This book probably inspires (and will continue to inspire) people to love, hate, or love to hate it. I’m giving it five stars not because I think it’s perfect, but because I personally do love it.

Part of the problem, of course, is that this format of poetry is still being dismissed as “tumblr poetry” — angsty teenage girls who let their souls spill through their fingers, through the keyboard and onto the screen; like Internet linguistics in general, it takes some getting used to for some, and will never be accepted by others. Me, I like how the poems are short and accessible, impact packed in images and implications rather than lovely lyrical lines of verse. Not that either is better than the other! I love both, at different times and for different reasons and purposes, and there is more than enough room for both in the world.

Also, if you try to read this as a collection of separate poems, rather than the narrative it is meant to be, you will absolutely miss the forest for the trees. Its value isn’t in the individual poems — though some of them do stand out — but rather in the picture of a princess who becomes a damsel who becomes a queen, a bookmad girl who has been hurt but finds that she can love again, and that she is worthy of love: her own, the only kind that truly matters when you come down to it. (I suspect that some people could better appreciate this book if they could learn to see it as a different form of storytelling rather than comparing it to their idea of poetry.)

Wow. This book seriously lives up to the hype and more, and I'm not just saying that because of the social issues it explores. Sure, it's a story about racism and microaggressions, growing up between two parallel cultures, and speaking out against injustice; it's also about a sixteen-year-old girl, her family, friends, and community. First and foremost it's a story about people, and that's part of what makes it such a powerful, effective narrative.

The writing is raw and real, and even beyond having a mostly non-white cast of characters this is an incredibly diverse book. It deserves SO MANY points for Starr's Chinese-American best friend Maya, whose own cultural identity is recognized and presented as matter-of-factly as Starr's (but of course, Asian representation is a feature rather than a focus, so it doesn't feel right to shelve it as such); and for the portrayal of two very different attitudes white people can take: allies like Chris and narrow-minded "I'm not racist, but I guess I'm sorry you're so sensitive you were offended by what I said" self-proclaimed victims like Hailey.

As a narrator/protagonist, Starr is incredibly easy to relate to; while there are aspects of her life that I will never be able to truly understand, her struggle between fear and determination to pursue justice (despite knowing the system is set up against her and her people) is admirable and definitely evokes empathy. The social dilemmas she faces on the high-school level — dating a white boy, having a racist best friend, being one of two black kids in her grade — add to the entirety of her circumstances, exemplifying the necessity of code-switching and other subtleties of inequality.

I've always been particularly interested in the twin archers, particularly when I found out that Apollo was probably bisexual. If any of the Olympians would make a hilariously awkward teenager, it would definitely be him; his story is another Riordan masterpiece, intriguing and comical and engaging in a way that's all its own. (On a related note: No, I don't think I'll ever outgrow Riordan books.)

Holy crap, this book was good. By which I mean it was quietly creepy, building gradually but surely to a shocking climax through a realistic progression. Each of the characters — even Mila and Adam, who are more plot tools than individuals — has a distinct and memorable personality, set of motives, and way of seeing the world. I’m left with just as many questions as answers, frustrated in the most delightful way.

Spoiler

(I would’ve loved just a little more resolution than we got, but the ambiguity works well on a literary level.)

Naiche has a way of writing that tears my heart out and stitches it back together, very much changed for the experience.

I have so many feelings about this book, holy wow. Naturally I'm predisposed to want to like novels about LGBTQIA+ Asian-American characters, but this one absolutely exceeded my expectations. The way it handles issues of discrimination and prejudice — as well as the messiness and vulnerability of adolescence and of interpersonal relationships — is absolutely masterful; I wish my younger (i.e., late 2000s / early 2010s) self had this book to refer to.

