I have spent the past 19 blog posts discussing what people have written. Now I want to talk about what people have not written.

Anyway, without further ado, books that I think need to be written.

A Pride and Prejudice “circumquel” or “paraquel and sequel” (yes, those are real words, I looked them up)

For my Pride & Prejudice fans out there, I am sure the concept of another story written in the same universe with the same characters is something they would love (assuming it was done right). At least, this is something I would love. In the books, it is hinted that there is something beyond simple “being a child” that leads Kitty Bennet to act the way she does. Despite being two years older than her younger sister, she blindly follows her around, copying her every move, which is not something normal in any capacity. 

This begs the question of why. Why does she follow Lydia around the way she does? At the very end of the book, Austen seems to actually set up somewhat of a lead up to Kitty having her own story. For me, I would love to see some of the events that occur in the novel from someone other than Elizabeth. Kitty’s perspective of the events before, during, and in her new life after the events of the novel. After all, Kitty is someone who is obviously neglected by both her parents, looked down upon by so many because of a decision her sister made, been forced to cut contact with Lydia (her sister and best friend), and been removed from her parents’ house by her two older sisters. Something must have happened/been happening to Kitty that resulted in her demeanor, and I think a book about her trauma and subsequent healing would be an amazing read.

A Queer Aladdin Retelling

This one genuinely shocks me that one doesn’t exist. Trust me, I’ve looked. Despite the fact that it is one of the most interesting of the fairytales that Disney adapted and said adaptation is so perfectly suited for a queer retelling, no one has done it. Which is so disappointing to me. I don’t  believe that I am the only person who has thought of it, so the fact that no one has written it and had it published is weird. It is the perfect kind of story for being queer. A guy disguises himself so that he can go into the palace to marry the princess (admittedly, by tricking her into thinking he’s a prince, which is not the healthiest way to go about a relationship) and is eventually exposed as being the “street rat” the princess was in love with. Now make Aladdin a girl who disguises herself as a Prince to gain power, and the princess eventually begins to fall in love with her, before it becomes exposed that the Prince is actually the poor lover she had prior to the book. Or something along those lines. It would work so well.

I guess that what they say is true, if you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself. So yes, I have an outline of an Aladdin retelling. And yes, I have scenes planned out and even written. No, the plot is not the same as what I wrote up there, this was the plot that I started with in a delirious sleep deprived state a year ago before reforming it a lot. And no, it will never be published. My best friend will be the only other person to see this because I have neither the discipline nor the inclination (or, let’s be honest, the writing ability) to be a published author. Plus, I want it to stay a hobby and not become a job.

Honorable Mention: a Rapunzel retelling. 

They do exist, but they’re almost nonexistent. Plus, the ones that have been released have some absolutely terrible writing. I’d honestly think someone just wrote it on their phone and never reread it before hitting post, but considering they’re published, I don’t know.

The Gilded Wolves – Roshani Chokshi

This has got to be one of my all time favourite books of all time. I feel like I definitely say things like that a lot, but this is a book that I have not stopped thinking about since I read it back in August of 2020. I will be completely honest and confess that I still have not read book 3 of the series, because that is what I have started accidentally doing to my favorite book series (it’s becoming quite a problem, because I do want to read them, but I do not have the time and I do not want the series to end).

This book is often accused of copying Six of Crows, but I think that there are a lot of issues with that statement. While the basic idea of the two books are the same, “six” teens go on a heist (I say that because honestly The Gilded Wolves has seven from the beginning), they are wildly different in their application. I think there is a huge root in racism, because there are more similarities between other books and Six of Crows, but it isn’t until it is written by a person of color that people claim that “it’s the same story.” The Mistborn and Aurora Cycle series are both more similar to Six of Crows than this book is, and yet no one accuses any of those authors of copying each other.

Like I said, this book follows six young adults as they plan and execute a heist for the seventh main character. While the characters are interesting, the best part of this book is the heist. One of the biggest criticisms of this book is that the heist is too complicated (especially when compared to SIx of Crows), which genuinely confuses me because this heist is accurate and math-based. There are a lot of hints, and there are no plot holes, and the reader is told about what happens, instead of simply allowing plot holes to happen because “it just works out like that,” making it actually interesting. It might not be for everyone, but it is definitely a book that everyone should look at. It’s hard to give a plot summary without immediately spoiling the book, because the plot starts almost immediately.

Ninth House – Leigh Bardugo

Like The Gilded Wolves, this book is also an acquired taste. I know a lot of people did not like this book, though I think it is in part due to the fact that they were expecting it to be Six of Crows but for the adult category instead of young adult. However, this book is wildly different from her young adult books, but in a wonderful way.

Ninth House follows university student Galaxy “Alex” Stern as she navigates her “second chance at a good life” given to her by the Ninth House at Yale University. The Ninth House is in charge of policing the dangerous secret societies at the university. While they would normally pick an incoming freshman student to be mentored for the year, Alex was chosen despite not being an accepted student due to her ability to see ghosts unassisted, something that has led her down a path of drugs and alcohol. When a girl ends up murdered on campus, Alex is forced to begin looking into the obvious paranormal reasoning behind it, to save others from being harmed as well. On top of that, despite still being new at the job, she has to do it mostly on her own, with only help from one other person, because her mentor was killed in the fall, forcing her to navigate the world without him. 

