Love & Olives Review

I’m not someone who picks up a lot of contemporary novels. I veer more towards fantasy and sci-fi, but I have a shelf dedicated to the contemporary novels that catch my eye. I even have a few authors who I eagerly await new releases from, including Benjamin Alire Sáez, Morgan Matson, Andrew Smith, and now, Jenna Evans Welch. I read what is actually the third book in her Love & series and I fell in love with her writing. This was a fun read, but with a lot of emotional baggage to tear through amidst the beautiful adventure through a Greek Island. I’ve already picked up Love & Gelato, which is coming to Netflix this summer (and I will absolutely be reviewing that as well.) In fact, her latest novel, Spells for Lost Things comes out this September and it already sounds amazing.

Liv Varanakis hasn’t seen her father, Nico, since she was eight years old, when he suddenly disappeared. Nearly ten years later, he sends a postcard, asking Liv to join him in Santorini to film a documentary for National Geographic about the lost city of Atlantis. When she arrives, she meets Theo, her father’s protégé and cameraman, who’s there to witness all the awkwardness in Liv’s reunion with her father. But as they delve further into the story of Atlantis, Liv begins to wonder if her father brought her to Santorini for other reasons.

Kalamata, no one knows what they’re doing. It’s called life.

Love & Olives

As I stated before, contemporary isn’t my go-to genre. I’m usually drawn in by the beautiful covers or title, and this book had both. But it also had the word Atlantis in its blurb, and I was hooked. I’ve been obsessed with the story of Atlantis, and I still believe the Disney film is a highly, HIGHLY underrated treasure. So, I didn’t hesitate to snatch this book off the shelf. It was a beautiful book, both in story and setting. Welch has such a lovely way with words, so I was flying through the book, not wanting it to end but still eager to find all the answers.

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful country of Greece. Our itinerary included a five night stay in Santorini, so it only made sense to pack this book along for the journey. I only managed about halfway through before the trip ended, as we did a whole lot of walking and sightseeing, so by the time we were back at the hotel, I was way too tired for reading. I did, however, finish it just after we returned, so the memory of Santorini was still fresh in my mind.

It was absolutely incredible to read this book while in the vibrant setting it takes place in. Santorini in itself is gorgeous, but Santorini in the eyes of an artist is even more breathtaking. The vivid colors that you find in the sparkling Mediterranean water, the vibrant cliffsides, the iconic blue domes are all present in this story. Welch captured the feel of Santorini that I just barely got a glimpse of, and I could tell a lot of care went into portraying the island. Most of the story is in Oia, with a trip to Akrotiri and a few scenes in Kamari, which I didn’t get around to seeing for myself. The island came to life on the pages, and I’m so glad I brought this book on my own journey.

One of the places we spend the most time in is the Atlantis Bookshop in Oia and I sincerely thought it was a fake place made up for the book. I was shocked when we rounded a corner and the bookshop was right there, in front of my eyes. I was so thrilled and eager to rove through the shelves and discover the hidden bunk room for myself. I realized the shop was closed and we chalked it up to it being the afternoon when a lot of people close up and rest. So, we went back later, but it was still closed. Not deterred, we returned to Oia a couple days later only to discover that the shop had closed down a year ago. It was such a disappointment seeing the lively rooftop from the story abandoned with moldy books falling from the shelves and overgrown vines taking over the ground. If only I could move in and become the new bookseller, shoving romance novels in tourists’ hands.

The main premise of Love & Olives is Liv navigating her fragile relationship with her father. When he writes to her, she doesn’t want to go, but her mother is insistent, and she’s quickly whisked away. Meanwhile, there’s Theo running around, getting Liv all flustered around him. I really liked Theo. He was charismatic and fun and seems like the perfect person to explore Santorini with.

At the forefront is the search for evidence of Atlantis for the documentary, but the novel quickly shifts to the rediscovery of Liv’s relationship with her father. The two storylines easily weave together and falls into that cheesy saying, “The treasure was the friends you made along the way” but it’s so well portrayed here. All of Liv’s memories with her father are about their love for Atlantis and their quest to find it one day. Now that the time has come, a huge rift has formed between the father and daughter and the adventure is no longer thrilling for Liv. Instead, she feels embarrassment and shame that her father is so obsessed with a myth. With the help of Theo, she starts to discover what Atlantis truly means to her father and to herself. There’s a lot of emotional moments throughout and it’s a book that will sit with you after you’ve read it.

“There are two stories to the door – the tourist version and the local version.”

[…]

“Two stories,” I repeated, placing my palm flat on the peeling paint. Did anyone really believe the Narnia one? And if so, why, when there was almost always a boring explanation eager to explain the magic away?

I felt the thought coming before it spelled itself out. Dad is a Narnia person. He’d always seen the magic in the mundane.

Love & Olives, p.367-8

Here we get into spoiler territory so be sure to read the book before continuing on in the review.

I could tell right away that Liv’s relationship with Dax was not going to make it. From the first moment, he came off as the controlling boyfriend. He has a whole plan set up for Liv after high school and doesn’t seem to listen to what she wants. To be fair, Liv has molded herself into a fake persona that’s carefully crafted, so she wasn’t even being honest with herself. So when Liv started connecting with Theo, I was eagerly rooting for the two of them. Yes, it’s a rushed, whirlwind attraction, but they have such good chemistry with one another, it was easy to believe in their connection.

Theo is so much better for Liv because she’s able to drop the facade she had cultivated and be herself. Something about Theo brings out Liv’s honesty and his constant optimism really helps Liv open up to her father. She’s able to see him through Theo’s eyes, not as the horrible father who ran out on her and her mother, but as the active, selfless man that everyone in Santorini adores. I was very much on the side of Liv forgiving him and mending their relationship, but a lot of that is due to personal experiences.

But some people are worth second chances. Not all people. Just some people.

Love & Olives

When Liv’s dad started disappearing to Athens without any notice, I didn’t buy the tax story one bit and knew immediately that he was sick. I watched my own dad battle cancer so when we started to see the toll that filming took on Nico’s body, I realized he was very sick. Liv, though, gets the entirely wrong idea, thinking that her dad is just abandoning her again and I was so frustrated. I wanted to scream at her because stories about a sick parent always tug at my heart. Even though her dad left her when she was a child, I can’t help but always want people to treasure the time they have with their parent because I would give anything to have more time with my dad. I will admit that I am fortunate to have had a good relationship with my dad, so I don’t have the emotional baggage Liv had to deal with, but I’m glad that, in the end, she started to mend the relationship.

If I’d learned anything from the legend of Atlantis, it was this: stories evolved. They got passed down and twisted, and sometimes they came out okay and other times they quadrupled the size of continents or transported timelines to entirely different centuries. If Plato could’ve missed the mark so entirely, was it possible I had too? Was it possible I could learn something that maybe wouldn’t change this whole situation, but could at least give it nuance?

Love & Olives, p.404

I loved that with each chapter, we learned another thing that her father left behind. Along with that item, Liv shares a memory tied to it and we slowly learn about their relationship before her dad left. It’s a great way to show the past alongside the present.

The last item revealed at the end brought me to tears. I was already overwhelmed by all the feels, and when Liv tells us that number twenty-six is herself, I was sobbing. You can see how much her dad loves her and the revelation that he left because of his mental illness is such an emotional moment. Again, due to personal experience, I was ready to forgive him and I’m so glad that Liv was able to begin doing so as well.

Nico is not a perfect father by any means, but he clearly loves his daughter. Their shared love for Atlantis bonds them and when we learn why Nico is so obsessed with it, it makes you want to believe that the city is real. That perfect island that was lost to the sea could one day be found. If that could be found, then Nico can find the life he once had, before his own father brought it crumbling down, leaving Nico and his mother to pick up the pieces, ostracized the people that had once loved them. Liv experiences a similar situation but Atlantis brings them back together.

After reading Love & Olives, I’ve become a believer that the island of Santorini is the setting of the lost city of Atlantis. I did have a few tour guides help me discover the ancient city when I was in Santorini, but Nico’s passionate search won me over. And Jenna’s beautiful story has won me over to her books.

Spin the Dawn Review

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim is a magical retelling of The Ballad of Mulan. I read this book as part of Charity Rau’s 2022 Fairy Tale Reading Challenge during the month of March. I actually got this book on a whim at the bookshop one day, as I wasn’t wholly captivated by the blurb on the back. I didn’t really have a book in mind in that visit but I was intent on getting a book that day. And I’m so glad I read this. I flew through this book so quickly and enjoyed just about every page.

Maia Tamarin is the best tailor of her village and she dreams of becoming a master, but as a woman, she must keep her talents hidden. Until her father, a former master tailor, is summoned to the palace to compete in a contest to become the imperial tailor. Worried for her ill father’s health, Maia goes in his place, posing as her older brother. The challenges are difficult and the competition ruthless, and the court enchanter seems to see through her disguise, but Maia is determined to succeed. Even when the final challenge seems impossible – create three magical gowns from the sun, the moon, and the stars – Maia faces the perilous journey to prove herself a master.

I adored this book. It wasn’t perfect and I had a few issues with it, but as a whole, it was fantastic. I’m a sucker for a good fairy tale retelling (I have an entire shelf dedicated exclusively to retellings and it constantly needs readjusting to fit in new additions) and while the original tale of Mulan is actually a folk song, Spin the Dawn definitely felt like a fairy tale world.

I loved the romance in this book, especially the romantic interest which I won’t reveal until the spoiler section. It appealed to all the tropes that I fall for every time. The characters had good banter and I enjoyed watching their relationship change and grow over time. Sometimes, it did get a little corny, but I still loved the romance.

I knew then that we were like two pieces of cloth, sewn together for life. Our stitches couldn’t be undone.

Spin the Dawn, p.344

The world of A’landi was very vibrant and beautiful to experience. The magic system is incredible and unique to the world. We also got to see many different terrains, including a desert, the mountains, and even a spooky island. There are palaces for the season which were beautifully detailed. We only got to see the Summer and Autumn palaces so far but I’m sure we’ll see the others in the sequel, and I can’t wait to visit them.

I understood now why so many revered Amana’s dresses, why some called them her greatest legacy. Because of them, she gave us the world as we knew it. Day after day and night after night, she spun the dawn and unraveled the dusk.

Spin the Dawn, p.340

As I said, I enjoyed this book for the most part, but I had a problem with how the first half and the second half are so different from each other. It’s like we have two different stories completely, with some key elements of the synopsis left behind as we moved into the second part. I won’t get too specific so that I don’t spoil it for those who haven’t had the chance to read the book yet. All I will say is that we go from Project Runway to the Impossible Task trope of fairy tales. Both are great for the story, but I wish they had been tied together rather than feeling like separate plot points that divide the first and second halves of the story.

The rest of the review will be filled with spoilers as I go into detail over the issues I had with the story.

