Books and Sensibility

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Mini Reviews

Pritty by Keith F. Miller Jr.

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Pritty is a queer YA contemporary is an early 2000’s contemporary romance/urban fiction. Jay is a romantic but he’s never felt seen until he literally collides with Leroy.

This book confounded me. It has a lot of good ideas but the plot and pacing didn’t 100% work for me. Jay starts the book getting pulled into a scheme to write love letters for boys in his school,  but that plot disappears and then randomly comes back at the very end. The book then sort of focuses on Jay meeting Leroy and their insta-love/attraction….but it’s mostly about Leory’s family’s ties to an activist organization.

Jay and Leroy meet (what seems like) two times and instantly decide they are in love. Their desire to be together plays a big part in the book…but the relationship doesn’t feel developed. It’s hinted that Leroy knew of Jay growing up—but other parts of the story seem to contradict that. It doesn’t help that they spend most of the book apart. Honestly, Jay and Leroy’s relationships with their friends and family are way more developed than the main romance.


Another odd thing is Jay’s older brother, Jacob, suddenly shows up as a love interest for Leroy’s older brother, Taj.  Except Jacob goes by Jacboee ?  ‘Jacobee’ becomes a fixture in Leroy’s life and yet never mentions that Jay is his brother ? It took me a while to pick up that Jacob and Jacboee were even supposed to be the same character. 

That said,

This book does leave a lot of room for compassion, vulnerability and empathy between Black male characters that I would love to see more of. The young men are allowed to cry, hold each other, and love openly.

This book is based on a manuscript and has a forthcoming animation. The Pritty animation doesn’t seem to include Leory and instead focuses on Jay and a side character. I’m curious how much of  Leroy’s story was in the original manuscript.

Side Note

This book does not explicitly state it takes place in the mid-00s. I was ready to light this book up because they kept mentioning Aliyah, Outkast, boom boxes, and insinuated that teenagers could read cursive. Then a character pulls out a Motoraloa Razar and I settled down.

I’m sure this would have stood out more as a ‘period piece’ to younger readers but it felt so normal to me. TAKE ME BACK 👵🏾

YA Romance : Gap Year

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These YA romances explore the possibilities that happen between high school and what comes next.

I Loved You In Another Life by David Arnold.

Aimless teenagers Shosh and Evan are inexplicably brought together by a song only they can hear. As Shosh and Evan’s story unfolds, we get vignettes of other soulmates meeting across time due to a similar mysterious force. Evan is an introspective anxious artist who has had to become the ‘man’ of his house. Evan is a little in awe that he and  Shosh, his high school’s former theatre queen, are involved in this mystery together

I feel like this could have easily become a manic pixie dream girl situation, but Shosh is given a full personality and comes across as the better developed character. Shosh gave up her acting dreams and began abusing alcohol after the sudden death of her sister.

I do feel like this book needed to bake a little more. I don’t think I really ‘got’ the connection between the other soulmates and Shosh and Evan. Arnold created two interesting characters but I’m not sure if this was the story for them.  I sort of feel like Arnold wanted this to be Evan’s story because Evan’s POV is presented in the first person and Shosh’s is in the third-person. Evan’s POV goes really hard with the purple prose which was a times too navel-gazey for me.

Tilly in Technicolor by Mazey Eddings

Tilly In Technicolor is a breezy, neurodivergent YA romance that is all vibes. Tilly is tired of everyone trying to manage her ADHD and hopes to gain some independence while spending the summer on a European cross-continental business trip with her sister’s beauty start-up.

Joining the trip is Oliver, a successful Instagrammer and brilliant color theorist with autism. There is an instant physical attraction between Tilly and Oliver but the pair quickly find themselves at odds until they open up and discover how each other’s brains work.

My critical takeaway is that the characters don’t really work for their HEA. There are no stakes. There is no growth.

