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jamgrl's Reviews (197)
The overall feeling of this book was very comforting to me, it’s hard to describe. The magical realism elements and the Latinx characters in this book tug at something deeply familiar for me from my feelings of heritage. This is also an immigrant story, which I appreciate highly and also feel connected to. The imagery is incredible.
I loved the way this book switched perspectives and told this story through the eyes of the two protagonists. I’ll admit that I just absolutely fell in love with Fel, so I was always excited to get to his chapters. Estrella and her family felt so familiar for me growing up with my cousins and I enjoyed her journey with her and the land’s magic.
I also loved Estrella’s internal conversations about bisexuality and what her and her cousin’s sexuality meant. (Can I just say it? I love that we have a bisexual woman character who is aware of her bisexuality and falls in love with a man?? I think with bisexual characters, the narrative is often that they are straight until proven queer and then it’s like “oh, I’m bi” to explain previous relationships, but I want to see openly bi people in all kinds of relationships, okay?)
I also have to give a shout-out to Bay, who was so seamlessly weaved in as a gender-queer character. The narrative of Fel and his relationship with his brother was also compelling and well done. This book manages to be super queer in a way that feels organic and right for the ambiguous time periods and settings.
I’m really excited to read more from this author!
I loved the way this book switched perspectives and told this story through the eyes of the two protagonists. I’ll admit that I just absolutely fell in love with Fel, so I was always excited to get to his chapters. Estrella and her family felt so familiar for me growing up with my cousins and I enjoyed her journey with her and the land’s magic.
I also loved Estrella’s internal conversations about bisexuality and what her and her cousin’s sexuality meant. (Can I just say it? I love that we have a bisexual woman character who is aware of her bisexuality and falls in love with a man?? I think with bisexual characters, the narrative is often that they are straight until proven queer and then it’s like “oh, I’m bi” to explain previous relationships, but I want to see openly bi people in all kinds of relationships, okay?)
I also have to give a shout-out to Bay, who was so seamlessly weaved in as a gender-queer character. The narrative of Fel and his relationship with his brother was also compelling and well done. This book manages to be super queer in a way that feels organic and right for the ambiguous time periods and settings.
I’m really excited to read more from this author!
My feelings on this book are mixed. The relationships were largely underdeveloped, the tone was inconsistent (funny and serious moments feeling sometimes misplaced), and there were some generally odd or unjustified choices that either felt contrived or didn’t make sense. That being said, we got to see lots of really cool settings in this book with diverse terrains and unique Asian inspired cultures, we got a fun new cast of characters, we got to learn more about the magic system and some of the darker sides of it, we got a complex war complete with many competing and unpredictable factions (this was a big strength of the book- it is obvious that there is a lot going on that our tiny rebel group is not privy to, which makes the war feel big), and a lot of groundwork was laid for a lot of interesting possibilities in the next one.
This book deals a lot with trauma response as well as grief and generally handles those well. It also brings up questions about corruption and power hunger within rebellions (though it might have benefited from more subtlety).
We don’t get a lot from the cast of the first book, which I missed, but it is clear they are coming back in Book 3, so I am excited to see how they come in/how new and old characters collide.
This felt very much like a middle book of a trilogy. Despite being frustrated by some of the writing/narrative choices, I really want to know what happens/I am excited to see how the third one ties the two together!
This book deals a lot with trauma response as well as grief and generally handles those well. It also brings up questions about corruption and power hunger within rebellions (though it might have benefited from more subtlety).
We don’t get a lot from the cast of the first book, which I missed, but it is clear they are coming back in Book 3, so I am excited to see how they come in/how new and old characters collide.
This felt very much like a middle book of a trilogy. Despite being frustrated by some of the writing/narrative choices, I really want to know what happens/I am excited to see how the third one ties the two together!
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is tremendously fun. Both hilariously absurd and surprisingly real, I laughed and felt for the characters.
I had seen the movie several times already and was pleased to find that the book had similar energy. I enjoyed getting more story from some of the characters, especially Astrid and Nick. They are both characters who I could root for, but who were also deeply flawed.
The conniving and gossiping relatives also felt, unfortunately, very real. When Rachel started meeting the extended family at the initial party, it was so funny and perfect, the first thing I thought was *this* is how you write meeting a large and crazy family.
I’m looking forward to finding out what is in store in book 2!
I had seen the movie several times already and was pleased to find that the book had similar energy. I enjoyed getting more story from some of the characters, especially Astrid and Nick. They are both characters who I could root for, but who were also deeply flawed.
The conniving and gossiping relatives also felt, unfortunately, very real. When Rachel started meeting the extended family at the initial party, it was so funny and perfect, the first thing I thought was *this* is how you write meeting a large and crazy family.
I’m looking forward to finding out what is in store in book 2!
This is a YA fantasy taking place in an Asian fusion setting and incorporating a lot of Asian cultural elements, which is really cool to see.
The protagonist is in the lowest tier of a 3-tier caste system, where the highest people are animal form humans, the middle tier are people with animal and human features, and the lowest is full human. This is kind of weird and sometimes hard to imagine, but it sets the stage for a lot of interesting conversations about race: formation of racial hierarchy, fetishes, consolidation of power along racial lines.