Continuing in the discussion about the story feeling divided, it felt like the main ideas were abandoned in the second half, only to be brought back briefly in the end. Maia is supposed to be posing as her brother but almost immediately, her secret is found out by Edan, the court enchanter. He holds this knowledge over her, which I like, but I didn’t feel the tension from this. Because the secret was revealed not long after. In the final challenge, Maia is revealed as a woman to the entire court, including the emperor and his bride-to-be. We are less than 40% through the book. And as Maia sits in the dungeon to wait for her execution, Emperor Khanujin fixes everything and has Edan erase their memory of her deception and she’s made the imperial tailor. So the competition is officially over halfway through the story.

She is given a challenge immediately after being named the new royal tailor. She must sew the impossible dresses of the goddess Amana. All of a sudden, we are no longer in the palace but on a perilous journey with Edan. I loved the journey. Like I mentioned before, we get to explore various terrains and it made the world feel so much more real and vibrant. I don’t dislike the journey at all, especially as we get Edan and Maia falling in love over the course of it.

But, I wish the challenges had lasted longer in the book. They took up such a small portion of the story, even though the synopsis seemed to hinge on them. They’re what brought Maia to the palace, they’re what will determine who will be the imperial tailor. But the competitors are whisked away quickly, with several being dismissed at once. It began to feel rushed very early on and I wish we had spent more time with it. I liked the cutthroat atmosphere that Maia had to navigate as a boy, living a lie. I wish that she had learned the magic in a later challenge and was barely scraping by on challenges, but still using her own talent. Then the magic gets revealed as things become tenser and more dangerous. With the magic in the first challenge, it lessens the stakes for our character and makes it pretty obvious she’s got the competition in the bag.

I wish Maia’s journey to make the dresses had been part of the competition. I was under the impression that there would be many others taking this same challenge, all racing to complete the gowns first. This would’ve increased the tension, as Maia is racing against both time and people. Instead, we get a brief run in with Norbu which I thought would lead to some big chase or confrontation but was forgotten a page later. It would’ve been interesting to see the different competitors come up with their answer to the challenge. Like a dress that’s the laughter of the sun is spun from the most beautiful gold thread, or the blood of the stars are rubies or red diamonds. But only Maia has the true dresses.

And in the end, the Emperor reveals Maia’s identity to everyone out of nowhere. Why go through the trouble of making everyone forget Maia is a girl when he was just going to reveal it anyway? If we hadn’t had the reveal earlier, I think this would’ve worked better. Maybe the Emperor learned her identity early on from Norbu who was spying on everyone, but the Emperor promises to keep her secret because of her magic. So when all the tailors go off on their journeys for the last challenge, we still have Maia needing to keep up her disguise. I really didn’t like how she was able to go back to being Maia in the journey when it was such a big part of the synopsis. It was forgotten far too quickly.

“My father promised he’d never force me to marry. He taught me to hunt and to fight like a man. I was just as good as all my brothers. And now?” Lady Sarnai wrung her hands. “He broke his promise to me. At first I thought it was because the war and magic had blackened his heart, but that is just the way of men. For what is a promise if it’s made to a woman?”

Spin the Dawn, p. 105

I also wish we got more time with Lady Sarnai. Her story mirrors Maia’s in a lot of ways. As a woman, she has no say in her future, but unlike Maia’s father, hers sold her away to a marriage she doesn’t want. I like how brutal and ruthless Sarnai is, but I wish there had been some sort of comradery with Maia. When the truth of her identity is revealed, Sarnai immediately sends her to her death, with a cruel beating beforehand. I would’ve expected some level of compassion for a girl needing to disguise herself to make a life for herself, but I guess the unexpected makes it all the more interesting. I really hope that we get more of Sarnai’s story in the next book.

I absolutely adore Edan. He’s mysterious, he’s got amazing quips, and he’s very layered. There’s more to him than we initially see and I loved learning more about him and his past. He was definitely my favorite character in the book and undoubtedly charmed me the first time we met him.

“How thoughtful, Your Highness. I have been thinking about having new shoes made, but I think I’ll stay with my current pair a little longer. I’ve no desire to walk on any more pins and needles than one does with you already.”

Spin the Dawn, p.84

The magic in this world was so easy to understand and believe in. The way Edan uses it and the constraints he has makes it very vivid and real and not just a fix-all kind of thing that makes life easy. The fact that Edan had to give up part of his self to achieve this level of power, making himself indebted to whoever wears the amulet that his oath is tied to. My one complaint is Maia’s reaction to magic. She is very doubtful about the existence of magic, even though it’s very prominent in the court. There’s a royal enchanter who’s always by the Emperor’s side and the fact that magic caused a rift with the Shansen in the first place. Magic is integral in this world, so why is Maia not a believer?

“All enchanters must swear an oath – it prevents us from becoming too powerful, or greedy. Magic is…addictive, you see. And over time, it can corrupt.”

Spin the Dawn, p.239

Spin the Dawn is still a very enjoyable read, despite the complaints I had. I recently picked up the sequel, Unravel the Dusk which will explore the repercussion of Maia’s dealings with the demon, Bandur. I’m excited to continue the story in this gorgeous world and see how Maia manages to undo her deal and escape her fate. As well as navigating her new betrothal to Emperor Khanujin and the disappearance of Edan.

The Wild Ones Review

Before I get into the review, here is a trigger warning. This book deals with themes of sexual and physical violence, so do not proceed if those topics are triggering for you.

The Wild Ones by Nafiza Azad caught my eyes at the bookstore immediately because of its absolutely gorgeous cover. The vibrant colors stand out on the shelf and the illustrations are too beautiful to resist. I wish that the story within had been as captivating to me, but it’s unfortunately my least favorite book I’ve read this year.

When I tried describing the plot to a friend, I found that I was unable to articulate it clearly because it felt as if the book focused on everything but the plot. Beneath all the vivid details and long descriptions of food, and between the eleven girls’ one liners, is the actual plot that isn’t strong enough to drive a strong story. It took me a very long time to get through this book. I found myself forcing my way through it, making myself sit down and read a set number of pages to finish it. I usually don’t mind setting a book as a DNF, but after a difficult two years where I couldn’t finish a single book, I couldn’t accept a DNF. So, I trudged through, and I have many thoughts.

Our mothers. Would they love us still now that we have turned into the cautionary tales they used to tell?

The Wild Ones, p.33

I will start by saying that my thoughts on the book are in no way indicative of the quality of the book. It has a pretty divided response on Goodreads. Slightly over 1/3 of reviews are 3 stars or lower, with another 1/3 of reviews giving it a 4-star rating. People either loved the book and the themes it explores, or they share the same complaints that I have. I think it all comes down to what type of reader you are. If you’re like me and rely on strong, distinct characters, this may not be the book for you. But if you love vivid worlds and strong themes, then I believe this book is the right fit.

After Paheli is betrayed by her mother, she stumbles on Taraana, a boy with stars in his eyes. He gives her box of stars and she becomes an In Betweener, drifting between the real world and the world of magic. Over time, she collects more girls like her, giving them a star. When Taraana reappears, he’s being hunted by a middle worlder and the girls take him in and protect him from those seeking to steal his stars.

As lovely as the details of this world were and how much I wanted to be enthralled by the many characters, the story lacked substance. It was a weird amalgamation of too much and not enough. It was too many characters, not even time for the reader to get to know them. So many beautiful cities in the world, not enough time to spent there to really appreciate it. Too many chase scenes, not enough tension. To summarize, I love the idea of this novel but not the execution.

I do have positives to share about the book. First and foremost, I love stories about found families. Where people who felt like outcasts or had horrible families come together and make their own family. The Wild Ones are their own family. They are girls that were broken and have found healing with one another. They find themselves with a voice and the power to help girls like them.

Obviously, we are still not completely safe, but to be a Wild One, you have to be comfortable with walking on dark roads. The road to becoming a Wild One is dark.

The Wild Ones, p.179

I also love the feminity of this book. Not once does the book shy away from the femininity that is often rejected for being considered weak. Paheli boasts pink hair and the girls douse themselves in glitter and flowers. They are unashamedly girly and I am here for it.

Now I’ll be getting into the spoiler part of the review, so click off if you haven’t read the book.

The lack of tension is a real turn off for me. The Wild Ones have taken on the role of protector for the Keeper of the Between, Taraana. They are chased by Baarish and his middle worlder minions all around the world as they try to keep Taraana safe. But the stakes never feel life or death. It’s established immediately in their first meeting with Baarish that middle worlders’ magic does nothing to them, so they can’t be harmed by them, and they escape easily by disappearing to the In Between. At most, they are simply inconvenienced by Baarish and this is not enough to carry a story.

There are too many characters and we don’t get to know who they are. Paheli is the only clear member of the Wild Ones, with Valentina getting some individuality. All the rest are presented as a single conglomerate of girls, even referring themselves as an ocean.

Just because we talk in one voice doesn’t mean we are of one mind. We are different shades of one color. We do not represent other girls around the world who might be in situations similar to ours. Would you ask a drop of salt water if it represented an entire ocean?

The Wild Ones, p.35

But they feel like one single entity. I don’t know who these girls are. Not even the ‘Book of Memories’ snippets we get interspersed through the book, written in very lyrical and hard to decipher text, give any clarity. All it does it tell me their name, where they are from, and that they suffered some form of trauma, which is what bonds all the girls. There are very few unique traits given to each girl and it’s easy to miss them. So by the end, it felt as if there were actually only four main characters: Paheli, Valentina, Taraana, and the conglomeration of girls. It was distracting trying to keep track of who each girl was and eventually, I just morphed them into a single entity in my head.

In trying to figure out the characters, I had to look to Goodreads and found a response from the author detailing that the LGBTQIA+ representation in the book includes characters that are lesbian, trans, and non-binary. I truly cannot tell who these characters are, aside from Valentina who ends up with Tabassum Naaz in the end. I would’ve loved to read about a trans girl finding her place in this found family, who take her in after whatever trauma she faced in her previous life. The same goes for the non-binary character. There is so much potential here and it feels wasted on surface level stuff and way, way too many references to mangoes.

It also focuses a lot on the romance between Paheli and Taraana. I really did not like Taraana. He seemed to change personalities quickly, without proper development. One minute, he’s a scared little boy who clings to Paheli, then he’s lovesick and awkward, then he’s arguing with Paheli every other page about her putting herself in danger. We are told that some time passes but we don’t get to really experience it, so this shift is jarring. I couldn’t connect with him because I didn’t know who he would be in the next chapter. While I do appreciate the idea of navigating a relationship after you’ve been hurt so badly, like Paheli was, but it seemed to take up too much space in an already crammed story. There is too much going on and I think the romance was one of the weakest parts of the story.

It seems like the author only wanted to write about the beautiful cities in the world that get very little recognition. I love the places we got to visit in this book. From Latouka City to Agra to Beirut, each was detailed in beautiful prose that allowed me to feel each soul.

Cities have souls, you know. They are alive and sometimes they die. They grow old either gracefully or shamefully. They shrink and they expand. They grieve and celebrate.