Tilly has the most amount of change in this story but it wasn’t enough for the story to feel developed. She starts the book with no job prospects and a desire to write. She ends with book with a writing job… but it sort of falls into her lap. Honestly, I’m not sure why Oliver even has a POV. Except for meeting Tilly, nothing about his life, personality, or goals has changed by the end of the book. He starts and ends the book in the exact same place. I would have liked a little more coming-of-age.

Mini Reviews: YA and Middle Grade

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A Guide To The Dark by Meriam Metoui

Best friends Mira and Layla’s college tour road trip hits an unexpected detour when a mysterious car accident strands them at a strange motel where a dark force could tear the best friends apart forever. Layla and Mira team up with some locals to destroy the dark force and gather the courage to admit their growing romantic feelings for each other. This book is probably not frightening enough for true horror fans but could be ideal for younger YA readers looking for something with a paranormal twist. It has a tragic but hopeful ending and focuses on the ways grief and guilt manifest. – Jess

The Illuminations by T. Kingfisher

I’ve been sleeping on T. Kingfisher. This buoyant and imaginative story takes place in a world where art is a utility. Magical artwork or illuminations are essential to daily life as they are used to keep the city in working order. The Illuminators who create these pieces of art are revered. Rosa is the youngest member of the family and their status is threatened when Rosa accidentally unleashes a vengeful little monster that could destroy the city. She has to catch it before it’s too late! Rosa is very close to her family and I liked that the adults are given individual personality and full characterizations. This book is equal parts silly, adventurous and heartwarming. I think this is a book that will appeal to all ages. I actually didn’t know this was middle grade when I read it. This book gave me Encanto vibes so it’s worth checking out if you want to read about a magical family trying to save their storied family home. – Jess

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

TikTok star Celine and star football player (This is British so soccer to Americans) Bradley hate each other. But when they enter a wilderness camp scholarship program for high schoolers they begin to see each other’s annoying habits in a new light and connect. This is my third Hibbert and she is just not the author for me.  I find her stories meh and she does too much telling and not showing. The way the characters perceive each other doesn’t work for me. I’m always like “you got that out of that?” That said, I think this is the perfect YA book for teens (or anyone) who wants to read a popular adult romance author but doesn’t want explicit sex. Talia has taken her romance writing formula that many readers love and molded it into an easy rec for a younger audience looking for the “TikTok Romance” experience. – Kat

Jess’ End of The Year Mini Reviews

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No One Will Miss Her by Kat Rosenfeld

Rating: 3 out of 5.

A vicious murder-suicide at an idyllic lake house leaves a small town reeling. and a society housewife on the run.

I found this to be an enjoyable quick read. It’s a study in class and the choices afforded to those with money and privilege. Rosenfeld does deep dives into her characters, which can sometimes leave the plot wanting.

I hate to be that person but I clocked the twist in this book by the 4th chapter. I read this on audio and print– the print makes the twist very obvious. I think the author is somewhat aware of this and the ‘reveal’ actually comes in the middle of the book instead of the end.

Now that we are firmly in the 2020’s I’m finding more books are having to consider social media when delving into the character’s past. If a character is between 18-30 years old you can’t talk about their high school experiences without considering what their high school Facebook or Instagram looked like.

Heartbreak Symphony by Laekan Zea Kemp

My first impression of this book was wow…this feels like it could be a prestige television show. It was this down-to-earth and character-driven book with an ominous narrative twist. Aspiring DJ Aarón Medran embarks on a series of clandestine humanitarian missions around his small barrio at the behest of La Maquina, a celebrity DJ and hometown hero Aarón is never alone on these missions as La Maquina’s 7-foot-tall robot mascot has been following him since his mother’s death. This seemingly friendly robot has a foreboding nature and leads to some of the more poignant and moving parts of the story. I liked this strange aspect of the story. I always enjoy YA books that go for a high or unusual concept.

