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Book Review: The Book of Living Secrets by Madeline Roux


The Book of Living Secrets by Madeline Roux

Quill Tree Press, 2022

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062941428

Available:  Preorder (available March 8) hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

 

So many readers wish they could enter the worlds of their favorite books. The Book of Living Secrets will make them think twice.

 

Adelle and Connie have been best friends for years, and they are both obsessed with an obscure romance novel set in the Victorian era titled Moira, which tells the story of  a wealthy Boston socialite who shares a forbidden love with Severin, an impoverished artist. Moira, already engaged to Kincaid, who is also of her social class, involves her loyal friend Orla in her intrigues to meet Severin. One night, Adelle convinces Connie to visit an occult shop and participate in a spell that will send them into Moira. Separated into different parts of the book, the two girls discover that the romantic world they immersed themselves in is only a small part of a much larger, nightmarish world, and that the characters in the book they read are much different in person. The secondary and background characters have interior lives, feelings, and motivations that are never examined in the book, but take center stage as Adelle and Connie attempt to repair the interdimensional rifts creating a doorway for elder gods to pass through that they created by traveling into the book, and restore the characters’ world, before returing to their own.

 

The Book of Living Secrets creatively critiques tropes of portal fantasy, romance fiction, and fandom, while exploring identity and relationships. Madeline Roux has written a gripping, imaginative, if sometimes predictable, tale that teenagers will enjoy. Recommended.

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Posted on February 3, 2022 by , Reply

Book Review: Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff

Too Bright to See by [Kyle Lukoff]

Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff

Dial Books, 2021

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593111154

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook  ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

 

 

Bug lives in a haunted house, but has only felt, not seen, the ghosts. Bug’s uncle and best friend, Roderick, also believed the house was haunted. Now Roderick is dead, leaving Bug and Bug’s mom behind, grieving.

 

It is the summer before sixth grade and Bug’s friend Moira is determined to make both of them over so they can fit in when they start middle school, but Bug doesn’t feel right about makeup and dresses.  Uncle Roderick may be haunting the house, Bug is having nightmares, and everything feels unsettled, scary, and somehow wrong.

 

With the help of Uncle Roderick’s ghost, Bug finally realizes that he is a trans boy. What’s lovely about Lukoff’s book is that, unlike a lot of coming out stories, where the protagonist faces negativity and bullying,  Bug is supported and loved by the people around him: his mom, his friends, his principal, teachers, school, and classmates.  His struggle is in realizing his identity as a trans boy, dealing with his grief over the death of his uncle, and the many changes that come with entering middle school.

 

All The Bright Places is a haunting, perceptive, optimistic story that all middle grade students should be able to relate to. It handles grief, identity, and growing up beautifully: jts designation as a Newbery Honor title is well-deserved. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Posted on January 28, 2022 by , Reply

Book Review: Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales by Soman Chainani, illustrated by Julia Iredale

cover art for Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales by Sonan Chainani

Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales by Soman Chainani, illustrated by Julia Iredale

HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2021

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062652638

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook ( Bookshop.org  |  Amazon.com )

 

In Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales, Soman Chainani brings us tales so sharp they cut, with teen protagonists who seize their agency, and subversive, unexpected re-visionings of 12 familiar stories.

The standout story in this collection for me is “Bluebeard”, a lush and bleeding horror story. Chainani has altered the story so that instead of courting a wife, Bluebeard chooses boys from an orphanage as his victims. Unfortunately for him, one boy, Pietro, is wise to what’s going on.

“Bluebeard” is just one of many excellent stories. Chainani’s version of “Red Riding Hood” would do Shirley Jackson proud, with its rejection of conformity and tradition.  “Hansel and Gretel” set in India, is very different from the original tale, although you can clearly see its roots.  This was a beautifully done variation with a very satisfying ending, if you’ve ever wanted the stepmother to get her comeuppance.  “Cinderella” is an entertaining story where a girl in love with the prince, who has been hexed into a mouse, convinces Cinderella to go to the ball and take her along. The story definitely does not go where you think it will! “Snow White” takes on racism with an unusual reversal, and disrupts the structure of fairytale narrative. “Beauty and the Beast” also addresses racism and classism in its commentary on seeing past appearances, with a prickly, bookish, Chinese “Beauty”.  “Sleeping Beauty” is genderswapped, with lyrical, gorgeous writing threaded with horror. The relationships in this were particularly troubling as Chainani was not clear on the issue of consent or its lack that is central to Sleeping Beauty stories.

Chainani does a good job taking a traditional tale and giving it just a little bit of a twist, as well. Rapunzel uses her brain instead of her hair to get what she wants; Jack grows a beanstalk hoping to find his missing father at the top; the sea witch lectures the Little Mermaid on the folly of giving up a long life and self-respect for the possibility of love.  Other stories include “Rumplestiltskin” and “Peter Pan”.  Overall, it’s a great collection that pays a creative homage to traditional stories.  Art by Julia Iredale throughout, including full-page color illustrations, complements the stories perfectly as it’s integrated into the design of the book.

Teens who grew up reading Adam Gidwitz, the Sisters Grimm, or Chainani’s School for Good and Evil series, or who enjoy fairytale adaptations such as those by Anna-Marie Macklemore (Blanca & Roja)  Emily Whitten (For The Wolf) and Emma Donoghue (Kissing the Witch) should enjoy this collection. Highly recommended for ages 10+.

 

 

Posted on October 26, 2021 by , Reply
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