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ninetalevixen
Holy wow. This is, like, a teenage drama TV show in book form — it's tense, intense, and populated with larger-than-life characters. Most of whom are the kind of teenager we tell ourselves we never were / would never become, but Bette and June are scarily relatable even if I really don't believe I would ever take actions as extreme as theirs. I can't even hate them, because the authors have done an incredible job of making them nuanced (though of course that doesn't excuse all the sabotage and backstabbing). And they do balance out Gigi, who is a cinnamon roll too precious, too pure for this cutthroat ballet academy.
As someone who lacks the coordination / body control, discipline, and (to be honest) talent to ever dance more than casually or for fun, I really love reading about ballet. And really anything where the main characters give everything to their passion, especially sports and [visual] arts, with bonus points if there's a dorm / camp component so that the characters can literally eat, sleep, breathe their chosen focus. So this ticks all the boxes, with can't-look-away developments — I wouldn't call them twists, but they're darkly fascinating — balanced with softer moments between friends and between romantic partners.
And the ending. Wow. It's a good thing there's another book because I STILL HAVE QUESTIONS.
content warnings:
rep:
As someone who lacks the coordination / body control, discipline, and (to be honest) talent to ever dance more than casually or for fun, I really love reading about ballet. And really anything where the main characters give everything to their passion, especially sports and [visual] arts, with bonus points if there's a dorm / camp component so that the characters can literally eat, sleep, breathe their chosen focus. So this ticks all the boxes, with can't-look-away developments — I wouldn't call them twists, but they're darkly fascinating — balanced with softer moments between friends and between romantic partners.
And the ending. Wow. It's a good thing there's another book because I STILL HAVE QUESTIONS.
content warnings:
Spoiler
eating disorder (binging & purging, on-page), physical & verbal / written bullying, infidelity, mentions of racism & homophobia, sexual harassment, mentioned relationship with large age gap & power imbalancerep:
Spoiler
half-Korean American MC, African-American MC, gay & possibly bisexual secondary characters, WLW secondary character
1. [b:Tiny Pretty Things|18710209|Tiny Pretty Things (Tiny Pretty Things, #1)|Sona Charaipotra|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413576484s/18710209.jpg|26568298] | ★★★★
3.5 stars.
After the intensity of Tiny Pretty Things, this honestly seemed relatively tame. There are still horrifying pranks and interpersonal drama (lots of it), but the focus becomes a lot more introspective as the girls prepare for life after the Conservatory — the future is uncertain and all actions have consequences.
So many moments made me want to yell at these characters to stop hurting each other and/or themselves, but there are also quite a few heartwarming moments, particularly between some of the girls and their parent(s). None of it feels like filler, though on the flip side it's kind of emotionally exhausting keeping up with all the shenanigans; pretty much every story arc gets closure.
It's a solid read, fairly consistent with the previous book. And now I really want to go watch a bunch of ballet videos.
content warnings:
rep:
3.5 stars.
After the intensity of Tiny Pretty Things, this honestly seemed relatively tame. There are still horrifying pranks and interpersonal drama (lots of it), but the focus becomes a lot more introspective as the girls prepare for life after the Conservatory — the future is uncertain and all actions have consequences.
So many moments made me want to yell at these characters to stop hurting each other and/or themselves, but there are also quite a few heartwarming moments, particularly between some of the girls and their parent(s). None of it feels like filler, though on the flip side it's kind of emotionally exhausting keeping up with all the shenanigans; pretty much every story arc gets closure.
It's a solid read, fairly consistent with the previous book. And now I really want to go watch a bunch of ballet videos.
content warnings:
Spoiler
bullying, eating disorder (binging & purging), mentioned past animal death (butterflies), mentioned relationship between teacher & underage student, on-page discovery of suicide attempt, bloodrep:
Spoiler
Black main character, Korean-American main character, Korean-American love interest (minor character), WLW Korean-American minor character, gay minor character, Japanese minor character
I loved Isabel's summer romance, compared to conventional YA cliches, but her relationship with Rory . The plot point of is probably pivotal to the sequel (which I probably won't be reading), but it made this book feel really tropey.
Spoiler
totally did a 180 overnight, which seemed like unnecessary dramaSpoiler
her parentage
I really loved the idea of the Tragedy Paper itself, and I would've liked to see it featured more prominently. Not a huge fan of Daisy, truthfully.
