June Reviews: Pride!

Guess who's been reading the rainbow every June for six years now! Can you believe!

It felt extra important to me this year especially, to celebrate queer stories and uplift queer voices, because there are people doing their very best to silence them. But fuck them-- trans rights are human rights and queer people have existed and will continue to exist. And we will continue to tell stories.

Let's get to it! And remember I read these books out of rainbow order, so bear with me if they reference once another in a way that doesn't make sense at first.

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

This book was fucking crazy, and i say that with such admiration.

Ivy Gamble was born without all the magic that her sister, Tabitha possesses, instead working as a private investigator and living a very lonely life. When she's called upon to investigate a murder at the magical academy where Tabitha works, Ivy will have confront the lies she's told herself and the lies she's willing to believe-- and the lengths she'll go to solve the unsolvable. 

The world building and magic in this book was wild and so fascinating. It's a lot of academic theory but looked through the lens of someone who doesn't even know the basics, trying to claw her way to understanding. Ivy is desperate and lonely and trying to tell herself she's not jealous, but she wants magic so much it hurts. This is the story of two sisters reuniting under the worst circumstances, of love gone wrong in several ways, and of the type of power no one really understands. It's about solving a murder and teenage girls and the chosen one. And it's really, really fucking good.

The writing is phenomenal-- I was drawn into the story immediately and could hardly put the book down. The characters are brilliant and different and just trying and trying and trying.

I will say, it sort of sits in the same boat at Wider Than The Sky in terms of being a queer book-- Ivy, our narrator and the main character, is not queer, but many of the characters are, and the existing queer relationships are important to the story. So while I maybe wouldn't have saved it for this month if I'd known the specifics, it was still a brilliant read with a good number of queer characters.

Overall this was such an interesting book-- parts of it are brutal, make no mistake, it's still a grisly murder mystery with several bloody parts, so if you have some sensitivities mind yourself, but I personally didn't really have issues with that part of it. The mystery was also fun to try and solve, with some great red hearings and unexpected turns. I even liked the relationship Ivy started to develop with another teacher, Rahul.

Honestly, if you like magic or mysteries at all, this one is definitely worth the read.

Sweeter Voices Still Anthology

This was an interesting compilation-- I will admit I chose it for the color more than the content (beyond it being queer, of course) so I didn't really know what to expect until I cracked it open.

It's an anthology, so the summary will be a bit different, since it's a collection of various queer writers compiling stories and poems about the queer experience in the midwest/Appalachia. It has a myriad of identities and experiences, but all of them unite to essentially say that queer folks have, do, and will continue to exist in middle America, despite the bigots who would say or prefer otherwise.

I definitely liked certain stories or poems better than others, but I could appreciate just how different each of them was, while still carrying the pride of identity, even if it is sometimes marred by the place. It's a powerful read, sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes triumphant.

If you like queer anthologies or want to see more of the flyover state queer experience, give this one a go.

The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonira Reyes

This was a last minute purchase because I was lied to by the internet about the spine color for Magic For Liars and needed a new yellow book. I also read this book crazy fast, whoops.

Yami is trying to start over after her former best friend outed her, and catholic school might not be the best choice but it at least gets her away from that drama. But new crushes, managing her brother, and pretending to be straight so her parents won't disown her are hard enough, and Yami will have to decide what's really important in life.

There was a lot happening in this book, and I unfortunately started getting sick while reading it so chunks were not processing like they should've been. Yami was a Stressed Out character, and I felt for her but it did not make it easy on my brain. 

This review has to be short because I'm falling asleep on my couch trying to write it, but the book was fine. I can confirm I've hit the age where I'm too old for a lot of YA so I'm super selective with it. I think younger ne would've liked this book a lot. 

It was also cute because I got it used and the previous owner had written little notes in the margins that were all reactive like "HELLO??" and "that's crazy" so that was a fun little addition.

The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune

I love TJ Klune's work, and this one had just as much heart as all his others.

Nate is running away from his life-- lost job, lost family, lost self-- when he finds the cabin is late mother left him already occupied. Alex, a former marine, and Art, a very special little girl, are running too, but from some far bigger and scarier than Nate ever thought possible. Together, the three of them have the chance to do something brave and to help a little girl finally get home.

I feel bad immediately jumping into some spoilers (so be warned) but there's also some very clear signs early on, both in the book art and in the content, that Artemis Darth Vader is in fact an alien. But this feels like a spin on the traditional alien story while also confronting a lot of the tropes. It doesn't shy away from the militarization and violence of intense belief, nor does it lack the humor and bewilderment that comes from an alien inhabiting the body of a ten year old girl.

The heart of the story is found family, how three grieving people are thrust together and find an unexpected love for one another. It's sweet and silly at times, but also forces you to confront what really matters in life. The love story is sweet, but I do think the familial bond they both have with Art is the strongest relationship of the book.

I will admit that some of the action sequences got a little skimmy for me, just because of the thicker nature of them. I like Klune's writing a lot, but i do feel like those big action heavy moments aren't entirely his strong suite.

Overall though I did really enjoy this book, and it was a fun way to kick off pride.

Unwieldly Creatures by Addie Tsai

I've had this book on my shelf for a while and figured pride month would be the right time to finally read it, and let me tell ya it was a weird one.

A modern retelling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Unwieldy Creatures follows three people who find themselves intertwined through ambition and science-- Dr. Frank, Plum, and Ash, each trapped in their own desires for companionship, acceptance, or success, discovering within themselves who is the monster and who is the creator.

