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A review by cweichel
Ciel by Sophie LaBelle
4.0
This own voices novela introduces us to Ciel, a trans nonbinary teen who is just starting high school. Their best friend, Stephie, is a trans girl. Ciel is in a long distance relationship with Eirikur, a bisexual teen who has moved back to Iceland from Montreal. They are interested platonically, (for now at least) in Liam, a trans boy at the school.
It took me a bit to get into this story because the language felt stilted. Soon however I was engaged with the characters. Ciel is a sympathetic kid who works hard towards their goals. They get up every morning to deliver papers to raise money to purchase a new video camera. Ciel has a youtube channel where they post videos they have created. After a post about the lack of appropriate nongendered bathrooms at the school goes viral, they get a lot of negative comments. While this distresses Ciel, they have a supportive father and friends, and Ciel handles it well.
This book isn't full of angst and action. It's a thoughtful look into the life of teen and their friends who don't fit into the cisgendered world.
It took me a bit to get into this story because the language felt stilted. Soon however I was engaged with the characters. Ciel is a sympathetic kid who works hard towards their goals. They get up every morning to deliver papers to raise money to purchase a new video camera. Ciel has a youtube channel where they post videos they have created. After a post about the lack of appropriate nongendered bathrooms at the school goes viral, they get a lot of negative comments. While this distresses Ciel, they have a supportive father and friends, and Ciel handles it well.
This book isn't full of angst and action. It's a thoughtful look into the life of teen and their friends who don't fit into the cisgendered world.