"What she needs are stories. Stories are a way to preserve one's self. To be remembered. And to forget. Stories come in so many forms: in charcoal, and in song, in paintings, poems, films. And books. Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives—or to find strength in a very long one.” The invisibile life of Addie LaRue
Salve a tutt* e benvenut* alla tappa dedicata a “Demone nel bosco”, una graphic novel scritta da Leigh Bardugo e illustratata da Dani Pendergast. Un grazie enorme a Beatrice per avermi coinvolta e alla casa editrice per l’opportunità e la copia in anteprima, che non ha influenzato in alcun modo le mie opinioni. Date un’occhiata alle altre recensioni, i nomi sono qui in alto!
Il prequel di Tenebre e Ossa, saga bestseller e ora anche serie Netflix, tassello indispensabile del GrishaVerse che permette di gettare un po’ di luce sulle origini di un destino tanto grandioso quanto sinistro, quello del temuto e potentissimo Oscuro. Eryk e sua madre, Lena, hanno trascorso la loro esistenza fuggendo incessantemente da un luogo all’altro, con la convinzione che, forse, per loro non esista proprio un porto sicuro. Perché entrambi non solo sono Grisha, ma sono i più potenti e letali tra loro. Temuti da chi vorrebbe ucciderli e braccati da chi vorrebbe sfruttarne i doni, devono cercare di tenere nascoste le loro capacità ovunque vadano. Ma talvolta i segreti più pericolosi trovano comunque il modo di venire a galla… Questo graphic novel, scritto da Leigh Bardugo e illustrato da Dani Pendergast, è il prequel di “Tenebre e Ossa”, tassello indispensabile del GrishaVerse che permette di gettare un po’ di luce sulle origini di un destino tanto grandioso quanto sinistro, quello del temuto e potentissimo…
Precedentemente presente in Ruin and Rising come bonus chapter, Demone nel bosco assume una nuova veste come graphic novel, con le splendide illustrazioni di Dani Pendergast. Si tratta di una brevissima storia, prequel di tutti eventi del Grishaverse, che mostra un giovanissimo Oscuro che, in compagnia della madre, vaga per il mondo alla ricerca di un posto sicuro dove restare. Costretti a nascondere la loro identità, non solo in quanto Grisha in un mondo particolarmente violento e pericoloso nei loro confronti, ma anche perché potenti e letali, cambiando luoghi, nomi e storie, la graphic novel si concentra su un particolare momento della loro vita e sul desiderio finale di Eryk. Eryk e sua madre Lena credono di potersi fermare in un villaggio, di aver trovato finalmente un posto in cui restare almeno per qualche mese, ma tra bullismo, invidie e violenza, nulla sarà facile.
Ho davvero apprezzato questa storia, non solo perché mi ha permesso di conoscere un giovane Oscuro, un ragazzino giovane, consapevole dei propri poteri e dei rischi legati ad essi, ma al tempo stesso più “umano”, con desideri e curiosità, voglia di restare e fare amicizia, proteggere se stesso e sua madre, conoscere altre persone. Un personaggio intelligente, ma costretto dalla propria natura a scappare e nascondersi, covando, quindi, il risentimento e la speranza di poter creare un posto in cui i Grisha non possano essere cacciati, discriminati e uccisi per ciò che sono. Viene, quindi, rappresentato un mondo in cui i Grisha non sono temuti e rispettati, come quello che abbiamo conosciuto nella trilogia e duologia, bensì quello antecedente a ciò che creerà l’Oscuro per sé e i suoi simili.
Pur trattandosi di una breve graphic novel, io l’ho divorata in meno di un’ora, i personaggi spiccano e sono molto ben delineati. Non solo l’Oscuro, in quanto protagonista con i suoi poteri, desideri e forza, ma anche Lena/Baghra, descritta come una donna forte e testarda, potente, che non permette a nessun uomo del villaggio o consiglio di metterle i piedi in testa, lottando contro misoginia e ignoranza. In un luogo, ben racchiuso e delineato come il villaggio, esiste un microcosmo popolato da gerarchie decise dai poteri posseduti, gerarchie che fanno emergere violenze e bullismo, istinto di sopravvivenza e tradimenti che contraddistingueranno la storia e il suo finale. Annika e il suo desiderio di diventare più forte e proteggere la sorella, il bullismo di Lev, personaggi ben scritti e caratterizzati, i cui destini si intrecceranno con quelli di Eryk, cambiando ogni cosa.
Dal punto di vista delle illustrazioni, le ho trovate davvero meravigliose. I colori sono luminosi e vividi, i disegni ben delineati e prevalgono colori come il bianco, per la neve, il nero, l’oscurità e i poteri di Eryk e Lena, ma anche i brillanti come l’azzurro, il viola, l’arancio. Colori caldi e freddi che si mescolano sapientemente in una graphic novel davvero imperdibile non solo perché permette al lettore di conoscere l’Oscuro prima che diventi l’Oscuro, ma anche per l’arte stessa.
Salve e benvenut* alla mia tappa del blog tour dedicato a Hide di Kiersten White. Un grazie enorme a Silvia per aver organizzato l’evento e alla casa editrice per la copia in anteprima che non ha influenzato in alcun modo le mie opinioni.
La sfida: trascorrere un’intera settimana a giocare a nascondino, dal sorgere del sole al tramonto, in un parco divertimenti abbandonato da decenni e fare di tutto per non essere presi (da chi non è dato saperlo). Il premio: denaro a sufficienza per rivoluzionare completamente la propria vita. Anche se gli altri concorrenti sono determinati a vincere – per ritagliarsi un futuro da sogno o sfuggire a un passato che li perseguita -, Mack è sicura di poterli battere tutti. In fondo, ciò che deve fare è nascondersi e lei, fin da bambina, non fa altro. Anzi, è proprio questa la ragione per cui è ancora viva mentre la sua intera famiglia è morta. Ma, quando capisce che l’eliminazione dei concorrenti nasconde qualcosa di sospetto, Mack comprende che il gioco è molto più sinistro di quanto potesse immaginare e che per sopravvivere sarà necessario unire le forze…
Si tratta di giocare a nascondino in un parco giochi abbandonato da decenni e non essere presi per poter vincere una grossa somma di denaro in grado di rivoluzionare la vita di un* dei quattordici partecipanti. Tutti sono pronti a vincere, anche barando, mentendo e ferendo gli altri, ma, man mano che i concorrenti vengono eliminati, o spariscono in circostanze misteriose, Mack, la protagonista, inizia a capire che qualcosa non va e insieme ad alcuni alleati cerca di scoprire la verità sul luogo in cui stanno giocando e sulle sue regole.
