I read a lot of books, which means I have a huge pile of LGBTQ+-themed YA books that I've read but haven't blogged about. Some I was not impressed with; some I just could not finish; some just did not "spark joy" enough to make me want to discuss/review/write about them.
As an attempt to whittle down my pile, here is my post about "Books that just didn't do it for me" (including links to more detailed reviews). Do not let any of my opinions stop you from reading these books! But feel free to commiserate if you also had some issues with them. 😁
Also, I take guest review submissions! Email me, send me a Facebook message, or Tweet me if you are interested. You'll find my contact information on the homepage to your right.
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I'm starting with a trilogy I really wanted to like:
Titles: The Folk of the Air Series (The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King, and The Queen of Nothing)
Author: Holly Black
Why the books just didn't do it for me: I like this author a lot and I really wanted to like this trilogy. But the faeries in the story were just so terrible. I very much hated every single character. I was slightly more sympathetic to the narrator of the story, but she was just as bitter and backstabbing as the rest. The titular cruel prince is just too cruel; he's not redeemable in my opinion--especially with what he does at the end of The Wicked King. This cliffhanger made me angrier instead of making me want to read The Queen of Nothing. I just waited until someone recapped it in the wiki to see the conclusion of the story. I realize that this is an extremely popular series and that many people disagree with me. However, I just want to forget all the characters in this story and move on.
Other reviews: Books in Character, The Book Smugglers, and The Heir of Ink and Magic.
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Author: Jeffery Self
Why this book just didn't do it for me: The main character, Marley, witnesses his best friend's death--Christopher falls to his death from a water tower. When they are found, the media assumes that Marley tried to stop Christopher from committing suicide and make him out to be a hero. Marley goes along with this for a while, but the guilt is eating him up inside. The death in this book was horrifying to me, and I felt bad for Marley--but then suddenly he seems to be reading from a Trevor Project or It Gets Better pamphlet. It didn't seem believable to me.
Other reviews: Casey Carlisle and Publisher's Weekly
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Title: More Happy Than Not
Author: Adam Silvera
Why this book just didn't do it for me: Adam Silvera's books are just hit or miss for me. Either they are so sad I can't make it through them or just super cute. This was one of those books that was sad and upsetting but made me so uncomfortable also. It was well-written and I recommend reading it if you do not mind some "conversion therapy" adjacent trauma. Apparently, there's a bonus chapter in the new edition that I need to read sometime.
Other reviews: Teen Librarian Toolbox and Latinxs in Kid Lit
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These two books were just too . . . strange for me:
Title: Grasshopper Jungle
Author: Andrew Smith
Why this book just didn't do it for me: I have very mixed feelings about this book. When I first started reading it, I could not put it down. Then, it just began to grate on my nerves. The text seems to get repetitive. The main characters got on my nerves for very teenage-boy-type things: they are horny and smok all the time. There is lots of talk about poop. Also, the point of view thing bugged me. The book is written in mostly first person, but then would jump to omniscient? Good lord, that bugs me. Pick a point of view and stick to it. The plot is super weird, but would I watch it as a B-movie? Hell yes I would. Grasshopper Jungle needs to be made in the style of a cheesy 1970s B-movie, complete with a shocking movie poster.
Other reviews: The Guardian and Miss Print
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Title: Love and Other Curses
Author: Michael Thomas Ford
Why this book just didn't do it for me: Part of the reason this book didn't do it for me is that I judged it by its cover, which is a picture of yummy-looking rainbow popsicles, and I figured it would be a happy love story wherein the family "curse" is broken by true love, or something. However, the main character, Sam, gets on my nerves almost immediately, when he misgenders a drag queen. He then "falls in love" with a trans boy who is not accepted by his family, which would be okay, but Tom Swift (I knew the book reference right away), is not into boys--he is into girls. So there are some awkward in which Tom tries to use Sam as a beard but Sam is actually turned on and wishes Tom were into boys but Tom is not, he's into girls . . . I just felt bad and uncomfortable for them both. Then, a main character DIES and I was done with the book. I could not finish it. I do enjoy Michael Thomas Ford's Frightville stories, though.
Other reviews: Jill's Book Blog and Colline's Blog
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And finally, the book that had the most frustrating "ending" EVER:
Author: Emily M. Danforth
Why this book just didn't do it for me: I loved everything about this book until I turned the page and THERE WERE NO MORE PAGES. What happens NEXT? Do they get away successfully? Do they shut the stupid camp DOWN? What happens to the people who work at the camp? How do their families react? Is everyone safe? WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
I'm protesting this book until Danforth writes a sequel.
Other reviews: Common Sense Media and American Indians in Children's Literature
I'm protesting this book until Danforth writes a sequel.
Other reviews: Common Sense Media and American Indians in Children's Literature
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| These books are available here: https://library.greensboro-nc.gov/ |
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| Learn more about the Rainbow Book List here: http://www.ala.org/rt/glbtrt |
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