This month has been...tumultuous. From Orlando, to Brexit, to every tragedy in between, this month hasn't been the kindest to the world. I'm not a very emotional person, but there have been moments during this month where I just want to fall on the floor and cry for every hurt people have felt and continue to endure for the sake of love. I support the LGBTQ+ community, I support the starry-eyed and hopeful youth, I support tolerant and loving people, I support love. Love is love, and if you don't believe that the rest of this post probably isn't for you (the blog probably isn't for you)
With that said, this month I immersed myself in literature featuring LGBTQ+ leads. It started unintentionally, but when I did notice the trend, I carried it through the month.
It doesn't count but I read The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater back in May, and yeah...Pynch is the shit.
June reads:
1. King's Rising by CS Pacat
2. The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic
3. The Raven King by Nora Sakavic
4. The King's Men by Nora Sakavic
5. Check, Please! updates by Ngozi (this is a webcomic, not a book but fuck it)
6. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
And what do you know, every single one of these books features a main couple that is gay.
In Pacat's trilogy, you have a slow burn between Prince Damianos/Damen (bi) and Prince Laurent (gay). What I really enjoyed about Pacat's fantasy world was how normalized the LGBTQ+ features of the story were. In Vere, it's typical to be in same-sex relationship, and in Akielos it's up to your taste from what I can tell. And no one judged Laurent for sleeping with Damen because it was gay, but because he killed his brother, which is honestly such a better reason to question someone's relationship. But no matter their pasts, these two murdered me with the conclusion of the Captive Prince trilogy. Thinking over it now, I'm totally going to properly review King's Rising as the book deserves.
My last post was about All for the Games trilogy, so I won't go into too much detail. All I have to say is that the main relationship isn't all fluff and nice, but rarely are the best relationships. Both of these guys have their problems, but it's in the way they support and understand each other that makes them such a good fit. Neil and Andrew are both forces of nature, and sometimes it's a surprise one hasn't killed the other. Then you have to remember that Andrew only wants to commit murder 90% of the time he's with Neil (inside joke to the book, I'm sorry). Andrew has touching issues, which totally makes sense considering the sexual abuse he endured as a child, and Neil respects his boundaries fully, and it's so nice to see two people understand and accept each other. This couple took a long time to get together, but the building relationship between them in TFC and TRK are just as intriguing to follow and watch develop.
As alluded Check, Please! isn't a book, but a webcomic by super talented artist Ngozi. The webcomic is accessible via tumblr for free and please do yourselves a favor and READ IT. I got into this thanks to a stray post by someone I follow on tumblr. It spoiled the end of Year 2 for me but I didn't care because the whole story is amazing (and barely halfway over). There's still so much time for shit to go down, which makes me terrified because the main couple is so perfect and adorable and healthy. Like, if you compare Year 1 Jack Zimmermann to Year 3 Jack Zimmermann, you can see the change. Jack is currently engulfed in the glow of love, and he needs that more than anything as he starts his NHL career. There is underlying angst in this couple/story because they both have to keep the relationship a secret from everyone, including their best friends, for the sake of Jack's career. But man, cute as shit, and if you don't want to read this for the couple, read it for the characters!! The SMH team is full of hilarious and unique characters, and this comic is a national treasure.
Finally, the book I got from Barnes and Noble yesterday at ~4 PM and finished just before midnight that same day...Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Now, let me tell you the feature of this book that really got me: identity. Chicano identity, sexual identity, just pure 'who am I' identity. As a Chicana, there was one word in this whole book that really got to me: pocho. In Spanish, it means half-assed Mexican. And never have I felt a single word hit me harder. I'm not going to talk about my struggles with cultural identity, but this book hit me hard. It probably would've hit me harder if I had read it a few years back, when I knew less about who I truly am. Now that I have a clue of what kind of person I am, the story didn't rip me to shreds as much as it once could've. That doesn't mean the story didn't kill me. Sáenz's writing style is short and seemingly simplistic, but with his words he carries depth and emotion. I would be smiling down at this book, then rubbing my eyebrows because 'holy hell did that just happen?', then on the verge of tears because this book got me in places not many other book have. Ari and Dante are totally different people that mesh together perfectly. From Dante's first words to Ari to the last damn chapter, I was routing for them. I am kind of upset I read this book so fast because it was totally unintentional. I got it at Barnes because I felt the need to go out and do something, and then next thing I know I'm in a severe book hangover in the dead of night, listening to Radiohead. But I was revived at the news that there will be sequel to this, and you can bet your ass that I am going to pre-order it and read it all in one day and probably turn into a pile of tears. I'm excited to see where Ari and Dante's journey and relationship goes in the sequel, and I'm sure I will be re-reading snippets of this book for a while.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: 5/5 stars
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