“Hide” è il tipo di romanzo la cui trama mi ha attirata subito. Interessante, accattivante, con un mistero di fondo e che spinge il lettore a continuare a leggere per capire cosa stia succedendo in realtà. Le mie opinioni sul libro sono un po’ ambigue, temo. Non l’ho adorato, né mi sento di condannarlo appieno, quindi farò una lista delle cose che mi sono piaciute e quelle che non ho trovato interessati.
Mi è piaciuta l’ambientazione. Un parco divertimenti abbandonato da decenni, inquietante con le sue giostre malmesse e la natura che ha reclamato spazi, creando nascondigli e zone incolte. Qui si svolge la gara di nascondino e ognuno dei partecipanti si ritrova a vagare, spesso senza direzione, per trovare il luogo adatto per nascondersi e non farsi trovare. Da chi, non lo sanno (E neanche noi).
Lo stile di scrittura è abbastanza ben fatto, coinvolgente e trovo che l’autrice abbia espresso alcune tematiche che riguardano i personaggi, come il senso di colpa, il dolore, la speranza, il rinchiudersi in se stessi evitando contatti con il mondo esterno per evitare di farsi male ed esporsi, abbastanza bene. Non benissimo, però. Ho anche apprezzato la caratterizzazione di alcuni personaggi, quali Mack, Ava, Brandon e LeGrand, che sono quelli “leggermente” un po’ più sviluppati e “completi”.
La trama in sé non è male, incuriosisce, spinge il lettore a continuare, anche se avrei sperato in una direzione diversa.
Passando ora alle cose che non mi sono piaciute, devo per forza parlare ancora della trama. La trama, come detto in precedenza, inizia bene e incuriosisce, ma non ho apprezzato il mistero in sé e la spiegazione, un po’ nebulosa del perché succede quello che succede. L’ho trovata un po’ frettolosa, avrei preferito fosse meglio argomentata e sviluppata. Tipica del “Inizia bene, ma si perde per la via.”
La caratterizzazione. Se mi sono piaciuti i personaggi accennati in precedenza, (ma, solo perché sono un po’ più sviluppati degli altri) l’autrice ha inserito il punto di vista di quasi 15 personaggi, se non di più, evitando, però, di svilupparli e dare loro un background articolato. Alcuni sono stereotipati al massimo, come quelli ossessionati dai media, fitness e dai soldi. I partecipanti hanno i loro punti di vista, ma, alcuni, hanno appena una paginetta o poco più e, fatta eccezione per alcune notizie gettate lì, non sono affatto sviluppati. Abbiamo Jaden che è il “cattivo” della situazione, del quale non conosciamo nulla, o Sydney o Atrius. Avrei preferito ci fossero meno partecipanti e che le loro storie fossero più sviluppate e complete o che il libro fosse stato un po’ più lungo in modo da consentire un loro background. Invece, spesso e volentieri, un personaggio viene introdotto con alcune cose sul suo passato e desideri e poi viene ucciso. Inoltre, pur essendo personaggi che dovrebbero essere adulti, dai dialoghi non sembra affatto così e loro spesso si comportano come teenagers.
Non ho, inoltre, apprezzato gli stereotipi presenti nel libro, come il dare per scontato che una donna sia lesbica perché ha i capelli corti e sia muscolosa o che un’altra abbia geni da psicopatico perché è sopravvissuta a una strage familiare o che una bella d’aspetto fisico sia da sottovalutare. L’elemento sovrannaturale è gettato lì senza essere ben spiegato e se è chiara la rabbia dell’autrice su alcune tematiche, il perpetrare la violenza di alcuni gruppi su altri, l’uso delle armi nelle scuole, lo si capisce più leggendo le note finali che nel libro stesso. O forse sono io che non ho ben compreso, ma davvero il nesso con le armi nelle scuole mi sfugge.
Insomma, ci sono diversi punti che non mi hanno affatto colpita e non riesco a dare oltre le due stelline.
Three gold stars on white background
Ecco a voi il calendario! Date un’occhiata alle altre recensioni!
Mars has always been the lesser twin, the shadow to his sister Caroline’s radiance. But when Caroline dies under horrific circumstances, Mars is propelled to learn all he can about his once-inseparable sister who’d grown tragically distant.
Mars’s genderfluidity means he’s often excluded from the traditions — and expectations — of his politically connected family. This includes attendance at the prestigious Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy where his sister poured so much of her time. But with his grief still fresh, he insists on attending in her place.
What Mars finds is a bucolic fairytale not meant for him. Folksy charm and sun-drenched festivities camouflage old-fashioned gender roles and a toxic preparatory rigor. Mars seeks out his sister’s old friends: a group of girls dubbed the Honeys, named for the beehives they maintain behind their cabin. They are beautiful and terrifying — and Mars is certain they’re connected to Caroline’s death.
But the longer he stays at Aspen, the more the sweet mountain breezes give way to hints of decay. Mars’s memories begin to falter, bleached beneath the relentless summer sun. Something is hunting him in broad daylight, toying with his mind. If Mars can’t find it soon, it will eat him alive.
Mars has always lived in his twin’s shadows, but when Caroline dies in an horrific way he’s ready to do anything to understand what happened, even coming back to Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy, a place full of memories, mostly bad for him and where his sister Caroline spent most of her time. To better understand her and devastated by grief, Mars decided to attend in her place. The bucolic place isn’t for him and his genderfluidity means he struggles to adhere to Aspen’s traditions and sexists separations, but when Mars starts to seek out his sister’s friend, the exclusive group called The Honeys for their beekeeping, everything changes. Even as he tries to piece memories of Caroline in Aspen, things start to get weirder and weirder. Mars starts to lose his own memories, peculiar things happen, people disappering and everything seems to involve the beautiful and terrifying Honeys.
