Review: The Black Bull of Norroway

The Black Bull of Norroway (Norroway, Book 1)
by Cat Seaton & Kit Seaton

Publisher: Image Comics
Publication Date: November 13, 2018

THE BLACK BULL OF NORROWAY is about Sibylla, an adventurous, bold girl who isn’t fazed by anything. And her husband. Who happens to be a 2-ton (I’m guessing) black bull with a horn-span as wide as a full-grown man’s arm-span. The bull isn’t very kind, or very interested in her, but she follows him to the ends of the earth anyways, and meets his dysfunctional family, for the sake of...adventure? That, and to undo a curse that has haunted the land for years.

NORROWAY was supremely chaotic -- I couldn’t tell what was going on half the time, and Sibylla is unfazed to the point of unbelievability, which I feel was due to rushed writing –- but fun. The art was amazing, the character interactions and dialogue were golden, and the plot was really interesting –- based off a classic Scottish fairy tale -- and could’ve been more complete had the writer slowed down and smelled the roses, as it were. Somewhat ironically, the main thing keeping this book together is the illustration. Maire, keeping an eye on Sibylla and her bull-husband Brom from the very beginning, makes for a very unique frenemy. She clearly cares a lot about the well-being of the two other lead characters, but her mission is to separate them and send them through trial after trial. At first, Sibylla is unaware that her older witch friend is the orchestrator of it all, but when she finds out -- again, with very little digesting time –- she immediately starts asking questions without needing more than a few minutes to digest what could’ve been a big twist. Sibylla prefers to get angry about things she doesn’t understand, and immediately desires more information, rather than get flustered for even a second. All in all, I have mixed feelings about this book, but I do think it’s worth reading, for the fantasy of it.

Review: Where She Fell

Where She Fell
by Kaitlin Ward

Publisher: Point
Publication Date: October 30, 2018

WHERE SHE FELL is about a deep hole in a swamp, near a relatively small town. And the girl who falls into it. Our not-exactly-a-hero Eliza is that girl, and she only reason she survives is because she is an aspiring geologist with a passion for caves. Hers is the type of nerdy knowledge that saves lives, and she certainly wouldn’t have lived another hour if she had listened to her friends’ unspoken judgments and chosen a less nerdy career path. But she does live another hour – she lives beyond another day, she survives. But not alone. There exists within the tunnels and caverns of the world she’s stumbled into a colony of humans, humans who have fallen in at separate times, and at separate locations – leading Eliza to realize the cave system is bigger than one single state. The colony’s resident geologist (what a coincidence!), Mary, enlists Eliza to help her with her work and unwillingly allows Eliza to uncover the colony’s secrets – even Mary’s own lies – one…by…one. If Eliza was an outcast above ground, she is an alien below – and she has to consider who her topside friends are, and what the colony leaders’ intentions will lead to.

I loved WHERE SHE FELL. A story about an imperfect introvert is always refreshing, and story about an imperfect introvert stuck underground for a few weeks is even better. Eliza stays herself, the whole time, and she “rises to the occasion” in a unique, realistic way. She nearly has a breakdown multiple times, and doesn’t think of herself as the hero – which is why I don’t, either. She is amazingly courageous, yes, but I don’t think she’s a hero. I don’t think she’s some far-off standard of awesomeness. I think she is herself, and even in a life or death situation, that is the best you can be. Eliza’s topside friends don’t appreciate her very much, but I think it was a slight mistake on the writer’s part to have Eliza completely ditch them after coming to her philosophical and spiritual breakthroughs. They could’ve still been in her life, just…less. But however overwhelming her topside friends were, her colony friends made up for it: Alice, Eleanor, Grayson, and Mary were all bringers of peace and understanding in a time of turmoil and rejection. Also Grayson was hot as hell. Overall, WHERE SHE FELL is a very good, darkly whimsical book.

Review: Summer of Salt

Summer of Salt
by Katrina Leno

Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: June 5, 2018

SUMMER OF SALT is a surreal, yet very comforting novel about magic. Georgina and Mary are twins, daughters of Penelope Fernweh, but they could not be more different. Penelope owns the only inn on the island of By-The-Sea, and Georgina and Mary work there during the summers, when hobby ornithologists come, looking for a bird who may or may not be three hundred years old – it’s likely – and may definitely totally possibly be a long-lost family member. The bird’s name – it has a name, oh yes – is Annabella. Every single woman in the Fernweh family is magic, including Georgina’s mother (expert potion-maker) and sister (Mary can float). Except Georgina. 

