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rainbowbrarian's Reviews (1.85k)
Marlene hates having to spend the entire day at the Salon with her mom. Having her curly hair straightened hurts and she misses being able to play outside all day. But her family is very focused on having "good" hair, which always means straightened tidy hair. When Marlene decides to try to manage her hair on her own, things get complicated.
This is a really important book for young people of color, to see that those messages about supposedly good hair are rooted in white supremacy and anti-blackness. It was also a window (windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors analogy) for me to understand that better. I didn't really know (also didn't HAVE to know about it because of my white priviledge) how much went into black hair styling and just how much it was built on racism.
I am very grateful to authors like Claribel and illustrators like Rose for creating these stories and sharing them. This was such an easily approachable story that made these complicated concepts easier to understand and I hope lots of younger white readers will get to read it to better understand their black friends and friends of color. Not to mention that I hope it can help kids of color to feel better about their natural hair and maybe have conversations with others about it.
This is a really important book for young people of color, to see that those messages about supposedly good hair are rooted in white supremacy and anti-blackness. It was also a window (windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors analogy) for me to understand that better. I didn't really know (also didn't HAVE to know about it because of my white priviledge) how much went into black hair styling and just how much it was built on racism.
I am very grateful to authors like Claribel and illustrators like Rose for creating these stories and sharing them. This was such an easily approachable story that made these complicated concepts easier to understand and I hope lots of younger white readers will get to read it to better understand their black friends and friends of color. Not to mention that I hope it can help kids of color to feel better about their natural hair and maybe have conversations with others about it.
This was an interesting journey through gender discussion. It would be a good introduction for a person who has never considered issues relating to gender although.
UPDATE - I no longer recommend this book, because although I loved the story, I completely condemn the actions of the author and can no longer support or recommend their work.
Trans exorcist meets haunted trans witch in a deeply haunted house. Colin, said exorcist, is haunted by the mistakes of his past. When he meets Bishop (they/them), owner of the haunted house, he may have met his match. Bishop needs Colin to help him reclaim his house from the literal demon that has claimed the home.
This was a fascinating dark queer horror story shot through with a golden thread of hope. I think this is the first story that I've read where both protagonists were trans. The writing was beautiful, there was a particular passage during an exorcism where it was just so strikingly vibrant that I had to stop and read it aloud to my wife. It was a really interesting take on the process that I hadn't seen before. I feel like the whole exorcist trope has been done a lot and its tough to come up with something fresh, but this really did it!
I liked the ending Spoilerwith Bishop going on the road with Colin, even if my rational brain finds that WAY too soon to be that madly in love with someone you've only known a few days. That part of my brain can take a hike! It worked in this story. I really liked the mechanic of Bishop bleeding gold as the sacrifice for his brujo magic.
One small nitpick is that I had a hard time figuring out who was who at the start. I had seen the pictures on the cover but either I missed a line of description somewhere or it was not clear. It got a little bit more muddy because of the name Bishop, I thought that was the exorcist because that's a church title too. So it took me a bit to settle into the characters. And sometimes the writing sacrificed clarity for beauty so that took me a moment.
Trans exorcist meets haunted trans witch in a deeply haunted house. Colin, said exorcist, is haunted by the mistakes of his past. When he meets Bishop (they/them), owner of the haunted house, he may have met his match. Bishop needs Colin to help him reclaim his house from the literal demon that has claimed the home.
This was a fascinating dark queer horror story shot through with a golden thread of hope. I think this is the first story that I've read where both protagonists were trans. The writing was beautiful, there was a particular passage during an exorcism where it was just so strikingly vibrant that I had to stop and read it aloud to my wife. It was a really interesting take on the process that I hadn't seen before. I feel like the whole exorcist trope has been done a lot and its tough to come up with something fresh, but this really did it!
I liked the ending Spoilerwith Bishop going on the road with Colin, even if my rational brain finds that WAY too soon to be that madly in love with someone you've only known a few days. That part of my brain can take a hike! It worked in this story. I really liked the mechanic of Bishop bleeding gold as the sacrifice for his brujo magic.
One small nitpick is that I had a hard time figuring out who was who at the start. I had seen the pictures on the cover but either I missed a line of description somewhere or it was not clear. It got a little bit more muddy because of the name Bishop, I thought that was the exorcist because that's a church title too. So it took me a bit to settle into the characters. And sometimes the writing sacrificed clarity for beauty so that took me a moment.
Felix is trying to prove himself as a man in his Latinx family. In his family of brujx women are healers and men are the ones who can send spirits to the afterlife. As a transguy Felix is determined to be recognized as a brujo, but his father won't hear of it. Denied participation in the quinces, the coming of age ceremony, Felix sets out to have his own private ceremony with the help of a friend Maritza. But when things go wrong and Felix summons the wrong spirit, he has to figure out how to correct his mistake before anyone notices.
I loved this story. I admire Felix's tenacity and his drive to prove himself to his family and gain acceptance as part of the community. Maritza was hilarious and just the right blend of supportive and sarcastic. And Julian... I loved getting to know Julian. From our first ideas of him as this abrasive tough guy ready to throw hands with all comers to the slow revealing of who he really is as a person underneath all that bravado.
And that ending was PERFECT. So good. If I had one tiny nitpick, I would have loved to see a LITTLE bit more conversation between Yadriel and his dad at the end around WHY his dad was SO set against accepting Yadriel as a brujo, but that is really a nitpick.
