I didn’t know I needed this trope-skewering, unapologetically queer standalone YA fantasy, but it made itself right at home in my heart. This is one of those reads that gave me a bit of a book hangover, that was so perfect in so many ways that I don’t know that I can gather my thoughts into a convincing and/or coherent review to convince all of you to give it a chance.

But here we go anyway.

"I don’t need you to explain to me the concept of a magical land filled with fantastic creatures that only certain special children can enter. I am acquainted with the last several centuries of popular culture. There are books. And cartoons, for the illiterate."

I’ve mentioned to some of my friends that I really, really wish I’d had this book in my early teens or even preteens, when I was having a particularly difficult time figuring out how to get along with other people and with myself. A large part of this is because I related perhaps too much to Elliot, considering he’s incredibly awkward and often straight-up mean to his friends. And everyone else, really.

Even when he makes an effort to be nice(r), sometimes he still says the exact wrong thing, because change is hard and effort doesn’t guarantee success. His is far from a neat-and-tidy character arc, and I love how realistic it is.

Also, he’s nonchalantly bisexual! Of course there’s nothing wrong with narratives centered on the protagonists’ sexuality, but Elliot’s easy acceptance of his own crushes on and relationships with both male and female characters is a lot closer to what I’ve experienced, so it only made me relate to him even more. (He does encounter biphobia and bi erasure, even from those closest to him, even from well-meaning peers, but he’s never shy about speaking his mind and challenging their prejudices.)

Without getting into spoilers, I wasn’t sure I had guessed the correct endgame pairing until we were almost there; the way it ultimately plays out is immensely satisfying. More importantly, though, the non-endgame relationships were portrayed with due respect and acknowledgment, journeys in themselves rather than pit stops on the road to True Love. The ties between family and friends are given equal weight, and individual growth is too. Romance matters, but it’s not the be-all and end-all.

Though Elliot’s interest in relationships is rivaled by his interest in mermaids.

“He who is tired of mermaids is tired of life.”
“He who is tired of mermaids has been hearing about them every day for almost four years.”

The fantasy setting is really interesting, combining homage and gentle mockery of other well-known fantasy settings. (Among others, there’s an allusion to Narnia.) Of course there’s nature to admire, but more excitingly, the heroes-in-training find themselves in the thick of inter-species tensions: feuds and truces spanning generations.

Some of it is commentary on our sociopolitical situations and attitudes — such as the elves’ sexism against men, which flips the script on the misogynistic language we’re so used to hearing — but Brennan manages to keep it pointed, even funny, without becoming overtly preachy.

One theme that really stuck with me was the overlaps and intersections between the two worlds: the everyday and the magical. Just as Harry Potter returns to the Dursleys’ each summer, Elliot periodically goes back to his dad’s house which leads him to wonder which world he really belongs in, if he belongs at all. A figurative foot in each world, and pressure to choose just one.

Because magic doesn’t solve everything.

"Even if you found yourself in a magical story, there were no guarantees that you were the hero, or that you would get the things you dreamed of."

It’s easy to classify this as coming-of-age just because it spans several formative years of the protagonists’ lives — from age thirteen to seventeen — but Elliot, Serene, and Luke really do grow and change throughout the chapters. They confront internal and external biases, personal flaws, bullies, the delicacies of romance, and so much more.

As I’ve already mentioned, at times they regress or make lateral developments rather than improvements. There are setbacks and disappointments, poor decisions, unforeseen catastrophes, and of course times when they do the wrong thing for the right reason, or the right thing for the wrong reason. Yet it’s not drama for the sake of drama, nor is it a series of transparent Learning Experiences.

What seals the deal for me, I think, is that they are genuinely good people who just sometimes don’t know what to do with themselves. While that doesn’t excuse the hurt they inflict on each other, their guilt and regret and attempts to do better seem genuine. They’re not perfect — but they are doing their best.

tl;dr You might be getting the impression that a lot happens in this book, and this is true. But every scene fits clearly into at least one larger arc; the pacing hits that sweet balance between exciting action and thoughtful development. Every character has a distinct personality and set of motives, and they really come alive in their interactions with each other.