Georgina has no idea what she can do. All the Fernweh women have discovered their powers by their eighteenth birthday at the latest, if there are any powers. Georgina is seventeen, and hasn’t felt or seen any ounce of her own magic in the world. And she feels worse knowing Mary’s kind is extremely obvious. Mary’s kind is so obvious, in fact, that she has to learn to control her powers, or risk floating a few inches of the ground as she introduces herself to her college roommate when she and Georgina leave after the summer is over. This is their last year on the island, and every year without fail, Annabella comes on a certain date of a certain month, and with her arrive the inn guests. But this year, Annabella is late. 

Oh, and, this is the year Georgina decides to fall in love. 

SUMMER OF SALT is so sweet, and so deep. Even with all the chaos that love brings, there is a strong innocence there too. When Georgina kisses Prue for the first time, I was practically willing it to last longer. Everything on the island of By-The-Sea is so quaint, I myself fell in love with the town, as well. Some books you read, you appreciate the story but don’t feel in the story, you feel connected but not empathetic. This book is rare, because it is not like that at all. I felt inside the story, inside their bodies and minds. Each time I read parts of it, in the comfort of my bed, on the sofa with light streaming onto the fabric, in the bath, even, I smelled the salt and the brine, heard the waves, felt the floods. To me, the ocean smells like gasoline, feels like wind, and sounds like birds, so I was able to project some of my senses onto the novel too. Even though I live far closer the beach than a Midwesterner might, Summer Of Salt induced ocean-related nostalgia in me as well. 

Not only did Katrina Leno write the descriptions well, she wrote the characters supremely. Mary was so many stereotypes and clichés all rolled into one, Peter was average and slightly pathetic, Vira seemed like Katrina was trying to hard to give our main character a “weird friend,” Prue seemed like the “perfect, dolled up” love interest, and Harrison was sort of useless and distant, but of course, when sh%t hits the fan, every single main character shows their true colors. Vira became, in a couple of choice words, effortless and bad%ss. Mary was more fragile and humane than I think any of us were expecting. Peter was anything but average, yet still pathetic, in the pitiful, troubled way. Harrison grew into one of the best friends Georgina could ever have. And we discovered Prue has motion sickness. 

This book was feminist and humanist, and ended strongly and gently. Simply put, I loved it.   

Review: Brightly Burning

Brightly Burning
by Alexa Donne

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: May 1, 2018

BRIGHTLY BURNING is about the crew (plus one civilian) of the Rochester, a spaceship orbiting the moon. Captain Hugo Fairfax, Grace Poole, Commander Xiao, to name a few of the crew. Our civilian is ten-year-old Jessa, younger sister of our Captain. The crew is dedicated to taking care of her. She has had governesses in the past, but they never stay long, and the newest one, Stella (our protagonist), is trying to figure out why. She sorts through rumors of murder and ghosts, all the while drifting closer and closer to the mysterious, wild Hugo. He drags her to parties and has her teach Jessa for most of her day each day, but usually, a few hours at the end of the day are reserved to them, in which they both come out of their shells and read together. But Stella hears laughter outside her room at night, and after Hugo nearly dies in a fire and is immediately aware of the cause, she begins to suspect he has a part in the conspiracy. 

I loved BRIGHTLY BURNING. It is said that BRIGHTLY BURNING is an update of JANE EYRE in all the best ways; I wouldn’t know, as I’ve never read JANE EYRE. Alexa Donne has a magical, kind way of writing-–I cared for every single character, even Mari Hanada. Especially Hugo, right from the beginning. He is overdramatic and showy and rowdy and broken. And he does not like himself very much. He is quick to blame himself, no matter what happens. He lets his guilt nearly destroy him, more than once. I feel strong sympathy for him, because he reminds me of me, but worse. I too would feel it necessary to take over a spaceship at a young age, rather than letting someone out of the family captain it. Stella is a relatable protagonist, excellent narrator, and good friend, but she wasn’t my favorite character, despite her kind heart. No, my favorite character is Rori, the Rochester’s artificial intelligence. I’ve read the book, I know the world inside; for you, I will reveal no spoilers but tell you that throughout the book, Rori brings light and humor to the darkest situations, and often is our hero’s hero. She’s mighty good at troubleshooting and telling people what to do without sounding overbearing. And she seems quite aware. If I were ever to have an AI anywhere, I would want her to be like Rori. (Rori x Lori forever!!!) 