This book is so interesting, because Alex is somewhat of an unreliable narrator, because it becomes clear that she is not telling the whole truth and actively hides information from us as the reader. However, we get more and more information from her past and what happened in the fall, from the point of view of Darlington, her mentor, in a past timeline of the fall of that school year.

In case it was not obvious in my last post, the GrishaVerse, specifically Six of Crows, is incredibly important to me and helped me through some hard times. Because of this, I have a very strong emotional attachment to a lot of the characters in the series, which made me so excited to see them on screen, but also made me nervous. As much as I wanted to see them, I was worried about them not living up to expectations. However, just like in season one, all the characters, new and returning, lived up to their glory from the books.

The Characters

If there is one thing that is important to the GrishaVerse, it is the characters within it. Even in the beginning of Six of Crows, when she introduces a random character to kill off immediately, he is someone so unique that people still immediately know who he is when you talk about him. This means that it was crucial for the show to not alter characters in any major way, even as they made changes to the plot.

That being said, the one character that they can (and should) change, they did. Mal’s character is improved from the books which is necessary(I could do an entire blog post on his character alone, honestly), but his core principles have not changed. He’s instead had a couple decisions changed, making him the same character, but with less toxicity. 

All in all, the characters in the show are so true to the original characters that I have no complaints about their characterization whatsoever. The things that made me love them all in the first place are still there, even as they are put in situations that I had no idea about. The only issue I have is (spoilers for the show and Siege and Storm) that Alina agrees to marry Nikolai. It really caught me off guard for it to unfold the way it does. (spoilers over) I do like the improvement on the relationship between Mal and Alina however (which I will elaborate on in part 2).

The Plot

This is where the writers really tend to mess with things. And for what it is worth, they do a really good job. For me, as a book lover who tends to be the first one to say the obnoxious “that’s not what it is like in the book,” to only have one major issue with the things they chose to change is impressive. I did have a second issue with something that they changed, but I don’t hate their choices. Even as certain plot changes occurred, the heart of the GrishaVerse was still present

The Changes

(spoilers for the show, Rule of Wolves, and Crooked Kingdom)

The change that made me sad was the change in Jesper and Wylan’s relationship plotline. They got together really quickly, which I am not going to complain about, though I am going to miss the slow burn from the books. I really think the writers took pity on us because we have already been dragged through two full seasons of Kaz and Inej. However, the fact that they slept with one another prior to the show (which was so obvious, I don’t know why it shocked people) means that one of the best lines between the two, which explicitly states Jesper’s bisexuality and solidifies them into potential love-interest territory, will never happen. The “Just girls?””no, not just girls.” line will never happen. On top of that, our chances of hearing “maybe I liked your stupid face” is also slim, especially considering they had something similar said in the show (“I kinda like your face”). All in all, however, I am happy we get to see the two happy.

The one that pissed me off is

the choice they made to kill off David prematurely. Yes, he dies in Rule of Wolves, but he plays enough of a part in that series that it makes no sense to kill him early. Unlike with every other change in the show, this is the one that I cannot find good reason for. The only one I can think of is that they wanted to highlight the relationship between Alina, Genya, and Zoya, as the three girls most directly manipulated by the Darkling, through having them be the Triumvirate by replacing David with Alina. However, he did not need to die for them to do that, because there is not the same emphasis on the separation of Grisha by orders in the show that there is in the books. That is the only change I actually take issue with. I am just holding onto hope because they never showed us a body. 

Yes, there will be a part two because I have so many thoughts about this show that I cannot express in any reasonable word length.

In honor of the second season of Shadow and Bone comes out tomorrow at 3 am (as of writing this), I wanted to talk about season one as a page-to-screen adaptation. 

Season One and The Book

Any book lover will tell you that their dream page-to-screen adaptation is one that includes every minute detail of the book. And while I am with them on that, I am a realist and understand that it’s damn near impossible. The only adaptations that I have seen that are so close to the original source are the BBC miniseries of Pride and Prejudice (1995) and the Netflix adaptation of Heartstopper (2022), and even those had some deviations.

—

For me, I only want one that stays true to the book. Little details that I will understand as a reader are also fun, for sure, but as long as the basic plot and themes remain the same, I am generally satisfied.

Shadow and Bone as a series both succeeds and fails spectacularly at this. It is one of my favourite shows of all time, and I got to see characters that have brought me so much comfort and security over the years come to life, and that is an experience I loved. That doesn’t change the ways that it fails in some aspects as an adaptation.

Like I said, this is one of my all time favourite shows. It has beautiful cinematography, the special effects are incredible, and the casting, while too old for the book, is amazing. The story itself, especially one of the plots, stays accurate to the book. It included the little moments for book readers to understand. The characters are true to the book, for the most part. Overall, this overshadows what I am about to say, at least in respect to quality.

