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TW: sports injury, internalised ableism, allusions to OCD, anxiety, and depression, alcoholism, racism, abuse, rape, abortion, infidelity
This is a drama first, laced with a gripping mystery. Honestly it enjoyed that concept far more than I would have expected. The twists were fresh and new and the characters were well conceived and delivered.
This is a drama first, laced with a gripping mystery. Honestly it enjoyed that concept far more than I would have expected. The twists were fresh and new and the characters were well conceived and delivered.
TW: suicide ideation, suicide attempts, bullying, racism, homophobia, slurs, sexual assault, emotional abuse and toxic relationships
The memior/help column format is honestly quite brilliant. John Paul is brutally honest with his life and his learning moments and how they can translate into life lessons, and hope for the future.
The memior/help column format is honestly quite brilliant. John Paul is brutally honest with his life and his learning moments and how they can translate into life lessons, and hope for the future.
TW: anxiety, allusions to sex
This story is a bit of a mess, and not in a bad way. The plot and characters are all over the place, again, not in a bade way. This is life as a teen, life as a newly out queer person. I loved it.
This story is a bit of a mess, and not in a bad way. The plot and characters are all over the place, again, not in a bade way. This is life as a teen, life as a newly out queer person. I loved it.
TW: *SPOILERS* fatphobia, mentions of diets and crash diets, homophobia, cancer, death
Okay, I MAY have been crying while reading this and I MAY be a complete mess with all the feels and swollen eyes, but by gosh sometimes a book is worth it.
Okay, I MAY have been crying while reading this and I MAY be a complete mess with all the feels and swollen eyes, but by gosh sometimes a book is worth it.
TW: (SPOILERS)
Racism, colorism, colonisation, slavery, intergenerational trauma, residential schools, sexual assault, rape, suicide, miscarriage, blood
Absolutly stunning. Not subtle in its parallels, and honestly I'm glad. It's well thought out and grapples with it's flawed but intriguing characters well in a society set up around racism & classism.
Racism, colorism, colonisation, slavery, intergenerational trauma, residential schools, sexual assault, rape, suicide, miscarriage, blood
Absolutly stunning. Not subtle in its parallels, and honestly I'm glad. It's well thought out and grapples with it's flawed but intriguing characters well in a society set up around racism & classism.
2.5
TW: SUICIDE, Suicide ideation, romanticised suicide (seriously, suicide is painted near positive in this book), death, stabbing, murder, blood, ableism, homophobia, transphobia
So... the first third was good!
After that it went down hill for me. The part I was most looking forward too ended up being a bit of a slog. The first third of the book is more of a contemporary romance, while the last two thirds are more fantasy in genre, and therein was it's weakness. The fantasy 'world' and rules seemed bare, bleak and made up on the fly, and characters had mostly no answers or rhyme or reason for things. Our protagonist went from this incredibly passionate, vibrant and lively person, to- pardon the pun- lifeless. She was mostly a husk. Letting herself be lead along by the other, mostly blank side characters and never regaining her spark. She's just...there.
My main beef is there is a LOT of freakin' suicide in this book. TRIGGER WARNING HERE FOR DISCUSSIN OF SUICIDE IN A POSITIVE LIGHT: Some trigger warnings would NOT have gone amiss in the front of this book. The reapers harvest not a few people who have killed themselves with really no sympathy or compassion, it's just a job. And the people who committed suicide were portrayed as happy and relieved, like it was the right choice and they are in a happy place mentally now. This is seriously irresponsible and dangerous to have included all this suicidal references without warning, but especially to have it be portrayed as a 'good' choice.
As another reviewer pointed out, I wasn't a fan of one of the main characters vaguely transphobic comment when she was asked if she was a lesbian. Her response was she was "strictly clitly". Of course your allowed genital preference but that's not what defines your sexuality. Plenty of woman don't have a clitoris and dating them still makes you a lesbian.