The quality in Donne’s writing actually improves with the chapters. At the beginning, it wasn’t that interesting and it felt cliché. If you run into the same problem, don’t let that stop you. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. By which I mean, at around page 36 (don’t skip), the momentum increases, the tension speeds up, and I read the rest of it in one sitting. The book is much darker than you first think. And I deeply appreciated every element of it. You will not be able to put it down. The ending for me lacked in what I like to call “reader looseness.” It was adorable and romantic and special and healing, but it told you what happened after the climax and sorting-out-of-plot, rather than letting you imagine. It shoved us too far into the future, but other than that, the book was far better than I expected. I beg you to read it. It is diverse for the sake of realism--humanity really does have that much variety--and compassionate in nature.

Review: Someday, Somewhere

Someday, Somewhere
by Lindsay Champion

Publisher: KCP Loft
Publication Date: April 3, 2018

SOMEDAY, SOMEWHERE is about two cool teens takin’ on New York. Their names are Dominique and Ben, and they both appreciate jazz. Ben is a violinist. An amazing, high-strung, mischievously sexy violinist. Dominique wants to be a dancer. She danced when she was young, he played when he was even younger. She stopped for financial and social reasons, he didn’t. Dominique lives in Jersey, Ben, in the most "high-life" part of New York. She does something worthy of an episode of Crazy Ex-Gilfriend. She gets on the train–-the A Train, to be exact-–and tracks this boy down, a boy who she only met once before. She does not tell him where she comes from, or why she’s not seen around there often. He does something in return that is equally wildly romantic. I’m not going to tell you what it is, though. It’ll ruin the surprise. Trust me, it’s worth it. Even though the whole of “New York Dominique” is a lie, Ben isn’t picture perfect either, and his secret could be the one that tears them--not to mention him--apart.       

SOMEDAY, SOMEWHERE is a really good book. Every single book that I review happens to be good enough that I’ll buy it when it comes out-–or after if I’m lazy--to have in my own home library, and force my future adopted kids to read it. But especially this book. Dominique and Ben are the two of the most sympathetic protagonists I’ve read in a long time. And the book taught me something: privilege never leaves. It is everywhere. Unlike Dominique, I have never once heard from my parents that I cannot do exactly what I want to, for any reason. My plan in life is to own a chain of bed-and-breakfasts and be a writer. I’ve heard, and I am very well aware, that it will require 99% of my passion and time to have one bed-and-breakfast, not to mention a chain. I’ve heard that it will be hard. But I’ve never heard my least favorite word… "Impossible." I am a young white lady-appearing agender chicken nugget living in one of the most liberal cities in the U.S. I have a lot of privilege. It won’t get me all the way to my goals, but at least I’m in a position where I can have (slightly) feasible, actual goals, and not just pipe dreams. I’ve never heard, "You can’t. Not because I don’t want you to…we just can’t do it." Dominique has. You get used to what you’re given, I guess, so that could explain why, in general, Dominique is easy-going and joyous. She is critical of life, and for good reason, but she’s held onto her dream for this long, in her heart, in the back of her heart, and that is only something someone with a strong resolution can do. Ben is also strong, but in a completely different way – they match well. I put myself in his shoes with ease. I haven’t been through anything like he has, but y'know, everybody’s got somethin'. I empathize with him because he looks for art in the dark…and maybe that keeps him in the dark…but he is a shining light. Not all the way. But enough to be. Not "be happy," or "be perfect." Just…be.

Review: And She Was

And She Was
by Jessica Verdi

Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: March 27, 2018

AND SHE WAS is very much a traditional “go on life changing road trip with best friend who you may or may not have feelings for” book, but it is also so much more. Dara Baker is a very passionate tennis player who doesn’t have time for much other than being a very passionate tennis player, and spending time with her mom and apparently only friend, Sam. This is the guy who she goes on the life changing road trip with. Dara learns more about others than she does herself on this road trip, which is prompted by learning that her mom is transgender.

AND SHE WAS is one of the best books I’ve ever read – and for a good third of it, I hated the main character. This started on page 200 for me and didn’t really stop until Dara came all the way back home. When she was throwing up in the hotel… Serves you right. When she was thinking about how she couldn’t deal with her mother’s suicidal thoughts… Wow, someone else’s really hard time must be such a burden for you (sarcastic). Why am I such an unwavering critic of our adorable protagonist here? Because I agree with her friend Sam-- she is selfish, immature, and definitely unraveling. 