If I have ever talked to you about the ways that Ithink you need to read the books, you will know that I, like most everyone, feel that Six of Crows is much better than the original trilogy. It’s to the point that if you read Six of Crows first, Shadow and Bone is not fully worth reading, because it will be a let down. Because of this, most of her fanbase wanted a Six of Crows adaptation more than a Shadow and Bone adaptation, as the characters in the two shows barely interact, and they’re set two years apart, which might not seem a lot, but puts the cast of SoC anywhere from 13 to 16 years old when the events of SaB occurred.

This is why it was a shock that they decided to make a Shadow and Bone based show that also included the Crows. The storylines don’t really blend together easily, or have a substantial link to each other. Six of Crows does not serve as a continuation of Alina’s story in the original trilogy. So, the decision to include the characters from the more popular series was a decision made to attract viewers. While normally spinoff series normally do not succeed to the extent of their predecessors, Six of Crows was an exception to this rule. Failing to include the 6 characters would make people upset because that is the story they preferred. However, starting a show featuring only the Crows would alienate the core fanbase that will create rewatch value and join Netflix only to watch the show. Instead, they chose to try both, creating the original story with the preferred characters woven in. And while I do understand the choice, and appreciate the reasoning behind it, I think it shot itself in the foot.

While at the moment, the decision to include the Crows is more profitable, they have eliminated a chance to make more money down the line. By including the Crows as characters in the first series, they have made it impossible to make a true Six of Crows story like fans have wanted from the beginning. Aspects of the characters will have to completely change because of what happened in the show. The story itself would make no sense because it relies on the Crows being aged 16-18. A lot of the choices they make, and their inexperience, is what makes Six of Crows so successful. The choice to age them up, and to make them (mostly) more experienced will hurt a future heist focused storyline (basically: they do dumb shit and it sometimes works and no one knows why, which is why we love it). The atmosphere and story they have created does negate that. The crows themselves had to be changed as characters to fit into the storyline which is another huge reason people loved the crows.

While they realized that people loved the Crows more than the Grisha characters, they did not account for how much people love the Crows. All the people they thought would “only come for the Crows” would willingly sit through the entirety of Shadow and Bone for even a glimpse at an accurate depiction of the characters.

I read her books for the first time when I was only 14 years old. And this is important to note, because the A Court of Thorns and Roses and Throne of Glass series were both released as Young Adult books (with Maas suggesting it herself). I was in the main demographic for these books when I read them, and the first time I read them, I loved them. And then I reread them shortly after and I learned just how bad it all was. Also, if you read one of these, you will have read them all because she cannot think of any different storyline than whatever basic plot she thought of once. Also, her writing is just shitty. That’s it. 

Crescent City series

I would say this was the worst in terms of writing and lack of creativity, but because it was aimed at an adult audience (and I only read book 1) I have nothing to critique as much. That being said, I still want to cover it. As is typical with all of her books, she uses “male and female” instead of man and woman. It is genuinely the creepiest thing I have ever read (we won’t even discuss the heteronormativity and anti-trans rhetoric so explicitly woven into her books, even with her “queer” characters because I do not have the time to cover it for all the books and I do not remember this well enough to discuss it). It feels like when you meet one of the guys who says “females” and it sets off alarm bells in my head that he is about to hurt me in some way. As per usual with her books, her main character is “badass and feminist” until a guy is there, and suddenly, it’s okay for men to say sexist things.

Throne of Glass series

The most “YA” of all her books (which does not mean much). It’s been a hot sec since I have read these, but I still have plenty to say about them. I am trying to keep these brief because A Court of Thorns and Roses best describes the issues with her books, in easier to spot detail than the rest of her books. However, that does not mean that there is nothing to say about these ones. In this book, we see the glorification of abuse. Our main character (who’s name changes in the book for a really dumb reason), ends up with a man who repeatedly threatened her with physical abuse, all while claiming to be a “badass woman” who “will not take any sexist bullshit.” It’s all incredibly preformative. But it’s worse here than in any adult book glorifying/denying abuse. It is one thing for a book intended for an audience who has the critical thinking skills/experience to understand that it glorifies and celebrates abusive relationships, and it can be a safe way to engage with the dark sides of human fantasy. However, this is a book marketed for children. Young Adult books are books approved for ages 12 and older. The primary audience is under the age of 18, specifically girls. These are incredibly vulnerable girls who are now reading about an abusive relationship that is being portrayed in an incredibly problematic way. On top of that, the only person of color in the first 4-5 books is used to simply push the main white character into an action, furthering the white savior trope, and killing her off rather quickly. There’s also not a single queer character in the (very large) cast of characters,

A Court of Thorns and Roses

This trilogy was the first one I read, and boy is it the worst. While it is also published and advertised as a YA book, remember ages 12-18 primarily, it has very very explicit scenes. This book makes the abuse and racism in the other books she wrote seem like nothing at all. I am going to try to condense it as quickly as I can because it is a lot. SPOILER WARNING!!

