131: How to Succeed In Witchcraft

Synopsis

Magically brilliant, academically perfect, chronically overcommitted—

Shay Johnson has all the makings of a successful witch. As a junior at T.K. Anderson Magical Magnet School, she’s determined to win the Brockton Scholarship—her ticket into the university of her dreams. Her competition? Ana freaking Álvarez. The key to victory? Impressing Mr. B, drama teacher and head of the scholarship committee.

When Mr. B asks Shay to star in this year’s aggressively inclusive musical, she warily agrees, even though she’ll have to put up with Ana playing the other lead. But in rehearsals, Shay realizes Ana is . . . not the despicable witch she’d thought. Perhaps she could be a friend—or more. And Shay could use someone in her corner once she becomes the target of Mr. B’s unwanted attention. When Shay learns she’s not the first witch to experience his inappropriate behavior, she must decide if she’ll come forward. But how can she speak out when her future’s on the line?

The Good

I. There are a lot of lessons that I think were important for young adults to take in- one of those being not to go against your instincts.

II. It is a fantasy world with interesting magic happening in background.

III. The grooming plot line gave space to a bit of interesting discussion:

i. power imbalance in teacher & student relationships (the part when he started picking on Shay)

ii. that Mr. B could have problems but still be a predator

iii. Is it right for someone who was preyed on to have everything taken away and their achievements seen as without merit?

iiii. There is a narrative pushed that as a young adult you must handle everything yourself, so I like that they went against that and showed Shay parents being active.

The Bad

I. The Issues

Does it interject real life stuff inorganically?

Do I feel the political social economical aspect of the story is done well?

Does it feel like it focuses on wrong things or at least the least interesting threads? It felt like the story dealt with low hanging fruit in terms of discussion/its focus.

Does it feel like magic is tacked on and the story is more contemporary than fantasy?

I do not think it handled the contemporary topics well enough.

II. The ending?

The Meh

Grooming plot

Thoughts

I. Contemporary+Fantasy

A. Fantasy

There is a difference between a dark and light fantasy contemporary story where the “issues” speak louder than the fantasy.

Light = low on fantasy

B. Why fantasy?

Why did this need to be fantasy? Why do stories that are heavily #messages need to be fantasy? Why in a space that you can create any world, talk any topic, pick this one? It makes me (cynically) think there is a push to turn stories that are originally not fantasy to fantasy so to sell books. So, we end up getting barely fantasy or tacked on fantasy.

C. Centering whiteness

Why do so many current (Black) fantasies center whiteness? Does it feel like folks are creating their identity as a Black person based on whiteness? Is publishing somehow moving forward with more representation but still centering whiteness?

IV. University/college

A. Dispelling

Definitely want to go against the narrative that university or college is your only option in life.

Also, if you can’t/don’t go your life is not over and you are not a failure. All this messaging about going to right the school and such is why so much abuse is able to thrive.

It makes it like university or having a high paying job solves everything.

B. Parents

Parents: says you are pushing yourself too hard to child

Parents: pushes child to go to elite school which equals child having to push themselves hard

V. Threads Way More Interesting Than grooming

A. The stay awake potion/Shay overworking herself plot.

B. Ethics of Acting

Is it wrong for Shay (who is not good at dancing or acting) to get the part over someone else who can act and dance?

If Shay was picked because Mr. B assumed she was Latina: Is it right for people who are not of a certain race/ethnicity to take an acting gig giving off the impression they are of that race/ethnicity?

C. Power imbalance in teacher/student relationships- it does not even have to be sexual at all.

D. The dynamics of being a non-white person who can pass or people seeing you as another race than what you are

E. overachiever low social economic status+non-white person doing things to prove something vs enjoying them.

F. Pitfalls of scholarship, grants, etc vs structural change around/in college?

G. Magic is not the great equalizer and can create worse problems

Why is the messages just rehash of what is discussed all the time? I wonder if there is so much focus on certain topics because they are easy meaning everyone has an agreed upon wrong and right answer?