WOW! Just…wow. This book left me reeling and speechless for days after I’ve read it. It’s absolutely peculiar, weird, but in a positive way and very surprising. I didn’t expecting things to turn out that way, at all.
First of all, the author did an outstanding job in describing Mars’ grief and pain, his strong bond with Caroline, made of love and missed chances, growing apart and regrets and the need to know her through her friends’ eyes, to feel again connected to his twin. His pain, his loss is fresh and painful to read, authentic and raw and I felt awfully involved in his story, his need to know why, to get a reason for his loss, even though sometimes there isn’t one. Mixing paranormal moments with camp’s activitities, Ryan La Sala wrote a brilliant, complex and lovely main character, whose genderfluidity means he’s often excluded by his political family expectations, fighting the camp’s sexism and separation and their toxic masculinity and homomisia.
It’s also brilliantly queer and I love the main character relationship with…SPOILERS! You’ll know soon enough!
The story is wonderfully written. There are quotes and scenes incredibly beautiful and rich, the setting, even though I’m definitely not a camp person, is evocative and it felt like being there with Mars, investigating The Honeys and the camp’s history, surrounded by heat, mysteries and nature. I truly loved reading this book. From the setting, the writing style, the characterization, the mystery itself, everything was compelling and thrilling and, with each twists, it kept surprising me, because I truly didn’t see some things coming, but that’s the truly beauty of it. My only “complaint” is that I wanted some things better developed and explained, but overall this book is great.
I can’t recommend it enough. It’s deliciously eerie and captivating and it will upend your reality.
Ryan La Sala writes about surreal things happening to queer people. He is the author of Reverie and Be Dazzled and lives in New York City. Visit him online at ryanlasala.com.
Set in a planet-sized matriarchal city where magic and technology freely bleed together, a male courtesan’s quest for vengeance against his aristocrat father draws him into an ancient struggle between dragons, necromancers, and his home district’s violent history.
In the world-sized city of Jadzia, magic and ancient science merge into something dark and wondrous.
Hello and welcome! I had the incredible pleasure of interviewing Z.R. Ellor, a brilliant and talented author, about Silk Fire and writing and inspirations. Check this interview!
1. Silk Fire is set on a planet-sized matriarchal society where magic and technology are intertwined, with rich and lush worldbuilding, where you created past history and traumas, politics, languages, rules, traditions, substances, powers…The reader is right away surrounded and thrust into a new and captivating world, highly original. What inspired you to create and write it?
For me, I think a lot of fantasy is rooted in exploring some version of the past. I wanted this world to explore the contemporary, to paint tightened layers of emotion and magic atop a world that in some ways is recognizable and in some ways is very distant from our modern day.
At the core of this world, or at least the part of the world explored in this novel, is the tension between the future and the past. The rulers of the War District—Koré’s estranged family—define themselves as the heirs to a violent history, a history that has cast significant shadows on the modern day. The conflict between War and the Engineering District, the treaty governing the judge’s succession, the existence of the Fire Weavers—all the institutions Koré, Ria, and Faziz deal with are the products of a struggle much bigger than themselves. And Koré’s character arc is rooted in understanding himself and his traumas as the complex result of this history, and deciding to make his own future instead of continuing to play the role society lays out for him.
2. Silk fire has one of the best characterization I have ever read, since the characters, from mains to side ones, are complex, flawed and realistic. They mess up, they are angry, upset, they make mistakes. I love them very much. Who’s the closest to you and who was the most difficult to write and why?
Out of all the characters in the novel, Koré’s journey is definitely the closest to my own. His story is rooted in a lot of the personal things I was struggling with when I wrote the book, and through writing his character, I found the strength to face those challenges. In fact, the biggest challenge of writing him was that so many of his actions and reactions only made sense after I worked out the different ways they related to me.
Faziz was the hardest character to write. Compared to Koré and Ria, he lacks the magic and power, and I had to do a lot of thinking to figure out his place in the plot. At the same time, I know I needed him, because I needed the viewpoint of a character who lived outside the upper class. Finally, I realized it’s his difference from the others that makes him strong. He’s completely ruthless and unapologetic when it comes to fighting for the people under his protection, and his determination and inventive spirit put him on level with bright, powerful characters who let their arrogance lull them into a false sense of security.
3. How was born this book? Were there many drafts and how different were they from the last one?
I’m so curious about deleted scenes!
The overall plot of the book didn’t change from the first draft to the final, though there were at least five or six different versions. I always knew the basic bullet points of the story I was trying to tell, and most of the slight changes I made were me experimenting and trying to figure out how to best fit Faziz into the novel.
I also made quite a few changes to the finer points of characterization and dialogue. This was my first time writing romance, and so the conversations between Koré and his partners took lots of development to flesh out the emotional intimacy. The first draft of the book was much shorter, and that’s because it didn’t have much of Koré’s internal monologue. An excellent critique partner told me to put that deep emotion in, and that helped gift him a voice. While the overall sequence of events has remained the same since 2017, the details took a lot of tweaking to right.
4. In Silk Fire, Koré struggles to realize his self-worth and that he’s worthy of love and protection and his journey was one of my favourite. If you could describe him with a quote, what would it be?
I think my favorite Koré quote is from near the end of the book where he thinks “Love hasn’t blunted my edges. It’s cast me wicked sharp where it matters most.” Koré struggles to be vulnerable. At heart, he’s a deep-feeling, loving person, and people have taken advantage of his nature to hurt him. So he’s put up walls. He’s developed a fear of love, and a deeper, more profound fear of showing the world how much he loves, how much he feels. But to connect with Faziz and Ria, he’ll need to show the world these parts of himself that he’s hidden away for his own protection. He needs to develop a relationship with himself that’s authentic, not just rooted in society’s gender roles and what other people have done to hurt him.
It’s not a coming-out narrative—Koré has been openly and securely bisexual since he was a teenager—but it’s about coming into your identity, understanding how it can be a source of power.
5. I personally love the trio and how they support, love and help each other. Their relationship was realistic and well written. I love there wasn’t any love triangle or petty games. Why did you choose this relationship for them?