Book 1: A Court of Thorns and Roses

This one is based on Beauty and the Beast, and boy can you tell. Because it is literally the same plot, but it manages to make the already questionable plot (no the original Beauty and the Beast is not stockholm syndrome, there’s a wonderful essay about how it isn’t, written by professionals) worse. While Beast realizes “hey I am an asshole, maybe I should not be,” the love-interest gets worse and worse as time goes on. He SAs her, and then sends her back to her house. Then she comes back to save him, and literally dies doing so. Instead of trying to help her escape when he gets the opportunity to, he just tries to sleep with her, while she’s kinda drugged (which is a whole other can of worms because you don’t even know what’s about to happen, except you maybe do) and fails to even do that. On top of that, she is repeatedly drugged by another character throughout the second half of the book and forced to pretend to be his “wh***” as they say in the book (12+ remember) in exchange for saving her life. He also SAd her. He forces her to agree to live with him sometime, if they escape, in exchange for him helping her not die. So basically, both men are taking advantage of her, and yet she loves one and thinks the other one is kinda sexy. All still marketed to 12 year olds. An almost entirely white cast, with the exception of a couple extra characters (only one given a name) who, guess what, dies.

Books 2: A Court of Mist and Fury

This is where it gets even worse. Well, it actually gets better before it gets worse, but then it spirals so badly. This one is meant to be based on Hades and Persephone, by someone who clearly a) doesn’t realize Beauty and the Beast is a Hades and Persephone retelling already and b) doesn’t understand the nuance behind the stories (because there’s way more than one). Moving right along. The main heroine starts to realize that maybe her fiance is abusive, which is great. We love the attempt to break away from abusers and helping young people realize that people are abusing them and that they can escape. While she’s going down the aisle to marry him, the other guy comes in to force her to live with him to save her. Because nothing says heroic like forcing someone to live with you against their will. Then we start to get to know the other dude. You know, the one who forced her to “pretend” to be his sex slave (is it pretend if he treats her like that while she’s drugged i.e. SA) in exchange for saving her life, then forced her to live with him one week a month for the rest of eternity in exchange for giving her a fighting chance, and then explicitly SAs her. That one. Well turns out he is a radical feminist (because that’s totally true) who is a really good guy. Then she goes back and forth between these two jackasses before one of them (the first guy) traps her in the house against her will and she has a panic attack, allowing the second guy to send his friend to save her so she can live with them permanently. He then proceeds to ridicule her for not knowing to read (she was living in poverty) and call her weak (screams feminist to me). But he doesn’t force her to stay in the house against her will. Except for all those weeks where he forced her to stay in the house against her will because of a bargain she made when she was dying. Then he publically “plays with” her (ya know) but it’s okay because she’s sober now (still 12+). Then she finds out they’re mated (the most heteronormative bullshit out there because it’s all intended between “males and females” to make the best babies (seriously cannot make this shit up)) and that he knew since he met her the first time and just didn’t tell her. So she gets mad and he goes to apologize and while doing that excuses all of the times he sexually assaulted her because he was “saving her” from the horrors. You know, all those times he drugged her? It was for her. He’s a feminist like that. 

We finally get a total of 2 queer characters, one who is the negative stereotype of a bisexual, where he constantly wants to have threesomes and cheat on his partner. The other was clearly not originally intended to be a queer character, but she changed her mind when people started pointing out her lack of diversity. 

Intermixed with all of that fun plot, we are introduced to the “barbarians.” In this world, there are “high fae” and “lesser faeries” (yep that’s what they’re called). This one race of faeries are written to look like the high fae but our actually lesser faeries. The race is south asian coded characters and Maas represents them as treating women horribly and being incredibly old fashioned. The second guy is half lesser faerie and half high fae. And while his father is a jackass and white/high fae and his mother is not either of those things, as a whole Maas makes her racism quite clear.

I keep bringing up the fact that the intended audience is 12 and older because that is important. While glorifying abuse and excusing sexual assault is never okay, it is worse when the intended audience is young girls who cannot recognize it for what it is, problematic and dangerous, and they are being told through the media that this is okay behaviour. These books are genuinely disgusting, and this is only the first 2. There are 2 more books and a novella, and they just get worse and worse, all while being marketed to a young teen audience.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

This has got to be one of the worst books I have ever read in my life. I genuinely do not even know where to start. Is it the large age gap where one of them is literally 14? Or maybe comparing a white girl who choses to isolate herself with segregation? There’s also the issue of the racist caricatures of the few characters of color? I could use the fact that she steps on her entire point through the ending of the book. NOPE, that’s not even the worst part of it. The author herself is genuinely terrible. She was involved in what is *allegedly* a racially motivated murder in Zimbabwe and is advised by the American government to never go back because then the government there can question her about it, a fact she skipped over when discussing how fun it was sipping champagne on her trip.

