What a book to be the first (published) erotica I’ve read in full, LMAO! Thank you to my Instagram mutual (and fiend), finding.of.the.book.fae, for recommending this. It was a wild ride.

(Sidenote: I love that this is inspired by a drag performance the author did?!?! But also that makes so much sense in retrospect!)

“Blackjack + Moonshine” is as sexy as it’s advertised to be, but it’s dark and tense in equal measure. The unabashedly Southern setting is stuffy in several ways, from the unrelenting heat, to Jesse’s inability to be himself in an unkind environment. (It’s surprisingly character-focused, but maybe I should’ve expected that from a novella with a smaller cast, and following a “descent into the river of oblivion”.) And despite the story’s focus on debauchery and devils, religious trauma isn’t a massive focus of the book? Not to say it doesn’t exist, though. It’s just reserved for the underlying discomfort beneath the constant references to Christianity throughout. (Maybe if I give this a reread I’ll look those over and revise my review.)

Bee, what a bastard. I enjoyed his devilish charm (haha) and suaveness, usually I find characters of his nature to be annoying, but it sells how he was able to con Jesse. (Bee definitely has a (kinda) hidden attachment to him, their relationship is a little too mutually codependent for that to not be the case…) While I don’t think it was surprising the lengths he’d go to ensnare him, I was surprised at how the story continued to roll with the gradually escalating violence and horror. It was definitely merciless. I feel like the story started ending just when things were taking a turn for the seriously bleak and bizarre, though, but hey—the author said there’s more to Bee and Jesse’s story, and I’m definitely going to read it all.

(

still can’t get over how Jesse got ofmd s1 ep10 izzy hands’d except he wasn’t the one doing the cannibalizing

)

Jesse, on the other hand, while I could empathize with his desperation, I think he frustrated me too much for me to be able to latch onto him as much? Though, maybe that comes from him also being a pawn in his own story. (I feel like I enjoyed the other characters and how their relationships/dynamics fucked with him more than Jesse himself.) (

fly high, Leslie

) However! I was also pleasantly surprised at the author’s dedication to writing Jesse as physically disabled for the last third of the book after That Incident. It seemed written from experience. (His disability, not the cannibalism(?), for context.)

Only other thing I was bummed by was that the plot wasn’t as heavy as I thought it would be. Jesse’s strange transition itself wasn’t really talked about in more specific terms until the 70% mark, for instance. Though, that’s on me for going into literal erotica for the plot. (And also not knowing there wouldn’t really be body horror, at least with the MC. Not much of his body is talked about in detail.)

This definitely isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. But! I still enjoyed it a lot. Glad to read some messed up trans stories like this. I will be looking forward to the rest of the Dread South novellas. 

Read this in a couple days and it felt like much longer, not in a tedious way it just took up a lot of my brain in the same way a month-long TV show hyperfixation does haha!! :) Cemetery Boys being in the comp titles was very fitting— they’re both queer urban fantasies (also starring Latino leads), with an undead love interest, and a surprising amount of fun in what seems like a very sad premise. Although, yes, there is still room for grief (as is the case in stories surrounding mortality). Plus, the characters being childhood friends excused the romance being a little fast-paced lol (some the logic of their past falling-out confused me a bit, though?)

(Take my Cemetery Boys-specific nostalgia with a grain of salt, though, I was: a) sixteen when I first read it, b) it was the first book I read with a trans MC, c) I’m not Mexican and can’t speak on the rep in that book.)

I’m also a big fan of family being involved in the plot. While a lot of the main conflict hinged on YA logic (ok, why would you be a mortician and not tell your son he’s a necromancer), a lot of that I was still able to overlook. Some of that’s because of personal bias, yes(again, I enjoyed reading this book), but I really enjoyed the way that Jaxon was able to connect with his mom, and even some of the issues the adults had with how he’d try to sacrifice himself for Christian or keep secrets. (I predicted pretty quickly how Jaxon’s dad died.) 

