter operation prom. Liz's Indiana high school is obsessed with prom and all the glitz and glamor that accompanies it. Liz would normally want nothing to do with it, but the prom queen crown is accompanied by a scholarship that could get her to her dream school. So Liz has to learn to step into the limelight and own the queen she is, all the while trying to ignore the cute new girl and the fact that the entire school will be watching her. But no pressure, right?

You Should See Me In A Crown is an adorable romance, sure, but it's also all about learning to be proud of the person you are, to recognize that you are enough. Liz's journey of self-acceptance and confidence is a long and windy road filled with unexpected betrayals and a truly swoon-worthy first date. As one of the only black girls at her school--and one of the only queer girls, even if she is closeted--Liz goes up against a lot of targeted backlash with her prom campaign. But it isn't until she stops trying to be what people what her to be and comes into her own that she's able to find the confidence to wear a crown.

Liz's anxiety plays a big part in her story because it's prevented her from doing so many things. She starts to realize the things she missed out on because she didn't have the confidence (or the support) to do them, but once she's given the opportunity to shine, she does so brightly! The focal point of her self-confidence issues stemmed from a particular moment, one that was visited twice in the text, and let me tell you the second time with clearer understanding was a sucker punch, and I completely understood Liz's anger over the situation. This was a great example of the way small moments can shape a person's life, even if no one else thinks it does, even if the moment feels insignificant to someone else.

The characters in this book were so much fun. Liz's friend group of fashionist Gabi, space cadet Stone, and sporty Brit were a riot with every conversation. And it was such a joy to watch her reconnect with her old friend Jordan, even if their road to rekindling a friendship was a rocky one. And don't even get me started on her love interest, Mack. Even with the roadbumps they faced, Liz grew so much from spending time with Mack, and there were several moments where I just had to stop and grin their love story was so cute.

Liz's little brother Robbie was such a cheerleader for her, even while he was battling his own issues. Robbie had sickle cell disease, the same blood disorder that killed their mother, and while he stayed positive the whole time, his illness contributed a lot to Liz's anxiety. But part of her journey was learning that she can't be responsible for everyone around her all the time. She can help, definitely, but she can't make decisions for other people, not if she was going to learn to live her own life as well.

YSSMIAC is all about gaining the confidence to see your own magic, and all about Liz's black girl magic specifically. I had so much fun reading this story and cheering for Liz, both in prom court and in life, and I think you will too.

Similar to Leah On The Off Beat by Becky Albertalli

The Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal by the McElroys and Carey Pietsch

This is one of those books that's hard for me to review because it's part of a bigger project. If you've been around long enough to read my reviews of the previous two The Adventure Zone graphic novels, them you'll have heard this before.

I fell in love with the TAZ podcast what feels like forever ago. It was my introduction both dungeons and dragons and podcasts, and now to get to physically hold the story I cried to while driving to work for over a year is such a cool thing. The McElroys (and Carey!) have created such a beautiful and hilarious story with so much heart. And with the graphic novel I get to laugh and cry through the same things, along with some lovely little changes.

My ONLY gripe with this book is that we lost the floor 20 joke, and like, I can go listen to the podcast again if I want to relive that genius moment. The rest of it is so, so good, and I will forever and always recommend this story in all its forms to everyone.

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

There were so many times while reading this book that I had to put it down for a second and whisper "holy shit" to myself before I could keep reading.

Pet takes place in an ideal world where all the corrupt individuals like rapists and politicians have been removed, and there are no longer any monsters in society. The angels of the revolution sent them to be rehabilitated and everyone is safer and happier in a world that can no longer hurt them. Or at least that's what every thinks. But when a creature crawls out of one of her mother's painting, claiming to be hunting a monster in her best friend's house, Jam has to confront the reality that monsters aren't just the people who have already been defeated. With the help of this creature, Pet, Jam has to find the monsters still living in her town and convince everyone that a monster is still a monster, even if they're really good at hiding.

The sheer number of lines that just exude raw power is unbelievable. This book is two-hundred pages. I read it in an afternoon. But it has more relevant quotes and astoundingly powerful lines than some of the four hundred or five hundred page books I've read. I was absolutely blown away by this book. The allegory of this book hits hard, and it forces both Jam and the reader to take a hard, critical look at the things around them, the way their world is run and what they are told to believe.

