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A review by sapphisms
Girl in the Shadows by Gwenda Bond
2.0
I received this book through NetGalley and Skyscape and Two Lions in exchange for an honest review.
I. Ok, so I'm really disappointed. Like... really disappointed. I'll give you the tldr; right here: the characters are flat, the only explicitly stated recurring character of color is used to jumpstart the white MC's magic career, it's casually homophobic on more than one occasion, and the romance is so rushed that it's unbelievable.
Alright first things first: I was a big fan of Bond after reading her book [b:Double Down|27818091|Double Down (Lois Lane, #2)|Gwenda Bond|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1454716565s/27818091.jpg|45863526]- I thought her depictions of Clark and Lois were incredibly spot-on, with the side characters being cute (if not occasionally bland), but fleshed out. Now, upon retrospect, I'm wondering if that was my comic book knowledge filling in the holes where Bond's characterization fell flat. Because, really, this book has the worst characterization I've seen in a novel. I'll tell you what I know about Moira from reading this entire book: she wants to be a magician to spite her dad, she doesn't listen to anyone talking any form of sense, and she'll somehow fall in insta-love with the best friend of a homophobic boy.
Oh, also, her white feminism is goddamn annoying.
The one thing I just can't deal with in this book is how Moira will launch into forced non-sequiturs for the sake of imparting some Very Basic Feminist Ideology on us. In fact, Brandon seems to have been created solely for this purpose- to be a misogynistic clown so that Moira can shoot him down. Which makes me give 0 shits when he gets in the end. Nice try trying to make me feel bad for a misogynist (and implied Hitler Youth allegory), Bond, but I'm not buying it. I just love (heavy sarcasm) how she says "Several of the girls who worked at Dad's show were lesbians or bi, and I'd been in one couple's wedding", yet tries to strongarm Dita into coming out to her at 12% into the book.
Like, really, what kind of Bad Straight Ally shit that you see men's clothes in a feminine-presenting person's closet, then launch into a spiel about how you'll accept them if they're "gay or bi or straight as an arrow or whatever variety or combination thereof"??? Honestly, if she was so good and accepting, she would've waited until Dita was comfortable with bringing up the subject or coming out to her (and I know we're supposed to read Dita's reaction as, I don't know, in awe? that Moira is So Sensitive- but really, she just sounds uncomfortable. Because there's no way you can write a scene like that and have it come off as organic with the queer person being excited about being forced to come out.). Also, what kinda bullshit that Dita being coded as trans is never mentioned by the text, but she says she's currently unsure, but "feel[s] more like [herself] when [she] dress[es] in men's clothes".
Dita never gets to transition or get new pronouns or anything- she's put firmly in the backseat as the token Quiet Queer But Supportive Best Friend for the majority of the narrative, while Moira fumbles around trying to figure out whether she loves or hates Dez.
Also using terrible slang. I don't know if this was a Thing in the previous book (for some reason, I only seem to get approved to read the sequels to Bond's novels), but no one is "cray annoying".
Onto the romance- wowza what a bland and heterosexual ride that was! No, like, really- there was no chemistry to begin with (with Moira in-text saying she doesn't like him/is wary of him because he's friends with Brandon) and then... 17% in, and she's fully invested and jealous when he makes knife-hearts around other girls (makes sense in context). He's pretty much a dick for over half of the novel, until he's terrifyingly correct that Moira is needlessly risking her life, to which he... loses any semblance of character from his previous iteration. And, really, the 'over prepared' guy that we were introduced, the guy that has All The Cards, doesn't match up with the guy who later will drop really serious topics in order to make out. I'd come into this book, defensive of Bond's writing and... Was disappointed in how immediate Dez's character shift is. He showed pretty much no empathy for the first quarter of the book, then dropped into some Smooth Talking Stranger as he woos Moira right onto a ferris wheel and bargains for her love with planning to sabotage Raleigh's performance to give her a chance in the spotlight.
Wait, I haven't talked about Raleigh yet? Ok, so, only explicitly mentioned black character in the entire book. One of two total explicitly-mentioned people of color in the entire narrative- and he's far more interesting than Moira. In fact, the whole reason that this book started is because Moira mistakenly assumes he's there just to boost up her career by dropping the invitation (which she then takes and doesn't mention to him because she thinks it's Destiny). This isn't the last time that he has to suffer to benefit her, however- time and time again, he's thrown under the bus ()- and, when he's not thrown under the bus, there's this weird... Honestly, no clue what to call it. It's teased that he's interested in her, but he's never treated as a viable love interest- only something for Dez to be jealous over (on the rare occasions that Raleigh even gets time to speak)- he's just "brothery". I get it- you have, like, one black person, one latinx, and one queer person! Yeah, totally makes up for the fact that you don't know how to handle any of these diverse profiles (nope!).
Speaking of latinx characters, I'm really not sure who's latino in this book- Dez's descriptions vary from being a tanned white person (in his initial description) to being "brown" (later description), and someone was referred to as "The Latino Cary Grant" at 31%, but I have no clue if that's supposed to be him. If Dez is latinx, however, this opens up a whole other can of worms, including the Spicy Latinx Lover stereotype, the Unfaithful Latino stereotype, and, literally, the fact that he's. Also the fact that he's profiled (if he's latinx) by a white storeowner because, at a point, he's actively and obviously casing out a store like he's going to rob it. Also the fact that he has a complete lack of consistent characterization is problematic (from being the Latinx Lover stereotype, to being completely disconnected, to ). Either he's the latinx character, or Remy is, and I'm not entire sure on either account- but it has bigger consequences for Dez's characterization if it's him.