The age gap between the couple is “only” three years, and would be okay if they were both adults, but considering Kya, the main character, is only 14 and her boyfriend is 17 when they sleep together, that is a completely different story. And the argument that it is that the story was set in the 60s, so it is okay, is bullshit. This book was written around 2018, when that is not an okay situation (age them both up by a year and it is illegal). In the book, he is seen as her savior and there is never once a mention that it is a problem. It is absolutely disgusting and I do not know why authors continue to get away with this even in 2023. 

I feel like the racism present in the book, and I do not mean historically accurate racism that people of color would have faced at the time but the racism embedded in the actual message given by the book, should be a complete red flag, but this is never even discussed when the book rose to fame. Kya, the main character, is a white girl who lives alone in the marsh because kids were mean to her on her first (and only) day of school. She isolated herself in the marsh, and then blamed others for her isolation. Several times throughout the book, she compares herself to the black girls who are suffering the effects of segregation. Never once does any of the black characters (because there are only black and white people in the book) correct her, and even go as far as to agree with her. This is not while she is a child either, but when she is an adult. The black people in the book have no access to the same quality of education because they are being systematically denied access to the same opportunities as white people. Kya does have access to that, but chose to run away when she was given that opportunity. And we are supposed to read that she is being oppressed, but also that she was powerful for turning away, all at the same time. At the end of the day, Kya is white, and that gives her so much privilege that Owens denies in her book. There are two main black characters, a husband and wife, and they both are caricatures. Specifically the wife, who is the definition of the “mammy” caricature, which was first used to justify slavery and then to show that black women were content to take care of white people.

Basically, this book has messages of racism and glorification of abuse from beginning to end. To top it all off, she steps on the point. The moment that Chase Andrews is found murdered, everyone immediately suspects Kya and she is quickly the number one suspect. *SPOILERS* She gets off, but it is then discovered that she was the one who murdered him, which subsequently proves that everyone was right about her in the first place. The ending makes no sense and is honestly so infuriating that I wrote an entire essay (6 pages) for my English teacher about why she should not ever force anyone to read the book again.

Nick and Charlie – Alice Oseman (she/they)

3.5 stars (objectively) 4.5 (for me)

It would shock anyone who knows me well that I would give a story about Nick and Charlie anything less than five stars, but I will explain why as this review goes on. 

About Nick and Charlie

The appropriately named book focuses on Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring, Alice Oseman’s most recognizable characters. This novella serves as a sequel of sorts for Oseman’s graphic novel series, Heartstopper, which has reached new levels of success with the Netflix series by the same name, starring Kit Conner and Joe Locke. Set 2 years after the two get together, this book follows their struggles being a year apart, with Nick about to go off to university, and Charlie being left behind. They planned to keep their relationship going, just long-distance, but with Nick leaving in only a few months, doubts about whether they’re going to last creep into their relationship. Will they be able to make it work, after all, they’re Nick and Charlie as everyone reminds them, or will this be the end of their relationship forever?

My Review

Like I said, it is shocking that I would give a story about Nick and Charlie anything less than 5 stars. But I have to say that this book does not live up to Alice Oseman’s abilities, as I know her writing.

Some Context

Now, it is important to give this book some context. It was released in 2015, but did not really have the same level of success as many of her other books, at least to my knowledge. Oseman has discussed publicly that she has been drawing and writing Nick and Charlie since she was a teenager, even if that work isn’t public now. This book was released prior to the graphic novel (first volume was released in 2019), so while many people reading the book now have a lot of knowledge of these characters, that was not the case when the book was released. Nick and Charlie were first introduced in Oseman’s first book Solitaire which tells the story of Tori Spring, Charlie’s sister, around the time of Heartstopper, but after the two have gotten together. It is important to note that I have read Heartstopper many times, and am very familiar with the characters.

 Nick and Charlie original release cover

The Writing

While this was not the worst writing in the world, it is not really what I would have expected from Alice Oseman. The writing is very childish, almost like she is writing the graphic novel, but using words instead of drawings. The writing is like a young middle grade novel, but is marketed to Young Adult audiences due to the content (mentions sex like 4 times) and god forbid middle schoolers see that. When reading through the book, it is easy to see why this book did not gain as much attention as her other books. There were a lot of lists, which happens in her graphic novels too, but it works very differently in the two mediums. It felt like reading when a middle schooler is writing a book and just starts listing off he did this, then this, then this, in that format.On top of that, there is a lot of just info dumping because of how short the book is, instead of letting it develop over time. Overall, the writing of the book does not match the plot. It is a story that would hit older high schoolers very well, and middle schoolers would have no real context for, but appears to be written the other way around. 

 Nick and Charlie page

most YA book Pages (Cress)

The Plot

The plot was really touching. The focus on both Nick and Charlie’s emotions as they grapple with the change that will inevitably occur when they go from seeing each other everyday to being 200 miles apart, hits really hard. As someone who lives almost 200 miles away from my family and most of my friends, and nearly 400 miles from my best friend, the feeling of being so ready to leave, but still being sad to go is something I can relate to a lot. There is a complex understanding of what it is truly like to prepare for uni, the good, the bad, and the ugly, that Oseman truly captures, just in 150 pages. I think it would be even better if she could have flushed it out even more, to really explore both sides, especially Nick’s feelings about university. 