The cast of characters in this book are all black, which is such a rarity in any kind of literature. But not only was Jam black, she was a completely accepted transgender teenager. She dissociated in situations and had anxiety. She was nonverbal most of the book, signing with her best friend and parents (and speaking telepathically with Pet) and was not once forced to speak unless she chose to do so. The parts of society that allowed her to grow and choose and be who she was (including the medical technology and consent over her own body) was amazing. This book has the roots of good intentions and the potential to craft a post-rebellion society that is made to care for those who exist within it. But it also has flaws, things that slip through the cracks, monsters living in places they shouldn't. It stressed the point that even if you're living in a place and time you think is perfect, there are always pieces of truths you can't see.

Several times throughout the book, Jam and her best friend, Redemption, are referenced as being just kids. This is done with both bad and good intentions--they're kids, no one will believe them vs they're kids, they shouldn't have to fix the mistakes of adults--but is another rarity in literature. So often teenagers are the faces of rebellion in both YA novels and real life, the next generation stepping up to fix the mistakes of the previous one, even though they shouldn't have to.

I almost want to say this book is magical realism, because both the terminology and the way Jam interacts with her world makes it feel magical, even if it's treated as ordinary. Part of that, I think, comes from how utopian the world feels, even with the hidden corruptions and the fear of speaking of the monsters. Jam is a black, non-verbal, transgender teenager, and not once walking down the street or going places in town does she feel unsafe in her community. She is given the space to grow and surrounded by supportive people. And it all felt utopian not just because they didn't have police officers or oppressive religious leaders, but because a character like Jam exists without fear. That lack of fear is shattered by the emergence of Pet, but only to serve as a protector and a reminder that you must always look for the unseen and search for the truth, even if the niceties of the world draw you into complacency.

The language used in this book, beyond the raw one-liners, was also beautiful. The descriptors created such distinct feelings and gave the characters so much individuality. Their names and the way they spoke were very distinct and different from what I see, it was beautiful to dive into. The world building and fascinating way Jam's world was set up feels like a plausible alternative reality, and it amazes me how prevalent the story and the world is to right now. Absolutely incredible, and a must-read for everyone.

Similar to: this is unlike any book I have ever read before.

The Extraordinaries By TJ Klune

I have been eagerly awaiting this book for a very long time now. I've been a fan of TJ Klune's for several years, mostly for his non-YA books, and this was a great YA story.

Nick Bell isn't exactly ordinary, (he's gay, has ADHD, writes fanfiction) but he's not an Extraordinary. And in Nick's world, Extraordinaries are super heros. Nick's home, Nova City, has two Extraordinaries, Shadow Star and Pyro Storm, a resident hero and villain that Nick may or may not be a little obsessed with. After an encounter with his hero (and massive crush), Nick decides he's done just writing about the heroes, he's going to become one himself. With the help of his best friends, Seth (who suddenly seems much busier than last year, and did he get buffer too?), Gibby, and Jazz, Nick's pretty sure he can crack the code and start saving the city himself, even if his Dad tries to ground him for it.

I am on a roll with the happy queer books, oh man, my favorite thing to happen this year is the sheer amount of traction these happy queer books of all genres are getting. In this book we had a healthy lesbian relationship, a gay main character, a bisexual best friend and two bisexual love interests. YES. And the straight men in the story (mostly Nick's dad and Cap) were very comfortable with their feelings and more than happy to banter with Nick. LOVE IT. Not to mention everything about Nick realizing his feelings (including his little Meltdown of Realization) for Seth was cute as fuck. Seriously, even with some of the violence and drama that's captured in this book, I still wanted to wiggle with happiness over how cute and wonderful their relationship was. Best friends to lovers, hello? One of my favorite things ever? Especially when there are superheroes and a romantic origin story thrown in.

This story has a lot of callback to some great traditional superhero stories--cop for a dad, heroic dialogue, a literal battle between light and dark--but made into something fun and fresh. That was helped in part by the great cast of character, but also because Nick was an incredibly oblivious narrator, which made for fun guesswork as I tried to figure out (and ultimately probably did figure out, mostly) all the twists before Nick. And there were a lot of twists, several red herrings very delightfully crafted to keep me guessing and ultimately satisfied with the story. And oh man that last little chapter after the acknowledgments, I felt so validated and also very, very hopeful that there could quite possibly exist a sequel at some point in the future.