The Wild Ones, p.16

In each of these cities, we get many descriptions of the large quantities of food they eat. It seemed like every other page, the girls were eating something new and rushing off to another city. This made the book feel rushed, even when nothing was happening. And the details of food took up precious space that could’ve been used detailing one of the girls or actually helping another girl in need. In fact, we get very few encounters with other girls who have been hurt and even after we lose a Wild One who chooses to move on, we don’t gain another. I would’ve loved to see them take in a new girl and grow their found family.

But we survived. If not in entirety, then in fragments.

The Wild Ones, p.28

The last half of the book was much stronger than the first half. It still dragged in most parts, but I loved when Azad showed us the unique parts of this world, especially the magic. I wish we had learned more about it and it was used more throughout the story, rather than just existing in the background. Magic is important to the story so it should’ve been more prevalent throughout, not sprinkled in until it mattered. Also, ghosts were brought in, but only for one scene and I feel cheated. The chapters in Marrakech were by far the best in the whole book and I would’ve loved an entire book that matched this, instead of the slow-paced, crowded story we have instead.

Magic is thick in places where blood has been spilled.

The Wild Ones p.261

The book often gets repetitive, reiterating the same mantra over and over again. It discusses how the Wild Ones will never again allow themselves to be hurt again, how they are more than their trauma, but it doesn’t have the impact the author was going for. This goes back to the lack of stakes and lack of character development. How am I supposed to care about their plight if I don’t know who they are? Of course, I feel for them after the trauma they endured but it would be so much more powerful if I knew who Ligaya from Cebu is or what happened to Sevda of Marmaris. I don’t know their past, or even their present. They are nothing more than drops of water in the ocean that is the Wild Ones. It’s incredibly difficult to navigate a story that deals with sexual and physical abuse, and I don’t need elaborate, detailed descriptions of what they endured. But I need to know something otherwise it reads as virtue signaling. I truly don’t believe that the author had that intention and I see that there are positive reviews of the book, so this means that my experience is not universal.

I was pretty disappointed in this book. I wish it had been more and that it took the time to focus on character, rather than details. There was so much potential here, but I am glad to see that many people did love it. Azad shared a powerful story that resonates with a lot of readers. It takes a serious topic of trauma that is very hard to write about and I love all the beauty Azad brings in this story. For me, it fell flat and lacked a lot of things I look for in a story, but to many others, it’s a beacon of light, and that’s what matters.  

The Ivory Key Review

The Ivory Key is a debut novel by Akshaya Raman which follows four royal siblings in the search of the legendary Ivory Key. Each sibling has their own agenda for finding the key and their lives depend on it. As the maharani, Vira needs the key so she can bring magic back to the kingdom of Ashoka. Her twin brother, Ronak, wants to sell it and buy a new life, Kaleb needs it to clear his name in the death of the former maharani, and Riya needs it to prove her loyalty to the vigilantes who have become her new family. The bickering siblings must work together on their dangerous treasure hunt, but their secrets threaten to tear them apart.

I got this book as part of Owlcrate’s Thrill of the Hunt January 2022 box. The edition is gorgeous and the dust jacket art stunning. The original cover is definitely a book that would catch my eye if I saw it at the bookstore, but I’m so glad I have this edition and that I joined in the readalong in February. It was fun to engage in the discussion about the book and speculate about what would happen next (though I just proved how terrible I am at guessing what’s to come).

I loved this book. It’s got all the things I adore: a richly detailed fantasy kingdom, quarrelling siblings, lost treasure, magic, and betrayal. This world is so beautifully written, and you can tell it’s one that these characters truly live in. Raman fills the pages with vibrant descriptions, from the wardrobe to the foods to the architecture, there’s not a single detail left out. I could easily imagine the setting throughout the entire novel which is what I love in fantasy. I like being able to immerse myself in a world carefully crafted and created for the story and Raman did not disappoint.

For the first time, the true gravity of their situation was dawning on Kaleb. It wasn’t about freedom or imprisonment. It wasn’t about magic or war. It was about family. Life and loss. For the first time, it was occurring to him – and perhaps to all of them – that maybe not everyone would return to Dvar.

The Ivory Key, p.296

She also did well with portraying the various dynamics in the novel. Vira has to not only navigate her familial relationships, but also her relationships with the council and her people as maharani. Vira is a young ruler, who was thrust into this position unexpectedly and she’s still trying to figure what’s best for everyone. It’s something that is far from new to the genre and can fall into tropes easily, but I loved it anyway because these characters were all so well-rounded and fully realized. Each sibling has their own wants and needs, and their personalities carry the story well. For me, I really focus on character and as long as they are believable and I am able to invest in their journey, I’m along for the ride.

I really love the variety of fantasy kingdoms we are seeing more and more in YA literature. There’s the Middle Eastern influence of novels such as Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes, Malaysian influences in Girls Made of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan, and The Ivory Key is a beautiful Indian inspired novel. I have read many fantasy novels inspired by the European Medieval and Renaissance time periods. I have seen castles from this time, so I’m able to visualize these worlds fairly well based on real life experiences. Novels liked The Ivory Key that take inspiration from other parts of the world I am less familiar with push my imagination. Raman does well with the details to guide the visual, but sometimes, I have to allow my imagination to fill in the gaps. I enjoy getting acquainted with these kingdoms that take me to new places around the world and I look forward to seeing many more to come. I have several already waiting on my shelves, but there will never be enough.

Concerts in the gardens had always been his favorite. He recalled sipping rich badam milk by lanterns that hung down from tree branches, swatting away the mosquitoes that hovered around the magical flames.

The Ivory Key, p.131

As much as I’m raving about character and setting, the plot is also a strong part of this story. Raman crafted a well-thought-out hunt, with puzzles for the characters to solve, mysterious places to explore, and plenty of danger around every corner. As you switch between the siblings, you see how much is on the line for each of them. Not only does their individual futures depend on the key, but the entire future of the kingdom depends on it and the return of magic to Ashoka. We even get a little romance sprinkled in to break up the seriousness of the quest. There were a few slow moments that I will discuss later, but for the most part, the story was well paced and kept me engrossed from start to finish.

The rest of the review will include spoilers for the novel.

The novel focuses on the four siblings, with each chapter changing perspective between them. This allows the reader to really get to know each of them and feel that frustration that we as the audience feel when characters just don’t communicate with each other. So many of their problems would be solved easily if they just talked to one another but of course, there would no longer be a story. So, we just have to sit on the edge of our seat as Riya lies to her family about wanting to be back home and as Ronak makes dangerous promises to the terrifying leader of the crime world when all they have to do is be honest with one another.

As I stated before, these things can run into trope territory easily, but Raman avoids a mundane, run-of-the-mill story with her characters. I absolutely love the fact that Vira has already failed as the maharani. She lost a major city shortly after she took over and these shapes her decisions moving forward.

She couldn’t focus on anything in the past. Ghosts rose around her. Stories flashed before her eyes. She pressed her eyes closed, but the ghosts didn’t live in Ritsar. They lived in her mind.

The Ivory Key, p.280

This is a nice change in what we usually see in YA fantasy, where the protagonist is not yet in a place of power and is instead on their journey towards it. The fact that Vira is the maharani from the start really emphasizes the internal conflict that Vira faces as she tries to be like her mother who was very cold and distant to her children. She was calculating and strategic which Vira struggles to be. Her journey is to become a maharani that is true to herself and accept that she will never be her mother. This is such a powerful message to young people struggling to live up to the standards set by their parents. Accepting who you are and being happy with that is a scary thing to do but with open up the path to a happier life.

I also loved following in the other siblings’ journeys. Raman was able to bring a large cast to life and give them each a distinct personality. Riya is the runaway who constantly fought with their mother to the point where she had to get away from the confines of the palace. She joins the vigilante group to feel like she’s actually doing something for Ashoka and the people.

Riya couldn’t handle this. Love letters? Magical bangles? It was all so frivolous and wasteful, and she desperately wanted the conversation to end.

The Ivory Key p.146

I enjoyed following her as she breaks into places and her acrobatic skills in Visala. In the end, she unlocks the true extent of magic which she can harness herself and doesn’t have to rely on the raw material. Going into book two, I can’t wait to see what she’s able to do with this magic and I’m also curious about her love life. She seems rather entranced by Kavita, but there also seems to be some sort of chemistry with Varun that has me very intrigued. With her loyalties torn between the Ravens and her family, I wonder where her journey will take her.

Like Riya, Ronak wants to escape the royal life. Before the quest for the ivory key, he was planning to run away with his best friend, Jay, and brother, Kaleb. In his desperation, he made dangerous deals with the crime lord, Ekta. We feel his anguish as his dreams of running away are made more complicated by his engagement to Preethi, a compensation made by Vira when her own fiancé was murdered in order to appease the council. We realize the corner Vira is backed into, yet we feel for Ronak who doesn’t want to be saddled with these responsibilities.

He was no more free than Kaleb. His prison was larger, more lavish, but he still felt the chains tightening around his wrists and ankles.

The Ivory Key, p.24

Of course, we also want to knock some sense into Ronak who proceeds to make more and more dangerous promises to Etka. With his seat on the council now offered to her at the end of the novel, the tension has mounted for book two. What will happen if Ronak isn’t able to uphold his end of the deal?

And last but not least, we have Kaleb, the eldest of the siblings. Being half-Lyrian and not the son of the former maharani, he is blamed for her murder and imprisoned.

They had a Lyrian boy in their midst they could conveniently pit it on, and the Council refused to search for another culprit.

The Ivory Key, p.90

I adored Kaleb. He is the least capable of the four in the physical aspect of their quest and struggles to lie to the Lyrians in Ritsar. But he’s brave, nevertheless, as he volunteers to go into Lyria and spy for Vira. There’s something about him that is just so endearing. He’s genuine, caring, and clever, so I have a soft spot for him over the other siblings. I also appreciate how his sexuality isn’t questioned or thrown in for the sake of representation. It just is and it fits into the world so naturally. I love worlds, especially fantasy ones, where different spectrums of sexuality are allowed to just exist and are accepted as normal to everyone within it. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Kaleb finds a cute Lyrian boy to fall in love with in the next book.

Raman really utilized the reader’s sense of smell. Smells are mentioned in detail several times and I really thought it would have a bigger impact on the story. Particularly how she described Varun as smelling like tulsi, despite being a vigilante who had to live a very secretive life. It was so specific that I kept waiting for something to come of it. There’s even a chapter that begins with mentioning how smell is the most powerful sense for invoking memories, so I truly thought it would be an important aspect.

Papa used to say that smell was a powerful key to memory, but Vira didn’t anticipate the sharp sense of dread and regret that slammed into her…

The Ivory Key p.109

But it seems to just be a detail without any importance. This could have been utilized in a clever way, which I wish is what had happened, but as it is, it’s more of a distraction than anything else. Maybe it’ll come up in the following book.