1. [b:Ignite the Stars|38469737|Ignite the Stars (Ignite the Stars, #1)|Maura Milan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519185018l/38469737._SX50_.jpg|57220280] | ★★★★ 1/2
I received an Advance Review Copy through Edelweiss. This does not affect my rating or opinions. Also, Maura Milan has mentioned "somewhat big revisions between the arc and final copy" so make of that (and my review) what you will.
There are tears in my eyes and I'm not ready to say goodbye to these precious beans. RTC.
content warnings:
I received an Advance Review Copy through Edelweiss. This does not affect my rating or opinions. Also, Maura Milan has mentioned "somewhat big revisions between the arc and final copy" so make of that (and my review) what you will.
There are tears in my eyes and I'm not ready to say goodbye to these precious beans. RTC.
content warnings:
Spoiler
underage drinking, major character death(s), (medically necessary) amputation
Okay, I totally cried when I got to Anna's death - it was so unexpected and cruelly ironic. There were kind of a lot of characters to keep track of, and I didn't relate to/sympathize with/even like all of them, but that's how it usually is. The parallel between medical emancipation and the adolescent quest for independence works really well, imo.
This book has been on my radar since middle school, when I made a friend at summer camp who recommended it to me. Ever since then I've periodically checked my library's ebook catalogue to see if it's appeared, and it finally has!
Considering this is a Middle Grade novel and I have inexplicably and disproportionately hyped it up in my own mind, I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I actually did enjoy this book.
content warnings:
rep:
Considering this is a Middle Grade novel and I have inexplicably and disproportionately hyped it up in my own mind, I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I actually did enjoy this book.
content warnings:
Spoiler
terminal illness (lymphoma) & death of a child (MC's sister), racism & discrimination, on-page animal death (hunting rabbits while camping)rep:
Spoiler
Japanese-American MC & family
3.5 stars.
As a middle grade novel — the main character is 12, so the letters / journal entries that make up the narration has a simplicity of syntax and thought process — I felt this captured the feeling of being a young person and mostly-but-not-entirely understanding what is going on in the world around you. To be fair, Nisha's world is mostly limited to her family: Papa, Dadi (her grandmother), Amil (her twin brother), and Kazi (their cook); the division of India and Pakistan affects her life, of course, but in a sort of detached way where the cause and effect feel disconnected: the leaders of the country decided newly-independent India should become two countries, Pakistan and India, and they live in the part that is now Pakistan which is meant for Muslims, and Papa and Dadi are Hindu, and people are attacking each other, and it's not safe. So they have to cross the border into the new India.
Seeing the world through the eyes of a child (because despite how grown-up Nisha professes herself to be, as an older reader I want to wrap her up in blankets and sit in companionable silence) is always such a wonder-filled experience. The smell and color and texture of spices in the mortar and pestle, the sound of her brother yelling at play, the fear and confusion when violence erupts — it's all so vivid and you can experience it all alongside her. My mouth watered with all the cooking scenes (by the way, there's a glossary in the back for those unfamiliar with Indian cuisine and vocabulary); my heart pounded when things went sideways for their family. And I really felt Nisha's frustration at not being to express herself: although there's no official diagnosis of social anxiety or selective mutism (this is a work of historical fiction, after all), there are several scenes where Nisha struggles to speak out loud to anyone other than her brother, which is an apt representation of the powerlessness some young people feel in the face of adult authority and external circumstances.
The story itself can be split into a few distinct sections with some transition in between, which makes it easy to follow and balances out the complex themes which are more implicit than explained. This isn't bad, in fact I think it's characteristic of middle grade; it's just different from what I usually read, so I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. But I did enjoy reading it.
content warnings:
rep:
As a middle grade novel — the main character is 12, so the letters / journal entries that make up the narration has a simplicity of syntax and thought process — I felt this captured the feeling of being a young person and mostly-but-not-entirely understanding what is going on in the world around you. To be fair, Nisha's world is mostly limited to her family: Papa, Dadi (her grandmother), Amil (her twin brother), and Kazi (their cook); the division of India and Pakistan affects her life, of course, but in a sort of detached way where the cause and effect feel disconnected: the leaders of the country decided newly-independent India should become two countries, Pakistan and India, and they live in the part that is now Pakistan which is meant for Muslims, and Papa and Dadi are Hindu, and people are attacking each other, and it's not safe. So they have to cross the border into the new India.
