*3.5* This was a very cute romance that I read in participation for #YONCÉathon. I like the character of Millie, but it took me over 50% of the book to actually give a hoot about Flora. I do think that this is one of those stories that would have benefitted greatly from dual-perspectives because I think a lot of Flora's character development and complexity had to come at the hands of what Millie saw and interpreted.

*4.5* I enjoyed this collection of comics and definitely will be continuing on with the series. Shuri is a complex character, and the comic does a great job exploring her complicated relationship with her brother, even when he’s only present for the first two pages. Shuri has always been second fiddle to her brother, who was first a future king and then a king; her entire existence has been shadowed by and in service of her brother. Even in his absence, she is expected to pick up the mantle he held and be the leader he was; this doesn’t vibe with Shuri, who would rather serve her people technologically and from the sidelines. Plus, she has her own trauma with the role of Black Panther that no one seems to either know about or take into consideration. There’s interesting themes of duty before self and technology/science vs. spirituality.

*3.5* There's quite a bit of slut-shaming and at that point, Laura Jeans becomes a bit insufferable. Other than, cute ass romcom, and Peter is awesome.

Super cute. I was rooting for Peter until I wasn't, and I'm honestly not completely satisfied with the ending. Laura Jean definitely deserves better than what she is settling for; and I'm interested to see how her story continues in the final book. I will say, she definitely has a lot of growth and matures quite a bit from the first book, and there's a lot less slut-shaming in this book. I will definitely be continuing on and reading the final book soon.

For a story that's only 101 pages, this felt completely full. Okorafor does masterful world-building in not a lot of words, and the story feels complete. I will definitely be continuing on with the series.

*4.5 stars* With this next installment in the Binti series, we're given so much more information and world-building. Binti is a character that experiences so much growth in such a short amount of pages. In Home, Binti must deal with the repercussions of her actions in the first book, what it means to be a young woman in her society who has her abilities and has made her decisions, and what that means for herself. There's also an interesting discussion about self-hate among black people that Binti navigates at some point throughout the book.

4.5

✨4.5✨