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emeelee 's review for:
Chaotic Good
by Whitney Gardner
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 because I had a lot of fun while reading this one.
Chaotic Good is about 17-year-old Cameron, who uses her cosplay skills to masquerade as a boy so that she can shop in her local comics store in peace. When she's unexpectedly invited to join some of the shop employees in a game of Dungeons & Dragons, as boy-Cameron, the ruse becomes much more complicated. Especially when her twin brother gets involved, and she starts to become good friends with her fellow D&D players. Also adding to her stress levels are the inboxes full of anon-hate for being a "fake geek girl", and the challenging costume portfolio she needs to complete in six weeks in order to apply for the CalArts design program.
This book was quite fun, especially with all the little comic illustrations throughout, bringing the D&D campaign to life. I liked that it showed both the good and bad sides of geek culture, and of geek boys in particular. It directly contradicts the idea that there's only one way to be a "real" fan (of which male geeks are the gatekeepers, of course).
There were some parts of the story I found to be unrealistic or over-the-top, which did detract from my enjoyment somewhat. First of all, the plot revolves around deception, with Cameron pretending to be a boy. Of course, lying is no basis for any form of relationship, whether platonic or romantic. Yet, I can't help but point out that Cameron never specifically claims to be male. Rather, she doesn't correct her new friends' assumptions (based on her appearance) that she is male. I kind of wish the author had done a bit more exploration with non-binary gender concepts-- I mean, what if Cameron hadn't actually set out to deceive anyone, but just naturally appeared quite masculine? Would that have still been a "betrayal" of the boys' trust? What if she were a transman... would that have still been "deceptive?" (Of course not, but these are not questions the book explores at all.) And while Cameron's reasons for crossdressing are made clear to the reader, there's never really a scene where it gets made abundantly clear to the other characters.
I don't feel nervous walking alone in my boy clothes, and I realize this is why I kept it up so long. This feeling of invisibility, of unquestioned acceptance. It was addicting. Comfortable. Easy. (199)
Secondly, I took serious issue with the idea that Cameron pretending to be a boy was "leading on" one of the gay male characters who was romantically interested in boy-Cameron. When he made his feelings known, Cameron immediately told him she didn't return his feelings and (truthfully) that she "wasn't gay." From that point on, whether Cam was male or female shouldn't have mattered. There was no "leading on," yet several of the characters accused her of it, and the narrative never rejects that sentiment. I hope the author doesn't think it was an accurate or fair accusation...
Thirdly, Cameron's brother Cooper was so awful to her??? I have siblings, and while we have had some epic fights, I would never take someone else's side over theirs (I mean, except in drastic, legal circumstances) especially not because of a crush I developed on someone I just met! It was either very unrealistic, or Cooper and Cameron's relationship should have been portrayed as much rockier than it was from the beginning.
Other than those small gripes, though, I enjoyed how the drama unfolded and the lessons that were learned along the way. Some of the hateful troll messages were hard to read, but they were important to the story, and were sadly realistic. I thought the romance was cute, and I loved the appreciation of different body types and races. There was also a great little scene where consent was depicted, not just as necessary, but as enjoyable, which is so important in YA lit:
Each time pausing, waiting for a yes, and each time we are both thrilled when I say it. (159)
Overall, I would categorize Chaotic Good as great fun, but not perfect. If you're a geek, and especially a geek girl or otherwise outside of the cis-white-male geek mainstream, I think you'll enjoy it.
Chaotic Good is about 17-year-old Cameron, who uses her cosplay skills to masquerade as a boy so that she can shop in her local comics store in peace. When she's unexpectedly invited to join some of the shop employees in a game of Dungeons & Dragons, as boy-Cameron, the ruse becomes much more complicated. Especially when her twin brother gets involved, and she starts to become good friends with her fellow D&D players. Also adding to her stress levels are the inboxes full of anon-hate for being a "fake geek girl", and the challenging costume portfolio she needs to complete in six weeks in order to apply for the CalArts design program.
This book was quite fun, especially with all the little comic illustrations throughout, bringing the D&D campaign to life. I liked that it showed both the good and bad sides of geek culture, and of geek boys in particular. It directly contradicts the idea that there's only one way to be a "real" fan (of which male geeks are the gatekeepers, of course).
There were some parts of the story I found to be unrealistic or over-the-top, which did detract from my enjoyment somewhat. First of all, the plot revolves around deception, with Cameron pretending to be a boy. Of course, lying is no basis for any form of relationship, whether platonic or romantic. Yet, I can't help but point out that Cameron never specifically claims to be male. Rather, she doesn't correct her new friends' assumptions (based on her appearance) that she is male. I kind of wish the author had done a bit more exploration with non-binary gender concepts-- I mean, what if Cameron hadn't actually set out to deceive anyone, but just naturally appeared quite masculine? Would that have still been a "betrayal" of the boys' trust? What if she were a transman... would that have still been "deceptive?" (Of course not, but these are not questions the book explores at all.) And while Cameron's reasons for crossdressing are made clear to the reader, there's never really a scene where it gets made abundantly clear to the other characters.
I don't feel nervous walking alone in my boy clothes, and I realize this is why I kept it up so long. This feeling of invisibility, of unquestioned acceptance. It was addicting. Comfortable. Easy. (199)
Secondly, I took serious issue with the idea that Cameron pretending to be a boy was "leading on" one of the gay male characters who was romantically interested in boy-Cameron. When he made his feelings known, Cameron immediately told him she didn't return his feelings and (truthfully) that she "wasn't gay." From that point on, whether Cam was male or female shouldn't have mattered. There was no "leading on," yet several of the characters accused her of it, and the narrative never rejects that sentiment. I hope the author doesn't think it was an accurate or fair accusation...
Thirdly, Cameron's brother Cooper was so awful to her??? I have siblings, and while we have had some epic fights, I would never take someone else's side over theirs (I mean, except in drastic, legal circumstances) especially not because of a crush I developed on someone I just met! It was either very unrealistic, or Cooper and Cameron's relationship should have been portrayed as much rockier than it was from the beginning.
Other than those small gripes, though, I enjoyed how the drama unfolded and the lessons that were learned along the way. Some of the hateful troll messages were hard to read, but they were important to the story, and were sadly realistic. I thought the romance was cute, and I loved the appreciation of different body types and races. There was also a great little scene where consent was depicted, not just as necessary, but as enjoyable, which is so important in YA lit:
Each time pausing, waiting for a yes, and each time we are both thrilled when I say it. (159)
Overall, I would categorize Chaotic Good as great fun, but not perfect. If you're a geek, and especially a geek girl or otherwise outside of the cis-white-male geek mainstream, I think you'll enjoy it.