krystalicia_'s reviews
177 reviews

Ehh. When I got this book, I was so excited to read it, but then when I started, I quickly realized it may not be a book for me. I feel like so much happened on this book but also nothing at all if that makes sense? I kind of wish the story was more focused on Orquedia’s life growing up since I found that much more fascinating than the present timeline, but I recognize that’s my contemporary bias showing.

I will say it’s honestly a disservice to this book to be compared to Encanto. They came out at similar times and both followed Latine families with sprinkles of magic and pounds of generational trauma, but that’s where it ends. It’s giving still trying to make a monolithic experience so like let’s not and instead encourage more creatives to make stories about magical brown people. 

I am still emotionally recovering from this book, but honestly? I don’t know if I ever will. This book was exactly what I needed and I’m so glad I picked it up when I did. Yamilet perfectly captures the eldest Latina daughter syndrome, and when I tell you I FELT for her, just know it was hitting me deep. The way that Reyes emulates the feeling of the need to be the perfect child and the protector of your siblings and the one to make sure everyone is in track and the one to bury your feelings so that everyone else can feel what they need to instead. Oof. Just oof.

I’m not a religious person, but as someone who still had a strong Catholic influence in her life, I felt for Yami navigating her new school, not only as a closeted lesbian, but also a darker skinned, indigenous-Latina in school filled with white elitism. Reading her high school experience brought me back to my own and it made me want to save her.

The last thing I want to talk about are those family dynamics, because my was this family dynamic. This book was honestly such a friendly reminder that there’s people that will only support you if you fit into their expectations and that sometimes your biggest supporters are hiding in plain sight. This book was painful, it was emotional, but it was also funny, and hopeful, and I’m so glad I read this and cannot wait to read it again.

This book gave me gray hairs. Maggie stressed me out, because as a reader, her decisions made so little sense to me, but putting myself in the shoes of a junior in high school?? This felt like it makes sense and I remember similar feelings and thought processes that, once again, gave me gray hairs.

First things first, I really appreciate that this book is about an out, bisexual, Mexican American, high school girl and her coming out and having to deal with negativity around it wasn’t the focal point of the story. It played a part in the love web she found herself in, for sure, but it wasn’t trauma focused and her family was supportive her her.

Did I like her love interests? Absolutely not. It was obvious from the beginning who she would end up with, and truthfully at one point I was hoping she didn’t end up with anyone and instead just vibed on her own. But I appreciate that the author takes the audience through why certain relationships wouldn’t work out, the toxic behavior with each person, and repairing relationships into healthier ones.

I read this to start my day every morning and honestly it was such a fun little read to get through. Loved how messy it was and seeing Maggie come into her own as her own person.

Yeaaaa, this volume messed me up a little bit, I can’t even lie. I remember being distraught when Norman was shipped out while watching the anime, but reading it here somehow made it feel more real. First off, the way I want to fight Isabella is kind of crazy. Like yes I understand you took on this role for your own survival, but there’s no way this is a life worth living.

Emma is an absolute bad ass and Norman is analytical. I cannot help but it stan.

This was so good. I could sit here on talk about how this highlights the dangers of too much government control, but let’s be real. We’re literally already in a reality where the government does what they want and our wants and needs are relegated to the sidelines.

What I DO want to talk about it is how sucked into this story I was. Are you going to read this and get an understanding of how or why the government is doing this and what their end goal is? No. But also, considering we’re following the story of just one person who is just living her life and helping one person in the only way she knows how. You see her desperately trying to help this her editor who is one of the few that can remember almost as a way to save someone like her mother. This woman is desperately trying to create a sense of normalcy and family in a world that is so inconsistent and ever changing. Like bro these people probably don’t even remember their names, but people expect them to remember why things are being disappeared and why it’s happening???

Anyway, really enjoyed it and a fun little dip into sci fi.

This series is haunting. We’re approaching where season 1 ended and even though none of this volume was a surprise to me, it still felt just as suspenseful. Idk, I know there’s brain eating monsters out there, but if you’re a human partaking in all of this, I hope they have even more violent deaths.

I’m a sucker for a full circle ending. This story gave me all the mushy romance that I wanted with maximum angst and I’m so happy I got to experience it. Love all the relationships that came about, but more importantly I love that this group of 5 people who were trying to be the most comfortable in their skin as possible ended up being the bestest friend group anyone could ask for. I love them I love them I love them.

No thoughts just tears.

I’m honestly living for how communicative Futaba and Toma are with each other. Like do I think they’re fooling themselves because they’ve both acknowledged openly that she still has deep feelings for Kou? Absolutely, but still a good skill to learn and have!!

On a side note, Kominato and Murao’s friendship is giving me life. I never understood the grumpy/sunshine dynamic, but i get it here and I love it. I don’t even care if they don’t end up in a romantic relationship, I’m just so invested in their friendship that it’s not even funny.

I am way to invested in the lives of these 6 fictional characters but honestly, I’m not even mad. I mentioned this before, I love me a good class trip because that means there will definitely be drama!!! But, I think the drama that ensued was actually good for everyone involved. Toma learned to feel more stable in his relationship, Futaba is getting comfortable in being with Toma and is actually happy and genuinely has feelings for him, and Kou is taking steps to grieving his mom in a healthy way. Also, Murao is an amazing friend and Kominato is an idiot most of the time, but he’s my favorite kind of idiot.