This book does an excellent job of dealing with abuse narratives- for example, Lei’s best friend among the King’s concubines responds to the situation very differently and we see how they are each differently affected by the King’s manipulation. The strain in Lei’s and her friend’s relationship is handled really well and I am very invested in her friend’s journey in the coming books.
The romance in this is hit or miss for me. The relationship felt underdeveloped for the stakes at the end of the book, but I did like the romantic interest and I think the two characters work together. I’m hoping for more relationship development in the next books.
I think this book has set up a lot of interesting conversations- I am hoping the next books follow through with them/I am excited to see where they go.
Warning
There is actually a warning at the beginning of the book, (which is super cool!) but there are depictions and references to sexual violence.
The protagonist is in the lowest tier of a 3-tier caste system, where the highest people are animal form humans, the middle tier are people with animal and human features, and the lowest is full human. This is kind of weird and sometimes hard to imagine, but it sets the stage for a lot of interesting conversations about race: formation of racial hierarchy, fetishes, consolidation of power along racial lines.
This book does an excellent job of dealing with abuse narratives- for example, Lei’s best friend among the King’s concubines responds to the situation very differently and we see how they are each differently affected by the King’s manipulation. The strain in Lei’s and her friend’s relationship is handled really well and I am very invested in her friend’s journey in the coming books.
The romance in this is hit or miss for me. The relationship felt underdeveloped for the stakes at the end of the book, but I did like the romantic interest and I think the two characters work together. I’m hoping for more relationship development in the next books.
I think this book has set up a lot of interesting conversations- I am hoping the next books follow through with them/I am excited to see where they go.
Warning
There is actually a warning at the beginning of the book, (which is super cool!) but there are depictions and references to sexual violence.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This book is about an Afro-Latina teen mom with a gift for cooking. There is a romance element, and it is really sweet, but this book is much more about Emoni figuring out who she is and what she wants to do through her culinary arts class at school. It is really beautiful to join her on that journey and see her grow.
I absolutely loved following a Latina American, especially from the same nation as me! (My excitement for this book turned way up when it was revealed she is Puerto Rican!) Some things I liked:
-The internal dialogue about race and ethnicity and identity are on point. I related so hard to being multicultural and being torn about identity.
-The Spanglish is perfecto! Seriously, I felt so at home with the way Spanish came in. It felt very authentic.
-The conversations and thoughts about relationships and sex are very realistic and healthy.
-This book deals a lot with Emoni’s challenges of making ends meet and balancing school, parenting, and work and all of that feels very real.
-I think everyone in this book is black and it is so wonderful to see that.
I really enjoyed this and am so happy teens have this kind of YA novel available to them.
Fantastic audiobook!
I absolutely loved following a Latina American, especially from the same nation as me! (My excitement for this book turned way up when it was revealed she is Puerto Rican!) Some things I liked:
-The internal dialogue about race and ethnicity and identity are on point. I related so hard to being multicultural and being torn about identity.
-The Spanglish is perfecto! Seriously, I felt so at home with the way Spanish came in. It felt very authentic.
-The conversations and thoughts about relationships and sex are very realistic and healthy.
-This book deals a lot with Emoni’s challenges of making ends meet and balancing school, parenting, and work and all of that feels very real.
-I think everyone in this book is black and it is so wonderful to see that.
I really enjoyed this and am so happy teens have this kind of YA novel available to them.
Fantastic audiobook!
I love Chih!!! In this one, we get a little bit more of their personality, which it is very fun.
This one is a bit lighter than the first one, focusing on a story about a human and a tiger. We get alternate versions of the story- the version the humans tell and the version the tigers tell. I loved this!
This one also ups the queerness and we get a greater look into some of the magical elements of the world. I am hooked to this series now- I hope we get a third one!
This one is a bit lighter than the first one, focusing on a story about a human and a tiger. We get alternate versions of the story- the version the humans tell and the version the tigers tell. I loved this!
This one also ups the queerness and we get a greater look into some of the magical elements of the world. I am hooked to this series now- I hope we get a third one!
We are immediately dropped into a magical world that feels extensive and complex and full of history. This novella does a tremendous amount of world building in a small amount of space that is weaved seamlessly into the story.
I liked the main character, Rabbit, and was captivated by her growth and her relationships with Sukai, Mai, and the Empress, and by learning about and understanding the mysterious Empress herself. The story follows a very subtle and carefully plotted insurrection, which is really interesting to uncover through our non-binary cleric, Chih. (In addition to Chih, there is some casual queerness sprinkled around the story of the Empress, which I loved.) There is a sort of blending of whimsy and fierceness in this that I enjoyed inhabiting.
I had some trouble following it the first time when I listened on audiobook, but I tried again on ebook and got a lot more out of it the second time.
I am excited to join Chih as they uncover a new story in the next one!
