Tyler

This book. WOW. When I first began reading this one I was like “okay okay. it's cute and all, but I still don't get the hype”.... but then I got to approx. page 40 and was HOOKED. Each character in this story is SO unique and nuanced. The dialogue was freaky real. Like yes, it's kind of cheesy but McQuiston did an amazing job actually of capturing how people speak nowadays. The plot itself falls somewhere between YA/Fanfic/everything I never knew I wanted to read in a gay love story. It's cute, romantic, and steamy too! The cast is diverse in race and experience, showing that cultural boundaries can really effect what it means to come out! I definitely recommend anyone, queer or ally to read this one!

to start, I absolutely LOVED this story. While originally advertised as a romance, I felt like the book read less like a love story and more a classic journey of self discovery. Ifemelu is clearly such a nuanced and intelligent character, yet she faces hurdle after hurdle in America. From racist classmates to rich, white boyfriends, Ifemelu is confronted with race and the idea of “blackness” for the first time. While some haters felt that the book was “too preachy” about race and “wasn't what [the haters] signed up for”, all I can say is— WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?! This isn't JUST a love story. This is a story about immigration! This is a story about blackness! This is a story about Nigeria! This is a story about HAIR! If you wanted to read a book that makes you comfortable and ignores some of the most pressing issues of today, go read something else!

So this one is going to be kind of a 2-for-1 review and I'll try to keep it short! I absolutely ADORED Poppy War; the character development, the world-building (some of the best I've seen!), and the magic system all worked to create a GORGEOUS and unique world. The plot in the Dragon Republic expands on this world-building even more, introducing more complex political groups and some crazy twists! The books are full of action and it feels like every chapter there's another fight scene. The only negative that I saw, which became significantly more apparent in Dragon Republic, was the interpersonal character development. Sure, each character had such a nuanced and beautiful storyline, but I felt that the actual dynamics BETWEEN characters really suffered. The friendship between Rin and Kitty seemed forced, which made it difficult for me to empathize when they would fight (which happens often). It felt like Kuang relied heavily on her amazing action-writing skills and didn't do as much relationship-building as she could have done. Along the same vein, I felt that Rin's romantic interests were INCREDIBLY hard to believe. Rin seems to be infatuated with her leader, Atlan, for almost no reason? Then again, that honestly might have been purposeful on Kuang's part and the reader is SUPPOSED to question Rin's infatuation for Atlan.

DNF. Unfortunately this book was not for me. The idea was so gorgeous, and the writing so descriptive and poetic in a way... but it was DENSE. The convoluted storytelling (it almost felt like I was reading a book of metaphors and symbols?) slowed me down to the point where I couldn't go on.

I HATE not being able to finish books, so maybe one day i'll come back to this one.

4.5

This book. wow. Talk about crazy childhood!!! I would place Born a Crime in that category of memoir/autobiography that is nonfiction but SERIOUSLY reads like fiction. Like, some of the scenes Noah talks about truly felt like a TV show. At times it was so hard for me to wrap my mind around (which also reveals so much of my privilege and ability to have a “normal” childhood for the most part). Told in a series of essays/short stories, Born a Crime still had a thematic arch that highlighted Noah's growth from apartheid South Africa to The Daily Show. I would recommend this to anyone/everyone! The one teensy tiny negative I felt was that Noah's tone, while obviously sarcastic and humorous, at times felt a LITTLE braggy/patronizing (kind of like, “oh yeah I knew I was destined to be famous from the first time I spoke”), although friends have been quick to point out, that this adds to the humor! But honestly after reading this book, I truly believe that Noah WAS destined for success and that the pride and ego are absolutely warranted.

A solid 4/5, in my opinion

Ok, I'm going to kind of break this review down into two mini-reviews because one the one hand, I absolutely COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. I finished it in one day and loved every second of it. The suspense was REAL and I was so frustrated (and scared) at times! There were a lot of twists and turns (some pretty obvious and some that completely got me out of nowhere) that kept me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed the different characters... I definitely wouldn't say they were the most BELIEVABLE, but then again, most thrillers have to have some odd events/characters or else they wouldn't be all that thrilling. BUT on the other hand, something I definitely didn't like about this one was how it took the “untrustworthy female protagonist spies something she shouldn't and nobody believes her” trope to the EXTREME. Like other books that fall in this genre (Gone Girl, Girl on a Train), the protagonist, Anna, has alcohol and drug abuse problems, leading to (what the police believe) to be an untrustworthy witness. But like, Anna was COMPLETELY SANE in every scene before the murder; in fact, she regularly plays chess and has a doctorate??? Like yes, she is dealing with her own trauma and PTSD from past events (no spoiler), but still, it's absolutely ridiculous for the police not even to CONSIDER her testimony. Anyway, I could go on for days about my qualms with the portrayal of female protagonists in modern fiction but this review is getting a bit long. Overall though, definitely recommend this one!

Crosshairs follows the story of Kay, a black drag queen, and his allies in their journey to fight back against an oppressive regime who has been capturing and rounding up “Others” (pretty much anyone who isn't white, cis, and straight-passing) into concentration camps.

I honestly could not have started reading this book in a more opportune time. In the midst of a global pandemic and race rebellion, many of the ideas presented in the book are incredibly relevant. While technically Crosshairs is a “dystopian novel”, the current situation in the U.S. made it way too believable. From the physical and systemic exclusion of Others, to the response by the government during an environmental disaster (which disproportionately affects black and brown people), Crosshairs was a chilling and topical read throughout. I will say that had it not been for the current political/social climate in the U.S., I might have struggled to really “believe” the plot – but, it's a dystopian novel! so it's not meant to be entirely “believable”.

The cast was relatively small, and each character was well-thought out and nuanced in their thoughts and actions. Hernandez excellently portrayed the diversity of the cast, using careful, intentional language that was accessible and educational. Hernandez explained topics of privilege, systemic racism, and queerness, in a way that was easy to read and perfectly fit within the context of a dystopian novel.

I cannot say enough good things about this book! Would highly recommend this to anyone who loves drag queens, dystopian novels, and taking down fascist regimes! Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.