Lastly is an ablest comment towards the end where the protagonist mourns for the 'waste' of her grandmother being confined to a wheelchair.
*sprays with water bottle* Stop it! Learn something from the 'Spiritfairer' developers same mess up and how they fixed it!
TW: SUICIDE, Suicide ideation, romanticised suicide (seriously, suicide is painted near positive in this book), death, stabbing, murder, blood, ableism, homophobia, transphobia
So... the first third was good!
After that it went down hill for me. The part I was most looking forward too ended up being a bit of a slog. The first third of the book is more of a contemporary romance, while the last two thirds are more fantasy in genre, and therein was it's weakness. The fantasy 'world' and rules seemed bare, bleak and made up on the fly, and characters had mostly no answers or rhyme or reason for things. Our protagonist went from this incredibly passionate, vibrant and lively person, to- pardon the pun- lifeless. She was mostly a husk. Letting herself be lead along by the other, mostly blank side characters and never regaining her spark. She's just...there.
My main beef is there is a LOT of freakin' suicide in this book. TRIGGER WARNING HERE FOR DISCUSSIN OF SUICIDE IN A POSITIVE LIGHT: Some trigger warnings would NOT have gone amiss in the front of this book. The reapers harvest not a few people who have killed themselves with really no sympathy or compassion, it's just a job. And the people who committed suicide were portrayed as happy and relieved, like it was the right choice and they are in a happy place mentally now. This is seriously irresponsible and dangerous to have included all this suicidal references without warning, but especially to have it be portrayed as a 'good' choice.
As another reviewer pointed out, I wasn't a fan of one of the main characters vaguely transphobic comment when she was asked if she was a lesbian. Her response was she was "strictly clitly". Of course your allowed genital preference but that's not what defines your sexuality. Plenty of woman don't have a clitoris and dating them still makes you a lesbian.
Lastly is an ablest comment towards the end where the protagonist mourns for the 'waste' of her grandmother being confined to a wheelchair.
*sprays with water bottle* Stop it! Learn something from the 'Spiritfairer' developers same mess up and how they fixed it!
*Cracks fingers* My time to shine!
TW: Homophobia, biphobia, infidelity, mentions of sex, religion, religious trauma, disownment, internalised homophobia, sexual assault(?)
Please note this review is coming from a non-binary, queer white person raised LDS
Overall, I really liked this story. It was very hard for me to start considering my background and religious trauma in the same religion as Sebastion. I thought it was all handled really well and that the authors did a lot of really great research (from what I can find neither are or were LDS). Having a book that deals so bluntly with religious trauma and queerness with bisexual rep is DEEPLY needed and in a lot of ways healing for me. While I HATED what the main character did during the 'big mess' at the end (that I think *SPOILERS* counts very much as sexual assault on both ends), I still found the rest of the book important and I'm grateful it's here.
BUT! Despite all the research I can tell the authors did, I do have to point out there were a few mistakes that very clearly jumped out to me (as someone raised LDS). Most of these just made me laugh, and didn't damage the story or morals or paint anything egregiously wrong. Just signaled to me this was researched rather than from lived experience. Read forward if you want a laugh.
1: Tanner is shocked that all the kicks in the Provo high school sit so 'properly' and straight up. Dude, LDS kids have the 'reverent but slouching' pose down to an artform.
2: It is highly implied that EVERYONE in provo is LDS, don't drink, dress modestly, and are clean cut. True, the MAIN chuck are LDS, but that's around 60%, and it's not uncommon of for people to drink. There are plenty of bars, people wearing 'immodest' clothing, and swearing up and down the place, especially at school! I went to a 95% Mormon high school and I can tell you I've never heard more 'improper' language that in those halls. XD
3: I had to put down the book to compose myself when Tanner said "Provo is safe to drive in. No one drinks and everyone drives like an octogenarian". Reader, I was wheezing. EVERYONE IN UTAH collectively agrees (ESPECIALLY THOSE IN PROVO) that roadrage is one of the the single most horrible things about that area. People are kind on the street but once they are behind the wheel, all is shunned in favour of the blood-driven intense desire to own the road and be FIRST HOME AT ALL COSTS. No one is safe from the wrath of a provo driver. It is joked cars there should have talley lines to count each car's victims. Drivers in Utah will mow down the prophet himself if he even accidentally sets foot off the sidewalk.
