zinelib's reviews
587 reviews

These Heathens: A Novel by Mia McKenzie

challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Doris, a smart Georgia teen's life trajectory first changes when her mother takes ill, and she has to drop out of school to take care of her family. Then it changes again when, at 17, she finds herself in the family way. Despite her religious piety and general obedience, Doris does not wish to remain pregnant. She reaches out to her beloved former English teacher, Mrs. Lucas, who, it turns out, has secrets of her own. Mrs. Lucas endeavors to help Doris get an abortion by taking her to Atlanta and the home of an old friend who gives them a place to stay and offers to pay for the abortion. 

We meet historical figures like Coretta and Martin Luther King Jr., Bayard Rustin, and SNCC organizers. It's a compelling story, and reads a little like a play. 

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

It's a fun book, but there's too much middle. The science is of particular interest, and the academic bullshit, too. 

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

This is an enjoyable book about a young, isolated witch building community. I felt like the love story was superfluous. 

Love at 350° by Lisa Peers

funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

In this baking show romance, Tori, a divorced mother of two rising college first years, is preparing for empty nesting. One of the show's hosts, Kendra, has been told that she's too mean (#TheChopper), so she's trying to be nicer. She immediately finds Tori easy to be nice to, but of course fraternization is against the rules. It's fun seeing how the story works out, who the villain is, etc. Really enjoyable!

Be Gay, Do Comics by Matt Bors, Sarah Mirk, Eleri Harris

hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.0

Good stuff, but a lot of it was too small or low contrast for me to read. Shout out to Joey Alison Sayers for some of my favorite entries. Read for the living while gay content. 

Briarcliff Prep by Brianna Peppins

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Avi starts her freshman year at Briarcliff Prep, a historically Black boarding school, where her sister, Belle, is a senior. Their twin brothers are at the brother school, Preston Academy. The story is told from Avi's pov, but most of the drama is concentrated on Belle, whose boyfriend seems a little sus. Avi has her own boy drama--with the twins' roommate, Quincy. 

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches by Kate Scelsa

hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

Oops--forgot to review this closer to when I read it, so my memory is a little hazy. It's fun in that it takes place in Salem. The protagonist works in the fakest of fake witch stores and dgaf about witchcraft until a weird tarot package shows up, followed by a couple of weird girls, one of whom is hottt. 

I liked the characters and respected their challenges. 

Briarcliff Prep: Sophomore Year by Brianna Peppins
Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.

I have a tough time with people making bad decisions. 

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

challenging sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

I do read the occasional book written for adults, and sometimes I get through them and even like them! Ellie and Homa meet at children after Ellie's father dies and her and her mother's circumstances are reduced. Ellie's mom is a snob, but Ellie is all-in on hopscotch and even skipping school for an afternoon in the marketplace with Homa. Despite Homa being with Ellie at the top of their class, Ellie's mother is more concerned with appearances. Homa is not just poor, she's the daughter of a communist. In mid-20th century Iran, that wasn't the safest choice (not that there was a safe choice that didn't involve totalitarian bigotry). We follow the two girls as they are reunited and separated again and as they become women, experiencing love and loss.

One of them is more obviously a lion woman, but the title of this book is lion women. There are different ways of fighting, surviving, and helping others to thrive. 

Quotes

I loved being with Homa, but often felt less-than around her and as though I had to match her smarts, her strength, her ambitions. 
Yet, as I danced with Mehrdad, I realized that with Mehrdad I felt like I was enough.

We stood there, our heads touching. What she said was absurd. The world was vast and broken and filled with strife. The world was chaotic and owned by men. Not by us. 

and

That's how losses of rights build. They start small. And then soon, the rights are stripped in droves. 

Ana on the Edge by A.J. Sass

hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

This is a super sweet middle grades novel about a nonbinary figure skater discovering that gender is fluid and that who you are should be part of who you show on the ice. Ana's road to self-discovery is helped by a trans boy beginning skater. One thing I like about mg books is that there's not necessarily romance to kids hanging out together.