The Extraordinaries is filled to the brim with hilarious dialogue, which I have definitely grown used to expecting from Klune. He knows how to use dialogue and character interaction in the best ways possible, taking us from laugh-out-loud alley scenes to heartfelt hospital moments. Nick was a fully fledged and well developed character, and following him on this story was not dull for a single moment. This book is about 400 pages and I tore through it, delighted by every page, even if I cringed a bit while experiencing some of it.

There was a notable amount of secondhand embarrassment that was cringe worthy but bearable, especially because it was so often followed by funny banter and devious friends. I'm not great at managing embarrassing situations, whether in reality or fiction, but I was too enthralled by the story to let it get to me (too much, at least). And there was a balance, since Nick's friends (and often Nick himself) would recognize the embarrassing nature of whatever was happening, and the acknowledgment helped to move past it. The characters in this book owned who they were and had a very clear sense of themselves, which translated to very stable friendships and relationships (for the most part, there is Owen, but like, we don't need to talk about him right now). Also has a lot of relationships where the characters aren't afraid to be themselves and talk about their feelings. Nick and his father have their issues, but they also undeniably love each other, even when they're bad at showing it. They make mistakes trying to figure out how to exist as a family of two after losing Nick's mom, and there are some growing pains associated with that change. But they manage, even when they fight, to be there for each other, and seeing that solid father-son relationship in a queer story was so wonderful. I will only say good things about this book because it made me laugh harder than I've laughed in a long time. People who like happy queer characters, super heroes, and fandoms, definitely check out this book.

Similar to: Hero by Perry Moore and The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

The Fell of Dark by Caleb Roehrig

For somebody who has spent the last two years writing and editing my own contemporary supernatural story, I don't spend a lot of time reading that genre. Turns out, make it gay and I'm all about it (which, I mean, I was doing in my book, but it's nice to be able to read something like that without having to write it).

Auggie wants, more than anything, to leave his stupid vampire-ridden town behind, but he has to pass algebra first. He might not get the chance to though, not when a mysterious (but very attractive) vampire shows up and tells Auggie he's the vessel for an ancient dark being, one whose ascension could spell the end of the world. With the help of his math tutor-turned-vampire slayer and witch best friend, Auggie will have to decide who he can trust in a town full of liars and how on earth he'll survive whatever's growing inside of him.

I've read Roehrig's work before (remember last month when I read Death Prefers Blondes?) and have a lot of fun with his style. He's got a great sense of humor and is really good at balancing lighter dialogue with heavier moments. And this book had some heavier moments, dealing with topics like possession, blood, and death. The story never lets you forget that Auggie is a teenager, and in doing so it really conveys how overwhelming and scary the stuff he's dealing with is. He has moments where he spends a while thinking about a cute boy and others where he sits crying alone because his future is uncertain but death is iminent. He shares a lot of intimate moments with both Gunnar and Jude, some of them at the same time, some of them apart, and while they sometimes feel like big grandiose, mature moments, they also serve as a reminder of how much of the future Auggie should have left but very likely will not.

This book includes what I suppose could be classified as a love triangle if you squint, but is really more of a complicated threesome with a lot of history and regret. Gunnar and Jude have very different personalities and very different histories, but they both come to Auggie in a time of change, lying to and helping him. The other characters are just as wildly different, from Ximena the grandma sorceress to Hope and Adrianna, two very different kinds of young witches. I liked that magic and vampires could coexist in strange ways, and even when it was frustrating to feel like none of the ageless factions were telling Auggie the truth, even the small truths they did eventually reveal were fascinating.

The worldbuilding and background of this book was immense. Several chapters took over the course of hundreds of years with a wide cast of characters, which added to the lore and intrigue surrounding the dark star. I loved getting to jump into the heads of the previous vessels, some of whom lived long enough to have the dark star share their bodies while others died while still in the beginning stages of ascension. Roehrig clearly did a lot of plotting and brainstorming with the history in this book, and it was really cool to match real history with this one that he created for the book.

Overall this book wasn't what I expected, but I got hooked into the story and am really very excited by the prospect that popular YA (especially LGBT YA) could be re embracing the supernatural genre and making it contemporary and gay.

Similar to: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater and Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore

That's it! That's all she wrote! And by she I mean me. I picked a heavy stack to balance on one hand this month, so I won't waste any time on a fancy ending for this review. I'll see you all next month!

Sam

Reading Recommendation: This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills

Media Recommendation: The Chick's new album Gaslighter