All in all... Yeah, don't think I'm gonna hang around for a third Lois Lane novel or anything from this series. This showed that Bond is only willing to talk about issues that concern privileged white, cis, heterosexual women, and won't take the same critical stance and scope in regards to other races, sexualities, or genders.
I. Ok, so I'm really disappointed. Like... really disappointed. I'll give you the tldr; right here: the characters are flat, the only explicitly stated recurring character of color is used to jumpstart the white MC's magic career, it's casually homophobic on more than one occasion, and the romance is so rushed that it's unbelievable.
Alright first things first: I was a big fan of Bond after reading her book [b:Double Down|27818091|Double Down (Lois Lane, #2)|Gwenda Bond|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1454716565s/27818091.jpg|45863526]- I thought her depictions of Clark and Lois were incredibly spot-on, with the side characters being cute (if not occasionally bland), but fleshed out. Now, upon retrospect, I'm wondering if that was my comic book knowledge filling in the holes where Bond's characterization fell flat. Because, really, this book has the worst characterization I've seen in a novel. I'll tell you what I know about Moira from reading this entire book: she wants to be a magician to spite her dad, she doesn't listen to anyone talking any form of sense, and she'll somehow fall in insta-love with the best friend of a homophobic boy.
Oh, also, her white feminism is goddamn annoying.
The one thing I just can't deal with in this book is how Moira will launch into forced non-sequiturs for the sake of imparting some Very Basic Feminist Ideology on us. In fact, Brandon seems to have been created solely for this purpose- to be a misogynistic clown so that Moira can shoot him down. Which makes me give 0 shits when he gets
Spoiler
his hand fucking massacredLike, really, what kind of Bad Straight Ally shit that you see men's clothes in a feminine-presenting person's closet, then launch into a spiel about how you'll accept them if they're "gay or bi or straight as an arrow or whatever variety or combination thereof"??? Honestly, if she was so good and accepting, she would've waited until Dita was comfortable with bringing up the subject or coming out to her (and I know we're supposed to read Dita's reaction as, I don't know, in awe? that Moira is So Sensitive- but really, she just sounds uncomfortable. Because there's no way you can write a scene like that and have it come off as organic with the queer person being excited about being forced to come out.). Also, what kinda bullshit that Dita being coded as trans is never mentioned by the text, but she says she's currently unsure, but "feel[s] more like [herself] when [she] dress[es] in men's clothes".
Dita never gets to transition or get new pronouns or anything
Spoiler
other than a man's costume for her performanceAlso using terrible slang. I don't know if this was a Thing in the previous book (for some reason, I only seem to get approved to read the sequels to Bond's novels), but no one is "cray annoying".
Onto the romance- wowza what a bland and heterosexual ride that was! No, like, really- there was no chemistry to begin with (with Moira in-text saying she doesn't like him/is wary of him because he's friends with Brandon) and then... 17% in, and she's fully invested and jealous when he makes knife-hearts around other girls (makes sense in context). He's pretty much a dick for over half of the novel, until he's terrifyingly correct that Moira is needlessly risking her life
Spoiler
which really!!! She knows her magic is unstable and not to be depended on, yet she still somehow thinks she can rely on it to save her from snapping her neck- to the point where she doesn't even prepare for the trick in case it goes wrongs?!Wait, I haven't talked about Raleigh yet? Ok, so, only explicitly mentioned black character in the entire book. One of two total explicitly-mentioned people of color in the entire narrative- and he's far more interesting than Moira. In fact, the whole reason that this book started is because Moira mistakenly assumes he's there just to boost up her career by dropping the invitation (which she then takes and doesn't mention to him because she thinks it's Destiny). This isn't the last time that he has to suffer to benefit her, however- time and time again, he's thrown under the bus (
Spoiler
he's a mole for her father looking for the coin! he loses his job so she can perform on-stage! he covers for her time and time again! he's the last person to find out magic is real despite knowing Moira the longest in the cirque!Speaking of latinx characters, I'm really not sure who's latino in this book- Dez's descriptions vary from being a tanned white person (in his initial description) to being "brown" (later description), and someone was referred to as "The Latino Cary Grant" at 31%, but I have no clue if that's supposed to be him. If Dez is latinx, however, this opens up a whole other can of worms, including the Spicy Latinx Lover stereotype, the Unfaithful Latino stereotype, and, literally, the fact that he's
Spoiler
a thief, and cases out stores like he's going to steal something- which is bad because he'd literally be the only latinx character, and the only thiefSpoiler
willing to die for Moira, who he met maybe four months agoAll in all... Yeah, don't think I'm gonna hang around for a third Lois Lane novel or anything from this series. This showed that Bond is only willing to talk about issues that concern privileged white, cis, heterosexual women, and won't take the same critical stance and scope in regards to other races, sexualities, or genders.