I think the most interesting aspect of this story is the magic system. I am always so amazed (and a little jealous) of the incredible magic systems people are able to create in their stories and Raman created something I had never seen before: mineable magic. In this world, magic is found in quarries and raw magic collected to be used in objects, such as keys that only open specific doors, a paper that sends messages over vast distances, and a wall surrounding the kingdom that burns intruders to death. The unique way that magic is mined, processed, and forged, as if it were ores from the ground, is such an amazing idea and it fits so well in this story. It even has a sort of radiation quality, as raw magic makes handlers sick and special gear is needed to handle it. This brings in a real-world situation that allows the reader to better visualize how the raw magic works and interacts with people. With magic being such an abstract concept that even I struggle to grapple with as I write my own magic system, it’s genius to give the reader such a vivid and interesting visual to make it seem more real.

Prolonged exposure led to worsening symptoms – headaches, nausea, memory loss, paralysis, until it eventually led to death.

The Ivory Key, p.23

Because magic is mined like a physical resource, it is finite and at the beginning of the story, the quarry is empty and Vira is desperate to find the other quarries and restore magic. As I mentioned, she had failed before as the maharani and she couldn’t afford to do so again. She lost one of Ashoka’s cities to their Lyrian neighbors and if they discovered their lack of magic, they’d take more of Vira’s kingdom. Vira desperately needs to find more magic to protect her kingdom and with the discovery of the legendary ivory key, she’s one step closer.

Of course, this brings us to the other thing I loved in this book: the betrayal. All throughout, we’ve had the mysterious Amrit at Vira’s side. We’ve watched the clear romantic interest they have in one another that they can’t admit due to Vira’s obligations as the maharani, and Amrit being nothing more than her personal guard. It’s a forbidden romance trope we have fawned over for centuries and this one does not disappoint. But there’s more to Amrit than a dark and mysterious soldier.

When I’m fully engrossed in something, I don’t try to guess ahead and figure out the twist. But thanks to the questions in the readalong, I had to make some guesses in order to participate. And the only thing I managed to predict was Amrit’s connection to the Mercenaries always looming in the shadows. This group is responsible for the death of the previous maharani, of Vira’s fiancé, and threatens Ashoka’s future. When Amrit betrayed Vira in the end and took the ivory key, I wasn’t surprised, but this doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. If I hadn’t been prompted to look out for clues about Amrit, I would’ve probably missed them all and been blindsided by his betrayal in the end. I would’ve been too distracted by the descriptions of smells to catch on to his secrets.

The little boy didn’t know it then, but his destiny had been remade that day, a tapestry woven from carefully selected strands, twined with the life of a girl he wouldn’t meet for many years to come.

The Ivory Key, p.370

My only real gripe with this story is how long it took for us to get to the big quest. It felt like we were in the city for way longer than we should’ve been. With how much it seemed that the quest part was hyped up, it seemed to take way too long to get there. It’s not until over sixty percent through the book that they embark on their journey. This doesn’t affect my rating too much, as I still really loved the book, but I wish we had spent longer on the quest. The scenes inside the court, where Vira is walking the tightrope with her family and the council, and with Riya and Ronak sneaking around, are all compelling and didn’t drag down the story. But the quest was so heavily emphasized to me that I felt a little let down by the lack of it. By the time I got halfway through the book, I realized it hadn’t even started yet and that was a little bothersome.

Once we did get out into the world, it was so interesting to see more of the place Raman had brought us to. I really enjoyed the jungle the siblings had to trek through and the underground city of Visala full of riddles and puzzles. This was the treasure hunt I was promised, and Raman orchestrated it all brilliantly. Each stage within Visala had me guessing how the siblings would make it through the next trial and with quite a few close calls, I was tearing through the pages. It wasn’t necessarily a drag to get to this point in the story, but it was noticeable how long it did take.

We have a long while until book two hits the shelves and I am waiting in anticipation for it. With Kaleb volunteering to go to Lyria to spy on them, and Riya unlocking magic from within herself, and Amrit revealed to be a Mercenary, I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next. The Mercenaries have the Ivory Key, but Vira has a copy of it, so it will be a race for the quarries. I am fully invested in this world and so I will be sure to grab the sequel as soon as it hits the shelves to learn what’s next to come for Ashoka.

Inventing Anna Review

Inventing Anna is the latest series that everyone is talking about online. It has topped Netflix’s charts and we just can’t seem to get enough of the new Shondaland project. From 2013 to 2017, Anna Delvey fooled New York’s elite into believing she was the heiress of a wealthy German family with a trust fund of $60 million waiting for her. Racking up enormous debt and leaving friends with massive bills, Anna, whose real surname is Sorokin, eventually wound up paying for her fraud, though some may say, she didn’t pay enough.

I was engrossed from beginning to end, unable to stop watching the hour-long episodes, even as it turned to midnight, and I had work in the morning. I can see why it has garnered so much hype and it intrigues me to learn about the real woman behind the series. I want to devour every little bit of information about Anna Sorokin, I want to read Rachel DeLoache Williams’s book and Jessica Pressler’s original article. I’ve stalked her Instagram, I’ve read several articles on the show, and I want to know more. This is definitely a show that I will rewatch many times and enjoy for a long time to come. But what makes it so fascinating?

For me, personally, this show hits a guilty pleasure of watching the wealthy elite. No matter how angry I feel reading about that closed society with enough money to cancel all student debt and make sure that children don’t go hungry, I can’t help but imagine myself like that one day. I want to live a life where money isn’t a concern. Where I don’t have to struggle at a job that mentally and emotionally drains me just to scrape by. Where I can hop on a plane on a whim and visit the beautiful places of the world. I want that life and Anna Sorokin just walked right in and took it for herself. Somehow, she invited herself into the close knit group of some of the most elite people in the world. Wouldn’t we all love to do that?

Of course, I don’t want to gorge myself with wealth and so I still feel hostility towards these people and their frivolous pleasures. Which makes the story so captivating. On the one hand, you’re rooting for the girl who has nothing to dupe these elites out of their money, and on the other hand, you’re furious  that she’s cheating her way through the system and getting what she wants. She didn’t work for this, why, is she getting rewarded? I believe it’s those two strong and conflicting reactions that have really grabbed hold of audiences and has launched this mini series into popularity.

The show focuses on Manhattan journalist, Vivian Kent who wants to break the story of Anna Sorokin to the world. As she attempts to unravel the intricately crafted narrative of Anna Delvey that Sorokin created, she tries to understand how so many of the elite were swindled. Where did Anna’s money, and her lies, come from? We jump from the present to the past throughout the nine episodes as we slowly learn who Delvey is and what her crimes were.

I really enjoyed the narrative. We get to flashback to the events as Vivian interviews the many people Delvey interacted with, all leading up to her eventual arrest. Each episode focuses mostly on one character and their part in Anna’s story. It kept the intrigue as they hinted at an even bigger scam to come. People close to Delvey shrouded themselves from Vivian, wanting to avoid being connected with the fake heiress but that made us want to see their story even more. The intertwined storytelling kept up the air of suspense throughout, making it impossible to stop watching.

The rest of the review will be full of spoilers. Even if you followed the original story, you’ll want to watch the Netflix show before continuing on.

Anna Delvey, both the real person, and the show, hit a sweet spot which propelled them to the top. In the first episode, Delvey is aptly compared to Trump. Somehow, she managed to fool a whole system that nearly got her millions of dollars. She made people listen to her because she said all the things they wanted to hear. Who would dare to make up their fortune and create such a convincing ruse? I couldn’t help but see the similarities between Anna and Pepper Smith from Katy Keene. Even her big project was exactly the same; an exclusive club for artists. Like Anna, she had no money for the project and her entire identity was crafted to fool the wealthy. I had to look into it and discovered that Pepper was inspired by Anna Delvey.

Then we see her friends, Neff and Rachel, who refuse to accept the truth even as it’s laid out right in front of them. This is something we see more and more today. People don’t want to admit they were wrong and they’d rather hold onto something even if all the facts are stacking against them because they don’t want to look stupid. In episode 6, Noah tells Vivian that Rachel isn’t stupid, defending her for trusting Anna and losing thousands of dollars. And we can’t blame her friends for initially trusting Anna because she was so good at fooling others.

Anna seems to be a narcissistic sociopath. She gaslights others and only thinks about herself, even when her ‘friends’ are in huge trouble. This is part of the reason she was so successful. She could swindle others without batting an eye. But we also see what else made her so successful; her ability to adapt and change according to the need. With each person she was trying to dupe, she transformed to who she needed to be. With Talia Mallay, she’s a socialite. With Nora Radford, she changed herself to be more productive and serious. With Alan Reed, she plays on his fatherly love for his daughter to win him over and convince him to take her seriously. She’s a people person and able to win people over.

Sometimes we get glimpses of the real Anna behind the façade she cultivated. She latches onto people who made themselves as she made herself. These are the only people she can truly admire because they have achieved exactly what she is attempting. Underneath the cool and savvy socialite she created, she’s really a superficial young woman who admired the wealthy elite and sought to make herself their equal. We see it in the way she interacts with Vivian. She wants Vivian to be a VIP when visiting her because she wants to surround herself with VIPs, even as she sits in prison. She critiques Vivian’s clothes and asks if she’s fat, as if any of that matters while talking with a reporter who will potentially be covering your story. This is why I don’t understand why Vivian feels so strongly for Anna. She has never been kind or sincere so why does she care so much?

What I really dislike about this show is how close Vivian got to Anna. She spoke about her very affectionately and she seemed way too invested in her on a personal level which felt odd. It was as of the audience wasn’t allowed to blame Anna for the crimes she committed and was found guilty for. Vivian also seemed way too close to Anna’s lawyer, Todd. It seems like it crosses some sort of ethical line but I don’t know the specifics of lawyer-journalist relationships.

I hated how Vivian and Todd continuously called Anna a kid. She was twenty-six when she went to trial. That’s not a kid. She’s more than capable of understanding the consequences of her actions and should’ve been held accountable for every one of them. By calling her a kid, it diminishes her crimes, and I can’t help but feel like it’s yet another jab at Millennials. For years we have been infantilized, called ‘children’ so that we wouldn’t be taken seriously. Twenty-six is not a child, it’s an adult who makes choices.

I actually just generally disliked Vivian. She was, to me, the most annoying character of the show. I think it was a lot of the actress’s mannerisms and that crazy look in her eyes she had throughout much of the show. But other than her, I really liked everyone else in the show. I loved Talia Mallay who we saw in episode two. She was generous and genuine and I like her ethic. How she was embarrassed that she couldn’t do simple things for herself, like fry an egg, and how she wanted to make her own money. “Earning it beats inheriting it,” is what she tells Anna when they first meet and I appreciate that. She was humanized in a way I like. I liked Nora and Val and I wish we saw more of them later in the series, and I enjoyed the dynamic of Neff, Rachel, and Kacey. I will say that Neff’s way of speaking almost seems comical, like she thinks she’s in a 40’s film of NYC. And I love the old crankies at Scriberia. They provided the comic relief of the show and were so fun when on screen.

