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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
This book is so amazingly wholesome. The MC is surrounded by supportive queers, and none of the drama is related to her orientation.
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens was really endearing, and the last 40% of it was all page-turner. It made me really nostalgic for drag scenes and LGBT community amidst this pandemic. The book presents a mostly accurate portrayal of drag (though drag is definitely not the central plot) and very much nailed the mesmerizing whirlwind of taking a first foray into drag and the larger, sometimes intimidating queer world as a young or newly out person.
Just a warning, there are several scenes of bad/iffy consent in performance spaces and performer-audience interactions, which can definitely be a dynamic in some drag scenes unfortunately. But it isn't really unpacked enough for my liking.
A couple critiques:
- For a book with the phrase "in-betweens" in its title, there is sadly no representation of nonbinary people. Diversity of gender presentation, drag, and binary trans people are all present, but I was disappointed to not see a single person confidently existing beyond the binary. Similarly, bisexuality as a concept is alluded to, but disappointingly never named.
- A main character who is clearly a transgender woman is referred to as a drag queen when not in drag. Yes, she is an experienced drag queen, but there were a few times when she really should have just been described as a woman or a trans woman. I don't think the word "trans" is used once to describe her... I don't think the word is even used once in the whole book. Her character is lovely and overall well built but there were times where the way she talked felt too much like a stereotype of a fabulous Black drag queen.
- A small but possibly significant age gap is never fully explained between the MC and a love interest. Which feels important given that the MC is very young (17) and could definitely seem younger with her shyness and inexperience.
All in all: a messy, endearing, and believable coming of age story.
Just a warning, there are several scenes of bad/iffy consent in performance spaces and performer-audience interactions, which can definitely be a dynamic in some drag scenes unfortunately. But it isn't really unpacked enough for my liking.
A couple critiques:
- For a book with the phrase "in-betweens" in its title, there is sadly no representation of nonbinary people. Diversity of gender presentation, drag, and binary trans people are all present, but I was disappointed to not see a single person confidently existing beyond the binary. Similarly, bisexuality as a concept is alluded to, but disappointingly never named.
- A main character who is clearly a transgender woman is referred to as a drag queen when not in drag. Yes, she is an experienced drag queen, but there were a few times when she really should have just been described as a woman or a trans woman. I don't think the word "trans" is used once to describe her... I don't think the word is even used once in the whole book. Her character is lovely and overall well built but there were times where the way she talked felt too much like a stereotype of a fabulous Black drag queen.
- A small but possibly significant age gap is never fully explained between the MC and a love interest. Which feels important given that the MC is very young (17) and could definitely seem younger with her shyness and inexperience.
All in all: a messy, endearing, and believable coming of age story.
AI wanted to like it a lot more than I did. It took forever to get started, was incredibly predictable, and just felt like teenage wish fulfillment. I get that I'm not the target demographic, but the whole thing came off as a series of tropes and cliches (the sheer amount of winking that happened made my eyes hurt). I can see what the author was going for, and if I were a teen in a small town or a conservative area, I am sure I would love it. Just a bit disappointing.
Neema tackles a lot of life problems while also coming to terms with her queerness. Her mom left a year and a half ago without a word. Her dad and their friend, Jill, are trying to do best by her in their small, close-minded town. Neema accidentally stumbles upon a drag show during the local summer fair after being asked by a fabulous drag queen named Deidra. Neema discovers a new world that she never imagined and catches the eye of Winnow, a drag king. She also learns about the angst surrounding the town asshole, a boy her own age who doesn’t seem to have a caring bone in his body but in reality, his secrets are a product of his sour mood. Together, they start discovering the world of drag kings, queens, and in-betweens.
Gay, straight, drag queen/king or not, this story was heart wrenching and laugh out loud relatable because at the end of the day we all just want to feel like we belong and comfortable in our own skin. I finished it in a day spent on airplanes.
Nima is about to be a senior in high school, has a good best friend in Charles, and a hopeless crush on her friend Ginny. Things are both complicated and simple in her life, until she stumbles upon a drag show at the summer festival in town, and her world is rocked. She starts making gutsy (and sometimes stupid) decisions, meeting new people, and trying to figure out how to balance the pieces of what she's found. Ultimately uplifting, with some cringe-worthy moments on the road to confidence, Nima is the awkward and hopeful main character that I needed right now.
emotional
funny
inspiring
slow-paced
I enjoyed some of the characters & relationships, but others felt flat and/or stereotypical. Deirdre felt way too Magical Fairy Dragmother, Gordon’s redemption didn’t feel earned, and there was hardly any exploration of the “in-betweens” bit of the title. [content warning for homophobia, internalized transphobia, parental abandonment, & excessive use of vomit as a plot point]