Oshiro is an auto-read author for me, and I love middle grade horror/supernatural stuff, so of course I had to pick this up!
It was exactly4.5 stars.
Oshiro is an auto-read author for me, and I love middle grade horror/supernatural stuff, so of course I had to pick this up!
It was exactly what I wanted. I love and relate to the main character, who has been haunted for years now and is getting pretty fed up with the it! But then she meets and joins her school’s Gay Supernatural Alliance (!!!). Everyone in this book is queer — the 3 leads, Jasmine’s mom, her new friend Jorge’s dads, the teachers…it’s amazing.
This is both cozy and spooky. Perfect for late summer or fall. And I cried sooo much at the end. [slight spoiler] I love how they actually get the parents involved. Intergenerational supernatural coalition!
My only complaint is the friendship stuff is a little over-telegraphed and repetitive. But it’s also really sweet! I love the resolution at the end.
It comes out October 1! Thanks so much to Netgalley for the arc. ...more
This world isn’t as complex as that of Witchlings (it’s an urban, not high, fantasy, so it makes sense there’d be less world building3.5, rounded up.
This world isn’t as complex as that of Witchlings (it’s an urban, not high, fantasy, so it makes sense there’d be less world building). But this one is spookier, while still being delightful! I love the friendship at the heart of this book. Their banter is so fun and cute.
Kids in MG have to deal with so much! I always feel bad for them.
Sometimes I do feel like Ortega’s writing style makes the actual fights/supernatural plot stuff feel kind of anticlimactic? I don’t know how to explain it. But I loved all the character stuff here, and the amount that adults were involved. It was a very sweet and slightly spooky debut MG that I’d def still recommend to kids. ...more
Is there anything better than a really magical middle grade fantasy? This has strong Owl House vibes, and I love it so much. It’s so casually Latine &Is there anything better than a really magical middle grade fantasy? This has strong Owl House vibes, and I love it so much. It’s so casually Latine & queer in such a delightful way. The main character (Seven) is relatable and just the right amount special/Chosen One without becoming too perfect. She’s followed around my a pack of raccoons!! Their names are things like Cheese and Breadstick and Tostone and they love her!!
There are so many great lines in this. “You never know when you’ll need an evil-detecting rat” — so true!!
This sequel does a good job of reminding readers what happened in the first book (there was a lot!). It makes things a tiny bit clunky in the beginning, but overall I think it’s really well-done. I definitely put this down a bunch of times — it wasn’t something I read through all in one go, for whatever reason. I think maybe because the intensity doesn’t really ratchet up in a typical way — it’s more episodic with cute and intense moments interspersed throughout. Which is actually very nice and cozy! But also makes it feel less like you *have* to keep reading.
Thanks to Scholastic for this book!! They sent me an ARC AND a finished copy, which is just so nice. I have no idea what I did to deeerve it....more
This graphic novel is so so good. I love that BIPOC creators are getting more and more chances to create middle grade realistic graphic novels in the This graphic novel is so so good. I love that BIPOC creators are getting more and more chances to create middle grade realistic graphic novels in the vein of Raina Telgemeier — not just the big trauma stories but also the more everyday stories as well. It’s so important! I bought this for my middle school library, and I think the kids will really love and connect to it.
This book is about big things (racism, anti-blackness, colorism, intergenerational trauma), but it’s also a story of daily life, regular family woes, and middle school friendships and drama. It made me cry, kind of a lot! The art is somehow both gorgeous and incredibly cute, and the writing does so much while being deceptively simple. It does some great education work (explaining what anti-blackness is and how it pertains to so-called “good hair”), while also being so nuanced, sensitive, and non-pedantic. Highly recommended. ...more
This is delightful. So funny, creative, and absolutely wild. It also made me tear up at times!
I like that the adults are knowledgeable and cool in thThis is delightful. So funny, creative, and absolutely wild. It also made me tear up at times!
I like that the adults are knowledgeable and cool in this — so rare in a middle grade book, especially MG SFF.
The audiobook is great, especially for all the Spanish and accents (and the robot/AI voices!).
It was def more slice of life than I expected from the title — the level of action kind of stays the same throughout. I was initially disappointed, but I ended up liking that. It felt really unique. That said, it sort of made it feel like an incomplete story? Like it was building up and then sorta just stopped. Overall though I really enjoyed it. ...more
This is another great HP alternative (there are so many these days!), and the comp to Amari &4.5 stars
This is so cute, sweet, and funny! I loved it.
This is another great HP alternative (there are so many these days!), and the comp to Amari & the Night Brothers, which I also loved, is a great one. I also get Owl House vibes, although it’s kinda cozier. It’s a great combination of a cute, cozy, witchy world that’s really easy to find yourself in and enough systemic problems to fight against.
The only negative for me was that the pacing of the big battle didn’t 100% work for me. The end also wrapped up super neatly and almost *too* well, but that doesn’t bother me so much in a MG fantasy.
Racquel Marie is so good, especially at depicting flawed, realistic teens. The characters in this book really stuck with me, and I was thinking about Racquel Marie is so good, especially at depicting flawed, realistic teens. The characters in this book really stuck with me, and I was thinking about it a lot when not reading it, which is rare, even for a really good YA contemporary. I cried kind of a lot! Highly recommend. You Don’t Have a Shot was also great, but this is like a soul-bond book. ...more
Hmm! Ok I know I always say this about romances, especially YA ones, but this book was extremely stressful. I know that there have to be misunderstandHmm! Ok I know I always say this about romances, especially YA ones, but this book was extremely stressful. I know that there have to be misunderstandings and hijinks and stress and mistakes to make it interesting to read, but like, if literally every date is a disaster...why keep dating? I started out listening on audiobook, which I think may have contributed to the secondhand embarrassment/cringing/stress (the only thing worse than running late for something important because you’re stuck on the subway is listening to someone else’s thoughts in that situation. Even at 1.25x speed, it feels like it lasts forever!!). Because I’d made it so far, and because I did find moments cute and/or relatable, I decided to finish it in ebook form. I don’t know if I just much preferred the end, or if the change of medium made a huge difference, but I really loved the last 5-10 chapters! They were so cute and a little cheesy but also not wrapping everything up perfectly. I really loved the place where they decided to end things. So I think I’d ultimately recommend it? Especially if you have a higher tolerance for drama/stress in your romances than I do....more
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