Such an utter delight! I would love to see more from this world and family! I loved seeing in Rake's head and watching him and Marius try to outwit thSuch an utter delight! I would love to see more from this world and family! I loved seeing in Rake's head and watching him and Marius try to outwit the other. ...more
I enjoyed the first book in the duology but was, admittedly, confused by many of the things that happened.
This book had none of the issues of the firI enjoyed the first book in the duology but was, admittedly, confused by many of the things that happened.
This book had none of the issues of the first book and every bit of the lovely world-building, character development, and intrigue!
While one important character didn't completely get their HEA I think there is potential for that and I think Liselle Sambury did an amazing job navigating the themes of race, gender and sexuality. I am not Black (so definitely defer to Black people on this) but I think this is a wonderful addition to the #BlackGirlMagic books that have been released lately! ...more
I had read a couple of pages of Mell Eight's "Dragon Consultant" a few months ago when I was getting my hair dyed and got distracted and didn't finishI had read a couple of pages of Mell Eight's "Dragon Consultant" a few months ago when I was getting my hair dyed and got distracted and didn't finish it. Last week when I couldn't sleep I was looking for a book to read that wasn't too long or wouldn't be too upsetting and I decided to try to read "Dragon Consultant."
Before detailing the book itself I want to note that Dragon Consultant and the later books in the series are all (what I would consider) novellas as they are each about 100 pages. The length means that the stories have a fairly short arc (although there is an arc that continues through all the books) which makes the stakes not as high. However, I do not consider this to be a bad thing-- in fact I found reading this incredibly soothing. There is really adorable tension between Dane (the main character) and his love interest Mercury (all the books have M/M romance) as Dane realises he somehow has gone from a family of one to a family of eight or so.
Usually when I see the term heart-warming I immediately take a book out of my TBR (as it usually involves a dog dying or something) but this book was a genuinely comfy read. I can absolutely see myself rereading this book as a quick pick-me-up.
This book is not for those that want only fantasy with complicated magical worlds and high stakes (which is also important). There are discussions of segregation and characters being ostracized but it is fairly cursory.
I do highly recommend Dragon Consultant and the rest of the series as fun books to read when you need a quick pick-me-up and don't want to be reading books with incredibly stressful moments....more
*Thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers & NetGalley for this arc*
This is a very well-done book: it seeks to use inclusive language and educ4.5 Stars
*Thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers & NetGalley for this arc*
This is a very well-done book: it seeks to use inclusive language and educate kids about a variety of different topics in informative but non-judgmental ways. Some kids (and adults) might be made to feel uncomfortable with the diagrams but as there is so much misinformation about body parts that I think this is probably a good thing to have even if makes people uncomfortable (calling body parts by their actual names can have abuse made apparent more easily). I was someone who didn't take grade 9 gym so I missed sex-ed and while I got the gist of most things it would have been nice to have a quick thing to read to make sure I was on the right page about things.
Each topic in here is brief but I think does a decent job of covering the main things that everyone should know about their bodies. I just have a few minor things that I would add/on emphasize in a reprint: - More emphasis on intersex bodies: intersex bodies are covered but I would have liked to have seen more of it when talking about pregnancy, intimacy, and more intersex-specific diagrams. I know that there is a wide variety when it comes to being intersex but I feel that in each chapter there should be a bit about how this is typically the same/different for people who are intersex. - Have consent be brought up earlier. I think when sex is first mentioned as being between two grown-ups there should be a reference to how an adult and a kid isn't okay. It is implied and it is mentioned later but I would have liked to have seen it mentioned here too. - Discussion about weight. Kids get fat-shamed from a really young age and weight fluctuation can be a result of hormones so a chapter or even a paragraph on how weight relates to the other topics I think would be beneficial especially when talking about bodily consent.
This was a really well done book-- diagrams had a fair amount of variety and the topics were brief but covered clearly. I would consider this sort of like a junior version of Dr. Gunter's "The Vagina Bible."
While I'm sure this book would result in a fair number of awkward conversations and blushes, the information is solid and critically important for kids to know....more
* I am so honoured to have gotten this on Net Galley*
I would like to preface this review by saying that I am not transgender, so please do not assign * I am so honoured to have gotten this on Net Galley*
I would like to preface this review by saying that I am not transgender, so please do not assign my opinion equal or higher weight than those that are since it is not my lived experience.
