The characters in this book are fascinatingly twisted, not just the narrator (Camille) but just about everyone who makes an appearance. I did feel like the plot was somewhat upstaged by all the interpersonal drama, but it actually works surprisingly well. Part of it, I suspect, is just how dark the portrayed relationships are; another part is simply the strength of the writing.

I’ve come to expect the last-minute twist, and this one I did see coming. But the setup wasn’t too overt — perhaps because all the characters are narratively secondary to Camille so you still feel distanced from them, like they’re all suspects; not necessarily a bad thing but different from a lot of books — so it didn’t feel too disappointing. And yes, there are plenty of tropes (“there’s something dangerous...”), but they take on renewed life in this vivid novel.

★ 4.5 stars ★

content warnings:

Spoiler

teenager deaths, implied attempted rape (interrupted by MC), vomit, bullying, discussions of racism & queerphobia, precanon loss of loved ones, precanon child death, mention of suicide, non-explicit sexual content

rep:

Spoiler

possibly-bi+ biracial Indian-Welsh MC [El], Indian American major character [Aadhya], WLW Chinese major character [Liu], Thai secondary character [Sudarat], MLM Arabic secondary character [Ibrahim], M/M minor relationship, mention of polyam (triad) relationship, diverse secondary & minor characters

WHAT THE HECKING HECK WAS THAT ENDING.

[actual review to come]

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CONVERSION: 12.93 / 15 = 4.5 stars

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

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

★ 4.5 stars ★

This review (and more) can also be found on my blog, Nine Tale Vixen.

content warnings:

Spoiler

bullying, queerphobia (incl. slurs), racism, precanon parent deaths, deportations, (descriptions of) detention centers, being outed, implied pedophilia & rape, past child abuse, suicidal ideation, past genocide, death of children, mention of hunting (dragons),

rep:

Spoiler

biracial Filipino-Scottish-American MC [Tala], gay MC [Alex], Jewish MC [Zoe], Japanese-English MC [Ken], nonbinary Chinese-Canadian MC [Loki], Latino major character [Cole], Black-coded secondary character [Nya], Filipino supporting cast, mentioned M/M relationships [Loki's dads, Alex & Locksley], diverse secondary & minor characters

+ Twitter thread about this book, from the author

As always, Chupeco's worldbuilding is top-notch. I absolutely love how many sources it draws from — including

Spoiler

Avalon, Wonderland, the Snow Queen fairytale, Journey to the West,

and many more! — and I'm really impressed by how seamlessly they're woven together, creating a multifaceted, complex fantasy setting that inspires imagination without overwhelming the reader.

Portraying teenagers, their relationships, and teen culture is always a tricky endeavor, but I think it's done really well here. Slang and modern language quirks (such as Caps For Emphasis) are used sparingly. There's banter, but also plenty of moments of sincerity and seriousness. Diversity (of ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, etc.) is acknowledged and accepted. The pop-culture references are spaced out (and do not include Harry Potter). Emotions get messy, communication is imperfect, yet it never feels like angst for the sake of angst or contrived Character Growth.

Families — biological, extended, and adoptive — also play a significant role, which I really appreciate. While the found family vibes are strong, we also get to see a delightful Filipino community gather to enjoy food and to celebrate and to fight. Literally-kickass elders aren't at all common in the YA landscape, which is a shame because they are incredible.

Admittedly it can be a bit difficult at first to remember which character is which, as so many of them are introduced in quick succession. I did feel that the Banders in particular could be better differentiated; I resorted to memorizing each by weapon of choice and role on the team since these were, at least initially, the most contextually relevant. (Though that's also probably because there seem to be more action/fight scenes than heart-to-heart talks.) Of course, having a relatively large central cast is inherently challenging for both writer and reader.

The plot itself is also engaging but not exhausting. I think it definitely helps that there's only one central storyline, balancing out how much is going on in other narrative aspects (as detailed above). Which is not to say that it's boring or flat or predictable — there's ups and downs, ongoing quests/prophecies, well-timed reveals, and of course moments of comedic relief.

All said, this might be my favorite Rin Chupeco series thus far. I am so so so thankful that it has finally gotten to be published and I am incredibly excited to see how the series progresses.

-----------
CONVERSION: 12.9 / 15 = 4.5 stars

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

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

The love triangle was obvious from the beginning. She was so paranoid, but I guess it's undertandable considering the situation. But seriously, the

Spoiler

"Prince Edward" twist

was obvious; not sure if the expo was totally necessary.

DNF.

Granted, I'm not in the author's position (i.e., a parent) so I guess I was set up to have a hard time relating? Still, it felt too distant to be worth finishing, at least for now.

The parallels were all meaningful, if a bit numerous; I enjoyed the diverse cast and various subplots. A worthwhile read.

This book was great! Simone's personality really comes through, bubbly and determined and self-aware. While far from perfectly written, her story as told here is inspirational and sweet and honest, and above all it really shows that she's a girl like any other, just incredibly devoted to her family and faith and gymnastics.

Pollan is a pretty great storyteller, and it’s abundantly clear that a lot of care and attention went into the research documented in this book. However, it is a little repetitive (in case you missed it the first fifty times, most of what we eat can be traced back to corn!) and on a syntactical level the writing isn’t the best. (Which is hopefully related to this being the young readers’ edition, but let’s just say I won’t be going to the extra effort of seeking out the adult version.)

(I received a free eARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.)

I really loved this. The writing is straightforward and honest, deceptively simple but nuanced, evocative, thoughtful. Georgia’s reflection on the cruel ironies of a world where fact is stranger than fiction, but strange is neither all good not all bad — each anecdote captured my attention and genuine sympathy, in the purest form of memoir passing from writer to reader.

(Won through a Goodreads giveaway! Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for sending me a free copy.)

As you set off, don't forget that 'feminism' never means just one thing. There are tangible successes in the history of the movement that we can and should celebrate, there are problems that haven't quite gone away, and tensions, debates, and issues that continue to resurface. But, in the midst of this, remember that you can be excited too! There are so many different ideas for you to chase, so many feminist tasks to take up, and so much space for you to make your own intervention.

Visually, this book is gorgeous, with its Baker-Miller pink cover and varied fonts — itself a symbol of the duality associated with feminism, that you can be both pretty and clever. But while this book is a functional primer on feminism, and a reassurance that you can't really do it "wrong" if you do your research and have good intentions, I would primarily recommend it to pre-/early-teenage girls who either have yet to discover or have newly discovered feminism and are not quite sure where to start.

A lot of voices are represented in this collection, but most of them focus on the gender binary and ignore the various facets of intersectionality. There's a single essay from a trans writer and a handful of objective reviews of the past and present waves of feminism, but racial and socioeconomic disparity still seems to be a blind spot for many. The subtitle is very true ("amazing women on what the f-word means to them"), but I wish they'd found more diverse writers. Some of the writers focus on their personal journey/experiences, others on empowerment in the abstract, others on the concrete steps they're taking to uphold their own brand of feminism; but in general it's just too broad, and a lot of the essays end up sounding almost exactly the same.

Look, I totally understand not wanting to scare off budding feminists by getting into all the controversies and debates. But as a bisexual Asian-American girl, I'm just disappointed that I still don't quite feel seen in these "inclusive" spaces.