Fun witchy YA tale with serious themes
Shay is a biracial lesbian teenage witch who works hard for her dream of getting in to a top magical college. Her one hope is landing a scholarship that brings with it a guarantee of acceptance. The catch is that she has to impress Mr. B, the drama teacher with icky behavior. After being pressured to join the school musical, Shay has to deal with his unending racist remarks and unwanted attention. With her best friend Lex and academic rival-turned friend-turned girlfriend, Shay has to decide what she’s willing to put up with in order to secure her future - and what is worth risking it all for.
In general, I adored this book. The author nailed the balance between fun and serious. I appreciated being inside Shay’s head when she faced difficult situations, particularly the feeling of being powerless in the face of an abusive authority figure. I did find the book a little long, though, and the pacing off - we didn’t get much romance until the final third of the book - and I think it would have benefited from some of the beginning being cut down. Excited to see what we get next from this author!
PS Can we get Bronxtown Brooms as a real musical???
In general, I adored this book. The author nailed the balance between fun and serious. I appreciated being inside Shay’s head when she faced difficult situations, particularly the feeling of being powerless in the face of an abusive authority figure. I did find the book a little long, though, and the pacing off - we didn’t get much romance until the final third of the book - and I think it would have benefited from some of the beginning being cut down. Excited to see what we get next from this author!
PS Can we get Bronxtown Brooms as a real musical???