So this book makes me want to cry in the best way. I haven't cried yet but I think I might be getting very close. I chose this book because I am trying to be a better ally and, because of some physical disabilities, I cannot physically do supportive things like go to rallies etc so most of my advocacy occurs online.
I cannot stress enough how wonderful this book is-- the interwoven testimonials with the information about different terms and medical criteria is so brilliantly done. I am one of those people who tend to find that testimonials annoy me or distract me from what I am reading but this is so spectacularly not the case here. Everything is woven together so well and, even as someone who is mostly fine with their assigned gender, I felt seen and understood myself a bit better.
I really appreciate how this book includes how gender looks in different cultures. For years I have been responding about the Bugis society having five genders whenever someone says there are only two genders, and it so so nice to see other examples!
This review is definitely shorter and not as well-written as my usual because I am so emotional right now about how beautiful and needed this book is. I will be requesting it for every library I am in contact with as well as recommending it to everyone I can.
Thank-you for this. Everyone should read this (and I have said that about very few books in my life)....more
I have been following Sophie Labelle on Instagram and Facebook for quite some time (and was so sad I *I chose this book on Net Galley*
TW: misgendering
I have been following Sophie Labelle on Instagram and Facebook for quite some time (and was so sad I couldn't see her when she visited my city!) so I requested this book the moment I saw it! I have been doing my best to try to read books that will help me with my allyship and advocacy and also just to give my attention to books and stories that tend to be marginalised. I highly recommend her comic series she did on a journalist talking to the parent of a transgender kid instead of actually talking to the kid about their experience.
I loved this book (and for those potential readers of this review-- no I do not just highly rate books because I think the subject matter is important)! Adults frequently think they need long explanations and justifications to explain things to kids but most of the time it's unnecessary.
I really enjoyed how matter-of-fact Stephie is about her life. She knows she's a girl-- it is just the people around her (like her Dad) that are confused. I think it is so important that Labelle included that Stephie's Dad thinks he lost a son (that he never had in the first place). I am by no means an expert on the lives of people who are transgender, but this is a narrative that is seen frequently and it needs to be exposed for how harmful it is. It is understandable for parents to be confused-- but it is not okay to throw temper tantrums about it.
This book shows that adults do not know everything and children should not be told that adults know best. Do adults know best on a number of things such as don't run into traffic? Sure. But no one has the right to determine someone else's gender identity and showing the dad being child-like was such a brilliant way to demonstrate this.
Stephie is a girl but she is not confined to interests that are gendered as female. On the first page of the story we learn that Stephie likes bugs-- while this may seem like a small detail this sets up the idea that interests do not have to fit within gender lines and that liking a 'male' thing does not make Stephie less of a girl.
I highly recommend readers to read the discussion questions and book suggestions at the end of this story. We all have our own biases and it is so important to think through our beliefs and how we act so that we don't make people -- especially children!-- feel like Stephie's dad does. I fully intend to read some of the books listed (and I am neither a child nor do I have any so that should not be an excuse used to not read this book and others like it).
I chose to read this book because I find that sometimes sci-fi can get rather repetitive and this seemed very different than the usual. I tho4.5 Stars
I chose to read this book because I find that sometimes sci-fi can get rather repetitive and this seemed very different than the usual. I thought it would be a fun read and I was wrong: it was brilliant and completely engrossing.
I try to pay attention to if books include marginalised groups and this had a Black woman as the main character with a gay brother. So the book had lots of diversity without seeming forced (and by forced I mean using stereotypes not when there is more diversity than people tend to expect) and the premise was so interesting.
The book has so many themes such as consent, autonomy, war, war profiteering, and many more. Like Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal," "The Sin Soldiers" looks at the effects of when logic is completely distinct from any emotion in such a way as to show the dangers but also to feel sorry for people who are like this. There is also definitely a critique of toxic masculinity and toxic behaviours and I really enjoyed that Kai's love interest didn't necessarily change for her, nor did she rehabilitate him-- but did address his own problematic behaviours and took responsibility for them. Too often in books bad behaviour is written off as attractive and is not totally addressed. "The Sin Soldiers" definitely did not follow that mold.