I also appreciate the mention of Billy McFarland and the debacle of the Fyre Festival. Anna really did crash at his place, and I love that they included this part of her life, even though it was a passing moment. It was another instance of someone duping people out of money because they made promises they couldn’t keep. I would’ve appreciated the removal of Travis Scott’s music from the show.

Inventing Anna has been one of the best shows I’ve watched in a long time. It was so captivating and entertaining, with good humor, great storytelling, and compelling characters. This miniseries is definitely one to add to your watchlist.

The Cuphead Show Review

The Cuphead Show is Netflix’s latest original series and is based on the popular 2017 run-and-gun video game. It follows the adventures of the brothers Cuphead and Mugman after Cuphead loses a game and owes the Devil his soul. The cup brothers often get themselves in mischief much to Elder Kettle’s dismay.

I personally never played the game, as I am not good at shooter games, and this is definitely one that requires skill to beat the many bosses. However, I am very familiar with it thanks to numerous Let’s Play channels on YouTube making full series on the gameplay.

Many side characters and bosses from the original game make an appearance in the show, though there are many more yet to be seen. With twelve episodes, each one just over ten minutes long, it’s a quick watch that’s fun, though fans of the game may be disappointed with the end result. The episodes are disjointed which reminds me much of Disenchantment which sprinkled in the actual plot of the show in the end of the seasons. It tries to be both episodic and serial, with the main plot of Cuphead owing his soul to the Devil introduced in the first episode, then being forgotten immediately in the second episode.

I think the show is much stronger when we follow the main plot or encounter the villains from the original game. The other episodes that have nothing to do with the plot are the weakest and I’d honestly skip them in the rewatch.

I do appreciate this almost Silly Symphony feel to the show. The original game took inspiration from the old Disney cartoons, and other shows like Betty Boop and Popeye the Sailor. You can definitely see the inspiration, and I love the style of the show. I like how they kept that feel of the 2D video game, using parallax to give the illusion of 3D in the 2D art and it reminded me of the video game. Sometimes they even shift to Claymation style for the background, so they clearly had a lot of fun with the artistic part of the show. Visually, it’s a great adaption from the game, but story wise, it left a lot to be desired.

The rest of the review will include spoilers, so check out the full first season on Netflix before continuing on.

The show makes a huge change in the overall plot. In the original game, Cuphead loses a bet to the Devil and in order to keep his soul, he has to track down others that owe their soul to him. In the series, Cuphead instead loses a carnival game and owes the Devil his soul. He manages to escape and has to avoid losing his soul. I don’t mind the change in plot, but I wish it was consistent. In between episodes feature the Devil, he’s forgotten, without even a mention of Cuphead’s dire situation.

A lot of this show feels much like style over substance. Visually, it’s fantastic. They do so well with pairing the art style with the voice acting. What I really dislike is the episodic nature of the season. It highlighted the lack of substance in the show and how many throw away episodes there are. Episodes two, four, and six could’ve been completely thrown out because they add nothing to the show.

I particularly have an issue with episode two. This one follows the introduction of the Devil and the underlying plot. We go straight from escaping the Devil to having to care for an abandoned baby that causes chaos in the house. I kept waiting for the Devil to reveal that he sent to baby, but in the end, this entire episode meant nothing. The baby is dropped off at another unsuspecting home and it’s never even mentioned again. Cuphead and Mugman learn nothing and nothing is gained or lost. It’s filler for the sake of filler.

I honestly wouldn’t mind this so much if they made some small mention of the Devil. I like in episode ten that it’s insinuated that the Devil is shopping at Porkrind’s shop, showing the audience that he’s still lurking about. Even though this episode didn’t have anything to do with the main plot, it’s a good episode because it shows Mugman learning to be brave. It was a fun episode.

Episode six is a more tolerable filler episode. I like the nods to some of the bosses in it and it’s a lot more fun than episodes two and four. But the best episodes are definitely the ones that follow along with the Devil and his search for Cuphead. By the time he returns in episode seven, it shows how weakly thought out this plotline is and by episode ten, we’re back where we started.

How is the powerful Devil not able to find Cuphead for seven episodes? It’s not like he’s hiding. He’s just at home. In episode eight, he just appears in front of Cuphead to take his soul so he obviously could’ve done this at any time. I would’ve liked if the Devil had sent henchman to catch him, rather than Cuphead just running into all these bad guys randomly. The Root Pack show up in Elder Kettle’s garden and steal the water. I would’ve liked them to be linked back to the Devil rather than just randomly showing up and causing a mess. It would’ve been a nice shift of instead of Cuphead going after the bosses’ souls, they came after his.

By the end of episode nine, Cuphead no longer has the sweater that protects him from the Devil, so now what’s stopping him from taking his soul? It’s such a weak storyline that gets frustrating. Eventually, the audience is going to stop caring about it altogether and then what? We need some sort of tension and worry for our protagonists, but there is none.

The final episode of the season leaves us with a ‘To be continued’ screen and I wonder what we are continuing to. In the final episode, we meet Chalice who teaches the brothers how to swindle their way to get what they want. The cops eventually find them after they sneaked into a cookie factory, and she abandons them, revealing to the audience that she’s a ghost. Why couldn’t this cliffhanger be from a plot with the Devil, as we were led to believe this would be the actual main plot of the show? This show is just so disjointed and lackluster in plot.

Cuphead and Mugman seem to luck their way through everything. In the game, they have to fight the bosses, using special abilities to beat them. Here, they stumble their way through everything. I really enjoy the cup brothers, but I wish they got through their adversities with more effort. I enjoyed when Mugman protected Cuphead from the Devil’s devious schemes and I wish they had emphasized this relationship more throughout.

It’s tough to put a rating on this show. There is so much I really liked about it but just as much I was disappointed by. Cuphead and Mugman are fun characters and I like their humor. Their interactions with the Devil are the best in the show and I wish we had seen more of this. I wish we had more moments with the bosses from the original game as well. We get hints of them in the background, with only a few making actual appearances in the show. I really enjoyed King Dice and I hope they utilize the other bosses in a similar way.

With each rewatch, I find more and more to appreciate in the art style. I love how they blend the animation with real backgrounds, especially in episode nine when we see the Devil’s throne room. The show has a decent rating, with an 8/10 on IMDB and 64% on Rotten Tomatoes so it’s likely to get renewed for a second season. I do hope they get to continue telling the story, but I hope they focus more on a story.

Whether you are familiar with the original Cuphead video game or stumbled on this show out of the blue, The Cuphead Show is a fun new series to enjoy. If you enjoy the retro animation style, I’d recommend giving it a shot.

Cruel Summer Review

Before I discuss this show, I want to put a trigger warning. This show deals with kidnapping, domestic abuse, and grooming.

Jeanette Turner is living the life she always wanted. She’s popular, she has the hot boyfriend, she’s everything she wished she could be. Her life is perfect until Kate Wallis returns after being kidnapped and held hostage in a basement and accuses Jeanette of seeing her during her captivity. Jeanette is adamant that Kate is lying, but Kate is sure of her memory of that night. One of them is lying, but who?

This was such a surprise from Freeform. It’s definitely not the petty teen drama they’re known for. I remember tuning in every week and watching the latest episodes of shows like The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Pretty Little Liars, Make It or Break It, Switched at Birth, etc. Cruel Summer is nothing like these. It’s mature and dark and handles some really difficult topics that the previous shows tried to tackle but ended up being so cheesy and ridiculous, it was hard to really appreciate what they were trying to do.

Secret Life handles teen pregnancy, Pretty Little Liars handles the death of a friend and harassment and stalking, Make It or Break It follows young gymnasts with Olympic hopes, and Switched at Birth handles a lot of different family dynamics and introduces ASL to audiences. Every one of these incredibly popular and highly successful shows had something important to say but handled them poorly so their message was lost to the antics and horrid writing.

Cruel Summer is a refreshing change to the petty drama and lazily written plot points and dialogue. It felt like a lot of care went into telling this story and I was able to immerse completely in these characters’ lives. It was nice to finally have a show where the characters looked more like teenagers instead of the heavily stylized girls of Pretty Little Liars. Though, the actors are much older than their characters, with Chiara being the youngest at 19, but they were at least believable at playing teenagers.

We got to see more unconventional actors on the screen which I really appreciate. Harley Quinn Smith was so good as the aggravating Mallory and Chiara Aurelia was great at being unsettling so you had to question if Jeanette was the one lying. Olivia Holt is the biggest name on the series and her portrayal of Kate Wallis was so well done. In all, the show featured a strong cast that drove the story and kept me invested from the first episode to the very end. I even struggled through the exhaustion from my second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to keep watching (though in the end, the vaccine won).  

The three years that this story spans are woven together episode by episode, with each one taking place on the same day or series of days of each year. It requires the viewer to pay attention as the year shifts and interchanges within scenes. The show relies on the lighting and the filters to depict a change in year, the past being very bright and natural, reflecting the peace before the horrid events of 1994. 1995 is the darkest of them as Kate and Jeanette deal with the fallout of Kate’s accusation.

I really like this method of storytelling. It lends to the mystery of the events and allows the writers to keep the truth hidden until the very end while still showing the entirety of the timeline. For ten episodes, you’re left wondering who’s lying.

I’m obsessed with the 90s aesthetic of the show. With the resurgence of 90s fashion, it really hits home on the nostalgia that I can’t help but feel as I get older and life gets harder. We always idolize “the good old days” and every generation says that their past time was the best but as someone who has faced two recessions, one before I even left high school, I can’t help but wish for the return of many things from the 90s. Using this time as the setting for the show allows the writers to avoid the use of smartphones and computers which can really change the story. I really enjoyed the 90s setting and hopefully, we’ll see more shows and movies set in this time.

This marks the spoiler section of the review so if you haven’t seen Cruel Summer yet, all ten episodes are available to stream on Hulu.

The show does a really good job with keeping up the suspense over all ten episodes. We learn early on that Martin Harris is Kate’s kidnapper and just before he took her, Kate’s mother said something awful. As we see Kate’s relationship with her mother deteriorate and Kate interacting more and more with Martin, I kept thinking that this was the moment. Then, nothing would happen, and I had to wait one more episode to know how Martin kidnapped Kate, only to be swindled again.

On the other side, we are also left in suspense on when or if Jeanette sees Kate in Martin’s house as we see her being obsessed with Kate from the start. Then, as she continuously breaks into Martin’s house, I wondered if this was the moment. Was Kate telling the truth? But each time, Jeanette left the house without seeing anyone and it seems as if Kate was lying.  Finally, at the revelation that it was in fact that Mallory who saw her, the audience can finally believe both Kate and Jeanette. In the darkness, neither girl saw the other’s face and it was only by the clacking of a card on a bike that the mishap was made.

But then, another twist reveals that while Jeanette never saw Kate, she heard her in the basement of the house and left her there. It’s far worse than what Kate accused her of, as Jeanette actually had the power to open that door and save her, but instead, she leaves her so that she can continue living Kate’s life. It really makes everything about Jeanette so much more unsettling. Her reaction to the gunshot, her immediate thought that Kate’s body was found. Jeanette clearly expected Kate to be killed in that house and did nothing, just so she could keep Kate’s friends and boyfriend.