“And they have all turned up to school either in red basketball outfits or cheerleader outfits. Disappointingly, Nick went for basketballer.”

 ~ Alice Oseman, Nick and Charlie, 5

The Romance and Representation 

As per usual, I love these two. They really are one of my favourite couples of all time. They are not a couple that is hard to read about, because they feel so real. There is never a huge fight, even in this book. Oseman does not need to rely on normal romance tropes to cause tension or make them more appealing to read about, because they bring in that attention for themselves. It is always refreshing to read (or watch) Heartstopper or anything else by Oseman because they write about happy queer stories. Something all too common about queer romances is that they tend to be written to be very intense and dramatic and stressful, and many overlook the appeal and necessity for genuine happy first love about queer people. We deserve to have our own happy love stories as well, and Oseman always delivers.

My Rating

I did include 2 ratings for this because there is what I would consider an “objective” rating and then my own rating for me personally. Personally, I loved it, and it brings me a lot of comfort. But in all honesty, if you are not that invested or in love with these two, I don’t think you would enjoy reading it all that much if I am being honest. It might be cute and fun, but it’s not a book that will really stick with you. I also chose not to include a full five stars, even for myself, because of the length. There is not a lot of actual depth to the story, which is something I look for in a book, and this did not deliver. I don’t mind when that is the point of the book, but this book could’ve gone deeper and didn’t. The book would have been better if it had. Bonus points for include a Pride and Prejudice quote at the beginning though.

Youngblood – Sasha Laurens

3.5 stars

Four words: Lesbian, Vampire, Boarding School

About Youngblood

Kat Finn has grown up her entire life isolated from other vampires, and hates it. Instead, it is just her and her mother living in Sacramento, California, barely scraping by to buy Hema, the blood substitute that they have to rely on because of the deadly disease running through humans, deadly to them, and even more to vampires. Kat realizes she can change all of that if she can just get into Harcote, the elite boarding school exclusively for vampires. Except, it’s incredibly expensive and offers no financial aid for potential students. So, when Kat secretly applies to the school against her mother’s wishes, she does not expect to be able to go because of her financial struggles. So when she receives an email telling her that she has got in and has her tuition paid for in-full by an anonymous benefactor, it’s a dream come true. Nothing can ruin it for her, not her mother’s disapproval or her roommate/ex-best friend. But sometimes, there is so much more at play than anyone could ever know?

Taylor Sanger has been forced to go to Harcote every year, despite how much she hates it. Everyone there lives in a white, heteronormative world, with their strict adherence to traditionalism. When some of your teachers are quite literally from another century, being the only openly queer student is extremely isolating. Her only friend on campus is the only other openly gay person on campus, who also happens to be her science teacher. The only other person who she talks to is her worst enemy who she is also hooking up with on the downlow, who she is going to be forced to room with. Instead, the infinitely worse possibility has happened, Evangeline has switched with none other than Kat Finn, the girl who she was in love with until she one day told her to never speak to her again. So, when both girls are dragged into something darker than they ever could have imagined, will they be able to work together, or will they go down in flames?

My Review:

Was this the greatest book in existence? Absolutely nowhere close. However, when you are starved for queer content that is not purely romance, your bar is very, very low. All I knew going into reading this book were the four words I wrote above. I was not ready for the rollercoaster that I was dragged into instead.

The Writing

This was, by far, the worst part of this book. But it was just good enough that it wasn’t unreadable. Instead, it gives fanfiction vibes, not great, but you’ll put up with it for the content. That’s all I really have to say because it was pretty mediocre, not terrible, but not great.

The Romance

When it came to the pacing of the romance, I will say that it was not my cup of tea. It felt too short to be a slow burn, but it was too long to be anywhere close to insta-love. I think Laurens was going for a “will they, won’t they” vibe with Kat and Taylor, but it was not drawn out enough. That being said, the romance and chemistry between the two of them was real. It was not some over dramatic romance novel level of chemistry. Instead, it felt like what falling in love as a teenager should feel like. It focuses far more on the idea of just being excited to be with each other and less on the “I want to have you right now” vibes of many romances. 

This was like a breath of fresh air. As an asexual person, simply having two people who want to be around each other is what is important to me, and it sometimes feels like that gets overlooked, even in Young Adult fiction. That being said, they’re still teeangers, and have their uh…teenage hormone moments.

Overall, it felt more real than a lot of romances out there. (That being said, I am about to reread the confession scene in Red White and Royal Blue, which goes against everything I just said.)

The Plot

No, the plot was not very original. Two girls find out people are assholes and that there’s something bad brewing at their school. Together they stop it. Nothing about that is original. Except this time, they’re also lesbians, and lesbians make everything better.

