I’m going to consider this my fourth book I finished for Pride Month!! (I’m not counting “How We End”— I finished that with little fanfare and with the sole intent to judge it. Not sure if I’ll even review that one, but that’s beside the point.) As with the previous book, and in what I presume will be a pattern to continue until the last book, I won’t be leaving a star rating due to my own very mixed opinions. However, I did enjoy this more than book 2, even with the padding! IT WAS MORE ENJOYABLE, THANK GOD… particularly some of the action and magic was utilized in a way that was actually fun to read about! Every storyline was interesting, and easy to distinguish. I do wish, though, that there weren’t so many atrocities that every time something hopeful would happen, it would instantly go bad in the next chapter or so. (It made me a nervous wreck by the end😵‍💫)

As always, the audiobook was fantastic, it made me feel everything from triumph to anxiety tenfold, and finally getting a Sir Callie book in multi-POV was such a delight! I won’t lie, the main kids’ voices were a little hard to distinguish sometimes, but Elowyn’s was easily the most recognizable (and my favorite! I’ve always liked hearing it. But I made a reel/meme insinuating that already), and I still commemorate Martineck sticking to their dialogue voices for entire chapters.

It definitely feels like Symes-Smith’s writing is improving? I noticed a little less repetition and/or therapy-speak this time around, which was lovely! I feel like this is the first time since (a couple scenes of) book 1 where I’ve felt that the characters felt like kids, too?? It was interesting seeing each POV finally start to grasp the weight of their responsibilities, and I especially liked to see Callie and Willow’s interactions in Callie’s POV, which, when they led to arguments, they were intense in a way I thought was understandable for young people in as much stress as they were. (However, I’m not sure if I agreed with the final takeaway for… the major argument… even if up until that point both of them had valid points?! That’s a rant for another day. I think I just don’t agree with the author’s takes???)

Elowen and Edwyn’s POV chapters, though…

Edwyn’s earned character growth was relieving to read about, if anything. (And I loved the audiobook touches for the conversation he had with Peter behind his magic shield! They actually slightly muffled Peter’s talking!!) (And! Regarding Peter, the shift in their dynamic was interesting! I really liked it.) Admittedly, that came after a LOT of circling around, but I thought his internal dilemma made sense for his circumstances. God! I was kind of dreading reading his chapters, they got very graphic and very sad, very quickly. I was just as surprised (and probably numb) as he was, when things actually started looking up.

Elowen’s POV, on the other hand, is even more isolated than Edwyn’s. Despite the stakes being equally high, I found her chapters to be a little repetitive, due to other characters besides Alis not being allowed as much on-page time with her. (Also, there was a cycle of each chapter forcing her to reconsider the truth, and being actively manipulated.) I’m getting used to Alis being a villain, though. She’s evil, in a way that’s very much abusive, but kind of fun to dissect: It’s interesting reading this series with the perspective of a young adult, and being able to catch the subtle ways she disrespects and belittles Elowen and the Roost. (Basically, all the red flags Elowen either doesn’t catch, or doesn’t think she should pay much attention to.) Unfortunately—this is why I wanted to talk about both POVs in the same point earlier, I also noticed a trend of the writing trying to draw as many parallels between Elowen and Edwyn’s storylines as possible, and it oftentimes hindered the prose, or the depth of their thoughts. A lot of emotional beats would be repeated, and while I suppose it can be argued that it made the differing outcomes of their conflicts be more impactful, it felt very repetitive. It got to the point where I’d start to get genuinely mad hearing any iteration of “It’s my choice”, a motif that, to my disdain, is crucial to this book. (Along with the different ways it can be used: actual empowerment, or an affirmation.) (Basically, “It’s my choice” is in book 3 like how “But they’re the enemy!” was in book 2.)

Callie’s POV objectively had the most going on, but I can’t say it’s my favorite, because outside of their friendship/dynamic with Willow, I’m not really liking them as a protagonist as much??? Yes, they’re lovably snarky, I admire how insistent they are about fighting to live as themself, and they have a big heart when it comes to their family. But their impulsivity is absolutely excruciating, especially in the context of the incredibly dangerous mission them and Willow are sent out on! They made some OUTSTANDINGLY terrible decisions!! And, yes, some of them are addressed, but not with the full gravity in which they should be😭 Dear. Lord

(But also, I feel terrible criticizing them! Their stress and their grief is understandable, and if I were a middle schooler tasked with the same thing, I would be equally stupid, if not moreso. Ugh.)