Dara keeps saying her anger with her mother isn’t about “the trans thing,” oh, but it is. Contradictory to my dislike of the “hero,” I actually have extremely high levels of sympathy. I am a sensitive soul. I care. For Mellie, and Sam. (And Bob.) I am nonbinary. Trans issues are very important to me. Dysphoria, mental health, the will to sacrifice your money when you shouldn’t have to, parents and friends having varying levels of acceptance and otherwise, all of it. I don’t like Dara much because she seems unwilling to grasp true fear, to really understand, to listen, even just enough to actually care. When she says this herself in the last few chapters, I sigh with relief. Finally. 

This book touched me so deeply, it made me cry. I love Mellie. There are too many Mellies in this world, and way too many Daras and Ruths. My mother is a wonderful, liberal, tries-really-hard-to-accept version of Ruth. “Honestly, we were thrilled,” Ruth says on page 235, “We thought Marcus was a lovely boy…” My mother, and Ruth, both have no problems with “the trans community” to its face, but will ask, “C’mon. Why is all that necessary?” Why? “Isn’t is better to accept yourself?” Isn’t it? “Aren’t you proud of being a boy/girl?” I’m not not proud! Imagine being the thing people constantly question. Jessica Verdi gets it. She gets it enough to write about it. I love this book. Read this book.

Review: American Panda

American Panda
by Gloria Chao

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: February 6, 2018

AMERICAN PANDA is about Mei Lu and her family. Mei Lu should be in her senior year of high school, but is instead a freshman at MIT. Her family insists that she live by the set of Golden Lu Rules: be a Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, become a doctor, marry a Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, have Taiwanese future Ivy Leaguer children. (Sons are preferred.) Don’t date anyone from any other culture. Don’t fail classes or get bad grades. Don’t lie. Dance. But not too much. Mei breaks some rules and begins to understand others in her quest to define herself and find her own path.

I really loved this book. On behalf of all non-Taiwanese people who don’t go to MIT everywhere, I must say, this book is highly educational on the perspectives of both Taiwanese people and MIT students. I’m not joking. I now know more about MIT and its weird traditions than Mei did when she first got there. (Thanks, Gloria!) I know that this book doesn’t reflect every Taiwanese experience; the author said this herself in the Author’s Note. But it is the beginning of a necessary education on racial sympathy, which is highly timely in the age of Mr. Trump - and it will continue being timely after his reign ends. I felt the tone of this book very strongly. It was cinematic. Lots of twists and near misses and uncomfortable falls from grace (literally and figuratively). The romance did not feel tiring or cliched or anti-feminist in any way. It actually felt very open, empowering, realistic, and very fresh. Overall, even without thinking solely about the difference in racial experiences and refreshing romance, AMERICAN PANDA is quite simply a fine, well-written piece of teen-age literature.

Review: Truly Devious

Truly Devious
by Maureen Johnson

Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: January 16, 2018

TRULY DEVIOUS is about murder and a girl. Not murder of a girl, or at least not the main character. Stevie Bell, a “true-crime aficionado" has never stood over a dead body in her life. But she has wanted to for a long time. She gets her chance a few months into her first semester at Ellingham Academy, a famous private school. ...Famous for exceptionally bright, genius-like students, and an unsolved accident involving a kidnapping and quite a few blunt objects. Stevie Bell wants to figure out exactly what happened. 

I liked TRULY DEVIOUS, because I like hidden things and big twists and awesome women. Pix and Stevie and Vi all remind me of different aspects of myself. I think I’d want to go to Ellingham despite the murder, because I liked the way things are run. The faculty all seem very nice and understanding, but completely miss out on figuring out the murder, and it seemed kind of funny that it took a high school student to figure it out. I enjoyed the flashbacks to the past. I actually liked the current characters less than the precurrent characters; the precurrent characters seemed more alive to me.         

  

Review: Genuine Fraud

Genuine Fraud
by E. Lockhart

Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: September 5, 2017

GENUINE FRAUD is a book full of lies. Two murders, three bad romances, two girls. One is Imogen Sokoloff. The other is arguably also Imogen Sokoloff. One Imogen is the murderer, one Imogen is the victim. Both Imogens have gone missing. Both Imogens refuse to give others what they want. One of the Imogens is named Jule West Williams. And she is a runner. The plot is one big spoiler. The novel goes backwards until the very end and tosses you around like a rag doll.

I loved GENUINE FRAUD. While I am unlike both of the main characters in nearly every way--murder is simply not for me--they resonate with me, because ambition and fear are things I understand very deeply. E. Lockhart makes this roller coaster of a book feel slow enough and clear enough to shock you in a different way than you were expecting. But never does it become too confusing for you to catch every little bit: no, you stick to her writing style like fly paper and everything soaks in. It is unsettling and wild and wonderful.