4: The prayers were off. You can tell a LDS prayer. They are their own very unique style, and one big thing is all speech is switched to Shakespearean ol' english. There is no "You" and "me", there is only "Thou" and "Thee". I saw too many times where Heavenly Father was referred to as "You" and while that sounds like a nitpik, it's very off-putting to an LDS prayer and signals your familiarity with the culture. And while the traditional LDS closing prayer mantra is "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen", nearly everyone (it's a running joke in the church now) adds a "Thy son" in there ("In the name of thy son, Jesus Christ, amen").
5: The word "Recruit" is used in this book often, but no one actually uses that word in reference to joining the LDS church IRL. What IS used is 'convert' or 'conversion'.
6: Sebastion, a lifelong member says at one point he didn't want to disappoint "the Heavenly Father". LDS folk do not put a 'the' before Heavenly Father, because their relationship too him is seen as that of a real parent and child, and with the same familiarity. Adding the 'the' is the equivalent of someone saying "I can't go to X party, I don't want to disappoint the Dad". It just sounds SO wrong!
7: Not so much on the funny side, but some doctrinal things were misphrased or incorrect. One page said children of queer LDS parents were "excluded" from church activities until they were 8 years old. This is false (not that the real doctrine is any better!) The actual rule was these children were not allowed to be baptised till they were 18 and able to 'denounce' their parents 'lifestyle'. They were more than welcome to join in with activities and come to church (Cause church still wants a convert!) but just not get baptised or receive the priesthood (normally received at age 12) till they are 18.
Lastly, there was a lot of inconsistencies I noticed while reading that an editor should have picked up on. For one, the first prayer said in the book had the 'You' (in reference to God) capitalised, while the second prayer didn't. In another scene Sebastian is handed a Vitamin Water but in the next paragraph it magically turns into a Coke? Little things that I think should have been caught early on. A big one though is Sebastian gives Tanner an author copy of his book, and it is never spoken about again. Tanner only learns about Sebastian's book again at the book launch. If Tanner really was worshiping Sebastian he would have devoured that ARC.
TW: Homophobia, biphobia, infidelity, mentions of sex, religion, religious trauma, disownment, internalised homophobia, sexual assault(?)
Please note this review is coming from a non-binary, queer white person raised LDS
Overall, I really liked this story. It was very hard for me to start considering my background and religious trauma in the same religion as Sebastion. I thought it was all handled really well and that the authors did a lot of really great research (from what I can find neither are or were LDS). Having a book that deals so bluntly with religious trauma and queerness with bisexual rep is DEEPLY needed and in a lot of ways healing for me. While I HATED what the main character did during the 'big mess' at the end (that I think *SPOILERS* counts very much as sexual assault on both ends), I still found the rest of the book important and I'm grateful it's here.
BUT! Despite all the research I can tell the authors did, I do have to point out there were a few mistakes that very clearly jumped out to me (as someone raised LDS). Most of these just made me laugh, and didn't damage the story or morals or paint anything egregiously wrong. Just signaled to me this was researched rather than from lived experience. Read forward if you want a laugh.
1: Tanner is shocked that all the kicks in the Provo high school sit so 'properly' and straight up. Dude, LDS kids have the 'reverent but slouching' pose down to an artform.