Similar to how Frankenstein is written as a story within a story, this one is written as a letter Plum is writing and interposing with their own story as they tell the one Dr. Frank tells them and eventually the one Ash told Dr. Frank who told Plum. And that made it a very interesting and intertwined story while also putting every narrator into question for their reliability in telling the story. I haven't read Frankenstein in several years, but the language and story progression used in this book feel very similar to what I remember, just modernized in terms of race and gender and science. All three narrators fall outside the societal gender binary and are of Asian descent, looking at a world dominated by white men and carving their own lives from it.

I will say, I know Frankenstein and subsequently this story are about ambition causing ruination and death, but it was still frustrating to read. And I know that's the point!! But I was still like! I cannot believe you are doing this!! It is so clearly a bad idea!!! So that made it kind of stressful to read lol, because I was unable to set aside my own overly cautious brain to read the story. 

I liked how anecdotal it felt, like someone was truly meandering their way through telling the story of their life and mistakes, but the language sometimes felt too heavy or verbose, to the point where it sometimes felt like trudging through the pages.

Overall this was a good remaining, but not one I really liked. It captured the grotesque and the strange and the regret of the original Frankenstein, while giving fresh perspective to the idea of creation, so I can absolutely respect it as a story, just one is didn't end up liking in the end. The actual ending to the book felt jarring as well, going in a fully unpredicted direction.

Wider Than The Sky by Katherine Rothschild

I'll start by saying I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did, but it was still decent.

Sabine and her twin sister Blythe are still reeling from the sudden death of their father when their mother moves them across the state and into a dilapidated house with a strange man named Charlie. When the nature of Charlie's relationship with their dad is revealed, Sabine must decide what forgiveness means for her, and if she can move on with that loss.

I may not have classified this book as a queer one had I looked into it more-- it does have a bisexual polyamorous man, even if he's dead, and his gay lover, but it's less about their relationship and Mick' death from AIDS than it is about Sabine coming to terms with it. And even then it felt more about her high school drama and crush on a boy and trying to get her mom and Charlie to sell the house and move back home. Which, while fine plot enough, I think just wasn't what I was expecting from this story. I think I also went in thinking he characters were younger for some reason, and so the ya high school drama of it all just took me by surprise.

I did like the poetry thread of it-- Sabine impulsively quotes relevant Emily Dickenson poems throughout the story, and I do love an Emily Dickenson poem (she's also queer, so that helped lend a bit of something to the story). And her relationship with her sister was a key part of it and felt realistic.

Overall I thought it was fine, nothing too great but a decent enough story about truth, forgiveness, and remembrance. 

New Adult by Timothy Janivsky

I was so hesitant to read this book because I don't love time travel or second chance romance, and this one is centered around both of those things. But I got it for super cheap at that library sale a few months ago and figured I'd at least give it a shot.

Nolan Baker wants it all-- a struggling comedian trying to break onto the scene, he just wants to skip to the part where he's famous by thirty. But his pursuit of fame costs him his family and best friend, Drew, and so a wish to skip to the good parts seems even better. When Noaln wakes up its seven years later, and he has all the money and fame he could ask for, but has completely lost his family and himself in the process. Reconnecting with Drew may be his only hope to fix what he's done wrong, and maybe find a way to start over.

This was a cute read-- Nolan is charismatic, flawed, and entertaining to follow as he makes mistakes and then does a lot of growing up.  They magical element of the story was cool, and I liked that the story was broken up into sections titled after the crystals Nolan uses to make his wish. The who weird Doop factor was something I wish we'd have gotten more world building on, but that wasn't the focus of the story so I get why it's still a mystery.

I will say I did a lot of skimming with this book, but mostly because I can confirm now that I don't live time travel and second chance romance. I can appreciate the growth that Nolan experienced and the improved decisions he was making once he looked at his own selfishness,  but it was just done in a way that isn't quite it for me. But even with the skimming it was a cute read, and the dialogue and characters were well written.

Overall this is not at all a bad queer romance, just utilized some tropes I don't love (but I know someone out there does!).

Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond

My dear friend gave me this book a couple years ago, and I read about half before pausing for a while, and decided this would make a decent final book for my pride month reading the rainbow.

Amy spends half her time hiding her sexuality so she can keep her job at a Christian bakery and the other half living it up as a queer bartender. But after she's fired from the bakery, Amy takes a step into being a professional bridesmaid, just as she meets the delightful Charley. But juggling it all and trying to be who everyone needs her to be is taking it's toll, and she has to decide if she's willing to take the risk of trying to be her true self.

This was a cute read-- the writing was decent and the characters had enough depth to them to be interesting. I liked the professional bridesmaid schtick and getting to see all the different kinds of weddings Amy went to and helped with. But beyond that I didn't really love the story, and found myself not really connecting with or super caring about Amy's journey.

I think I'm realizing maybe I just don't like romcoms? Or I just have super high standards and requirements for the romantic comedy books and movies I consume. Because this did have some really cute bits and the premise was a fun and upliftingly queer journey, but it just didn't hit for me.

But if you do love romcoms and weddings and queer love, this would honestly be a great book for you.

And that's it! I think overall the month had more books that were meh than were great, but you know what, that's a queer rights; queer right to write both good and subpar books that fit different peoples' tastes.

Happy fuckin' pride, baby.

Literary recommendation: one of my favorite queer reads is The Last True Poets of The Sea by Julia Drake, so go give that book a try

Media recommendation: it's not queer, sorry, but I did just watch Netflix's Kpop Demon Hunters and it actually was so cute, and the soundtrack absolutely kicks ass.