From the beginning, I knew the relationship between Koré and Ria would be the driving engine of the book. They’re similar in many ways, and different in many others. They care deeply for each other, and yet their different motivations and positions within this world, their professions, and their cultures, create real obstacles for them to work through. Ria struggles to understand how Koré’s past trauma gives him trust issues; Koré struggles to communicate his needs to Ria. So that was what I started with—two people who immediately have this chemistry, this spark, and need to learn and grow what it means for them.
But since this was my first time writing an openly bisexual character, I wanted Koré to also have a male love interest. And because Koré and Ria struggle so much to understand each other, I wanted Koré and Faziz to have this very innate, very intimate connection. Both in their own way, they’re gender-nonconforming men who have risen to positions of power through unconventional means. Koré doesn’t need to pretend to be someone he isn’t with Faziz—and that in itself frightens him! Faziz helps him explore parts of himself he’s kept quiet, and in return, Koré helps Faziz re-connect with his own desire to be loved.
7. Could you tell me more about your future projects, like Acting the part?
Acting The Part is a YA rom-com about a queer teen actor navigating their gender identity while pretending to date their costar! It’s a fun, upbeat story about pop culture and self-discovery.
I’ve also just announced my first YA fantasy novel, No Better Than Beasts. It’s a dark retelling of The Nutcracker full of morally-grey queer characters, featuring machines fueled by human souls and a forest that turns anyone who enters into an animal. The main characters are a brother and sister, each struggling with an abusive history in different ways, and they both have their own romance arcs!
8. Is there a genre you want to explore?
Yes! I would love to write a middle grade fantasy novel. I think there’s an excellent challenge in trying to write something so short and simple for young audiences. I also have a bunch of fun adult rom com ideas I’d love to write!
9. What’s your most recent favourite author(s) and/or book(s)?
My most recent book obsession has been The Daevabad Trilogy by S. A. Chakraborty, which is the first trilogy I’ve read completely in a long time. I love the worldbuilding, the magic, and the high stakes, and it also has some excellent romance!
10. What’s your writing process? Do you enjoy listening to music while writing or do you create your worlds and characters in your mind first or do you prefer already putting them on paper/pc?
This might be odd, but I listen to both music and podcasts while writing, just to have background noise, and I draft on my phone as often as I draft on my PC! I have special notebooks for each story where I brainstorm ideas freehand as well. Often I’ll have a seed of an idea in my head, but I need to actually write it several times before I really know where it’s going and what I want to say. So there’s a lot of papers I toss out!
Zabé / Z. R. Ellor is a writer and lit agent from Washington, DC. He holds a BA in English Lit and biology from Cornell University. When not writing, he can be found running, playing video games, and hunting the best brunch deals in Dupont Circle.
Salve e benvenut* alla mia tappa del review party dedicato a “La città di CAP”, scritto da Maria Iovine e Silvestro Maccariello, illustrato da Irene Carbone & Erica Grillo. Prefazione di Jean Pierre Yvan Sagnet. Un grazie enorme a Valeria per aver organizzato l’evento e per le grafiche e alla casa editrice per la copia in anteprima che non ha in alcun modo influito sulle mie opinioni.
di Maria Iovine (Autore) Silvestro Maccariello (Autore) Becco Giallo, 2022La città di Cap è ispirata alla storica impresa di Jean Pierre Yvan Sagnet: grazie a lui, il caporalato oggi è riconosciuto nell’ordinamento giuridico italiano come reato. Non solo, la sua azione ha dato avvio al primo processo su scala europea contro alcuni imprenditori che sfruttavano manodopera. Nonostante il suo coraggio e il suo impegno, la situazione del lavoro bracciantile in Italia è ancora largamente al di sotto della soglia del diritto. Ne “La città di Cap” gli autori immaginano una realtà distopica, ambientata in un futuro non troppo lontano, che mostra le conseguenze di una progressiva erosione dei diritti e consegnano la rivoluzione nelle mani di una donna giovane, nera e sfruttata. Una persona umile che, dal gradino più basso della società, muove le coscienze, accende il senso civico, innescando una rivolta alla riscoperta dei diritti, capace di cambiare il destino di molti. Così, Cap, presentataci come una città ordinata, funzionale, perfetta, quasi paradisiaca, in realtà si rivela essere infernale, mentre l’imperfezione di un sogno è in grado di restituire libertà e umanità.
La città di CAP è ispirata alla vera storia di Jean Pierre Yvan Sagnet, che nel 2011 diventò il leader del primo sciopero dei braccianti in Italia e grazie al cui impegno ora il caporalato è considerato ufficialmente reato. Questa graphic novel è ambientata in un futuro distopico, in una città dove splende sempre, letteralmente, il Sole e all’interno della quale le ombre sono accuratamente nascoste, ma non per questo non presenti. Protagonista è la nipote ipotetica e futura di Jean Pierre Yvan Sagnet, che inizia a lavorare si ritrova ad affrontare una realtà crudele e ingiusta, all’interno della quale il lavoro diventa esso stesso vita, senza diritti e senza possibilità di miglioramento, sfruttati dai capi che si arricchiscono sulle loro spalle. E qui con lei, ispirata dal nonno e da un prezioso libriccino sui diritti, che inizia la ribellione, spingendo i cittadini ad aprire gli occhi all’ingiustizia e a lottare per un mondo migliore.
La città di CAP è un pugno nello stomaco. In una graphic novel di poco più di 100 pagine, gli autori sono stati in grado di narrare una storia intensa e dolorosa, estremamente realistica, ma riuscendo a trasmettere speranza e desiderio di riscatto. Si tratta di una storia di ribellione allo sfruttamento, alla disumanizzazione, un grido feroce per avere diritti e dignità, una lotta per il riscatto e la libertà di vivere la propria vita. All’interno di questa graphic novel gli autori immaginano un mondo distopico, ma non troppo lontano dal nostro. Una realtà apparentemente paradisiaca, perfetta, ordinata, senza disoccupazione e dove ognuno trova il suo posto, e dove una donna giovane, nera e sfruttata, dal suo gradino più umile, riesce ad aprire gli occhi e a iniziare una lotta per smuovere le coscienze, rivendicare i propri diritti e accendendo il senso civico, spingendo persone sfruttate come lei a ribellarsi e a cambiare il loro destino. Rendendosi conto che non è umano il modo in cui stanno lavorando e quanto sia acuto il loro sfruttamento, che nega loro affetti cari, cure e dignità. Una lotta che non è affatto lontana da quelle che accadono attorno a noi, dalle attuali ingiustizie.