We also follow Nina, a high school senior whose self-doubt has kept her from pursuing her dreams and performing the trumpet she loves dearly. Her story honestly felt like it could have been a companion book. I felt like both stories could have stood on their own.

Kemp masterfully balances grief, hope, and forgiveness in this emotion-packed read.

Jess Reviews The Broken Earth Series by N.K. Jemisin

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The people of The Stillness live at the will of the Seasons–world-ending tectonic disasters that occur without warning.The Stillness has not always been this way and this current season might just be the last.

I bought the box set of this series in 2018 and have just gotten around to reading it. This immersive series is a dynamic blend of science-fiction and fantasy that is must listen on audio. Narrator Robin Miles did her thing with these audiobooks. She has amazing range and her multifaceted performance highlights the epicness of this earth-bending series. 

A fantasy series is a successful read for me when I CANNOT figure out how the author came up with the story, world or concept. To that end, this series is a smashing success. The characters and the struggles they encounter felt real and lived in. There are actual worlds in Jemisin’s head. That is the only explanation. 

The Fifth Season

Life in the Stillness, a vast dystopic landscape, revolves around Seasons– apocalyptic natural disasters that occur without warning.  The earth has it out for humanity and the only ones who can control it are Orogenes, those born with the ability to control kinetic and seismic energy. To be an  Orogene is to be feared, enslaved, and abused.

The first book follows Essun, a 40-year-old Orogene in hiding, as she attempts to outrun the current apocalypse to exact revenge on her son’s murderer. Unfortunately, this is not an ordinary Season and Essun is soon pulled into a large conspiracy that will change everything.

I don’t know what I can say about Jemisin’s award-winning series that hasn’t already been said. It is an immersive and well-imagined tale. Her storytelling is unique (it’s in the second person) and she masterfully weaves multiple POVS in an unexpected way. I will say it took me a  few chapters to get into, but once you get into the flow it’s hard to put down.

A majority of the characters are Black. Ir is delightful reading a fantasy book where caucasian features aren’t the automatic default. There is also a healthy intersection of LGBTQ characters and representation.

My only critique is that I had a hard time picturing exactly what the setting looked like. They mention gaslights and horses so at first, I imagined a dystopian early 20th century–but something about the clothes and the way medical devices are described felt a little more 90’s ? IDK. Maybe it’s supposed to be like Mad Max vibes ?

The Obelisk Gate

Jemisin’s storytelling ability is still going full force in the second book. Essun and her motley crew of travelers have been volun-told into joining a utopian underground community. In between dealing with community politics, Essun learns the whole truth about this very unusual season.  This is a stationery book and I was sad to see we don’t get to watch the characters travel.

Essun’s ten-year-old daughter Nassun has a POV and look, I’m not the biggest fan of children’s POV in brutal adult books but I think this one worked well. Nassun has to grow up fast as she learns about her potential as an Orogene and what it means to sacrifice.  One of the characters, Chaffa, is a Guardian whose job is to control Orogenes in a harsh but gentle manner.  I’m not really understanding what Jeminisn is doing with this character or what they add to the story. This character’s origins, motivation and purpose just never made sense to me.

The Stone Sky

The world’s fate is now in the hands of a mother and daughter on two sides of a millennia-long war.

My favorite part of this book is the flashbacks that finally reveal the origin of The Stillness and what the mysterious Stone Eater creatures are. Reveals like this are why I enjoy speculative/dystopian stories. This book languidly moves towards the finale, which honestly wasn’t as massive and action-packed as I thought it would be. I thought the ending was fitting but I can’t say I truly understood parts of it or that it gave me the emotional punch I was hoping for.

In conclusion

I’m sold on Jemisin as a writer and am up for checking out her other series.  These last few years I’ve been diving into fantasy by POC writers and it never disappoints. I think there is freedom to storytelling when you break away from the stereotypical fantasy setting 

 Pastoral England where?

Anyway… I’ll wait here until someone casts Danai Gurira in the movie adaptation.