I could go on, but you get the idea. Basically, this book does a lot of things and does them really well, and therefore you should read it.

content warnings:

Spoiler

alcoholic parent, sexual harassment, non-graphic sexual content, body dysmorphia

rep:

Spoiler

bisexual non-practicing-Jewish MC, gay best friend & love interest, MLM secondary characters, M/M relationships, F/(bisexual) M relationships

-----------
CONVERSION: 14.2 / 15 = 5 stars

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

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

3.5 stars

This was a fun read, though the closed loops, inexplicable twists, and chances to backtrack made it a bit frustrating too. (More than once, I considered making a flowchart of the scenes — partly just out of curiosity, partly so I could be sure I had read through to all possible endings.) I was also a bit disappointed that

Spoiler

all roads lead to a happy ending, though one is as a rich widow and one is endgame F/F; some choices were also deliberately misleading, where the scene that followed didn’t really match the option you were presented

.

This is better when read as a playful satire, because there are some absolutely appalling euphemisms contained within. And I was initially thrown by the mashup of genres, but it’s a pretty cool idea.

I really wasn't expecting much from this, and I probably wouldn't have picked it up if not for the PopSugar prompt: a book becoming a movie in 2019. So color me pleasantly surprised!

Don't get me wrong, this is first and foremost a YA romance — which still isn't my favorite genre. And I always roll my eyes when

Spoiler

the best friend turns out to be gay, though I do prefer that cliche to a love triangle

. I didn't find the progression of the main relationship to be totally organic or believable, though that didn't keep me from appreciating how cute or emotionally turbulent certain scenes were.

Honestly, I predicted every plot twist and I still enjoyed watching them play out. And I'm still interested in seeing the movie after this, which isn't the case as often as I would like.

content warnings:

Spoiler

terminally ill main characters, loss of loved ones (older sister), survivor's guilt, major character death, mention of deportation (parents)

rep:

Spoiler

main character with cystic fibrosis & implied OCD, love interest with cystic fibrosis, gay Columbian-American best friend with cystic fibrosis, minor M/M relationship

-----------
CONVERSION: 11.1 / 15 = 4 stars

Prose: 7 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 8 / 10
Emotional Impact: 8 / 10
Development / Flow: 7 / 10
Setting: 8 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: N/A
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 4 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 3 / 5

I received an advance review copy from Andrews McMeel Publishing through Netgalley; all opinions are my own and honest.

My heart is so freaking full. I love the brand-new comics and the previously-posted ones equally, and I really enjoyed the mix of single-panel scenes among the classic four-panel setups. I said in my review of her first collection that all I wanted was some scenes of the doggo, and my wish was granted!

This collection had me grinning basically the whole time I was reading it, and lamenting how very single I currently am. (Don't get me wrong, I'm not ready to mingle and generally fine with it — but as always, Catana and John are adorable, hashtag goals.)

Catana Comics might be my single favorite thing about Instagram (though I haven't checked that social media in literal months). I was in a long-term relationship when I discovered them, but even after becoming single again I've enjoyed each new one.

Each comic is wonderfully straightforward, a little slice of life and romance and humor. My only disappointment is that this book doesn't include any of the comics with their doggo — which are some of my favorites — but it's quite possible those came after this went to print. Maybe they'll be in the next collection ... or the next ;)

I received a review copy of this book from the author through a Goodreads giveaway; all opinions are my own and honest.

2.5 stars

"Every idea comes from somewhere. And we come from the place where spooky little ideas come from, but people in your world are only supposed to think of us. You're not supposed to actually meet us."

The premise is cute, but the execution didn't work for me. It's very much a play by play narration style ("This happened, then she said this, then he said this, then she said this, then this happened, then ...") which dragged on; the characters don't have much in the way of personality so much as (physical/magical) quirks; and overall I just really couldn't get into it.

I particularly had issues with the ninja bunny: again a case of cute idea, not-so-great depiction. His "ninja" moves are more kung fu movie than martial arts discipline, and the way he talks seems like a haphazard attempt to portray a non-native English speaker by simply appending "yes?" to the end of every other sentence, even when it doesn't make sense.

And honestly, it doesn't make sense sums up most of my problems with this story. The characters' actions are inconsistent with the reasoning and values they explain; too many of their decisions seem arbitrary and ill-advised; some turns of phrase look fine on the page but don't hold up to a "wait, what?" reread; too many plot elements are introduced separately and never come together.

-----------
CONVERSION: 6.5 / 15 = 2.5 stars

Prose: 4 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 6 / 10
Emotional Impact: 2 / 10
Development / Flow: 5 / 10
Setting: 7 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: N/A
Intellectual Engagement: 1 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 2 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 2 / 5

Recommended by Lauren @ Northern Plunder.