Dal punto di vista delle illustrazioni spiccano colori chiari e brillanti, una luce sempre presente che segue la nostra protagonista nel suo viaggio, prima nel cercare un lavoro migliore, poi, rendendosi conto di quanto sia diffuso il problema, nel combattere e cercare di cambiare le cose, fino agli ultimi disegni finali caratterizzati dal nero e dal blu scuro, che rappresentano la notte e, finalmente, il grande cambiamento.
Curiosa è anche la scelta dei nomi. La protagonista si chiama Dritta, la sua amica Angola, abbiamo Parabola e Coseno, Grado. Nomi che rimandano alla matematica, alla loro “utilità”, sottolineando, a mio parere, la loro disumanizzazione.
Importantissima è la prefazione di Jean Pierre Yvan Sagnet che narra la sua storia, gli abusi subiti e le ingiustizie che lo portarono a ribellarsi e a cambiare le cose. Eppure, nonostante il caporalato sia considerato un reato, La città di Cap non appare così lontana dalla nostra realtà e la situazione del lavoro bracciantile in Italia non è certamente stata risolta.
Se ho apprezzato il messaggio e le illustrazioni, dal punto di vista della trama ho trovato tutto un po’frettoloso, soprattutto nella parte finale. Avrei voluto che il movimento di ribellione fosse stato un po’ più sviluppato e che la parte conclusiva fosse stata più “allungata”.
Nonostante queste piccole mancanze, resta una graphic novel straordinaria, importante e che è davvero una stretta al cuore, spingendo il lettore ad aprire gli occhi, mostrandogli cose che, forse, non conosceva e approfondendo tematiche fondamentali. La libertà, l’uguaglianza, il diritto a un lavoro dignitoso e alla vita.
Hello and welcome to my stop for “Not good for maidens” by Tori Bovalino. Thank you, tbr and beyond tours, for having me and to the publisher for the copy!Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Horror Publishing date: June 14th, 2022 Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBound Rep: Sapphic, Asexual, BisexualSalem’s Lot meets The Darkest Part of the Forest in this horror-fantasy retelling of Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market.” Lou never believed in superstitions or magic–until her teenage aunt Neela is kidnapped to the goblin market. The market is a place Lou has only read about–twisted streets, offerings of sweet fruits and incredible jewels. Everything–from the food and wares, to the goblins themselves–is a haunting temptation for any human who manages to find their way in. Determined to save Neela, Lou learns songs and spells and tricks that will help her navigate this dangerous world and slip past a goblin’s defenses–but she only has three days to find Neela before the market disappears and her aunt becomes one of them forever. If she isn’t careful, the market might just end up claiming her too. Content warnings: on-page gore, on-page body horror, violence, trauma
Thank you so much, NetGalley, Page Street Publishing and Page Street Kids, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest opinion.
TW: violence, blood, torture
In York, beneath the streets, there’s a goblin market calling to the Wickett women, witches that take care to its victims. They know they have to defend their city and they shouldn’t visit the market itself, but one day May fell for a goblin girl, triggering a waterfall of violence, escapes and memories and, even after years and after May and her sister Louise left for Boston, the goblins remembered. Seventeen years later, Lou, May’s niece, knows nothing of her magical lineage, but when her aunt Neela is kidnapped, she’s willing to do anything to get her back, including visiting York for the first time and discovering what her mother and aunt hid from her. Confronting her past and magic, Lou has to find a way to save Neela without losing herself in the market too.
Told by May’s POV eighteen years ago and by Lou in the present day, Not good for maidens, is a brilliant and creepy story swinging from past to present, until everything is connected and secured. Set in a world filled with magic, violence and rhymes and in another, modern and known, the story is thrilling, full of magnificent characters, losses, love and so much more. The main characters are the young May and Lou and the reader is able to follow them falling in love, discovering dangers, losing someone, suffering, fighting back, learning things and getting their own lives back. May, in the past, fell in love, lost someone and she’s forced to move, Lou, in the present, is afraid to lose someone, angry and upset because her family hid from her magic and secrets and willing to do anything to get Neela back, even getting involved in something she knows nothing about and risking her own life.
The story is intriguing and wonderfully written, eerie and interesting, describing a dangerous world, the goblin market, who calls to its victim, a market filled with blood and bones, fascinating creatures and magic. It’s a love story, too, almost an enemy to lovers, if the enemy is so because rules and society and race. It’s a story of family bonds, siblings love, full of strong female characters, from the main to the side ones, willing to do anything to protect their loved ones and their city. I loved how strong is the love in this book, the family, queer and sisters ones.
Eerie, intriguing and brilliant, I loved everything!
Tori Bovalino grew up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and never knew she wanted to live abroad until she was already in London. She’s awful at picking favorites, but her consistent go-to books are Pride and Prejudice, Fire, and The Picture of Dorian Gray. She’s enamored with books that make her cry. Tori holds a BA in English fiction writing and anthropology and a minor in German from the University of Pittsburgh and an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, University of London. She is currently on the Creative and practice-based PhD course at RHUL, researching the relationship between Russian folklore and YA fantasy novels. In her free time, Tori enjoys reading (duh), embroidering, and traveling. She is represented by Dr. Uwe Stender and Amelia Appel at TriadaUS Literary Agency. She writes short stories, poetry, and novels. Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
Amazon Barnes & Noble GoogleI BooksFrom highly acclaimed, bestselling author Ava Reid comes a gothic horror retelling of The Juniper Tree, set in another time and place within the world of The Wolf and the Woodsman, where a young witch seeks to discover her identity and escape the domination of her abusive wizard father, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Catherynne M. Valente. A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites. Marlinchen and her two sisters live with their wizard father in a city shifting from magic to industry. As Oblya’s last true witches, she and her sisters are little more than a tourist trap as they treat their clients with archaic remedies and beguile them with nostalgic charm. Marlinchen spends her days divining secrets in exchange for rubles and trying to placate her tyrannical, xenophobic father, who keeps his daughters sequestered from the outside world. But at night, Marlinchen and her sisters sneak out to enjoy the city’s amenities and revel in its thrills, particularly the recently established ballet theater, where Marlinchen meets a dancer who quickly captures her heart. As Marlinchen’s late-night trysts grow more fervent and frequent, so does the threat of her father’s rage and magic. And while Oblya flourishes with culture and bustles with enterprise, a monster lurks in its midst, borne of intolerance and resentment and suffused with old-world power. Caught between history and progress and blood and desire, Marlinchen must draw upon her own magic to keep her city safe and find her place within it.