All jokes aside, the plot was interesting enough, and had enough twists and turns to keep me drawn into the story (I read the first 460ish pages in one day, (and then took another week and a half to read the last 40)). But like I said, the plot was rather predictable. While that normally makes me not like a book, it actually works well with this book. A large part of this book relies on the audience knowing that a character is making a bad decision, but watching them do it anyway. It’s predictability actually aids the story, especially when looking at it critically.

The Representation

It is always nice to read a queer book written by a queer person who understands the queer experience. Too often, a lot of the queer fantasy books are written by straight people (and no, I am not saying that they cannot write about queer people) who cannot understand what it is like to be a queer person. Some of the books that people (heterosexual people specifically) credit as “the best queer books” are written by openly straight people. Part of this is because when straight people write queer books, it is easier for other straight people to digest and relate to. But in that, the queer experience is not present in the book, and can alienate the queer audience by focusing on queerness for the heterosexual gaze. 

This book is the opposite of that. Every part of the book is infused with the queer experience, even if quite subtly. It is something that many queer people can relate to and understand, both from the perspective of still figuring it out and from being comfortable in your identity. 

“Not that any straight person would have described it that way, but they couldn’t hear the voice in my head that second-guessed and analyzed every little thing I did — or wanted to do. What were the consequences? Was it worth potentially getting hurt?”

~Sasha Laurens, Youngblood, 370-371

The Critical Analysis

(I’m keeping this short because it is already over a 1000 words)

It is easy to glance at this book and think about how this book is just a cliche plot, but with a lesbian romance thrown into the mix. Looking at it from that perspective takes a huge part of why I like this book. This book utilizes its predictability to illustrate how those with wealth and power are able to manipulate everyone around them. This book covers socioeconomic privilege and how COVID made it even more apparent. In the book, we see that those who have a lot of money are able to protect themselves against CFaD, while those without money have no choice but to endanger their lives if they want to be able to even have a chance at living. We see that with Kat’s father, who died from CFaD, because he was poor and had no choice but to risk feeding on a human, which cost him his life.

We see how not coming from a prestigious fang maker (basically family) impacts Kat’s life. She does not get the same support and opportunities as her classmates get from simply being born into the right family, and how they don’t even really realize the amount of luck and privilege that they have.

Harcote, the school itself, stands for that. Used as a high school equivalent of an Ivy league school, we see how financial privilege helps so many, and how it is tightly linked to racial privilege. The school says it’s for “The Best of the Best” but it is only for the best who can also afford to go to the school with its practically nonexistent financial aid. This further shows how simply being born into a well-known family can impact how society views them as “harder working” or “smarter,” just because they were able to afford to go to a certain school and have resources that most people do not have the ability to even consider.

*Note: this is not necessarily based solely on the film’s overall rating, but on my opinions about the adaptation process

The Worst:

3. Pride & Prejudice (2005) 

Based on: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Before I get a bunch of people attacking me, I don’t dislike this movie. I would not say that I love the movie, but it was a pretty good movie yet forgetful movie. However, as a page-to-screen adaptation, it is mediocre at best. The biggest issue with the movie is that they cut a lot of details and nuance from the book and overdramatized a lot of the scenes to make a 2 hour film to make it more popular. While I understand that in some aspects, most books do not make for good screen adaptations, Pride and Prejudice (1995) proves that the book absolutely does. The movie took what was meant to be a satirical commentary and turned it into a full on drama.

2. Shadowhunters (2016-2019) 

Based on: The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

As a show, this is the perfect shitty TV show. You know the kind of TV show that is so bad that it’s good. However, as bad as this show is, it is even worse as a book to movie adaptation. The first few episodes seemed like it might’ve fared better than the movie, City of Bones, but eventually it became abundantly clear that the only good thing in the entire movie was Harry Shum Jr. as Magnus Bane (I mean, seriously, if they ever try to do another Shadowhunters adaptation, they need to bring him back. But put him in heels so that he’s as tall as he’s supposed to be because Magnus is 6’ 3” and Harry Shum Jr. is 5’ 11”). By the end of the series, the only thing connecting the show to the book series was the names of the characters (and even that was iffy).

(I mean look at this man, he played this role so well)

1. Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) 

Based on: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Having a bunch of 20 year olds playing 12 year old characters and changing what is generally thought of to be one of the best books of all the time is practically a recipe for disaster. While I do not think that it is a bad thing to change a few plot details, completely rewriting the entire plot makes the movie a terrible page-to-screen adaptation. What makes it even worse is that they rewrote it terribly. Many people felt betrayed by the adaptation and were expecting it to be better than it actually was. 

Here’s hoping that the TV show fairs better than its predecessors. 

Also, we should probably stop casting the Daddario siblings in page-to-screen adaptations (because Alexandra Daddario is in Percy Jackson and Matthew Daddario is in Shadowhunters) Like I love them, but they seem like a bad omen or something.