VI. Story questions/comments

Does Shay and Ana have chemistry?

Is magic basically a replacement for industrial revolution technology?

Is the cover false advertising? What would be a better cover to represent the story?

Instead of everyone running their magical and physical energy could they have not just invested in electrical technology like those in prop departments use?

Pilar you are an adult being shown red flag…so she gonna ignore it?

Having a character sit back and constantly not say anything but judging everyone is …lame?

I won this from Penguin Teen via bookishfirst

111: Wildblood ARC (Spoilers)

Synopsis

Eighteen-year-old Victoria is a Wildblood. Kidnapped at the age of six and manipulated by the Exotic Lands Touring Company, she’s worked as a tour guide ever since with a team of fellow Wildbloods who take turns using their magic to protect travelers in a Jamaican jungle teeming with ghostly monsters.

When the boss denies Victoria an earned promotion to team leader in favor of Dean, her backstabbing ex, she’s determined to prove herself. Her magic may be the most powerful on the team, but she’s not the image the boss wants to send their new client, Thorn, a renowned goldminer determined to reach an untouched gold supply deep in the jungle.

Thorn is everything Victoria isn’t – confident, impossibly kind, and so handsome he leaves her speechless. And when he entrusts the mission to her, kindness turns to mutual respect, turns to affection, turns to love. But the jungle is treacherous, and between hypnotic river spirits, soul-devouring women that shed their skin like snakes, and her ex out for revenge, Victoria has to decide – is promotion at a corrupt company really what she wants?

The Good

I. The representation of being a sexual assault survivor. Also, the story did not make the love interest a cure or fall into certain tropes around sexual assault that other stories do.

II. The tough issues it handled.

III. Fantasy world in background was really interesting.

There was actually a lot of good elements in the background that had potential.

IV. Softness/vulnerability in black boys is present in the story. I am liking that we are seeing it more present in ya in general.

V. I respect the ending and can understand it.

The Bad

I. None of the relationships are developed. We are just told how important everyone’s relationship is to each other.

II. So many of the big moments lacked impact because we do not know or have a strong connection to these people.

III. Insta-love – The romance took over the story to the detriment of everything else.

IV. Repetitive. The sucking teeth did not bother me, but other parts of the story (the romance is one) felt like we were spinning our wheels.

V. There was a lot of good elements that could have been explored deeper.

Thoughts

I. Expectations

A. Last year I read Within These Wicked Walls which really was a departure from the typical Black young adult horror that was (honestly, still) coming out.

B. So I became so excited with the idea that it had a similar element to Beasts of Prey (fantastical jungle, families being held against their will, etc) but different. I loved the idea of Black fantasy being in the space of having stories with similar themes/plots but taking them in two different directions. I wondered if this was going to be a jungle adventure like Indiana Jones. Nope.

II. Trauma & Fantasy

A. It should not be a negative to represent someone who has went through what the main character, Victoria, has. Why do certain people or histories have to be excluded because they do not fit the sanitized idolized version of “good/fun”?

B. Is there a way to better portray what type of story this is?

A term- I wish we had a term/word for the type of fantasy Wildblood falls under so readers could know what they are getting into.

Synopsis- Does it adequately give you a picture of the story? I am feeling like synopses in general give an overview but not the story beats.

III. “romance-heavy” fantasy & Feminism

A. Young adult needs more stories that challenge the idea of romance being the center of a character’s life (especially girls).

B. There are many undertones that come along with how ya deals with romance – one of those being all other relationships are less important than romantic ones.

C. What does this mean for Black girls when they are just dipping their toes into having love interests?

IV. In terms of the big issue that is at the heart of this story I think it would be a good story to have a discussion around.

One of those is a discussion on the consent that Samson had in being husband to river spirit if they erased his memory.

V. Miscellaneous

Who was Victoria before she was adopted by river spirit?

I won this in a giveaway from wednesday books on goodreads

(cover and synopsis from goodreads)