Thank you so much, NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager and Harper Voyager, for the chance to read and review one of my most anticipated reads this year in exchange of an honest review.
TW: abuse, peadophilia, violence, emotional manipulation, gaslightining, cannibalism, bulimia, self-harm, PTSD, gore and body horror
Marlinchen and her two sisters live with their wizard father in a city changing from magic to industry and they are the last true witches of Oblya, seen as little more as a tourist trap, with their remedies and charms. Marlinchen spends her days with her clients, but, mostly, taking care of her xenophobic and cruel father, cursed by a witch with an unquenchable appetite. Sequestered by their tyrannical father from the outside world, Undine and Rose manage to rebel, sneaking out to enjoy the city’s amenities, theater and so on and when Marlinchen joins them everything changes when she meets a dancer that captures her heart. As she keeps sneaking away, her father’s rage keeps growing and so a mysterious threat to the city, when people are found murdered and missing organs. Marlinchen finds herself battling between her loyalty to her father and her desire to discover her love and identity out her prison house.
Juniper & Thorn is a gothic retelling of The Juniper Tree, set in another time and place, but always within the world created of The wolf and the Woodsman. It’s a very dark and gruesome story and the themes explored are dealt with care and sensitivity by the author. Juniper & Thorn is a brilliant, eerie and intense standalone. The story is narrated in first person by Marlinchen, set in a claustrophic and tight setting and it explores traumas, abuse and violence and their consequences, and, through magic and fairytales, examines nationalism. Through Marlinchen’s voice the reader is captured right away and thrust into the story, following Marlinchen and her sister, dealing with their tyrannical and cruel father, with clients and mysteries and their deep desires to get away and to be free. The story setting is, mostly, the family manor and its garden, claustrophobic and restricted, with its monsters and peculiarities, but known and it violently contrast with the outside world, both coveted, but unknown and scary. This contrast is replayed by Marlinchen with her routines, taking care of her father, the house, the food and so on and by her new desire to see the world, to know Sevas, to be a bit like her sisters, more conscious of the outside world and its dangers.
Marlinchen is a very peculiar narrator, a truly unreliable one. Since the readers get know the story through her, it’s through her thoughts and actions they start to question themselves and to try to understand what is exactly happening. Marlinchen is different from her older sisters. She’s more quiet and introvert, more, at least apparently, scared and SEEMS more passive, if she’s seen in contrast with Undine’s energy and spite and Rose’ determination and calm, but she’s a very complex character. She has always had little power in her life and lived in fear and almost as a servant, taking care of her father and house, bending and hiding her own desires, or, almost refusing to having and beliving in them. When she gets out of the house and meets Sevas, when her father’s rage worsens, Marlinchen starts to see how her life could be and her growth is so impressive and moving to read. Marlinchen is a victim and she’s been through horrible things, narrated in intense and heartwrenching moments, letting the readers know what happened and her reactions, and she deals with her traumas and abuses in her own way, hiding from them, being angry and upset, reacting in certain ways. The author did an outstanding job in describing her and her own way to survive and giving us this brilliant and nuanced portrait of a victim and an empowering heroine, in a feminist retelling of The Juniper Tree. I loved reading this book, mostly thanks to Marlinchen’s voice and characterization and her growth, curiosity and desires are truly magnificent.
Ava Reid did a wonderful job not only with the setting, tight and claustrophobic, written in such a skillful way I felt prisoner too, but also with the characterization, from the main character to the side ones and I truly enjoyed how the author dealt with themes like traumas and abuse in different character in various way, depicting their being victims and their reactions and way of surviving, from Marlinchen, to Sevas, Undine and Rose, each of them abused and kept prisoners in their own way. Nationalism, xenophobia, paedophilia and traumas are only some of the themes dealt in this book and Ava Reid did a magnificent job writing about them.
Juniper & Thorn balances romance and horror, magic and modernity, fairytales and reality in a very compelling way, capturing the readers’ heart since the beginning, using a writing style evocative and lush, skillfully timed plot twists and revelations and complex and thrilling characters.
Hello and welcome to my stop of “Hell followed with us” by Andrew Joseph White! Thank you so much, Tbr and beyond tours, for having me and to the publisher for the magnificent copy! Opinions are my own.Genre: Young Adult Horror Publishing date: June 7th, 2022 Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBound Rep: Autistic, Nonbinary, Transgender, Queer, GayPrepare to die. His kingdom is near. Sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji is on the run from the cult that raised him—the fundamentalist sect that unleashed Armageddon and decimated the world’s population. Desperately, he searches for a place where the cult can’t get their hands on him, or more importantly, on the bioweapon they infected him with. But when cornered by monsters born from the destruction, Benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center, affectionately known as the ALC. The ALC’s leader, Nick, is gorgeous, autistic, and a deadly shot, and he knows Benji’s darkest secret: the cult’s bioweapon is mutating him into a monster deadly enough to wipe humanity from the earth once and for all. Still, Nick offers Benji shelter among his ragtag group of queer teens, as long as Benji can control the monster and use its power to defend the ALC. Eager to belong, Benji accepts Nick’s terms…until he discovers the ALC’s mysterious leader has a hidden agenda, and more than a few secrets of his own. A furious, queer debut novel about embracing the monster within and unleashing its power against your oppressors. Perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and Annihilation.