I feel like of the four, Willow’s was my favorite?? I liked finally being in his head. The messages around monarchy are a little Funky but I do really enjoy being involved in the drama and complicated feelings surrounding the Helston royal bloodline. Sylvie was an interesting character too, I hope to know her more outside of plot convenience one day. (And, preferably, without the repetitive messaging around Willow growing into himself! The gender allegory got a little muddied with the monarchy and legal logistics sometimes, in my opinion???)

Anyhow! Maybe I’ll add more thoughts in the morning, maybe I won’t. But you have no idea how stoked I am that there’s FINALLY a reason to kill Peran, I’VE BEEN WAITING THE WHOLE SERIES FOR THIS #sicSatinontoLordPeran2025

My third book I read for Pride Month!! I’m unsure how to rate this. I was anticipating reading it once I’d heard about the obsessive friendship aspect tbh. A lot of it is unmistakably tied into J—‘s gender identity and queerness, and I think that’s a very interesting angle to write about that from— especially through the lens of a trans girl from late elementary school to middle school, where there’s still that childhood innocence, kinda mixed with the inability to label your emotions because everything is so new and huge. 

When it comes to mixing the distressing nature of growing up with the slightly lesser known experience of doing it while trans, “Glitch Girl!” excels at keeping its narrative both incredibly personal, and accessible for a wider audience to connect with. I’ll admit, the mix of very real emotions/settings and fictitious elements was a little bizarre sometimes, especially in the case of the Sims and Roller Coaster Tycoon hybrid, Coaster Boss, which becomes J—‘s main form of escapism and venting throughout, with varying levels of disturbing. Still, I was very much sucked into the narrative, even with the slightly disjointed stream-of-consciousness writing style, Rainie Oet evidently relived a lot of her childhood writing this, and in doing so, forces the reader to as well. (And the nods to different bits of 2000’s pop culture, even outside Coaster Boss, were very fun.)

J—‘s spiraling was so sad and unfortunately real. I highlighted a lot of moments where she talked about her dysphoria or tried to shut it down, the disassociation that comes with it was SO well-written. (I’m also a sucker for middle grades that tackle gender dysphoria and questioning early in puberty.) I also LOVED the ADHD representation, I don’t see much high/medium support needs representation without it shutting out the voice of the character who has it. (I also know a transfem from my IRL young adult group who acts and thinks a bit like J— so! Reading from a perspective like J— was so interesting.)

Now! Despite my lengthy praise, I have a couple reasons for keeping this unrated: firstly, J— has a narrow and oftentimes distorted line of thinking that limits how much we truly know about the cast. While this can strengthen some dynamics, such as the one with her parents—her shifting perspective as a kid brings out the complications in her relationship with them—it ruins others, such as the ones with all her classmates that aren’t Sam. For this reason, most of the cast feels very flat, and while that’s true to life, it’s a little boring to read in a fictional narrative.

And, most egregiously: I don’t know what to think of the writing style. While it’s powerful emotionally, “Glitch Girl!” is another novel in “free verse” that feels more like prose broken up into different lines. This only changes towards the last one or two parts of the novel. Additionally, there isn’t much plot, it’s very character-centric and grounded. I saw another StoryGraph reviewer describe this book as “literary fiction for kids” and I’m inclined to agree! Unfortunately, I don’t know if it will keep the attention of the target demographic, and as such, I’m conflicted on how to rate it.

I think I would still recommend it, though? It was an interesting reading experience, and one I don’t regret putting myself through for Pride Month. I’m curious to know what kids think of it, and if Rainie Oet will publish a prose novel one day. (I think I’d prefer seeing her writing in that style.) 

2nd book finished for Pride Month! Time traveling sapphics involved in a forbidden romance, what’s not to love? (Or at least pique your interest?)

3.5 or 4 stars, not sure which score to give?? I was very excited to read this, I’m a sucker for dramatic queer romances with poetic language that veers on flowery. With that said, this reads more like an extensive poem and less like an actual story, which normally I wouldn’t mind, except for the romance was a little rushed? (The wording of the letters came off as a bit overambitious.)