When I watched the show the first time, I wanted to be on Jeanette’s side. I felt for her as the outcast who just wanted to be popular. But then rewatching, I realized that she had a wonderful friend in Vince, though Mallory was definitely not a great friend as she kept pushing and pushing Jeanette to do things she didn’t want to. She had a loving family, though her mother was just as off as Jeanette. She clearly wanted her daughter to be the popular girl, to be more like Kate. Her envy for another life rubbed off on her daughter and Kate’s mom was strangely right. After that final revelation, I can’t be on Jeanette’s side.

Olivia Holt really did an amazing job as Kate Wallis. Although she’s the biggest name attached to the series, this is the first thing I’ve seen her in. She’s the popular girl who seemingly has it all. One would expect her to be the mean girl but every interaction she has with Jeanette, she’s very kind to her. As far as we know, she never talks about Jeanette or her friends behind her back and she even defends her to her mother. For some reason, Mallory hates Kate but we never learn why. But Mallory is just walking angst so that may explain it.

Kate is nothing but likeable and sweet. Her relationship with her mother shatters over the course of the 1993 flashbacks to the point where it becomes abusive. We see her perfect life falling apart which allows Martin the perfect opportunity to take advantage of her. She’s at her most vulnerable and he presents himself as a friend which develops into an intimate relationship. In Kate’s eyes, this is a loving relationship. She finally has someone to confide in, who’s on her side in all of this. I am so, so glad that Freeform did not allow this to be portrayed that way and showed it for what it really is: inappropriate, dangerous, and absolutely unacceptable. I really hope they continue in this trajectory and quit showing minors dating adults in a good light.

Jaime is terrible. He punches Jeanette, he stalks her house with a gun in his car, and he gaslights Kate. He’s also responsible for Ben losing his football scholarship because of his drinking and driving. To me, his redemption isn’t enough. I appreciate that he supports Ben’s relationship with Vince, but he definitely has a long way to go before he can actually redeem himself.

I appreciate the Ben and Vince storyline. It’s a nice B plot that fleshes out the characters and the overall story. It allows the audience a short break from the heavy topic of grooming and abuse for something sweet and innocent. Their scene when they dance is a lovely little moment and I really liked their scenes together.

This show was a nice change of pace for Freeform which is notorious for depicting inappropriate relationships between adults and minors. It happens way too often in their shows. In Switched at Birth, Daphne has a relationship with her adult boss, and who could forget the absolute trainwreck that was Ezra and Aria in Pretty Little Liars? They’re relationship is grooming 101 and the way that the show pushed them and even gave them the big wedding of the series is incredibly disturbing. The fact that we continue to see such inappropriate relationships shows that we have so much more progress to make to protect minors, but I really appreciate what this show did. Every single episode featured resources for those facing domestic abuse, sexual abuse, or grooming. This series helps minors learn the signs and can protect themselves better, though the responsibility falls on the adults and minors should never be blamed.

Unfortunately, the show did not get to explore that aspect, as we only learned that Kate walked into that house willingly in the last two episodes. Up until then, we assumed Martin kidnapped her. Instead, he gained her trust and he opened up his house for her. He manipulated her into staying in this disturbing relationship, making her feel like she could trust him to do the right thing for her. Victim blaming is unfortunately a huge problem that we face, and I would’ve liked for the show to go more into the fact that Kate walked into that house. She is not to blame for any of the things that happened to her, and I wish we had that message pushed forward.

A season 2 has been confirmed and I don’t know what to expect. Nothing has been confirmed except for a 2022 release date, though the month has not been said. Season one was a concise story with a solid ending, so I don’t know what more needs to be said. I do understand that it’s unsatisfying that we see that Jeanette got away with leaving Kate in the basement, but sometimes, the ending is unsatisfying. I really hope they tread carefully with season two as Freeform is notorious for bad writing and dragging shows out much longer than they need to go on. Many shows that started out strong died a slow and painful death with awful plotlines and dialogue. I can only hope they keep the integrity of the show but only time will tell.

Emily in Paris Season 2 Review

Emily in Paris Season 2 Review

Season two of Emily in Paris dropped on Netflix just in time for the holidays and everyone was busy binging it, including myself. In this season, we continue to follow Emily as she navigates being an American in Paris, with all the romance and the drama that seems to come along with it. Between the eccentric fashion, more focus on our supporting cast, and a healthier dose of French language, season two is an improvement while still holding onto what made the show fun. It’s not perfect by any means and it has some frustrating moments, but it’s nice that the writers are listening to the criticisms and improving the series.

Season two definitely leans more into the comedy genre and feels far more exaggerated that season one. For the most part, I really like this new tone, but I can’t stand the high-pitched, whiny way that Emily talks when things are going wrong. Yes, it adds to the comedy, but it is a beating to the ears.

Other than that, I like that they’re leaning more into this vibe and it allows me to better immerse myself in it. It reminds me not to take the show too seriously and I can laugh at Emily, rather than be endlessly annoyed by her. By exaggerating Emily in this way, they take away her superiority complex she suffered in season one. Had they done this from the beginning, scenes such as the one where she’s introducing herself to the new office would’ve been funny and not frustrating.

I think what makes this shift work is that the writers allowed us to learn who the French characters are. Sylvie and Luc feel more like people and not caricatures. I adore when the scenes allow the actors to play off each other and they are starting to have a real chemistry with one another. I’ll go more into detail in the spoiler section of the review, but I really appreciate this change.

I’m also glad they let the French actors speak in French when they’re not having to accommodate for Emily. Camille makes a request that her meetings at Savoir be exclusively in French, and I realize just how odd it’s been that the clients have been forced to speak in another language. When we shift to French, the characters feel so much more natural, and it allows them to feel more authentic. They play off each other really well in these moments and it’s so refreshing after season one. We also see Emily spending more time in French class which I appreciate. It’s nice to see her trying and taking the time to adapt to her new home.

The rest of the review will contain spoilers so make sure to watch season two before you continue reading.

One of my absolute favorite moments in this season is in episode three which centers around Emily’s birthday. She receives a Chicago deep dish pizza in the mail and her co-workers are quite disgusted with the gift. The way they interact with one another shows how much charisma these actors have and it’s such a fun scene. Emily is oblivious to their reactions, and I think Lily Collins was adorable in this scene. I want more of this sort of comedy and interactions between the cast.

Although we didn’t see much of Julien in this season, I adored his scenes with Pierre Cadault as he tries to mend the relationship between the designer and Savoir after Emily makes a huge blunder.  I hope we get more of who he is, as all I know about him right now is that he loves men and fashion. We’ve learned about Sylvie’s husband and her past as a photographer, and we know that Luc loves philosophy and French New Wave films.

We do spend way too much on the Gabriel plot. The love triangle they are pushing hard is the least interesting part of the season. Gabriel is not the stud they are trying so desperately to make him into. In the year 2021 and, now 2022, audiences are over the love triangle plot that pits women against each other over a man that doesn’t deserve either one of them. Gabriel started cheating on Camille long before he slept with Emily. Not once did he express to Emily that he was in a relationship, even with it was absolutely clear they were flirting with one another. He didn’t stop Emily from kissing him, and he still did not reveal the truth. Then, as they spent more and more time together, he continued to develop feelings for Emily and didn’t say a thing to Camille. He drags Camille along even though he has feelings for someone else.

Then, in the season two finale, we see that Gabriel asked Camille to move in with him. He’s still hung up on Emily so he shouldn’t be leading Camille along, again. This plotline is messy and boring and needs to go away. I hope that in season three, Camille dumps Gabriel and finds someone better for her. They do continue the trend of queer-baiting the audience with Camille. She continues to show affectionate gestures towards Emily, like stroking her arm when they’re smelling perfumes, and Mindy kisses her during her performance in the first episode. They keep hinting at a possibility of Camille being bisexual but never commit.

I do appreciate that not every man in Paris isn’t fawning over Emily again. I love the lack of Antoine in this season and that they dropped the plotline that pitted Emily against Sylvie. I think they did a good job building up Alfie’s relationship with Emily gradually and more naturally. He was a good opposite for her, and I enjoyed their scenes together for the most part. I’m also happy to see Sylvie thriving in her new relationship with a younger man. I think Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu is stunning and I love the portrayal of her as a strong, confident woman, not a bitter, jealous older woman competing against the younger woman.

My biggest problem, which everyone seems to agree with, even an entire government, is the portrayal of Petra. She’s a Ukrainian woman that Emily meets in French class whose entire plotline revolves around stealing clothes. Emily meets up with her to practice French and, in a shopping trip gone wrong, Petra steals a bunch of stuff, dragging Emily along. This scene is so bizarre and stupid, and I have many questions. First, what on earth did Emily think Petra mean by ‘gratuit’ when putting the bag on Emily’s shoulder? Did she honestly think Petra was buying it for her? How did they manage to just walk out with hundreds of euros worth of stuff, while yelling? And how did Emily manage to return the items without getting in trouble? This scene is pointless. It adds nothing to the series. It only serves to show Emily as someone who doesn’t steal but did we need that confirmation? The show did away with the problematic jokes and comments about Asian and French people, and instead, included a very toxic portrayal of an Eastern European immigrant that serves no purpose. The writers of Emily in Paris need a serious lesson in portraying other ethnicities and not relying on harmful stereotypes for humor.

I do miss boulangerie woman, but I love her little cameo in Emily’s timeline as @thecroissantladyparis. I like all the little nods to season one. We see some of Emily’s old posts from the previous season on her birthday timeline and we see her previous outfits popping up in the background.

Speaking of clothes, Emily’s style is still just as eccentric and that doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon. Honestly, I can’t help but love it. I also like to dress in statement clothes that are odd and make you do a double take. My wardrobe isn’t as wild as Emily’s, by a longshot (I don’t have near the budget as she does for clothes shopping), and it’s why I really like seeing her different outfits. There are several pieces I would love to add to my closet, including that stunning silver coat from the first episode, and her silly stripped pants. I could do without all the gloves and the hats, but for the most part, I enjoy the style.

Mindy is also a fashion icon. I’m obsessed with her beautiful, feathered dress in episode five and she looks chic in so many of her outfits. Camille suffers, though, in her wardrobe. What was dreamy and French in season one has now shifted to looking sloppy in the oversized blazers and overalls. She still has some incredible looks, like her black dress in the first episode and her cool snake print outfit in episode nine. I also strangely adore her big hat with a chain in episode two.

I’m still not a fan of Mindy’s singer storyline. Like I said in my season one review, I don’t usually like storylines that follow people wanting to be a singer. They have so much potential with her character and I’m disappointed that they’re just doing the easy route of talented singer that’s not recognized. I was really looking forward to the plotline I thought they were setting up in episode two when Mindy realizes her father was in Saint Tropez the week before them and she sent him a message saying that she missed him. But after this episode, it’s never mentioned again. They have a habit of seemingly setting up a plot, then abandoning it immediately. Another instance of this was the new bartender for Gabriel’s restaurant who walked in on Emily and Gabriel kissing. They focus on Camille and the bartender working together soon after, as if something was going to happen, but it never does. They’re just wasting time and getting the audience invested in something that will never happen.

