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The Minus One Club by Kekla Magoon

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Minus One Club by Kekla Magoon

The Minus One Club
Kekla Magoon
MacMillan
Published January 17, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Minus One Club

From the Coretta Scott King and Printz Honor-winning author of HOW IT WENT DOWN, LIGHT IT UP, and REVOLUTION IN OUR TIME comes a moving contemporary YA novel about the bonds between a group of teens whose lives have been upended by tragedy.

Fifteen-year-old Kermit Sanders knows grief and its all-encompassing shadows. After losing his beloved older sister in a tragic car accident, nothing quite punctures through the feelings of loss. Everywhere Kermit goes, he is reminded of her.

But then Kermit finds a mysterious invitation in his locker, signed anonymously with “-1.” He has no idea what he’s in for, but he shows up to find out. Dubbed the “Minus-One Club,” a group of his schoolmates has banded together as a form of moral support. The members have just one thing in common—they have all suffered the tragic loss of someone they loved.

The usual dividing lines between high school classes and cliques don’t apply inside the Minus-One Club, and Kermit’s secret crush, the handsome and happy-go-lucky Matt (and only out gay student at school), is also a part of the group. Slowly, Matt’s positive headstrong approach to life helps relieve Kermit of his constant despair.

But as Kermit grows closer to Matt, the light of his new life begins to show the cracks beneath the surface. When Matt puts himself in danger by avoiding his feelings, Kermit must find the strength to not only lift himself back up but to help the rest of the group from falling apart.

“This evocative exploration of grief, sexual identity, and personal spirituality will be a boon to any teen grappling with these issues.” –Horn Book

My Review

It’s been a long time since I’ve read anything by Kekla Magoon (I reviewed REIGN OF OUTLAWS in 2017), so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. I love stories about grief and self-discovery, especially characters wrestling with their faith, and this one ticks all those boxes for sure.

The characterization in this book felt totally spot on to me. Each character had a distinct voice, and specific connections and relationships with Kermit. I especially loved his relationship with his sister, who we meet in memories, dreams, and through her voice in Kermit’s head.

I also loved Matt, though he scared me with his drinking and some other things. He’s absolutely charming. It was easy to believe everything he said and just immediately adore him.

THE MINUS ONE CLUB is a complex story about grief, which is exactly what I expected from the title and book summary. The club didn’t feature in the book as much as I thought it might. The story really centers on Kermit and Matt and their relationship and how each of them are processing their grief.

All in all, I truly enjoyed reading this book. I couldn’t put it down. The chapters are really short, and the story seems to move quickly, so I read this one in a single sitting. It only took a couple of hours, too. I definitely recommend the book to readers who like stories about processing grief or about identity and first love.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Kermit and his sister are biracial. Kermit and another character are gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used fairly infrequently. Kermit and Matt play a game where everything they say has double meanings.

Several scenes contain homophobic statements, especially from Kermit’s Baptist church and even from his parents.

Romance/Sexual Content
At a party, boys encourage Kermit’s best friend to get his girlfriend drunk so that she will be more willing to have sex. He finds this appalling.

Kissing between two boys. References to sexual touching.

Kermit remembers his dad talking to him about sex and how to use a condom, even though he expects Kermit to practice abstinence. His dad says some misogynistic and toxic ideas about sex, which Kermit’s sister calls out as such.

Brief description of sexual harassment.

Spiritual Content
Kermit used to be deeply committed to his faith. After his sister’s death, and as he comes to terms with his identity, his faith falters. Another boy encourages him to visit a different church where his identity would be accepted.

Violent Content
Brief description of sexual harassment in a locker room at school. Kermit also witnesses what he thinks could be bullying.

One character talks about committing suicide.

Drug Content
Kermit doesn’t drink alcohol, partly because of his faith and partly because his sister was killed by a drunk driver. His friends do drink, though. One friend uses alcohol to cope with grief. One abuses prescription medicine in one scene.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE MINUS ONE CLUB in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Brighter Than the Moon by David Valdes

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,

Brighter Than the Moon
David Valdes
Bloomsbury YA
Published January 10, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Brighter Than the Moon

Shy foster kid Jonas and self-assured vlogger Shani met online, and so far, that’s where their relationship has stayed, sharing memes and baring their souls from behind their screens. Shani is eager to finally meet up, but Jonas isn’t so sure–he’s not confident Shani will like the real him . . . if he’s even sure who that is.

Jonas knows he’s trapped himself in a lie with Shani–and wants to dig himself out. But Shani, who’s been burned before, may not give him a chance: she talks her best friend Ash into playing spy and finding out the truth. When Ash falls for Jonas, too, he keeps that news from Shani, and soon they’re all keeping secrets. Will it matter that their hearts are in the right place? Coming clean will require them to figure out who they really are, which is no easy task when all the pieces of your identity go beyond easy boxes and labels.