Content Warning: parental death, graphic death, body horror, violence, religious abuse, discussions of genocide; instances of homophobia, transphobia, misgendering, and deadnaming
Thank you so much, NetGalley, Peachtree and Peachtreeteen, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.
TW: violence, abuse, murder, body horror, transphobia, religious abuse, abusive parents and partner, victim self-blaming, self-injury, Check the author’s website for the complete TWs https://andrewjosephwhite.com/content-warnings%3A-hfwu
Benji is a sixteen year old trans boy, on the run from the cult that raised him, a religious extremist sect that unleashed Armageddon and decimated the world’s population and infected him with a bioweapon. Desperate to find a place where they can’t find, hurt and use him. Benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center, known as the ALC. Its leader is Nick, gorgeous and autistic and he knows Benji’s darkest’s secret, that the bioweapon is turning him into a deadly monster. Rescued and sheltered, Benji decides to learn how to control the monster and use its power to defend his new family. Even if that means confronting the cult’s hate and power and escaping from it alive and free.
Hell followed with us is a magnificent and furious queer debut, about embracing your monster and fighting back against your oppressors, to be alive and free. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world, with destroyed cities, dead and/or mutated bodies, where the survivors are fighting to live, eat and be safe from the monsters, humans or not. Benji was raised by a fundamentalist cult, struggling with their hate and ideas, trying to get free and to live as a boy, when everyone in the cult wants him to be their savior girl, battling transphobia, deadnaming and violence from abusive parent and partner. When he’s rescued by the ALC, a ragtag group of queer teens, with different ideas, but who built a safe place for them, Benji starts to see another world, a chance to be himself and to find his own home, place and love.
The ALC is strongly opposed to the cult’s ideas and violence and there Benji starts to make friends, to find a new family and a place to survive and he will be willing to do anything to keep them all safe, even getting back to the lion’s den and destroy it from within. The worldbuilding created by the author is eerie and scary, filled with violence and surviving, monsters and mutations, virus and religious fanatism and religion used and abused to justify genocide and bigotry. the writing style, the prose is so vivid I could imagine everything so clearly and I absolutely loved how immersive and evocative the story was.
Benjii is a great main character, struggling with victim self-blaming, religious brainwashing and wanting to be free and himself. He’s stubborn, brilliant and filled with justified anger and the desire to destroy those who hurt and still threaten him. I loved his relationship with Nick and how they slowly start to understand, respect, protect and love one other in a very messy and violent situation. I’ve also loved the disability rep and how wonderfully written was Nick’s character. The extremism, the constant use of religion to justify hate and violence is strongly opposed by the ALC and by these wonderful queer kids, fighting back and resisting a world bent on destroying them, by loving and taking care of one other.
The horror, grief, rage and hate are mixed with hope, found family and love in this awesome dystopian story. The author wrote a book full of gore, fire and justified anger, about monsters who decide to fight back for themselves and their loved ones. A story about embracing yourself and the monster within and fighting against your oppressors, finding your own home and family.
Hell followed with us represent a cruel world and the amazing queer teens who fight to survive.
“God is an absent parent who demands loyalty despite never coming around, and I just have to keep throwing my prayers into nothing and trust He gets them.”
“I understand anger. God, I do.”
“Maybe the Flood has given me something in return for me body: the anger I never let myself have as a little girl, the rage I swallowed down every day of my life. It feels like it’s slotting into place where it was meant to be all along.”
“Their emotions come in like the tide. Hunger. Anger. Pain. The things everyone would feel, really, if put in their places.”
“But Nick looks back at me and I follow like I’ve been doing this all my life.”
Andrew Joseph White is a queer, trans author from Virginia, where he grew up falling in love with monsters and wishing he could be one too. He is a graduate student in George Mason University’s Creative Writing program and has a habit of cuddling random street cats. Andrew writes about trans kids with claws and fangs, and what happens when they bite back. He is represented by Zabé Ellor of the Jennifer de Chiara Literary Agency. Author photo by Alice Scott. Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
Salve e benvenut* alla mia tappa del review tour dedicato a “Ancora una fermata” di Casey Mcquiston. Un grazie enorme a Silvia per aver organizzato l’evento e alla casa editrice per la copia in anteprima che non ha influito in alcun modo sulle mie opinioni.
Disponibile su: August Landry ha ventitré anni e ha trascorso gli ultimi cinque spostandosi da una città – e università – a un’altra. Cinica e disincantata, non si fida di nessuno e porta sempre con sé un coltellino svizzero perché, come le ha insegnato sua madre, “è meglio non farsi cogliere impreparate”. Quando decide di trasferirsi a New York, non ha grandi aspettative. Dopotutto è cresciuta pensando che non ci sia alcuna “magia” nella vita, che le storie d’amore tanto celebrate nei film non esistano e, soprattutto, che possiamo contare solo su noi stessi perché, in fondo, siamo soli al mondo. Mai e poi mai potrebbe immaginare che proprio nei suoi eccentrici coinquilini troverà la famiglia che le è sempre mancata e un posto da poter finalmente chiamare casa. E, soprattutto, che i suoi viaggi quotidiani in metropolitana diventeranno qualcosa di eccitante. Chi poteva pensare, infatti, che nella sua vita sarebbe piombata lei, Jane, la ragazza con la giacca di pelle nera che August incontra ogni volta che prende la linea Q. Jane, la parte migliore della sua giornata. Sarebbe davvero tutto perfetto se non fosse che la ragazza sembra incapace di scendere, da quel vagone della metro. Ma August non è una che si arrende facilmente e farà di tutto, compreso ciò che del suo passato aveva cercato di lasciarsi alle spalle, pur di “salvarla”. E forse salvare anche se stessa imparando che, alla fine, vale la pena iniziare a credere in qualcosa. E negli altri.
August ha ventitré anni, è cinica e non crede nella magia, nelle storie d’amore cinematografiche, ma solo nei fatti concreti. Sa che può benissimo stare bene da sola. Trasferirsi nella città di New York in un appartamento con tre coinquilini un po’ bizzarri, lavorare a “La Casa dei Pancake di Billy Pancake, anche chiamato Bill’s” o prendere la metropolitana, non cambierà assolutamente nulla. O così crede. Incontrare Jane, affascinante, divertente e, stranamente, incapace di scendere dal treno, cambierà ogni cosa, stravolgendo la vita di August. Scoprire che Jane in realtà non appartiene a quel tempo, ma negli anni ’70, spingerà August e la sua mente analitica a cercare di salvarla e rispedirla nel suo tempo. Innamorarsi, però, non era esattamente nei piani.
