Though I wasn't blown away by anything in this story, unlike my experience with other Schwab works, it functions as a pretty spooky middle grade ghost story. Kids will definitely be a little haunted by the creepier aspects of Edinburgh, though still find some charm in it. The writing style is simple but standard for the target demographic, and flies by pretty quick. I think I'm going to continue with the series just to keep going with the underlying mysteries behind Jacob.

The one downside is constant Harry Potter references, all of them coming off like a stone in the shoe.

Just wasn't feeling the vibe or tone of the story. Was hoping for something a little more creepy.

Getting caught up with the series so I can enjoy it alongside the new Netflix adaptation. Nick and Charlie continue to be the cutest, but most oblivious couple out there and the series is just filled with so many good feelings. The art constantly knocks it out of the park and my favorite bits are just the simplified facial expressions, i.e. anytime they just have a goofy smiley face. 

I can't wait to devour the rest.

So there's just...A LOT to unpack here. For one, as a Hades/Persephone retelling, it's an odd choice to have the setting more in a Floridian high school than the Underworld, which we only see for a grand total of two chapters. And even then, it's incredibly underwhelming. Its mythic aspects seem so thin that it's a wonder why it's even part of the story at all. Hell, the love interest, John (and really, a death deity named John of all things?), is hardly in this, meaning that the development between him and Pierce is literally nonexistent beyond falling in love at first sight, at least, on his side.

And let's talk about John for a moment, this incredibly creepy, destructive, obsessive, possessive stalker. Again, odd choice for our main character to be outright terrified of seeing the potential love interest for the majority of the book. Really, at points it reads more like a horror novel, and the ending doesn't really help that fact. I don't think I've ever read something in this genre with a more off putting pairing.

There are very few things about this story make sense: the antagonists' plan and goals (which is painfully convoluted and one wonders why they even have to do anything at all), several characters' motivations, even the writing style. There are so many times where you'll be reading a scene, and then it suddenly jumps back to a conversation taking place in the past, only to jump back to the present after a few sentences. It was so disorienting, especially how many times Pierce's internal monologue completely derails the flow of events. I'm sorry, but being intentionally vague in order to hype up a reveal for what "the incident" or whatever future danger lies ahead only works when you do it incredibly sparingly, not in every single chapter. 

So yeah, not exactly leaping at the chance to continue with the series. 

Definitely a middle of the road kind of book, where there wasn't anything that made me regret picking it up, nor did it wow me. The worldbuilding is a bit sparse, though looking ahead to future installments in the series, I see that more things get developed so naturally I think this book is just meant to get all the introductory concepts established. It has a fairly good pace, never lagging or rushing through any development.

Kylee's an engaging lead character, determined, loyal, and willing to do anything to protect her brother. Sometimes it feels a little too self sacrificial, though I'm a little biased since I wasn't the biggest fan of Brysen. I know his whole issue was that he felt useless and couldn't do anything but....he would be right. He's incredibly rash, impulsive, frustrating, shortsighted, and really doesn't see how his actions affect anyone around him, all of this just culminating into a really unlikable character. He's never outright malicious, but seeing him make wrong decision after wrong decision, leaving everyone to clean up after his mess gets tiring. I can only hope that he improves as the series goes on. Honestly, I'm interested in seeing how his relationship with Jowyn develops, so I guess this series has something for me to come back to.

On that note, Jowyn was probably the highlight of the book for me, just for being a weird little dude and I like that.

I can always appreciate a story that has the greatest summer vibes, where there's this great sense of freedom and a time where you can reinvent yourself, which this book has in spades. Nima's journey is a crazy one full of family drama, romantic woes, and the utter sparkly whirlwind that is the drag scene. Throughout all that, though, it feels like such a grounded story and it's written in a voice that feels so honest and open.  Nima's just a little bit awkward, a little bit guarded, and has just a little smidgen of gay panic when it comes to girls and, yeah same. The book doesn't really have any major rises and falls in terms of story, it's just a nice character driven story set at a nice steady pace throughout.

And oh my god, Deirdre, Nima's wonderful fairy dragmother is just a delight. Usually I would question the decision of a teenager letting an adult crash on their couch the night they met, but Deirdre gets a pass since she's a ride or die friend. She's such a wonderfully supportive figure who is loud, proud, and everything great in between without being forceful and constantly comes from a place of understanding. 

Another thing that usually gives me pause in stories is age gaps between love interests, though I think here it's somewhat tolerable. I don't think we're ever given a definite age for Winnow, Nima's crush, but it's clear that she's older. For me, it never seemed like Winnow was trying to coerce Nima into a relationship, nor was she tapping into a power dynamic and was always checking in with Nima to make sure she was comfortable. There's a moment later in the book where Nima encounters someone a bit more manipulative and yeah, that got a bit too uncomfy for my taste. But, overall, her and Winnow was not the most egregious age gap romance I've encountered.

The book is chockfull of representation, whether through sexuality, gender, ethnicity, it's fairly diverse which made everything feel all the more realistic. It's a book that's a celebration of queer culture and identity, where sure there are moments of homophobia and intolerance, but that all gets drowned out when our characters are so easily met with acceptance by so many others. 

There are some plot threads that ultimately end up fizzling out in the end, resolving either somewhat quickly without too much focus or are simply not brought up again. The book tries to take on a more realistic tone with this, showing that life is messy and not every part of our lives is going to have a happy ending, but there were a couple of points I wish we got to see get some kind of conclusion. 

Ultimately, I would love to put this book into the hands of the younger people of the LGBTQ community, as I definitely needed something like this was I was that age. Just something so full of queer joy and self discovery.

Narratively and format-wise, this memoir is a bit all over the place. This by no means makes this a weaker memoir. I found a lot of strength in Stevenson's words and their perseverance really shines through even the darkest of events, albeit a little vaguely. You can kinda tell these were taken straight from their blog without doing anything to make it flow a bit better, but, seeing as this is all new to me, it doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the work too much. There was a lot for me to relate to and their words of encouragement definitely resonated with me.

A truly moving, emotionally resonating comic biography where the art style syncs so perfectly with the text and tone used by the author. There were several moments I teared up, being the big baby that I am, but there is just so much wonderful catharsis in these pages. There's love and joy, sadness and pain, acceptance and uncertainty, each coming across so poignantly as we see the author grow into his life, discover his passions, and develop his relationships with his family. It's not always an easy read when it comes to content, but it is so worth it.

I'm sorry to say that this is probably the mostly deeply unpleasant book I've read in a while. Halfway through the book and the only things that really happen are that the main character and her brother are bullied RELENTLESSLY and lose their parents to a curse. The book tries to ease the blow of all of this through uplifting talks of magic, but really you can't really come back from a scene where the main character gets her hair cut by a bully, steals his scissors and then proceeds to cut the rest of her hair off and throw it at him, fueled by trauma and sadness. I was initially drawn in by the gorgeous cover and promise of a magic circus, but unfortunately the story falls incredibly flat and there's absolute nothing that makes me want to continue.