Lauded writer David Valdes offers a heartfelt, clever, and thought-provoking story about how we figure out who we want to be–online and IRL–for fans of David Levithan and Adam Silvera.

My Review

It’s kind of rare for a story to be told in three points of view the way this one is. I love that it’s third person, present tense. That made everything feel close and immediate. I felt like the author did a great job balancing all three perspectives in the story, too. They all felt equally intimate even though they were three very different characters.

I read David Valdes’s debut, SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND, last year, and it was bursting with energy so much that I wasn’t sure how he would follow it up. BRIGHTER THAN THE MOON is a whole different story, and I love it just as much. The energy is different, but still really great. I love all three main characters.

The only thing that hit me weirdly was the way the online deception resolved. I’ve read a couple other catphishing type stories lately (NO FILTER AND OTHER LIES by Crystal Maldonado and TAKE A BOW, NOAH MITCHELL by Tobias Madden), so it might be that I’m worn on that trope right now? I don’t know. It seemed like Jonas and Shani both had big trust issues, and Ash seemed like he couldn’t help creating trust issues, so it was hard for me to imagine things working out quite the way they did?

Despite that, I really enjoyed so many things about this book, though. I loved the setting and all of the places mentioned– especially the coffee shop, Curious Liquids. I liked the community around each of the characters, too, especially Shani’s dad, and Ash’s friend from the coffee shop, Tee.

On the whole, I can totally see fans of Adam Silvera loving this book. If you love books about self-discovery and found family, BRIGHTER THAN THE MOON is one you should check out.

Content Notes for Brighter Than the Moon

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Jonas is a brown boy who is unsure of his background. He is in foster care. His foster mom is black. Shani’s mom was black and her dad is white. Ash is trans and his dad is Indian American and his mom is Iranian American. A minor character is also trans and another is a lesbian. Three characters are in a polyamorous relationship.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Characters experience attraction and think about kissing.

Spiritual Content
Shani attends church at Christmas. Characters attend a funeral service at a church. A singer performs “I Sing Because I’m Happy,” a song that deeply moves Shani, Ash, and Jonas.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of BRIGHTER THAN THE MOON in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,

Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell
Tobias Madden
Page Street Kids
Published January 3, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell

There Are No Cheat Codes for Showmance

Seventeen-year-old gaymer Noah Mitchell only has one friend left: the wonderful, funny, strictly online-only MagePants69. After years playing RPGs together, they know everything about each other, except anything that would give away their real life identities. And Noah is certain that if they could just meet in person, they would be soulmates. Noah would do anything to make this happen—including finally leaving his gaming chair to join a community theater show that he’s only mostly sure MagePants69 is performing in. Noah has never done anything like theater—he can’t sing, he can’t dance, and he’s never willingly watched a musical—but he’ll have to go all in to have a chance at love.

With Noah’s mum performing in the lead role, and former friends waiting in the wings to sabotage his reputation, his plan to make MagePants69 fall in love with him might be a little more difficult than originally anticipated.

And the longer Noah waits to come clean, the more tangled his web of lies becomes. By opening night, he will have to decide if telling the truth is worth closing the curtain on his one shot at true love.

My Review

I absolutely loved Tobias Madden’s debut, ANYTHING BUT FINE, so I was really excited to read another of his books. ANYTHING BUT FINE had possibly the best frank and funny scenes about ballet that I’ve ever read. It also made me totally weep with grief. So good. (I’m pretty sure there’s an appearance by Luca, Amina and Jordan in this book, which was amazing.) Anyway.

So, TAKE A BOW, NOAH MITCHELL follows a reluctant theatre kid, and I have to say that one of my favorite things about the book was the way it celebrated but also poked loving fun at theatre and musicals. I loved that.

I also felt like the layering in the book was really good. Noah and his mom have a really rocky relationship. I thought the way that they sometimes miscommunicated or where their dramatic personalities clashed were really well done. Totally believable.

The relationship between Eli and Noah was cool, too. The timing of reading this book was a little awkward for me, since I just finished NO FILTER AND OTHER LIES by Crystal Maldonado not long before reading this one, and the plot has a lot of similarities to this one. I think that left me feeling like some of the tropes were not as fresh and interesting, but I think that’s probably just because I read both books so close together.