Una queer found family, una ragazza persa nel tempo e un’altra che imparerà di nuovo a credere nell’amore e nella magia. Ancora un’altra fermata è una commedia romantica, commovente, divertente e surreale e ho amato ogni singola pagina. Una storia magica e spassosa che fa credere nell’amore, nei legami e nelle cose impossibili e che scioglierà anche il cuore più freddo. Il romanzo è pieno di personaggi meravigliosamente complessi e stratificati, così ben fatti da dare l’impressione di stare lì con loro, mangiando pancakes, prendendo la metro, ridendo, seguendo indizi, innamorandosi, facendo sedute spiritiche e così via.
August è la protagonista principale, è cinica, disincantata, intelligente, oppressa dal suo passato, da una complicata relazione con la madre e con se stessa e ha difficoltà a trovare un posto da considerare proprio, dove appartenere. Leggere il modo in cui, lentamente, August imparerà a disfarsi delle sue mura, aprendosi agli altri, iniziando a considerare il suo appartamento e coinquilini, il suo lavoro da Billy’s ,come una casa, come un posto in cui finalmente appartenere, è stato davvero emozionante. Ho adorato il suo personaggio, come August sia analitica e brillante, coinvolta così profondamente nelle sue ricerche, seguendo i vari indizi, pur comprendendo quanto la situazione di Jane sia essere particolare e impossibile.
Myka, Niko, Wes e Isaiah sono personaggi straordinari, divertenti e ben scritti ed è impossibile non innamorarsi di loro, dei loro scherzi e giochi, delle loro paure e reticenze e avventure. Si tratta di una fantastica found family, formata da personaggi molto diversi l’uno dall’altro, ma che si completano a vicenda meravigliosamente. Jane, la ragazza impossibile, sbalzata dal suo tempo, rappresenta un mistero affascinante e il modo in cui August decide di aiutarla, investigando la sua storia come se fosse un caso è sia spassoso che romantico e commovente.
Questa commedia romantica è molto particolare, con tratti magici, piena di momenti divertenti, intriganti e bollenti e la storia è coinvolgente. Impossibile non divorare immediatamente questo libro ed essere coinvolto nella vita dei personaggi, ridere con loro e commuoversi. Casey Mcquiston l’ha fatto ancora. Un libro straordinario e da consigliare a tutt*.
Casey McQuiston author photo CR: Sylvie Rosokoff Casey McQuiston è autorə della rom-com Rosso, bianco & sangue blu (2021), bestseller in molti paesi. Vive a New York con il suo barboncino e assistente personale, Pepper.
Hello and welcome to my stop for the “A Little Bit Country by Brian D Kennedy” book tour! Thank you so much, Tbr and beyond tours, for having me!
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance Publishing date: May 31st, 2022 Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBoundEmmett Maguire wants to be country music’s biggest gay superstar – a far reach when you’re seventeen and living in Illinois. But for now, he’s happy to do the next best thing: Stay with his aunt in Jackson Hollow, Tennessee, for the summer and perform at the amusement park owned by his idol, country legend Wanda Jean Stubbs. Luke Barnes hates country music. As the grandson of Verna Rose, the disgraced singer who had a famous falling out with Wanda Jean, Luke knows how much pain country music has brought his family. But when his mom’s medical bills start piling up, he takes a job at the last place he wants: a restaurant at Wanda World. Neither boy is looking for romance, but sparks fly when they meet – and soon they’re inseparable. Until a long-lost secret about Verna and Wanda comes to light, threatening to unravel everything. Will Emmett and Luke be able get past the truths they discover…or will their relationship go down in history as just another Sad Country Love Song?
Emmett wants to be a songwriter and become the country music’s biggest gay superstar, but, for now, he’s just happy to spend the summer with his beloved aunt and to perform at her amusement park owned by his idol, Wanda Jean Stubbs. On the other side, Luke is convinced country music ruined his family’s and, mostly, his nana’s life, but his desire to become a chef brings him to accept his ex girlfriend’s offer to work at the amusement park. When Emmett and Luke meet they can’t deny their attraction and they start to date, while battling family’s health issues, long-lost secrets and their own dreams.
“A little bit country” is one of the sweetest and cutest book I’ve read this year. Told by two POVs, Luke’s and Emmett’s, the reader is right away thrust in their lives, with Emmett’s dreams and loving aunt, his struggles in performing and his desire to become a songwriter and Luke’s mother’s chronic illness, money issues and his struggling to be himself as a gay young man, battling homophobia and his fear of disappointing his own family.
While they can’t deny their attraction, they agree to be a secret couple, trying to give Luke time and space to figure out himself and both of them become involved in a long-lost secret regarding Emmett’s beloved idol and Luke’s dead nana, trying to discover the truth behind some words and songs, while, also, trying to understand where they stand and what they are.
The author deals with sensitivity issues like homophobia and bullying, discrimination in the music industry, chronic illness and Luke’s and his family’s struggles with money and works, cheating and being in the closet.
Both characters grow a lot in this book, embracing oneself, fighting for their dreams and desires, accepting help, realizing who they are and what they want and I really loved this book.
With secrets and lies, surrounded by country music, summer jobs and young queer love, A little bit country is pretty amazing and definitely recommended!
Brian D. Kennedy writes books for young adults. Born and raised in Minnesota, he occasionally elongates his vowels still. He now lives in New York City with his husband and their very photogenic dog. When he’s not writing, Brian can be found working at the LGBTQ Center, sitting in the audience at a Broadway show, or out buying more books—despite the stack of unread ones he has at home. Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads “My love for you is not a cage. It’s a flame, burning bright, one I’ll never let die.”
“I just love the idea that a song can tell a story. My story.”
“I’m falling in love. With the sweetest Rose.”
“Writing a song is personal.”
“I’d rather dream too big and come up short than dream too small and regret it.”
Lu is lost in books 