The best plotline of the series so far was definitely the arrival of Madeline, the woman who was supposed to be in Emily’s shoes. In season one, they show a huge contrast between Emily and Madeline in their French ability and so, when I saw that Madeline was on her way to Paris, I expected a savvy, fluent boss who was going to show us what Emily should have been. Instead, we see that Emily is a saint in comparison. Madeline is somehow more obnoxious than Emily was in the entire first season. Despite touting her Masters in French, her speaking is arguably worse that Emily’s. She’s loud, overbearing, and just outright annoying. Sylvie got off easy with Emily. I don’t like that we only got this at the end of the season. I wish we had more episodes of this, letting things escalate gradually. Let the audience think that Madeline is going to show Emily how to integrate in Paris, only to realize, she’s much worse at it than she is. Let Emily slowly realize just how wrong she was about her work ethic and American perspective. But aside from thinking this plotline was introduced too late, I think they actually did really well with it.

Season two left us with a cliffhanger. After quitting and taking the staff with her, Sylvie offers Emily a permanent stay in Paris as a part of her new company. Every review that I’ve seen is adamant that Emily will stay because we are watching Emily in Paris, not in Chicago, which, yes, this is true. But what’s really telling for me is the fact that Emily doesn’t seem to have a life in Chicago. We hear about her returning to her friends all the time, but we haven’t even seen a photo of said friends. I never felt the suspense of Emily having to go home because we have seen a miniscule look at her home and all we got was her running around an office and having one night with a boyfriend that’s never even mentioned again. Chicago is obviously never going to be her home in this series.

Season two was a definite improvement, but there are still ways to make this show better. It’s nice to have writers listening to the audience’s complaints and making changes to improve on their show. I like the tone more so than I did in the first season and I hope they continue to give us more moments with Sylvie, Luc, and Julien. I really hope that they abandon love triangle and don’t have Emily end up with Gabriel, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened. Netflix just renewed the show for a season three and four and I can’t wait to see where Emily ends up next.  

Cemetery Boys Review

Yadriel is a transgender boy who wants nothing more than to prove to his traditional Latinx family that he is a brujo. When he accidentally summons the spirit of Julian Diaz, he has to race against time to release his spirit before Día de los Muertos, but Yadriel quickly learns just how stubborn Julian really is.

Cemetery Boys is a strong representation of what it means to be a trans boy who wants to prove himself to a family that refuses to break from tradition. For the most part, I think it’s a strong story. Even though it faltered at the end, and my rating dipped down a bit, but it didn’t make me hate it. I do wish it was done differently but as it is, I give this a strong 3.7 out of 5. It’s definitely worth the read and should be on everyone’s bookshelf if you enjoy YA fiction filled with magic and the paranormal, but more importantly, endearing characters.

I have been trying to read this book for about a year now and I finally managed to finish it. This is in no way a reflection of the book, but rather myself, who struggled to get any reading done in 2021. I reread the first 50 pages about three times which means it was a strong opening. I usually don’t torture myself so if a book isn’t grabbing my attention, I put it down. I wanted to read it, so I was very willing to read those pages again each time I attempted to finally finish a book. I kept going back to it over and over again, determined to read something. And finally, I got myself to focus and stick with the book, and I’m so glad I did.

Character is the most important thing in a novel for me and I fell in love with Yadriel, Martiza, and Julian. For the most part, there was good pacing, the writing was strong, and it was a really lovely story. The last quarter of the novel was drastically weaker though, and I’ll discuss that in the spoiler portion of the review.

Cemetery Boys centers on a Latinx family and I love the liveliness and the strong familial bonds depicted. Often times when a novel has a large cast of characters, the secondary and tertiary characters feel flat and unrealized. They often lack a substance and feel as if they’re an afterthought. Here, for the most part, I didn’t feel like any of the characters were there for the sake of being there. I got a clear sense of the large family Yadriel was a part of without needing to have them running around in every scene. There were some characters I wish we had spent more time with, but the world of Cemetery Boys felt realized and lived in.

This is the first novel about a transgender character that I’ve ever read. It’s not that I actively avoided such a topic, I just simply hadn’t found the right book that spoke to me. I’m drawn more to the fantasy and sci-fi genres than contemporary which is more often the genre that tells transgender stories. When I found Cemetery Boys, I was immediately intrigued by the premise, and I was excited to find a novel about a topic that I know very little about but want to learn more. I have met only a few openly transgender people before, none of whom I knew beyond acquaintance. I am ignorant to a lot of the issues that transgender people go through and I often felt like Yadriel’s family. Though I was speaking more from ignorance than willful refusal to acknowledge one’s gender, reading about Yadriel’s frustration showed me how frustrating and disheartening it can be for the transgender community when people like me slip up and make mistakes.

Novels like this are powerful. They allow people who are like Yadriel to see themselves portrayed and it gives them a character to bond with. It also allows people outside of the trans community to have empathy for trans people. Ignorance hinders progress and the more novels we have about the LGBTQIA+ community, the easier it is to tackle ignorance. I am so glad that I found this novel and that it was even featured on the Barnes & Noble YA Book Club, which is the gorgeous edition that I got. We need to continue highlighting these stories, not only for the youth that this book is largely targeted to, but for adults as well. I have always been an advocate for people to support media that depicts people different from them. We have far too many CIS white men and women in leading roles, and any time these roles deviate, the biggest argument is ‘I can’t relate to this character’. I am not a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, but I relate to Yadriel feeling alone in his school. Obviously not to the extent that he did, but I did struggle with bullying and feeling isolated in middle school and high school so I can empathize. But I also empathized with his struggle that I myself will never face. I don’t have to relate to every aspect of a character to be invested in their story and it seems a lot of people have yet to learn that.

Now, onto spoilers.

I absolutely love the way Yadriel describes Julian, especially as he’s falling in love with him. In the beginning, Julian’s stubbornness threatens to expose Yadriel’s secret and he has to put up with him until he finds Julian’s friends. By the end, Julian’s stubbornness becomes endearing, a trait that Yadriel falls in love with. I think that the progression of their affection for one another is well paced and feels organic. Many times, when you have a story that takes place over just a few days, the romance can feel rushed and unbelievable, but in Cemetery Boys, I can believe it.

“He didn’t see how anyone could get a clean break from Julian once they entered his orbit […] He was a bit of an ass. Headstrong, impulsive, and definitely obnoxious. But Yadriel could see how ferociously he cared about the people who were important to him.”

Cemetery Boys p. 157-158

“He was so…visceral. He was so real. Even with his blurry edges and chilling touch, he was a force of nature. He was loud, he was stubborn, he was determined, and he was reckless.”

Cemetery Boys p. 243

One of the things that Yadriel loves about Julian is how confident he is about who he is. When Yadriel assumes that Julian is straight, Julian corrects him instantly, stating that he is actually gay without any hesitation. Yadriel has struggled with his sexuality and gender identity, not having the confidence that he envies in Julian.

“He’d said it so… ’casually’ wasn’t the right word, but maybe ‘easily’ was. Whenever Yadriel came out to anyone, it was always an ordeal that he overthought and dragged out. It was nerve-racking, waiting to see someone’s reaction, whether they would reject him, or even understand what it meant when a trans boy said he was gay. But not for Julian.

He’d said it as almost a challenge. In a way that said he didn’t care what you thought.”

Cemetery Boys p. 125

We see Julian rub off on Yadriel as he becomes more and more comfortable with who he is. He gets the courage to use the boy’s restroom at school. This feels like such a small step but is actually a huge leap for Yadriel and I love seeing him become who he truly is.

“But he was a boy, and if this was what they bathrooms were like, then he’d get used to it.”

Cemetery Boys p. 209

We see why Julian is so good with helping Yadriel be truer to himself when we finally meet his friends. They are truly a band of ‘misfits’, people who are rejected by everyone else and have formed their own family. We have Luca who was abused and subsequently joined a gang, Rocky who lives in a group home, Flaca, a trans girl who was thrown out of her home, and Omar whose parents were deported. Julian lives with his older brother, Rio, as their mother abandoned them, and their dad was killed in street violence. I appreciate that Thomas touched on other subjects that the Latinx community faces, bringing these kids together in a support system that no one else shows them. When Julian is missing, none of them call the police because of their fear of deportation which is a very real and very terrifying issue that Latinx people face every day. I do wish this, and the other issues facing Julian’s friends, were touched on a little bit more since this is such a topical issue and feels like it could really add to the story.

This leads to my biggest problem with the book, the last quarter of the novel. We had been building up the mystery of what happened to Julian and finding his friends, but then we just leave them and don’t see them until a brief moment at the end. I wish we had spent more time with them and bring them in on the search. Luca helps for a brief moment but then is gone as well. I wanted to see more of Yadriel and Flaca interacting as they have that shared trait of being trans. Flaca has more confidence in who she is, using the girl’s restroom without fear, even as she gets in trouble for doing so. I wanted to see some bonding between them. They could be the friends that Yadriel desperately needs, as he seems to really have no one except for his cousin Martiza.

The final day before Yadriel releases Julian takes a sudden turn in tone and all of a sudden, Yadriel is skipping school and stealing Julian and Rio’s’ car. They go to the Halloween bonfire, and all of this adds nothing to the story. It severely weakened the pacing and all the buildup we had been leading to. I also want to know what happened to the whole day. One moment, Yadriel is buying all of Julian’s favorite foods, then they’re stealing the car, then they’re all of a sudden at the bonfire? Where did the day go? This was such a huge waste that could’ve been much better utilized.

I wish instead they had kept on track with finding Julian’s body. Maybe Yadriel skips school and finds Julian’s friends to get their help. He can still get Julian’s foods for his ofrenda, but the grand theft auto storyline needs to go. I wanted to feel the building tension as they run out of time to find Julian’s body. Maybe one of his friends is in danger of being killed like Julian or goes missing as well and they have to find them. I picked up on Tío Catriz being the villain about halfway through and I absolutely loved the potential of this. You have him being an outsider like Yadriel, as he was born without the powers of a brujo but then he chooses a very dangerous path to be acknowledged by his family. The juxtaposition of this would’ve been incredible but unfortunately, it’s rushed through. The fight between Yadriel and Catriz ends much too soon. It’s resolved almost as quickly as it’s revealed and that really weakened it. I wish that Catriz had shown some more hints to being the bad guy or that we got to see him spiraling into desperation and anger. Maybe he says something that raises Yadriel’s suspicion. His character is definitely the weakest of the cast. He needed more time to be more realized and so we could feel his anger and frustration that would lead him to such a horrid crime. I would’ve liked to see him come unhinged slowly.