On the whole, I had a lot of fun reading this one, and I enjoyed the characters (especially Noah and Charly) and theatre scenes a lot.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Noah and some other characters are gay. BIPOC minor characters.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. References to sex. In one scene the boys plan to have sex and the scene follows the lead up to it. Noah walks in on a man and woman having sex.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Bullying. References to video game violence.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol. In one scene, a boy brings out a joint.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of TAKE A BOW, NOAH MITCHELL in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Silver in the Mist by Emily Victoria

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

Silver in the Mist
Emily Victoria
Inkyard Press
Published November 1, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Silver in the Mist

Eight years ago, everything changed for Devlin: Her country was attacked. Her father was killed. And her mother became the Whisperer of Aris, the head of the spies, retreating into her position away from everyone… even her daughter.

Joining the spy ranks herself, Dev sees her mother only when receiving assignments. She wants more, but she understands the peril their country, Aris, is in. The malevolent magic force of The Mists is swallowing Aris’s edges, their country is vulnerable to another attack from their wealthier neighbor, and the magic casters who protect them from both are burning out.

Dev has known strength and survival her whole life, but with a dangerous new assignment of infiltrating the royal court of their neighbor country Cerena to steal the magic they need, she learns that not all that glitters is weak. And not all stories are true.

My Review

I found the first few chapters of this book a little bit confusing. It seemed like there were things I was supposed to know already (magic systems, geography, etc.) that I didn’t know. I actually looked to see if this was a sequel to another book that I’d missed. Nope.

Once I was maybe four or so chapters into the book, though, I felt like the story settled into itself. I liked the whole spy network element and the magic system based on creating shapes called filigree. From the beginning I liked Dev’s character, but I think Lochlan was my favorite. I loved their snappy remarks.

I think readers who enjoy books about magic with a bit of political intrigue will like this one. It reminded me a teeny bit of DEFY THE NIGHT by Brigid Kemmerer, though I think there’s a little more world building in Kemmerer’s books.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
One minor character is nonbinary.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief reference to two women who married. It seemed like there was some attraction between Dev and Alyse (two girls), but nothing is ever openly specified.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic by creating filigree. Magic mist spawns terrible monsters.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. In one scene, characters fight off a monster. Other references to monster fights. One reference to torture and execution.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of SILVER IN THE MIST in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Trouble with Robots by Michelle Mohrweiss

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The Trouble with Robots
Michelle Mohrweiss
Peachtree
Published September 27, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Trouble with Robots

Evelyn strives for excellence. Allie couldn’t care less. Together, these polar opposites must work together if they have any hope of saving their school’s robotics program.

Eighth-graders Evelyn and Allie are in trouble. Evelyn’s constant need for perfection has blown some fuses among her robotics teammates, and she’s worried nobody’s taking the upcoming competition seriously. Allie is new to school, and she’s had a history of short-circuiting on teachers and other kids.

So when Allie is assigned to the robotics team as a last resort, all Evelyn can see is just another wrench in the works! But as Allie confronts a past stricken with grief and learns to open up, the gears click into place as she discovers that Evelyn’s teammates have a lot to offer—if only Evelyn allowed them to participate in a role that plays to their strengths.

Can Evelyn learn to let go and listen to what Allie has to say? Or will their spot in the competition go up in smoke along with their school’s robotics program and Allie’s only chance at redemption?

An excellent pick for STEAM enthusiasts, this earnestly told narrative features a dual point of view and casually explores Autistic and LGBTQ+ identities.

My Review

What a fantastic, fun book! I’ve never been part of a robotics team, but this book makes the experience very accessible and highlights the fun as well. I really liked the characters and their individual personalities. It wasn’t hard to keep track of who was who once I got a few chapters into the story, because each one was so different than the others.

I really liked both Allie and Evelyn’s characters. They both wrestled with some heavy issues, but they had good support. As they took the risks of opening up, they were surprised by the way their friends came alongside them and accepted them as they were, while still asking for healthy boundaries and accountability.

The scenes showing the team working together were a really bright spot in the book. Once they all figured out how to come together, the whole story seemed to kick up a notch or two. I loved the way the stakes kept getting higher, and I was definitely on pins and needles as they went to that last competition. I loved how the lessons they’d learned about working together and supporting one another became even more critically important in those final scenes, too.

All in all, THE TROUBLE WITH ROBOTS was such a fun book to read. I enjoyed it a lot, and I’m really glad I had a chance to read it.

Content Notes for The Trouble with Robots

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Allie’s parents were killed in a car crash, and she’s being raised by her grandmother. She doesn’t feel attracted to anyone romantically. Evelyn is autistic and raised by her two moms. She also is attracted to both boys and girls. Other members of the robotics team identify as LGBTQIA+.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Two boys on the robotics team are dating.

Spiritual Content
Allie has conversations in her mind with her parents when she misses them most.