Christian was very sweet. Totally one of those "golden retriever" characters, and sometimes that made him a little corny, but we as readers could still glimpse his worries and desperation to cling onto his half-life. (And, he had a lot of soft moments with Jaxon, of course.) And on the topic of the characters, I thought the friend side characters were entertaining— Regan especially. (Her and Jaxon have very strong sibling vibes. I enjoyed her constant input, too.)

The horror wasn’t very effective, though? I don’t know. I was just expecting more, and the descriptions of the reanimated people and things were more creepy in concept than description. This book feels more like an off-kilter fantasy than a horror romance, imo.

(Bonus points though for this being literally the first romance I’ve read with black leads that *doesn’t* focus around racial trauma??!)  

Honestly, from the romance, to the conflict, surprisingly heavy coming-of-age plot, and the resolution, this is probably the most YA that a YA I’ve read has been (or it’s at least in my top 10). IDGAF! I still found this charming. 

Like basically every anthology I’ve read, there were some duds, but when have I ever picked up an anthology to not enjoy the range in writing styles, concepts and ways stories will or won’t find a way to burrow themselves within my mind? 

I think more than a couple of these stories could’ve benefitted from a larger page count—even with the stories I rated higher, there’s only so much time you can introduce a convincing sci-fi world and characters to get your reader to resonate with. Still, there was an ever-present sense of melancholy and community that I enjoyed.

Some standouts: 
• “ANDWÀNIKÀDJIGAN”(4⭐️) - Or, as I called it in my Goodreads statuses, “Beta Màgòdiz”! I can see how this was adapted into a full-length novel, the writing was engrossing. And honestly, it’s a beautiful story about storytelling and passing down culture through it. (Also, queer love!) Though, because of the shortened length, a lot of details of the world itself were kept vague. For as much as I complained about the large amount of POVs in Màgòdiz, now I can really see their purpose in fleshing out the story and adding more perspectives haha. But. I feel like if I didn’t already love “Màgòdiz”, I would be indifferent to this story.
• “STORY FOR A BOTTLE”(4.25⭐️) - While not the first story in this collection to take on a letter approach/format, I feel this one does it more convincingly. The abandoned world of New America was interesting, Darcy Little Badger’s descriptions on the different settings really clicked for me. (I don’t have any put together, professional-sounding reviewer words for that. I just like her writing style.) I also enjoyed the imperfect, but honest, teenage POV. 
• “ELOISE”(4.5⭐️) - Arguably, the best was saved for last. Dystopia at its finest— both surreal and cynical. The exposition was timed well and it was easy to fall into the flow of the story, I enjoyed seeing Cassie’s thoughts change and question a little more of her reality the further along in the story we got. My only gripe is that the ending was strange, and I’m still trying to make sense of it? 

I’d like to mention “THE ARK OF THE TURTLE’S BACK”, just because it was interesting to read something by jaye simpson that was in prose instead of poetry. Maybe I was quick to pick up on this because I’ve followed jaye’s Instagram and view her stories consistently, but the theme of Nichiiwad wanting to be a queer mother, relative, or/and elder for her family honestly made this story feel emotional. I liked her as a character, and how she always kept a part of Earth with her. Though, I don’t have this story in the standouts because there wasn’t enough time with the larger cast of characters, and I wasn’t as satisfied as I was with the other stories by authors I’ve liked. (The exposition also comes kind of abruptly because Nichiiwad is conked out right before the change in setting. Though, I did appreciate getting information the same time as the MC.)

Sidenote: I see a lot of people praising “ABACUS” or calling it a standout, but while I liked some of the worldbuilding in that one, I didn’t like the pop culture references, and the romance was (predictably, but still unpleasantly,) bizarre. 

Overall, though, I really loved getting to read several different stories with 2spirit characters at the forefront. Even if some readers don’t like the little time given to try to grasp each story and world, the perspectives offered are still valuable.

Another solid book in this series, makes me want to read all three of the volumes at once!! The only reason my rating is a margin lower is because the time skip was sudden, and while Dez still has some facets of her Two-Spirit identity to figure out, a lot more of that happened before the story than I expected. Dez and Miigwan’s friendship wasn’t as center stage as it was in volume 1, but I really liked seeing the introduction of new characters, and the focus on Two-Spirit people. (Both their cultural significance, as well as their struggles because of lasting colonial gender roles.) Honestly it’s so rare to see stories that explore that, and even stress the importance of doing it in a culturally relevant space. 

