Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

117 reviews

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

4.0

 Finished reading: October 3rd 2023

"It's easier to accept hurt and pain, sometimes, than love and acceptance."

I've been meaning to read Felix Ever After for quite some time now... When I needed a banned book for the POPSUGAR challenge, I decided to give in and finally read it. I know that I don't read a lot of YA anymore, but I would recommend this book for both teenagers and adults alike. The topic is such an important one, and it's an own voices story at that; there is no doubt that Felix Ever After has a big impact, and it really is an eye-opener. That said, I do have to say that there were certain aspects about the main character Felix that I didn't like as much. I get his struggles and they are both portrayed realistically and basically heartbreaking. BUT. He is also pretty selfish and vindictive, and the fact that others are hurting him is no excuse to do the same. I can't say that I was a fan of the whole love triangle vibe either, which kind of put a damper on things for me... In fact, I wasn't really a fan of the romance nor how it was developed and incorporated in general. I'm still giving this story four stars though just for its impact and how it can help people discover their identity and tribe. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Lesbophobia, Transphobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Body shaming, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Bullying, Classism, Cursing, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Outing, and Racism

bookishperseus's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Outing, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Drug use, Homophobia, Hate crime, Abandonment, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Self harm, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness

orchidoliver's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, and Transphobia

Moderate: Racism

lucyhargrave's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Minor: Racism, Homophobia, and Deadnaming

bookswithlauren's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Hate crime, Outing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Biphobia, Body shaming, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Deadnaming, Cursing, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, and Homophobia

mindfullybritt's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Racism

proudtobeabookaholic's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Felix Love, 17, black, queer and trans. Just one of those things makes him marginalized and he wonders if that is why he can't seem to find love. He's thinking about his gender identity and starts to question who he really is. At the same time he gets humiliated by a public display of his old photos - before transforming - and he receives several homophobic messages. Now all Felix can think about is finding out who's doing this to him, and get revenge. 

This is a really good story about identity, self-discovery, friendship and love. As a teenager most have problems with self esteem, and thoughts about who you are. I can hardly imagine how much more difficult it must be if you're marginalized. To question something is usually healthy, even if it's yourself you question. Felix's best friend Ezra don't like to compartmentalize himself and I truly wish we weren't so focused on that. But we think it's easier to put people in different compartments, so that's what we do.

When Felix begins to receive homophobic messages I get annoyed when he answers them. I understand the feeling of standing up for oneself, but experience shows that it's playing the bully's game. If you don't react there's no reason for the bully to continue. I also think it's a bit uneasy how focused Felix is on revenge, and I don't sympathize with his way of getting the culprit to expose himself. Sure, it's a teenager with an identity crisis, but it bothers me, none the less.

As a hetrosexual white woman I can't say I have any experience with all of this, and despite trying to keep myself updated and informed, I think it's hard to know what all the terms involve. It was kind of a relief to hear that even those who identify within the LBTQIA+ community have the same problem, simply because there's so many of them. If I say the wrong thing it's never out of disrespect, to me it's obvious that you can love whoever you want, as well as it's up to you how you want to be addressed and what you identify yourself as.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Bullying, Homophobia, Racism, Abandonment, and Transphobia

Moderate: Alcohol and Drug use

takarakei's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really loved Felix's journey to finding his/their identity, one which I know many people will likely see themselves in. I also liked that I thought I knew where this book was going (romance wise) and I actually didn't! There are some beautiful scenes of pure queer joy towards the end that had me teary eyed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Bullying

Moderate: Sexism and Racism

Minor: Abandonment

chronicacademia's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Outing, Cursing, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Transphobia, Racism, Abandonment, Bullying, and Child abuse

sapphicreader_'s review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

sCREAMING cRYING thrOWING uP giGGLING blUSHING kICKING mY fEET THIS BOOK ABSOLUTELY CHANGED MY LIFE WHAT A MASTERPIECE it’s the kind of book where your heart soars but also hurts at the end because the book is over and you have to separate yourself from the characters and the story you love so dearly 🤧

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Racism, Outing, and Bullying

Moderate: Dysphoria, Abandonment, and Deadnaming