The evolution of the letters when the romance had some millennia to develop was solid, though. (And I do appreciate the “enemies to lovers” being, well, actual enemies.) When the writing hits, it hits, and there’s a sort of palpable yearning on the page. I loved the building conflict that culminated in the Romeo and Juliet-esque ending, and every alternate timeline— both the settings and the ways Blue and Red would thwart each other’s plans— were very creative! The actual time war part of the plot was interesting to read about, although sometimes kept vague from the character-focused nature of the story. And for a plot with this much surrealism, I thought some of the final twists were predictable? (I guess it’s not that much of a problem, though, if their inherent tragedy still made me feel something.)

I did giggle at the running gag of Red saying “as the prophets say” and it being a pop culture reference every time. When I’d be so wrapped up in the purple prose, the snark and sarcasm— especially in the letters— brought back my attention. I’m not sure how else to describe the general writing style except for “quirky”? (It’s not kooky, even if a couple scenes are strange. It’s too lofty for that.)

I can see why so many people enjoy this book, and I’m not opposed to all the fan content I see of it, but… eh, I have mixed feelings. El-Mohtar and Gladstone’s writing blended wonderfully, and I enjoyed the voices they gave to Blue and Red. The premise had potential, the conflict was creative, and I still think it’s sweet overall. “This Is How You Lose The Time War” is objectively good, imo. But unfortunately, this didn’t emotionally impact me as much as I hoped it would.

My first read for pride month— and what an important, fantastic choice! I’ll admit, I was a bit hesitant about the beginning because of the (sometimes boring) slice-of-life storytelling, and how quickly Annie and Liza’s relationship turned romantic and saccharine: it should be worth noting that while this is a romance, it isn’t one written with the end goal of a relationship— although there was some uncertainty, the relationship happens about a quarter through, and a lot of the longing/conflict is based around maintaining that in a hostile environment. (For a modern equivalent, think of “Just Another Epic Love Poem” by Parisa Akbari?) However, this was genuinely so sweet that I tore through the rest of it.

I was disarmed by how accurately the feeling of a first love— especially one on your friend— was expressed. (And how scary it can be when your feelings get so strong!!) Annie and Liza showing each other their respective worlds in New York was so tender, I think my favorite of those moments was when Liza went to Annie’s rehearsals. (But I did also love the chapter at the botanical gardens.) 

Ugh, this book is equally bittersweet, though😭 for as sweet as the romance can be, a lot of it has to be done in secret, so there’s oftentimes this sadness or underlying fear that comes with these moments of domesticity. Some of the first scenes in Ms Stevenson and Ms Widmer’s house are the most impactful examples I can think of, the storytelling on an emotional level was so powerful. I didn’t cry, but there was a constant ache in my chest.

And the characters!!! I never quite adjusted to the VERY 80’s writing style, so I don’t exactly trust myself on saying how developed they are, but I will say that so many of them were endearing. Can we just appreciate that Liza’s biggest supporters were lesbian English and art teachers who live in a cozy house with cats instead of kids??😭 and oh my goodness! Liza’s brother, Chad, was a little misinformed sometimes tbh but he was both an entertaining (and believable) younger brother, and very sweet in how he looked out for his sister. 

How I wish we got to have more time with Nana!! Her banter with Liza was fantastic, and I also loved how Annie’s home life was fleshed out. 

Aside from the somewhat uneventful beginning, I did take some points off of my rating because the characters acted a little young, and a couple elements were outdated (heads up that the g-slur is dropped at either one or two points), but! For a classic, I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. It will stick with me for a while. I read the 2007 edition that includes an interview with the author (may she rest in peace), and seeing how excited she was at the possibility of different kinds of queer stories being published, I know she’d be very proud of the current landscape :,) like!! Yes, things aren’t perfect now, but 18 years ago, Nancy Garden hoped that there’d be more books on transgender, bisexual, and questioning teens, and now people can publish entire lists of wonderful books of all of those identities and more, how incredible is that?! 🥺

Cute, I guess? The plot was so bland, the levels of miscommunication were off the charts (not in relation to the romance, though. How misinformed can a SOON TO BE QUEEN be on the economic and political state of the country she’s gonna inherit?!), and honestly the political “intrigue” was so predictable I felt nothing when the plot twist was revealed. The art was also insanely amateur!! Amelia’s anxieties are spoon-fed to the reader, there’s very few backgrounds— a lot of them are just flat colors, and there’s no lighting or shading whatsoever. Because of the over-reliance on words instead of actual emotions, a lot of the panels felt like storyboards, too. (You’re seriously gonna say “dead” to signify a character being, well, dead, and expect me to take you seriously?!) Was the illustrator working on a tight deadline?