I’m really enjoying the characters themselves, and the emotional depth they’re written with. I just wish the volumes were longer.

A surprisingly short read, but there was still a lot of information and substance in it. While the panels weren’t crammed with details, they were still beautifully illustrated and colored, and it was nice to see the inclusion of different cultural practices and ceremonies into the character arcs. It took me some pages to catch onto what the meanings of the ghosts and malevolent spirits were, but I liked seeing the ancestors watching over Dez and Miikwan. That was very sweet. (And the malevolent spirits are warnings about when someone had bad intentions, but I’m also wondering if they’re tied into colonialist beliefs? I’m guessing yes, from when Dez showed her grandmother’s experiences with residential schools, but also from a moment in volume 2.) 

I appreciated the way different issues were incorporated into the main characters’ lives in a way that felt realistic. I particularly liked how Miikwan’s grief surrounding her mother was handled, how that tied into a message about keeping the humanity of MMIWG intact and not just keeping them in mind as a statistic, and how it dealt with when Dez ran away and it brought up Miikwan’s very real fear about the same thing happening to another one of her loved ones. (Also, that she got to process those feelings with the help of other characters! The support systems in these books are very strong.) I would’ve also liked to see more information provided on how the foster system treats Indigenous kids—while that was a large plot point, there weren’t other links and sources for reading like there was for information on MMIWG. 

Because of it’s shortness, I’ve read this and the second volume back-to-back. Not sure if that made them flow together, though, I didn’t know there was a slight time skip.

Unsure whether to give this 3.75 or 3.5 stars. Fun overall, there was some interesting magic, the slice-of-life approach to fantasy was very cute and the mundane approach to a lot of it prevented infodumps, and I enjoyed the casual representation. However, I was expecting more from the plot itself. It’s not “more vibes” as a couple of negative reviews have said (which, ????), the foundations are definitely there, but I often found myself confused by the quickness of fights, one-dimensionality of the villain and the sudden magical things that were introduced into the plot. (The one con of the mundane approach to the worldbuilding! Sometimes there just wasn’t explanation for certain things.) I would’ve liked to see more substance in the magic system, especially the wolf magic.

It did, at least, bring me a bit of joy during Trans Day Of Remembrance.  

Disappointed by this, tbh. Parts of it were cute—the disabled and queer rep was fantastic(NONBINARY REP THAT DOESN’T USE THEY/THEM PRONOUNS?? WORD??), Splinter’s perseverance in her POV as well as her overall fiery attitude made her a highlight of the first half, and the friendship between the titular characters was endearing. I think in hindsight their development was a little rushed, but I still liked them nonetheless. 

The plot was standard to a painful degree, though. I think for kids new to the fantasy genre they’ll get a lot out of the action, the characters with endless ambition, and the sprinkling of kingdom politics, but for me (as both someone well-acquainted with fantasy for younger demographics, and an older reader) the plot twists were predictable and the lack of immersion in the world left me feeling bored. I’ll admit there was one plot twist I technically didn’t predict, but that’s because I couldn’t tell if it was a plot hole or not. 

And, of course, there are some other grudges I have that younger readers either won’t catch on to, or won’t care about as much(I grew up with the “Rescue Princesses” series, and those princesses made some pretty terrible decisions that partially annoyed me and sent my dad fuming, okay): Ash’s kidnappers were a little terrible at their job and that was obviously the reason why she could have more than one escape attempt; Lucen’s turnaround was quick, and frustrating for an arc that started out with some surprisingly realistic examples on how bullying can be overlooked especially because of favoritism; and Ash’s “I can protect myself :)” message being hammered in for a couple of moments annoyed me because she still obviously needed some help..?