Violent Content
A boy at school picks on other kids, calling them names and threatening to beat them up.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE TROUBLE WITH ROBOTS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,

Hell Followed with Us
Andrew Joseph White
Peachtree Teen
Published June 7, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Hell Followed with Us

Sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji is on the run from the cult that raised him—the fundamentalist sect that unleashed Armageddon and decimated the world’s population. Desperately, he searches for a place where the cult can’t get their hands on him, or more importantly, on the bioweapon they infected him with.

But when cornered by monsters born from the destruction, Benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center, affectionately known as the ALC. The ALC’s leader, Nick, is gorgeous, autistic, and a deadly shot, and he knows Benji’s darkest secret: the cult’s bioweapon is mutating him into a monster deadly enough to wipe humanity from the earth once and for all.

Still, Nick offers Benji shelter among his ragtag group of queer teens, as long as Benji can control the monster and use its power to defend the ALC. Eager to belong, Benji accepts Nick’s terms…until he discovers the ALC’s mysterious leader has a hidden agenda, and more than a few secrets of his own.

A furious, queer debut novel about embracing the monster within and unleashing its power against your oppressors. Perfect for fans of GIDEON THE NINTH and ANNIHILATION.

My Review

I don’t usually read horror, so this one is a little bit outside my usual book choice. I couldn’t resist checking it out, though. There’s something really compelling about the cover. I don’t know if it’s the pairing of the colors (obviously I have a thing for turquoise and orange) or the title, which references a Bible verse in Revelations? Either way, as soon as I saw the cover, I knew I needed to check out the book.

The plot: basically this cult takes the worst parts of humanity and clothes them in a twisted version of holiness. It’s bad religion taken to an extreme. Benji references all these scriptures he’s been taught as he’s trying to figure out what to do and what he believes. We get to see how they’ve been twisted for control or abuse. I felt like that was really powerful and also heartbreaking, especially when it was verses that I’ve also memorized and they were being used to cause such harm.

One of the things I liked, too, was that there are these moments where faith comes up and Benji really wrestles with whether God exists. He doesn’t believe what he’s been taught about who God is or what believing would command him to do. But he continues to pray, even if he’s not sure it’s doing anything. He has a conversation with another teammate who also is a person of faith. I liked that the story didn’t straight up demonize faith but created space to explore the difference between a religious terrorist organization and faith that uplifts or inspires people. That’s not what the story as a whole is about though. It’s just a moment in the book.

Character Elements versus Horror Elements

Benji is a pretty tormented character. He’s barely escaped what is obviously (mostly off-scene) a hugely traumatic upbringing in the Angels cult, so he still has a lot of processing to do about what happened to him. He’s only beginning to unpack what is actually true versus what he was told in order to control or manipulate him. The threads of thought he takes us through as he dismantles his abuse gripped me probably more than anything else in the book. That journey and the frank, in-process way that it’s related kept me locked into the story from beginning to end. Some of the cult exploration aspects of the book reminded me a little bit of THE PROJECT by Courtney Summers.

Would I have been more comfortable if there were less, er, slaughtering via teeth? Yeah. For sure. Ha. But I can’t help but be so glad I read this book. I get the hype about it. I love the ways it made me think.

Readers who enjoy fast-paced, post-apocalyptic stories or books that examine cults and recovery from being in a cult should check this one out. I don’t read much horror, but another in the genre that I enjoyed is IT LOOKS LIKE US by Allison Ames. If you liked the balance of character driven elements to horror elements, you would probably also like HELL FOLLOWED WITH US.

Content Notes

Graphic violence, transphobia, domestic violence and religious abuse, self-injury and attempted suicide.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Benji is a trans boy who grew up (and escaped) a radical cult. Nick is autistic. Other minor characters identify as queer.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. One scene leads up to oral sex but doesn’t describe it.

Spiritual Content
The Angels cult is loosely based on Christianity but is pretty twisted. They’ve created and unleashed a fatal pandemic as well as a disease that causes awful mutations. They kill anyone who disagrees with them or their ideas. Biblical scriptures are warped and used to defend murder and control.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle scenes with graphic descriptions of injuries and death. Graphic descriptions of mutations and death caused by the Flood. Graphic descriptions of bodies rotting. Some scenes show or reference execution. One scene (referenced more than once) describes domestic violence. Several scenes show or reference religious abuse. Several characters exhibit transphobia. In some scenes, a character is misgendered and referred to by his deadname.

Drug Content
A few characters sip wine that someone saved for a “special occasion”. Benji does not and a Muslim character does not.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of HELL FOLLOWED WITH US in exchange for my honest review.