I loved this story. I admire Felix's tenacity and his drive to prove himself to his family and gain acceptance as part of the community. Maritza was hilarious and just the right blend of supportive and sarcastic. And Julian... I loved getting to know Julian. From our first ideas of him as this abrasive tough guy ready to throw hands with all comers to the slow revealing of who he really is as a person underneath all that bravado.
Spoiler
Finding out that Julian is protecting this group of queer kids who have been thrown out of their homes made my heart break a little. Julian is taking on so much at such a young age. Even with all that he's already lost himself, he still stepped up to help them. And then the moment that Julian writes Yadriel's real name over his deadname in the yearbook was just so good. I literally hugged the book to my chest when I read that bit. So good.And that ending was PERFECT. So good. If I had one tiny nitpick, I would have loved to see a LITTLE bit more conversation between Yadriel and his dad at the end around WHY his dad was SO set against accepting Yadriel as a brujo, but that is really a nitpick.
Spoiler
Seeing his dad proudly proclaim his love and acceptance for his brujo son at the ceremony was AWESOME.
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender is the story of Felix Love, a transgender high school student who is black and Latinx who has never fallen in love even though he desperately wants to. Felix is attending a prestigious art school called St. Catherines and is struggling to find his place amidst his classmates who are richer, straighter, whiter, and cis-er than him. He’s trying to prepare a portfolio to get into Brown, his dream university and he finds himself in direct competition with his ex-friend turned nemesis, Declan Keane. A golden boy who has everything going for him, killer talent, good looks, a ton of money, and his white skin. When an act of transphobic hate targets Felix personally he becomes obsessed with proving that Declan was behind it. But will he take it too far in his quest for revenge? And what if Declan wasn’t actually behind it?
This is a friends to enemies to... something story. It deals with the themes of family, found family, friendships, allyship, negotiating trying to understand your gender identity, and what it means to be trans.
There were moments that I was cringing while reading Felix going down these instagram hate spirals and making choices that the reader knew were going to come back on him badly. Watching Felix make mistakes and struggle with his identity and his relationship to his mostly supportive father and his total loss of a relationship with the mother who walked on on him were hard, but so worth it as we get to see Felix coming into himself through painful realizations and learning to trust friendships.
I also owe this book a debt of gratitude for introducing me to the term demi-boy and demi-girl, I had heard them in passing before, but didn’t really know what they meant. Thanks Felix (and Kacen) for the education :)
This is a friends to enemies to... something story. It deals with the themes of family, found family, friendships, allyship, negotiating trying to understand your gender identity, and what it means to be trans.
There were moments that I was cringing while reading Felix going down these instagram hate spirals and making choices that the reader knew were going to come back on him badly. Watching Felix make mistakes and struggle with his identity and his relationship to his mostly supportive father and his total loss of a relationship with the mother who walked on on him were hard, but so worth it as we get to see Felix coming into himself through painful realizations and learning to trust friendships.
I also owe this book a debt of gratitude for introducing me to the term demi-boy and demi-girl, I had heard them in passing before, but didn’t really know what they meant. Thanks Felix (and Kacen) for the education :)
This book tackles intersectionality beautifully and without breaking the flow of the story, the character's thoughts make sense and are age appropriate for the characters. It's a really neat story about falling in love and finding out who you are.
I wish I'd had the clarity of thought that age!
I wish I'd had the clarity of thought that age!
I got an ARC for this book from NetGalley.
Rook is trying desperately to get back into the magical community. Following the death of his grandmother he was forced out of it because he has no magical talent. His angle: getting a job with the most powerful sorceress in the world. But she doesn’t take apprentices anymore. And then to complicate things there’s Sun, a rival sorcerer’s apprentice who doesn’t like Rook at all, or do they?
I loved the characters in this story. Rook and Sun were very well realized and I was glad we got to see things from both of their POV. Without insight into Sun’s thoughts they might have felt too prickly and off putting. I liked the slow burn development of their relationship.
Antonia was extremely aggressive, with good reason, but sometimes came off a little bit too rash for someone who’s had her experiences. I felt like she would have been a little more careful about what she was doing. But it was entertaining to read.
I had only read one other book by F.T. Lukens before this (Ever After) but now I’m going to put them on my must read list! I love the witty dialog, the compassion their characters show and how damn inclusive and queer their books have been!
Pick this book up for disaster queer spell caster fun with just the right amount of overthrowing corrupt tyrannical governments. Plus there is really sweet hugging and someone turns into a cat for a while.
Rook is trying desperately to get back into the magical community. Following the death of his grandmother he was forced out of it because he has no magical talent. His angle: getting a job with the most powerful sorceress in the world. But she doesn’t take apprentices anymore. And then to complicate things there’s Sun, a rival sorcerer’s apprentice who doesn’t like Rook at all, or do they?
I loved the characters in this story. Rook and Sun were very well realized and I was glad we got to see things from both of their POV. Without insight into Sun’s thoughts they might have felt too prickly and off putting. I liked the slow burn development of their relationship.
Antonia was extremely aggressive, with good reason, but sometimes came off a little bit too rash for someone who’s had her experiences. I felt like she would have been a little more careful about what she was doing. But it was entertaining to read.
I had only read one other book by F.T. Lukens before this (Ever After) but now I’m going to put them on my must read list! I love the witty dialog, the compassion their characters show and how damn inclusive and queer their books have been!
Pick this book up for disaster queer spell caster fun with just the right amount of overthrowing corrupt tyrannical governments. Plus there is really sweet hugging and someone turns into a cat for a while.