Jess’ End of The Year Reviews

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Wrapping up 2021 with my last few reviews

Feminist AF : A Guide To Crushing Girlhood

Every now and then I will categorize a YA book as ‘a book I wish I had in high school’. I would categorize this non-fiction guide to modern-day feminism as ‘a book I wish I had freshman year of college’. I had a hard time understanding the concept of feminism back then.

This guide is an outstanding introduction to intersectional feminism for young people. It provides a ton of framework and gives readers room to make their own choices on how they want to apply the concepts. This guide is also careful to be gender-inclusive. I think my biggest criticism is that this pointedly inclusive book is subtitled ‘A Guide to Crushing Girlhood. I’m sure it has something to do with marketing but I feel like this will alienate part of the intended audience.

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

 Let me start by saying Joniece Abbott-Pratt deserves all the flowers for the way she nailed the singing in this book. I have NEVER heard a narrator give so much authentic energy and rhythm to verse and poetry while performing. I wonder if she and Ifueko worked it out together.

Raybearer is YA fantasy set in the expansive and diverse Aritsar empire. The vast empire is ruled by the Emperor, who rules with his council of 11—all of whom are connected by the magic of the Ray.

It’s time for the Emperor’s son, Dayo, to find his council of 11 and among them is Tarisai, a girl who knows nothing of her past but is doing everything to fight her destiny—killing Dayo. Ifukeo creates a vast world that is easy to fall into. There are so many intricate details to this story populated by a full cast of characters with their own motivations and secrets.  I’ve been following Ifueko on TikTok and I’m a little afraid of the second book because I can tell it’s going to be extremely emotional and she is going to put her characters through it. I don’t read a ton of YA fantasy, so I’m glad this was the one I picked up this year!

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

Tiffany Jackson masters horror and suspense in this terrifying twist on the haunting house tale. Mari’s newly blended family is ready for a fresh start in Cedarville, but the dilapidated community and looming prisons are a far cry from her alternative hippie West Coast lifestyle. Cedarville was a thriving Black neighborhood before until something dark worked its way in and now something wants Mari and her family out.  Jackson’s ability to work systemic Black oppression into a haunted house tale gave me serious Joran Peele vibes. Black horror is having a renaissance right now and I feel like teens who are into it will enjoy this book

 Mari is a California girl and audiobook narrator Marcella Cox truly embodied that vibe with her easy voice. Mari is one of those “unlikeable” and flawed characters– she’s had issues with anxiety and drugs, and often uses this as an excuse to make selfish decisions. I’m all for a flawed character. I did feel like the setting needed to be a bit more anchored. The history of Cedarville is pivotal to the plot but we don’t get enough of a timeline. I couldn’t tell what decade certain events happened in. This is my first Jackson book and I noticed the book ended abruptly leaving a few loose ends. Is this like a thing she does?  Either way I’m more than ready to read more of her books. Jackson dreams up some truly eerie and frightening imagery that was too scary for me!

For All Time by Shanna Miles

Tamar knows her illness is going to overtake her and end her newfound romance with the patient and charming Fayard. But their romance is far from over because Tamar and Fayard have fallen in love across multiple lives and universes.

And all those lives are about to collide.

This was one of those books with a strange but well-executed concept. I thought I knew where this book was going but it takes a hard left turn as we abandon the main plot and explore the couple’s previous lives from Pre-colonial Africa to the far reaches of outer space. I didn’t 100% understand the last few minutes but I liked how creative and experimental it was.

This is a book I think is being slept on because it defies categorization in a time when people seem to want that. This book gets marketed as timeless YA Romance, but I’d say don’t go in expecting a YA romance to take the forefront. Also, I’m sorry, but this is marketed as Outlander meets The Sun is Also A Star…I just don’t think that’s it.  I don’t know how Miles came up with this concept but I’m excited to see what else she has in store.