Seeing the world through the eyes of a child (because despite how grown-up Nisha professes herself to be, as an older reader I want to wrap her up in blankets and sit in companionable silence) is always such a wonder-filled experience. The smell and color and texture of spices in the mortar and pestle, the sound of her brother yelling at play, the fear and confusion when violence erupts — it's all so vivid and you can experience it all alongside her. My mouth watered with all the cooking scenes (by the way, there's a glossary in the back for those unfamiliar with Indian cuisine and vocabulary); my heart pounded when things went sideways for their family. And I really felt Nisha's frustration at not being to express herself: although there's no official diagnosis of social anxiety or selective mutism (this is a work of historical fiction, after all), there are several scenes where Nisha struggles to speak out loud to anyone other than her brother, which is an apt representation of the powerlessness some young people feel in the face of adult authority and external circumstances.
The story itself can be split into a few distinct sections with some transition in between, which makes it easy to follow and balances out the complex themes which are more implicit than explained. This isn't bad, in fact I think it's characteristic of middle grade; it's just different from what I usually read, so I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. But I did enjoy reading it.
content warnings:
Spoiler
racism & religious persecution, violence, pre-narrative death of parent (in childbirth)rep:
Spoiler
half-Hindu half-Muslim Indian MC & family; dyslexic secondary character (brother), Muslim secondary character, Hindu & Muslim minor characters, possible selective mutism (or social anxiety)
In Our Own Worlds: Four LGBTQ+ Tor.com Novellas
Kai Ashante Wilson, Neon Yang, Carl Engle-Laird, Margaret Killjoy, Ellen Klages
1. [b:The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion|32606889|The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion (Danielle Cain, #1)|Margaret Killjoy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1485200177l/32606889._SY75_.jpg|53189199] | [my review]
2. [b:Passing Strange|31372178|Passing Strange|Ellen Klages|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1474584923l/31372178._SY75_.jpg|52061084] | [my review]
3. [b:A Taste of Honey|30197853|A Taste of Honey (The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps, #2)|Kai Ashante Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464796695l/30197853._SY75_.jpg|50648581] | [my review]
4. [b:The Black Tides of Heaven|33099588|The Black Tides of Heaven (Tensorate, #1)|J.Y. Yang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1485291538l/33099588._SY75_.jpg|53763120] | [my review]
2. [b:Passing Strange|31372178|Passing Strange|Ellen Klages|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1474584923l/31372178._SY75_.jpg|52061084] | [my review]
3. [b:A Taste of Honey|30197853|A Taste of Honey (The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps, #2)|Kai Ashante Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464796695l/30197853._SY75_.jpg|50648581] | [my review]
4. [b:The Black Tides of Heaven|33099588|The Black Tides of Heaven (Tensorate, #1)|J.Y. Yang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1485291538l/33099588._SY75_.jpg|53763120] | [my review]
The Every Body Book: The Lgbtq+ Inclusive Guide for Kids about Sex, Gender, Bodies, and Families
I received an advance review copy from Jessica Kingsley Publishers through Netgalley; all opinions are my own and honest.
3.5 stars
Overall, I'm really impressed by how comprehensive and intersectional this is! The concepts are explained in a way that is straightforward without oversimplifying, and the illustrations are cute and helpful (and feature diverse people!).
There are a few bits and pieces that I would suggest adding or revising (see below), but it's a good starting resource that helps start filling in the LGBTQ+ sex-ed gap. (To be clear, I don't mean sex ed for LGBTQ+ folks — it's important information for everyone since we live in a society.)
FRTC.
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CONVERSION: 10.5 / 15 = 3.5 stars
Prose: 5 / 10
Intellectual Engagement: 7 / 10
Credibility: 6 / 10
Organization / Structure: 8 / 10
Emotional Impact / Interest: 4 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 4 / 5
3.5 stars
Overall, I'm really impressed by how comprehensive and intersectional this is! The concepts are explained in a way that is straightforward without oversimplifying, and the illustrations are cute and helpful (and feature diverse people!).
There are a few bits and pieces that I would suggest adding or revising (see below), but it's a good starting resource that helps start filling in the LGBTQ+ sex-ed gap. (To be clear, I don't mean sex ed for LGBTQ+ folks — it's important information for everyone since we live in a society.)
FRTC.
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CONVERSION: 10.5 / 15 = 3.5 stars
Prose: 5 / 10
Intellectual Engagement: 7 / 10
Credibility: 6 / 10
Organization / Structure: 8 / 10
Emotional Impact / Interest: 4 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 4 / 5