2: It is highly implied that EVERYONE in provo is LDS, don't drink, dress modestly, and are clean cut. True, the MAIN chuck are LDS, but that's around 60%, and it's not uncommon of for people to drink. There are plenty of bars, people wearing 'immodest' clothing, and swearing up and down the place, especially at school! I went to a 95% Mormon high school and I can tell you I've never heard more 'improper' language that in those halls. XD
3: I had to put down the book to compose myself when Tanner said "Provo is safe to drive in. No one drinks and everyone drives like an octogenarian". Reader, I was wheezing. EVERYONE IN UTAH collectively agrees (ESPECIALLY THOSE IN PROVO) that roadrage is one of the the single most horrible things about that area. People are kind on the street but once they are behind the wheel, all is shunned in favour of the blood-driven intense desire to own the road and be FIRST HOME AT ALL COSTS. No one is safe from the wrath of a provo driver. It is joked cars there should have talley lines to count each car's victims. Drivers in Utah will mow down the prophet himself if he even accidentally sets foot off the sidewalk.
4: The prayers were off. You can tell a LDS prayer. They are their own very unique style, and one big thing is all speech is switched to Shakespearean ol' english. There is no "You" and "me", there is only "Thou" and "Thee". I saw too many times where Heavenly Father was referred to as "You" and while that sounds like a nitpik, it's very off-putting to an LDS prayer and signals your familiarity with the culture. And while the traditional LDS closing prayer mantra is "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen", nearly everyone (it's a running joke in the church now) adds a "Thy son" in there ("In the name of thy son, Jesus Christ, amen").
5: The word "Recruit" is used in this book often, but no one actually uses that word in reference to joining the LDS church IRL. What IS used is 'convert' or 'conversion'.
6: Sebastion, a lifelong member says at one point he didn't want to disappoint "the Heavenly Father". LDS folk do not put a 'the' before Heavenly Father, because their relationship too him is seen as that of a real parent and child, and with the same familiarity. Adding the 'the' is the equivalent of someone saying "I can't go to X party, I don't want to disappoint the Dad". It just sounds SO wrong!
7: Not so much on the funny side, but some doctrinal things were misphrased or incorrect. One page said children of queer LDS parents were "excluded" from church activities until they were 8 years old. This is false (not that the real doctrine is any better!) The actual rule was these children were not allowed to be baptised till they were 18 and able to 'denounce' their parents 'lifestyle'. They were more than welcome to join in with activities and come to church (Cause church still wants a convert!) but just not get baptised or receive the priesthood (normally received at age 12) till they are 18.
Lastly, there was a lot of inconsistencies I noticed while reading that an editor should have picked up on. For one, the first prayer said in the book had the 'You' (in reference to God) capitalised, while the second prayer didn't. In another scene Sebastian is handed a Vitamin Water but in the next paragraph it magically turns into a Coke? Little things that I think should have been caught early on. A big one though is Sebastian gives Tanner an author copy of his book, and it is never spoken about again. Tanner only learns about Sebastian's book again at the book launch. If Tanner really was worshiping Sebastian he would have devoured that ARC.
TW: racism, racial slurs, uncalled out racist phrases, fire, burns, car explosion/burning
2.5
This one just didn't connect with me. I didn't enjoy the characters and found the author's casual use of racist phrases like 'hoodoo' and 'chinese whipsers' to be ironic given the underlying theme of race. I also didn't enjoy the main character continuously seeking out a boy she knew had a girlfriend.
2.5
This one just didn't connect with me. I didn't enjoy the characters and found the author's casual use of racist phrases like 'hoodoo' and 'chinese whipsers' to be ironic given the underlying theme of race. I also didn't enjoy the main character continuously seeking out a boy she knew had a girlfriend.
TW: transphobia, racism, deadnaming, misgendering, violance towards trans people, murder, rape, sexual assault, abuse, prisons, misogynior, ableism, withholding of medical care, suicide
Why is transphobia so rampint in the UK and gaining momentum elsewhere in the world? This book covers many answers and the fallacies behind them, and reasons we all benefit from trans liberation.
Why is transphobia so rampint in the UK and gaining momentum elsewhere in the world? This book covers many answers and the fallacies behind them, and reasons we all benefit from trans liberation.