The Best:

3. Shadow and Bone: Season 1 (2021) – 

Based on: Shadow & Bone and (prequel to) Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

While half of the show differs significantly from the books, we as readers were warned ahead of time that they would be different and the reason why they decided to change the plot. When the characters of Six of Crows were announced to be included in the show, show runners (and Leigh Bardugo) assured us that it would serve as a prequel to their stories. This proved that the changes made to the original plot were done to improve the storyline (such as making some of the characters better overall) and were not frustrating to watch the way that so many do. 

This has been renewed for a second season. 

(There’s also footage of me screaming and crying while watching this, but sadly I cannot include that, despite how entertaining it is to watch a seventeen year old fall off a couch when a character comes on screen)

2. Pride and Prejudice (1995) 

Based on: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This is one of my all time favorite shows of all time, and I have watched it over 75 times in less than six years. Spanning five and a half hours total without commercials, this is one of the best screen adaptations. It barely differs from the book, with only a few things changed here and there. It keeps the original humor and social commentary from the original source. The tone matches the book very well and the casting was immaculate. The overall cinematography of the film matches the speed and pace of the book. It is a beautiful show overall, and it has Colin Firth in it, so what more could you ask for?

1. Heartstopper: Season 1 (2022) – Based on: Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (Volumes 1&2)

This has got to be the best book-to-screen adaptation I have ever seen in my life. With a 100% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I am clearly not the only one who thinks so. As much as I love the source material, I personally think that the show was even better. The casting of the characters was incredibly well-done and makes me incredibly happy. It cast queer kids to play queer kids, and simply expanded on the story that had previously been looked over in the book. And it pays homage to its graphic novel beginnings with the artistic elements in the show. Instead of relying on unnecessary drama and plot twists, the show is able to make itself interesting without causing a lot of stress for the audience. This is a show about love and acceptance, and queer identities at its finest.

This has already been renewed for 2 more seasons, and I hope they are just as good as this one.

Here’s to Us – Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

~5 stars~

Before we talk about Here’s to Us, we need to talk about What if it’s Us. 

What if it’s Us is a split perspective romance about an impossible romance between two teenage boys who meet by chance in New York City. Arthur and Ben happen to run into each other while at a random post office in the city and strike up a conversation. Arthur is interning at a branch of his mother’s law firm for the summer, when he runs into Ben at the post office. Ben is at the post office to mail back his ex-boyfriends things after his ex cheated on him. While the two are talking, they are separated by a flash mob and Ben disappears. 

Arthur, ever the broadway fanboy, believes in the strength of the universe. There is no way the universe would make him run into his dream boy only for them to never see each other ever again. And thus begins his quest to find the post office boy after finding a part of his address label on the floor. After all, he’s in New York City, home to broadway, and the universe can make anything happen, even a broadway romance.

Ben does not believe in the power of the universe. He will continue living his life in New York City. However, he cannot stop thinking about the Post Office boy. On top of that, he is dealing with the heartbreak of breaking up with Hudson and how it broke up their friend group. Because that’s how it is, romance sucks and the universe is an asshole. No matter how much he liked “Post Office Arthur,” he will never see him again. Because that is how the universe works. Afterall, this is New York City, and you don’t run into cute boys that you meet on a random day in the Post Office.

The universe works in mysterious ways, and the two boys find their way to each other and begin a summer romance, until Arthur has to return home to Milton, Georgia and the two teenage boys agree that a long distance romance is not what they want or how they want to be together.

Flash forward two years, and we reach the beginning of Here’s to Us. The two of them spent most of those two years as friends, but act like they are even more, despite not being together. In the past few months, however, the two began to have a growing distance between them after Arthur began dating his boyfriend, Mickey, while at University. Ben finds it hard to hear anything about their relationship, and that is a huge point to their deteriorating friendship. However, Ben begins a friends-with-benefit, maybe relationship, with his own love-interest, Mario, who he met in his creative writing class. 

With both boys not talking to each other and living their own lives, with their own relationships, it seems impossible that the two would run into one another again. However, when Arthur gets an internship in an off-Broadway show, the two boys are going to be back in the same city for the first time in 2 years. Will the universe bring the two of them back together, or will they forever live their lives without each other?

I am not normally a fan of romance series, because I feel that they tend to purposely add in more drama for the sake of being able to write another book, and it ends up not feeling very natural and feels quite forced. This is nothing like that. The story flows together nicely and it makes sense. When I finished the first book, all I wanted was another book and Here’s to Us is the perfect sequel. Here’s to Us is a better book than What if it’s Us, in my opinion, and was worth the 2 year wait. 

I loved reading about them, and I could not put either of these books down. I feel bad for my roommate because she had to listen to me talk about this book for days because it was all that I could ever talk about. As much as I love the two of them, the two boys made me want to bang my head up against a wall, and I did throw the book across the room more than once. The book was full of “there’s no way that he still loves me” and awkward second-chance romance moments that you would expect from two of the most awkward boys ever. This book is the perfect second-chance romance between two teenagers, and I think everybody should read this series. 

This book is a happy ending about how, sometimes, the universe is on your side and it all works in the end.