I liked the main character, Rabbit, and was captivated by her growth and her relationships with Sukai, Mai, and the Empress, and by learning about and understanding the mysterious Empress herself. The story follows a very subtle and carefully plotted insurrection, which is really interesting to uncover through our non-binary cleric, Chih. (In addition to Chih, there is some casual queerness sprinkled around the story of the Empress, which I loved.) There is a sort of blending of whimsy and fierceness in this that I enjoyed inhabiting.
I had some trouble following it the first time when I listened on audiobook, but I tried again on ebook and got a lot more out of it the second time.
I am excited to join Chih as they uncover a new story in the next one!
The royal prince fanfiction au of your dreams!
I really enjoyed living in an alternate world where a single mom won the 2016 U.S. election and two half-Mexican kids were the first children (love the casual Spanish!). The book still deals with political realities, which I very much enjoyed as someone who is into politics. There were a lot of fun and witty moments and I really like the main character of Alex.
I absolutely loved Alex’s bisexual awakening. It was super authentic! Bisexual readers won’t be surprised to learn the author is bi- as soon as the scene happened, I had to check Wikipedia because it was just too real.
Prince Henry is, you know, heart of gold Prince Charming type. All of the royalty stuff wasn’t as interesting to me and the romance felt over the top to me/I got a bit bored with it, but I think that is more of a genre thing than a problem with this book.* The middle, where the romance is the main focus, went too long for me. There were some moments, however, that I became genuinely emotional, especially when it came to them each navigating their queerness as public figures, and there was an exciting through line of political drama in the background that usually popped up right around when I was tired of sappy lovey stuff and got me invested in what was going to happen.
Overall, a fun read that feels relevant and authentic, if a bit on the sappy side.
* To be clear, I think romance just isn’t my genre, but we very much need queer romance and I think this is a great choice for anyone looking for a better version of a hallmark romance!
I really enjoyed living in an alternate world where a single mom won the 2016 U.S. election and two half-Mexican kids were the first children (love the casual Spanish!). The book still deals with political realities, which I very much enjoyed as someone who is into politics. There were a lot of fun and witty moments and I really like the main character of Alex.
I absolutely loved Alex’s bisexual awakening. It was super authentic! Bisexual readers won’t be surprised to learn the author is bi- as soon as the scene happened, I had to check Wikipedia because it was just too real.
Prince Henry is, you know, heart of gold Prince Charming type. All of the royalty stuff wasn’t as interesting to me and the romance felt over the top to me/I got a bit bored with it, but I think that is more of a genre thing than a problem with this book.* The middle, where the romance is the main focus, went too long for me. There were some moments, however, that I became genuinely emotional, especially when it came to them each navigating their queerness as public figures, and there was an exciting through line of political drama in the background that usually popped up right around when I was tired of sappy lovey stuff and got me invested in what was going to happen.
Overall, a fun read that feels relevant and authentic, if a bit on the sappy side.
* To be clear, I think romance just isn’t my genre, but we very much need queer romance and I think this is a great choice for anyone looking for a better version of a hallmark romance!
This book entirely subverted my expectations. It is very different from the first one! And I loved it.
This book opens windows into the supporting characters of the last book and I really enjoyed getting to know April’s friends more deeply and seeing April from their eyes. I am in love with how wonderfully flawed and human all these characters are.
This book takes the concepts explored in the first book and cranks them way up, giving us a chilling commentary on corporate power and social media and makes poignant points about love, friendship, community, and humanity. It is incredibly relevant for our current political and social landscape.
Warning: This book explores community vs. isolation, which can be a hard thing to read about right now when isolation is hard to avoid.
The audiobook is incredible, sporting a large and talented cast. Maybe it’s not surprising that Hank Green, successful and prolific YouTuber, podcaster, and co-founder of vidcon would make an incredible audio media version of this book. That’s exactly why you should try the audiobook. Also, you get a bonus podcast style conversation with Hank Green at the end which you won’t want to miss!
This book opens windows into the supporting characters of the last book and I really enjoyed getting to know April’s friends more deeply and seeing April from their eyes. I am in love with how wonderfully flawed and human all these characters are.
This book takes the concepts explored in the first book and cranks them way up, giving us a chilling commentary on corporate power and social media and makes poignant points about love, friendship, community, and humanity. It is incredibly relevant for our current political and social landscape.
Warning: This book explores community vs. isolation, which can be a hard thing to read about right now when isolation is hard to avoid.
The audiobook is incredible, sporting a large and talented cast. Maybe it’s not surprising that Hank Green, successful and prolific YouTuber, podcaster, and co-founder of vidcon would make an incredible audio media version of this book. That’s exactly why you should try the audiobook. Also, you get a bonus podcast style conversation with Hank Green at the end which you won’t want to miss!
Powerful and painfully real. This was a nice little graphic novel following a queer POC teen navigating gender and race and trying to connect with God while on a Christian girls retreat drenched in white 2nd wave feminism.
I bought the physical book, but this can be read online as a webcomic. Some people have mentioned that it ended abruptly, like right before the climax, and I would agree with that. It feels like there is supposed to be a part 2.
I bought the physical book, but this can be read online as a webcomic. Some people have mentioned that it ended abruptly, like right before the climax, and I would agree with that. It feels like there is supposed to be a part 2.