I'm so grateful Lauren put this book on my radar again and again until I finally caved and read it, because holy wow I needed this in my life. Full review to come!

content warnings:

Spoiler

TK

rep:

Spoiler

TK

-----------
CONVERSION: 13.7 / 15 = 5 stars

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

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

Honestly, I'm not altogether sure how or why I actually finished this book. I didn't enjoy the writing (more extensive editing would've cut down on errors, but also some of the more descriptive passages could've been completely omitted) and the author didn't seem especially credible, despite the many claims of extensive research and personal experimentation.

Too much of the "evidence" is anecdotal and/or seemingly copy-pasted from the literature (based on the proliferation of jargon and lack of elaboration), and some of it is just plain wrong, such as an assertion that antibiotics will promptly clear up a stomach virus. And even beyond the issues of citing a sample size of one (the author), apparently these sleep hacks were tried "all at once," which anyone with a basic understanding of the scientific method could tell you makes it impossible to demonstrate the efficacy of any of them.

Also, in several places the second guest chapter — which is also the last chapter, setting aside the one-page conclusion/author's note — actually contradicts the author's claims: not just opinions but [alleged] facts, such as the long-term effects of supplements and OTC medications.

Taken with a grain of salt, while most of these "hacks" wouldn't hurt to try, I didn't find them particularly useful. I already knew about circadian rhythms and white noise and mindfulness; I can't fit any kind of nap into my class-packed schedule and I'm not interested in forcing myself to eat pineapple every day on the off chance it'll help me fall asleep.

I received a review copy of this book from the author through a Goodreads giveaway; all opinions are my own and honest.

"It's not that he doesn't believe in magic, per se, but it does seem a little whack [...] In a comic book, sure. Or in the future, when people have tons of money for body mods. But this is real life and they're just a bunch of brown and black kids with no bank."

First things first, the rep is absolutely fantastic: Black, Latinx, biracial, LGBTQIAP+ (bi/questioning and genderfluid), and socioeconomic; I was particularly struck by the fact that these kids have legitimate reasons to be mistrustful of authority, which I don't see much in YA lit [outside of dystopia]. There's even a scene where a main character messes up another's pronouns, providing a good model for how to handle that situation! (I do wish there was at least one Asian MC, but admittedly that's a different PoC experience so I can understand why it wasn't included.)

That said, I had a few hesitations about the way the bi/questioning MC's sexuality is presented; I do like that the other characters make a point of not presuming her sexuality, but at the same time they implicitly kind of do:

Spoiler

having dated someone doesn't mean you're necessarily attracted to that gender, and there's some gatekeeping-esque language in implying that she "can" be bi because she's dated a boy and a girl

.

The messages about consent also don't seem totally consistent:

Spoiler

there are understandable concerns about altering others' thoughts/memories, but they really get on her case for unintentional/unconscious actions even while there are also some potentially problematic romantic interactions

.

I would've liked to rate this even higher, but honestly the writing tripped me up quite a bit. There was so. much. slang. And pop culture references and idioms. Not all of which I think millenials even use, let alone Gen Z (and the characters are explicitly Gen Z, if memory serves). The dialogue tags were also inserted at weird places, and too many overly-descriptive talking verbs. (Look, "said" is serviceable and wonderfully invisible.) Finally, more editing is needed; among other examples, HIPAA is written as "HIPPA" several times; "ma'am" is mispelled twice on the same page, differently each time.

All that said, 4 stars is a pretty high rating. But this had the potential to be even better.

content warnings:

Spoiler

racism (including slurs), transphobia (including slur), violence, mild gore, negligent parents, ableist language, non-medical marijuana use, self-medication with prescription antidepressants, mentions of past gaslighting, non-consensual memory alteration

rep:

Spoiler

Black/Latina bi/questioning MC, Black/Caucasian genderfluid MC with anxiety, Cuban-American vegetarian MC in foster care, Mexican undocumented MC, Black homeless MC

-----------
CONVERSION: 11.6 / 15 = 4 stars

Prose: 6 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 8 / 10
Emotional Impact: 8 / 10
Development / Flow: 9 / 10
Setting: 8 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: 3 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 4 / 5
Rereadability: 3 / 5
Memorability: 5 / 5