Kai is a really fun main character and I really appreciate that her relationships with the other primary characters (her brother Dex and the 3 soldiers she ends up living with) are each unique. Sometimes I feel like when one character gets introduced to a group their relationship is shown as the same with each individual and Tracy Auerbach did a fantastic job creating unique relationships.
I read a lot of books and not many of them do I read the last page and feel jolted back to reality. This was one of those books. I was so into it and then when it ended I was momentarily dazed before looking up when the sequel comes out (which tragically I was unable to find).
TW: homophobia and transphobia (and related bullying and violence)
"I'm a Gay Wizard" is a really fun book and definitely something that YA (and fictioTW: homophobia and transphobia (and related bullying and violence)
"I'm a Gay Wizard" is a really fun book and definitely something that YA (and fiction in general) needs more of-- people not being white, cis, and hetero and that being an integral part of the story but not the main plot point. Johnny is very much not straight and there are issues in the book relating to him being gay but the plot of the book is that he and his friend Alison (mtf) have accidentally become wizards. After doing one spell Johnny and Alison are kidnapped and taken to a school for people for wizards and navigate what it means to be a wizard. Them being gay and transgender respectively is a part of who they are and how they handle the world, but the book takes such care to make sure that while the ideas of gender and sexuality are always present, the characters and their lives have other issues. Alison is mentioned as trans *after* the fact that she dresses all in black and I think that's marvellous as she is written as a stereotypical quirky female best friend-- the being trans does not change the fact that she is both quirky and female.
The wizardry in this book is quite fascinating as it relies on knowing math and science and not an ability to speak Latin or other arcane phrases. As the story develops Alison and Johnny get love interests and have to deal with their conflicting feelings about staying for said love interests and leaving a place that a dangerous class system and mind-wiped everyone they love.
My one issue with this book is that sometimes the writing can be a bit off. There is a lot of characters saying exactly what they mean which limits some nuance in the writing and makes the beginning of the book less enticing than the rest of it as it is a bit on the nose. The same can be said for the end of the book in that it seemed a bit abrupt and rushed. The ideas were there but the execution of them could have used an extra few pages.
Overall, "I'm a Gay Wizard" was such a fun book and it is so great to see better representation in YA! I look forward to seeing what else VS Santoni brings to the writing world in future!...more
I have been following Dr. Gunter's work on Facebook and Instagram for quite some time and have wanted to read this book fr*I chose this on Net Galley*
I have been following Dr. Gunter's work on Facebook and Instagram for quite some time and have wanted to read this book from the very moment it was announced.
I had very high expectations-- and it has thoroughly exceeded them. I accidentally missed high school health (I had an injury in grade 9 so I didn't have to take gym. No gym= no sex ed) and while I have a fair idea of things, it is always a good idea to know more about my body especially since I have an under-researched genetic disorder.
"The Vagina Bible" is informative but does not just throw facts around: it is a cohesive book with engaging writing that does not ridicule its audience for their potential ignorance. I was concerned that since the book has vagina in the title that it might exclude trans people but Dr. Gunter talks about the specific medical needs of trans men and trans women. Notably this occurs towards the beginning of the book which means anyone who is reading the book start to finish will likely be exposed to learning more about transgender people (which is a great thing!) even if they do not read the entire book.
In addition to her calling out harmful pseudo-science, what I *really* appreciate is how Dr. Gunter will lay out pros and cons for things such as, say, bikini hair removal. She discusses which methods are best for the skin and why technically only trimming should be advised but then she outlines her own regime. Instead of saying 'only trim everything else is terrible,' she says trimming is the safest but that she likes having her bikini waxed and lists her process for ensuring she does not get ingrown hairs etc. She does the same for bath bombs: noting that they can cause irritation but if you like them and they don't irritate you then use as many bath bombs as you like. If you want to have bath bombs but are sensitive to them, she lists a recipe for one that is for sensitive skin. I just really respect that she uses personal notes to make sure that her narrative is not blaming women for what makes them happy and is instead noting the best ways to do it.
This is definitely a book I think everyone should read-- but especially people with vaginas as health care for those with vaginas is woefully under-researched and appallingly under-taught. I do not really purchase health-related books, but I will certainly be buying this one....more
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