I did like a few other things, though: Firstly, Splinter and Lucen’s initial reluctance to work with each other. Their banter was fun, and I liked that Splinter used several opportunities to call him out. But the main reason why the pacing of Lucen’s turnaround annoys me so badly is that a lot of his issues with Splinter very clearly stemmed from sexism, and the story didn’t think about even exploring how the toxic masculinity cultivated with both monarchy and squire/knight roles cultivated that?? (Because it can also be tied to the reason he revealed for being so closed-off to Ash!) Secondly, I liked Ash’s internal conflict around befriending—and subsequently betraying—Mist and Hazel. (Although the wording for her guilt and anxiety was simplistic.) I don’t know how to feel about the overall message of it though, because as important as it is for kids to recognize when they did wrong and ruined a friendship, Ash was forced by her circumstances, and also clearly valued Mist and Hazel as friends, she just wasn’t in a space she could say she did.

I think I’ll be dropping the series, but it’s pretty cool that characters like Splinter and Ash can exist. 

Edit: I changed my rating to 4 stars! This book has been on my mind for a while, it’s been fun to on-and-off psychoanalyze Mason and Isa. With that said, my critiques and understanding of the mixed reception this book received still apply.

A claustrophobic and personal gothic horror/mystery combination that, while emotional, I was conflicted about the execution of. A lot of characters felt archetypal, even in different flashbacks or dream sequences that tried to add another dimension to the roles they were relegated to by Isa’s POV. I did enjoy all the layers to the mystery, though, and how most of the threads connected in a way that made sense (at least, in the bizarre context of a story like this). (I feel like the only parts that “didn’t connect” were just re: the Angel itself: it was a strange mix of eldritch, human, and possible metaphor. Is that just a me thing, though?)

I know I’m certainly not the first reader to have said this, but the beginning was kind of irritating to me too, due to the melodrama (and partly the slow pacing). Mason and Isa’s interactions were very bizarre??? I get the initial desperation of trying to figure out and piece together the summoning rituals but, yeah, still really strange to me.

The poetic prose was vulnerable, though. This is also not an original thought (hello Zana), but Wen-Yi Lee has such a strong grip on emotions that, despite a lot of this novel not being to my personal tastes, still kept me reading. I definitely teared up with that one scene of Mason and Isa at the cliff, and them laying together in the forest. The nostalgia, grief, and guilt was dealt with so well. I think this also has to do with the purposefully rambly nature of some of Isa’s thoughts. (And maybe me currently watching my brother play “In Stars And Time”— Isa’s spirals remind me a bit of how Siffrin’s spirals are shown by the text boxes! Goodreads reviewers, don’t leave comments with spoilers under my review, I’m still on Act 3.)

I was pleasantly surprised by how this book handled suicide as a horror device. In the context of supernatural horror particularly, it’s one of my least favorite tropes. But by making it clear the kinds of shame and abuse the kids were subjected to beforehand, and that the Angel isn’t planting harmful thoughts into their heads but merely amplifying the kinds of depression they are already experiencing, I felt that trope was adequately subverted. It’s not their tendencies and their depression that is demonized, but the Angel’s predatory tactics. The importance of grief and ghosts—metaphorical and literal— made Otto, Mason, Trish and Isa’s struggles with this throughout the story deeply meaningful.

Audiobook slowed down my pacing a significant amount, I think that’s also why I absorbed the emotional scenes despite me listening to around an hour of the audiobook on 1.2 or 1.5x speed. (No slight against the narration or the writing, I was just trying to see if I could finish the audiobook before midnight, haha.) As always, Natalie Naudus’s narration (say that quickly three times) is a treat. It’s so interesting getting to hear her voice on a story like this one, knowing some of the personal stuff that went into her debut novel (which is also focused heavily on being repressed by a religious small community! And had a bi FMC!). I think that alone makes the selection of her for the audiobook memorable, but she also had great pacing and expressiveness. But I was not expecting her to sing in that one part with [spoiler redacted] losing it a little!! That was unintentionally funny, if only because of the voice she had to maintain for that character.

Also, I’d like to say that the moment that the inclusion of Taylor Swift’s “are there still beautiful things” lyric gave me HEAVY songfic vibes. But when I figured out that lyric was from “seven”, I realized it wasn’t just that part that felt that way, but literally the entire book?? Mason and Isa were structured so heavily around that song. The nostalgia, the childhood trauma, the ongoing compassion and love oh god. That might actually wreck me.

