Sabrina
Through beautiful and funny and reflective poetry, Reynolds explored and empowered Miles to take agency and respect in spite of the “master's tools” being used against him (tw: humiliation, power plays, detention, prejudice). This isn't really about Spider-Man being a hero, but about Miles learning to be a hero against a racist system that is infested and rotting. Reynolds also touches the topic of book bans in an interesting way! Highly recommend this book that shows a another side of Miles.
I received this book as an arc from the publisher via NetGalley. This book sounded like everything I ever wanted in a book: zombie apocalypse + cults + family drama? Yes, please. I really loved Lozada-Oliva's debut “Dreaming of You,” so I really felt I would love this one just the same. However, the plot premises that drew me in (mostly the horror/apocalypse vibes) wasn't really the focus of the story. Don't get me wrong, the complexities of these flawed characters and the intricate dynamics between them were very interesting, but the heavy focus on their pasts and fuck-ups and struggles as opposed to a bloody end of the world adventure just wasn't what I was looking for when I picked this up. BUT, that doesn't mean this book isn't for you! Lozada-Oliva's writing is always beautiful and compelling and cool, and that definitely made the read enjoyable enough to carry me through the story. Just don't go into this thinking you are getting the craze of the end of the world. I loved the end the most where Candy was in this weird metaverse space and the cover is just excellent!! I am grateful for the opportunity to read this book before its release and will still look eagerly forward to future books from this author.