I’m not sure how I feel about the end, with Yadriel bringing Julian back to life. I almost wish that Julian had died, and Yadriel released his spirit, so that we have a more unpredictable ending. Another part of me is glad they get to be together because Julian is such an endearing character. Although, I really hated how he was acting in the end. He was almost animalistic in how he held onto Yadriel, not even letting his family help him. It was excessive and eye rolling. I know we have built up Julian to be an incredibly protective person, but this just wasn’t done right to me.

I do love the ending though. Seeing Yadriel be accepted into his family, becoming a brujo with his mom there to see is so wonderful. The final line shows that not everything is resolved with a neat little bow in one day.  

“No, it wasn’t the end. It was a better beginning”

Cemetery Boys p. 342

But it is progress. His family has made a huge first step in understanding who Yadriel is and accepting him. Yadriel’s father’s speech really moved me and is something that I wish so many more people understood.

“Growth isn’t a deviation from what we’ve done before, but a natural progression to honor all those who make this community strong.”

Cemetery Boys p. 339

People are so afraid of growth when it means accepting something they don’t understand. Seeing Yadriel’s incredibly traditional family accepting Yadriel’s identity is a powerful message that I truly hope that one day everyone will achieve. This novel relied on Yadriel proving himself in a literal sense, summoning a spirit which only a brujo could do, but in real life, it isn’t so simple. It is still possible, and stories like this help in educating people about trans people. As we have more and more visibility in media, one day perhaps trans stories will be more accepted and we learn to understand those who identify as a trans person.

I really did enjoy this book despite the dislike I have for the last 80 or so pages. I want to read more stories about trans characters because I have so much to learn. I love that the LGBTQIA+ community is given a stronger voice and that we are starting to listen. Cemetery Boys is a wonderful novel and I loved reading Yadriel’s journey. I know that there are a few other fantasy novels about trans characters, and I will definitely keep my eyes out for them.

Manifest Review

After going through an intense bout of turbulence on their flight, a group of passengers return home five years after they’re flight was presumed missing. They begin experiencing strange voices that alert them to future events and search for an answer of what happened to Flight 828.

Oh, this show. This has been my least favorite that I’ve watched this year and only stuck with it for the other person watching it with me. Otherwise, I probably would’ve quit a few episodes in. The premise is very interesting and cool, but the result is just so corny. Most of the actors were pretty subpar and the effects were like something out of 2010, not 2018-2020. I understand that being on the television screen means a smaller budget, but they could do something better than what we got. Josh Dallas is the most familiar face of the cast, starring as Prince Charming in Once Upon a Time and even his acting is not great. I don’t know if it was the material they were working with, but this show has so much cringey acting, it was hard to take it seriously.

Season two was the strongest of the three seasons we currently have. The pacing is much better than it was in season one and I wasn’t yet overwhelmed by their silly phrases they came up with by season three. Some of the stronger actors got a chance to shine in season two, including Luna Blaise who places Olive Stone, and we’re introduced to my favorite character, Drea Mikami.

There were some interesting plotlines throughout that did keep me invested, but usually only for short times. Once they were resolved, I found it hard to stick around, especially when I finally got to season three. I was really invested up until about the halfway point when a major storyline ended in such a disappointing and frustrating way. It makes me really question how they plan to end the series in the final season.

This is your official spoiler warning before I continue with the review.

Season one was a weak opening to the series, and I likely wouldn’t have continued past it. I wasn’t really given a chance to connect with our main characters of Ben and Michaela Stone before they boarded the ill-fated Flight 828. We get only a tiny glimpse of Michaela’s conflict over whether or not to accept her boyfriend’s proposal and her strained relationship with her mother. And the rift in Ben’s family dynamic is barely there before they are separated for what becomes five years for Grace and Olive. I wish we had started a little further back in their story and let the episode end with their return, rather than rushing through it with Michaela’s voice over. They cram in what they call ‘the callings’ into the pilot which leaves us with such a rushed pace of an episode. Because of this, I was never given the chance to connect with our main characters and thus, never invest in their struggles.

When we discover Michaela and Ben’s mother passed away, I wasn’t affected because we didn’t know who she was. Jared moving on had no impact because I did not know their history. For me, this highlights the true problem of the show for me. It relied way too heavily on the ‘gimmick’, the plot of these characters disappearing for five years and getting these strange premonitions, rather than giving us characters we can connect with. And for me, characters are the most important thing, whether it be a show, a movie, or a book.

As I said, season two was much stronger. The plotline with Zeke trying to beat his ‘death date’ gave a real sense of stakes in the show and created much needed tension. Olive, one of the stronger characters, gets a compelling plotline, feeling isolated within her own family as they deal with ‘the callings’ (which I absolutely hate the term) and so she seeks out others who seem to actually care about her in the Church of the Returned. I think they did well with pacing and the building of tension in this season, finally allowing me to really invest emotionally. I still had issues with many of the characters, but I loved having Olive more in the spotlight, and Michaela’s relationship with Zeke.

Season three really let me down after I had finally gotten invested. The Eureka storyline made me feel like I was in an episode of Agents of Shield. The over-the-top technology works in that show because of the universe it’s set in. Here, it comes out of nowhere and feels silly and too over-the-top.

We also got some of the worst characters in this season. Angelina is so unnerving, which I think is the point, but I really hated every time she was on the screen. The ‘Meth Heads’ storyline is also terrible. At first, I thought it was so interesting and I was on the edge of my seat until the end. The fact that one person caused the ‘Lifeboat’ (another cringey phrase) to sink is so infuriating. I was so moved by Pete Baylor and Kory Jephers that when they had to die along with Jace, I was angry, not because they died but because of the ridiculous reasoning for it. I don’t like that now, the passengers of 828 have to be responsible for others’ choices. It plays into this continuous ‘savior’ role that Ben Stone is in and it gets old very fast.

I really struggled to keep up with the passage of time in the show. The characters are always telling us that time has passed but it’s not shown to the audience, so I found myself losing track of time constantly. Other than hairstyles and Grace’s pregnancy, there wasn’t a clear way to tell time. Angelina’s relationship with Pete Baylor seemed so sudden, but in actuality, three months had passed without any clear indication. This is one of the reasons why I felt so rushed in the series. There are better ways to show your audience that time has passed, and it doesn’t need to be spelled out in dialogue.

This is evidence of how weak the writing is. The episodes follow the same plot: Ben or Michaela get a ‘calling’, try to answer it, realize they misinterpreted it, and fix it at the last second.

The dialogue is repetitive to the point where I started to roll my eyes with every mention of a calling or lifeboat.

When it comes to characters, there were few I could really connect with. Olive Stone is one and Drea Mikami is the other. I think it may be in part because I never had to see them make such cheesy, silly faces during some of the more intense ‘callings.’

Olive is Cal’s twin who has aged the five years her brother was gone and it’s such an interesting dynamic. Unfortunately, it’s not explored as much as I would like in the first season, only delving into it for a couple of episodes. She also has a really interesting storyline in season two as she struggles with her role in the family but is unfortunately given less screen time in the third season. She’s just there to fill in pieces of the puzzle when it’s convenient.

The one thing I really hated about her character was her dating older guys. By the end of the third season, she’s barely 19, but has had a serious relationship with a guy in college and pursuing an even older college assistant. She’s far too young for them and the fact that her parents do nothing to stop this is incredibly problematic. It’s far past time that we no longer see relationships like this portrayed in media.

Drea is a fun character and adds comedy without being too much. She’s endearing and even if we only get small moments of her, I really love when she’s on screen. She’s a great counter to Michaela as a ‘normal’ person not dealing with the ‘callings’. I think the two of them had great moments together and we definitely needed more of that to help develop Michaela’s character.

Ben Stone suffers the ‘savior’ trope and is constantly running around trying to help everyone. It’s something we’ve seen time and time again and Manifest brings nothing new to its leading characters. Michaela suffers with the tired love triangle that I thought was over when she married Zeke but with the ending we got in season three, it seems like Michaela might be going back to Jared. Having your female lead’s plotlines wrapped up in constant romantic interests is so overdone. I can’t recall any key plots about Michaela that didn’t involve either Jared or Zeke, other than the Evie plot that lasted only a couple of episodes.

Speaking of Jared, I found him to be the most annoying. He had no chemistry with Michaela, so I never had that need to root for them. I understand the situation. For one of our characters, it’s been five years since he lost the love of his life. For the other, she was gone only days. It’s a difficult situation for both of them but Jared lacked charisma, so I didn’t even want them to get together. When he was infiltrating the Xers, the people attacking the 828 passengers, I truly thought he was turning against Michaela because I never believed he was a good person. Even when it was revealed he was a good guy all along, I was over him.

Zeke was a much better fit for Michaela. I liked their moments, and they were far more endearing than any other couple in the entire show. Unfortunately, after he survives the death date, he becomes some sort of strange empath and doesn’t really add anything to the show. He’s just there and has lost everything that made him interesting. Once his storyline ended, it was like they didn’t know what to do with him.

Captain Daly is another character I really liked. The toll that the disappearance had on him was the most interesting character development we got. The guilt he felt over their predicament, the blame thrown on him, and the suspicions against him all became too much, and he had to prove what happened. This leads to him taking another passenger hostage and flying back into a storm of ‘dark lightning’ to recreate the event. With the plane’s disappearance, we’re led to believe that he possibly succeeded, which is pretty much confirmed when he reappears in the plane at the end of season three. I felt for Daly as he experienced desperation and insanity over everything but unfortunately, he disappeared, and we never got another passenger with such a compelling storyline.

Another charismatic character is Dr. Gupta from Eureka. At first, I hated her for how she treated the passengers like lab rats rather than people, but eventually, she grew one me. She has a personality that is somehow endearing, and I ended up wanting more of her. As long as she steers clear of the immoral deeds that made the General a villain, she can continue to be a strong addition to the cast.

I will forgive Cal because Jack Messina is a young actor and will instead blame the writing for his cringy moments. Athena Karkanis is gorgeous, and she plays Grace Stone who is unfortunately another character I struggled to tolerate in the show.

And I’m sorry but every time I saw Robert Vance, all I could think of was

Other characters were constantly dropped, only to reappear when needed. The flight attendant, Bethany, only shows up sporadically as the plot calls for, passengers the Stones pretty much rescued are never heard from again, etc. With the idea that they’re all together in a ‘lifeboat’, why does every episode have to focus only on the Stones? Why can’t we have episodes dedicated solely to other passengers, with no involvement of Ben or Michaela? This would allow the show to break up the monotony of the episodes and allow us to be invested in more characters. I probably would have appreciated Ben and Michaela more if I didn’t have to see them deal with the same issues over and over again. Without strong writing and character development, we need a break from them, so we don’t get tired of them.

I’m wary of the fourth season with all the ridiculousness season three gave us. As it’s going to be the final season, I know they plan to cram in the conclusion the creator had intended, leading up the ‘death date’ for the passengers. I wonder how they’ll achieve this and not feel as rushed as the first season and be able to create a compelling season. It will be difficult however they choose to do it and I hope that they are careful with their writing. I’ll give the first episode a shot to see what the truth of Flight 828 is.