Honestly I would still recommend this, my critiques are mostly due to  my own personal tastes. I can understand the people that really enjoy this.

***************
pre-review:

3.5 I’m rounding up because the ending made me tear up and I liked how some of this had the kind of rawness that could only be matched by a journal entry. RTC
(Note: my rounded up rating only applied to my Goodreads review.)

damn I got no way to articulate my thoughts except for:
a) This is easiest 5 stars I’ve given to a comic in a while
b) I really enjoyed the bits of worldbuilding across the chapters. Made the setting feel more natural as the magical creatures and problems were being introduced! Some of the smallness of the town’s magical problems gives a couple parts a cozier/more slice-of-life feel but there’s still a helping of mystery. 
c) Artwork was BEAUTIFUL!!! Seriously! Scrumptious to the eyes the whole time. There was so much movement, too. From the spells, to the transformations, to the times Mamo would wreak havoc. 
d) I liked how the magic behind binds and debts tied into Orla’s complicated relationship with Mamo. It creates an extended metaphor throughout, as Orla deals with coming back.  
e) Sapphics :)👍👍 in general though I really enjoyed Orla and Jo’s interactions. 

I give up on trying to make a formal review for this, my reviews aren’t the most sophisticated anyhow. If I do, it’ll probably be from me giving this a reread. (It’s not uncommon for me to reread a graphic novel the second I finish it. Lets me look at the storytelling I might’ve skimmed over and, also, shows me how much I truly enjoyed reading it lol). 

I really enjoyed this!! It’s a refreshing take on the coming-of-age genre, and totally a love letter to underground punk scenes. The exaggerated, sometimes messy art style added a lot of character and grunge. (Not sure if anyone on here has heard of Instagram artist d33d33draws, but the zine comic-adjacent style, as well as the focus on the intersections of queerness and Blackness, kind of remind me of her stuff!! Even though, yes, I know her and Bianca Xunise are two completely different artists.) I haven’t seen this many alternative characters in a graphic novel before, their designs were really awesome, and I also appreciated having a story that had LGBTQ and Black (and brown!) voices at the forefront. (That isn’t just shown in the main characters’ designs but in some of the Baby Hares struggles to get recognized, too. And there’s still some somewhat short, but important discussion on how frequently Black femmes get their work stolen.) 

In general, though, the characters were very fun. The Baby Hares’ back-and-forth whenever they’d go to gigs together or hang out felt pretty true to that 18-19 age range.
The other characters were also entertaining, even those who appeared for very briefly had a lot of personality. 

Also, the soundtrack included LITERALLY ON THE PAGES?? That was so cool! There was literally a punk or goth song chosen for different chapters depending on what was happening with the characters and story. I’m more familiar with goth than punk music, so those were what I recognized more, but I’m interested in finding out the nuances to the tone (and maybe even bits of music history??) that were brought into the narrative.

And, on a slightly different branch of the soundtrack topic, this is one of the only times I haven’t minded seeing lyrics created for an in-universe band! They amplified the angst and anger of the main characters, Ariel especially, in the best way possible. The scenes of Baby Hares collaborating to make their songs were also super fun to read. 

I really liked the characters themselves, too. They were messy but all of their problems felt very real, especially in the kind of awkward time frame between highschool and college. Some of the ways the main trio would end up arguing would annoy me sometimes, tbh, but that kind of conflict and misunderstanding is pretty common in teens/young adults, and because of the bond they have with each other, it wasn’t something that broke their friendship. 

(Also, I’ll admit that I spotted Clyde’s red flags pretty quickly, but that’s probably because I’m an outsider and not someone in Ariel’s shoes.)

The only reason this isn’t 5 stars is because the ending was a little ridiculous, and there was a line or two that didn’t sit right with me (…Ariel being embarrassed by their mom, and saying “I’m disassociating” as a little one-liner thing☠️). But. I’m surprised this isn’t talked about very much? I can’t even remember where I first discovered it on booksta but it was in literally just one post. Might’ve even just been something by the author?? My point is, this was too charming and creative of a graphic novel for this to slip under the radar.