The social issues are a little on the heavier side in terms of frequency and influence on the narrative, which is not a bad thing at all. Having grown up in the SF Bay Area myself, I could relate to Sana's complex but generally strong relationship with her parents as well as the general (East) Asian-American culture that's so wonderfully present: from Sana's mother's idioms, to the food they cook together, to the stories Sana's father tells her, to the way Sana and her friends joke about overbearing Asian parents. Also, the discussions of Asian flush really made me realize how many YA books I've read that involve underage drinking ... yet how few of those same books have prominent enough Asian characters to merit even a mention of this unfortunate side effect. So in short, I felt right at home with so much of this book — though I can't speak to the Latinx (specifically Mexican and Mexican-American) representation, I thought it was pretty respectful in its acknowledgment of stereotypes and levels of privilege. Also, I adore the way translations for the Japanese and Spanish dialogue are integrated into the reply or narration instead of restating what was just said!

In addition to sympathetic, relatable characters, this narrative demonstrates astounding development. Sana makes mistakes, but the others — from her parents to Jamie to her friends — aren't blameless either, and the scenes where Sana puzzles over culpability and morality rang incredibly true to me. I particularly loved that she took responsibility for her own actions throughout, not just at the end, and the fact that she tries to justify some of her behavior feels accurate and relatable, especially when I think back to my own teenage years: she did wrong, but it wasn't entirely her fault. And I can absolutely relate to getting swept up in a crush, then a first relationship, then what turns into a pretty messy situation.

The plot is well-paced, balancing the drama with sweet slice-of-life scenes (which include romantic, friendly, and familial wholesomeness!). And the ending was absolutely incredible, bringing satisfying closure to all the main arcs without undermining any of that wonderful development. There is so much trope subversion and diversity, and honestly there aren't words for how much I love this book.

content warnings:

Spoiler

racism, homophobia & aggressive heteronormativity, infidelity, underage drinking, mentions of drug use

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Spoiler

WLW (gay / questioning) Japanese-American MC, gay Mexican-American love interest, interracial F/F relationship, Asian-American friend group, Latinx-American friend group, diverse minor characters

Perhaps what I liked best was that this is very much realistic fiction, despite its mysteries and unexplainable elements. My only reservation is the exoticism of the Mazg culture — it's a little too close to Orientalism for comfort, in my opinion — but otherwise I loved it. The storyline was both complex and cohesive; the characters were vivid (though, if I'm being entirely honest, Lois didn't seem to have much personality of her own, just determination — which actually did work for me in this case, inserting me neatly into her shoes); and the descriptions were delectable. (I'm highkey craving sourdough now.)

I adore fairy tales, the darker the better — and this collection of reimagined/remixed stories was delightful. It had the deceptive simplicity of the classics, with memorably vivid casts and settings, a balance of heartwarming and heartbreaking moments: neither all good nor all bad. The little references to Grishaverse were also fun, not necessary to understand the stories but a little nod of familiarity to those who recognize them.

"Never trust people who don't have something in their lives that they love beyond all reason."

I didn't really know what to expect from this book (especially since I tend to avoid as much information as possible, including the synopsis, prior to starting), and now I don't really know what to say about it.

Backman tackles a lot of important topics — from sheer love of sport (in this case hockey, and a bit about guitar and hunting) to locker room talk to families, both born and found, to justice and revenge — without preaching or making all the dissenting characters into villains. Some of them are awful people, but others are believably conflicted: caught between the right thing and the easy thing. And, of course, some are doing their best even when it's the hardest thing they've ever done.

The plot is mostly sketched out in little moments: there's a clear overarching narrative, but they don't all quite fit together neatly (as with real life). It's these smaller scenes that really resonated with me, that made me laugh and cry and solemnly sympathize. The pacing is fantastic. And the conversational writing tone really fits with everything else.

This is, after all, a story about a town and the people in it.

content warnings:

Spoiler

on-page non-graphic rape, slut-shaming, underage drinking & marijuana use, homophobia, transphobia, suicidal ideation, loss of loved ones, pre-narrative death of a child, mentions of child abuse (physical & verbal), mentions of alcoholic abusive parents

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Spoiler

MLM main character, M/M relationship

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CONVERSION: 13.7 / 15 = 5 stars

Prose: 9 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 10 / 10
Emotional Impact: 9 / 10
Development / Flow: 8 / 10
Setting: 10 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: 5 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: N/A
Rereadability: 4 / 5
Memorability: 5 / 5