The characters were just as flat as the coloring. I couldn’t get attached to any of them, even though a few died on-page. The anxiety magic was also kinda convoluted?! It felt more like a metaphor than something actually fantastical. Also, what’s the point of it, if it isn’t seen by others very often and seems to only hurt the main characters? Why was there so much focus on Iliad being magical, when that was barely shown aside from the thorns and that one light show?

Whatever, at least the outfits were pretty, I thought Amelia’s crush and her coming to accept her feelings was sweet, and the love interest (Salira) was hot, although her characterization outside of the romance was severely lacking. Some of the lesbianism panels were nice to look at. I dislike the ending’s implication that there could be a continuation to this story. Why were Salira’s anxiety magic cobras drawn wrapping around her like something from a tentacle hentai though that was weird

The story and characters were ok, but the art was beautiful! Wisteria seemed to have a little crush on Elena too and it was really cute. Worldbuilding and stakes are minimal, the story is very cozy. 

I’d argue the fairy designs and themes around community are perfect for fans of the Tinkerbell movies. 

DNF’ed at 31%. I really wanted to enjoy the banter and the tropiness (although, yeah, some parts can be immature): the author clearly cares a lot about art and writing characters who love to make it, there were some very fun discussions around the creative process and representation because of that. Unfortunately, the narration was so fucking awful that it completely ruined my enjoyment of it. Why does Noah sound like that in Sage’s POV? It legitimately sounds like the narrator saw her name, thought it belonged to a guy, and kept going with the same very forced voice. (But I don’t like how Sage sounded in Noah’s POV either, even if it wasn’t as memorably bad.) The line delivery uncannily lingered between being cartoony and robotic, it was obvious it was meant to be engaging but it had the opposite effect for me. I don’t remember the names of the narrators, and I won’t look them up because I’m not going to directly target them— that would be shitty— but they know who they are, I guess. 

I plan on eventually reading this without the audio, at some point. I think I’ll enjoy the text much better. 

This was really sweet!! I think the chronic pain rep will be difficult for some to read because Vale has so much internalized ableism, but her growth was fantastic, and I couldn’t truly be mad at her because her actions felt very on-par with a kid dealing with the pressure and grief that she does. I also enjoyed the complexities in how her disability shaped her relationships with her family members, there was a lot about different ways people can unintentionally be unhelpful. (Especially in the isolating experience of being the only disabled person in a household.)

I also loved how the sometimes complicated nature of first crushes was handled, and that it didn’t lead to a full-fledged romance!! Again, appropriate for the age group, and I feel like this is probably the best way I’ve seen how crushing and envy can intersect with each other (especially with gay people, but Vale being newly disabled adds another layer)! Vale’s initial denial was kinda funny, too. Myrka was sweet, even if it was a little painful how much Vale questioned her intentions. However, I’m not sure if she feels the same way? 

Another element I really appreciated was Vale moving on from her former friendship with Stephanie. I’d normally be angry about the slight ambiguity in their fallout, but it’s clearly intentional, and imo it ties into the multiple complicated dynamics in this book. (Like… although she clearly noticed Vale’s issues with perfectionism, and it put a wedge in their friendship, Stephanie also sucks, and I think those two truths can coexist LOL.) I thought the interactions between Amanda and Vale were adorable, Amanda’s definitely doing her best to help but it doesn’t just feel like pity. 

The reason I didn’t rate this book higher is that none of the prose particularly wowed me? Nothing memorable was done with the poetry format. Some of the emotions feel more vivid than others, and this is another novel in-verse where the free verse feels akin to regular prose being broken into pieces. It did at least make it very easy to breeze through, though. And in the vein of several other middle grades, the resolution happened a little quickly in my opinion, and I feel like a couple issues—particularly ones with the parents— weren’t properly addressed??

I’m not sure if this is the strongest of Andrea Beatriz Arango’s catalogue, but I liked it for what it was, and I’m curious about her other middle grade novels.