e-ARC, 416 pages
Release Date: May 26, 2020
Published by: Balzer + Bray
Read from: June 6-7, 2020
Stand-alone
Source: Edelweiss (I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss and the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW:
For fans of: Contemporary, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Novels in Verse, Diverse Representation, YAI masquerade in makeup and feathers and I am applauded.
A boy comes to terms with his identity as a mixed-race gay teen – then at university he finds his wings as a drag artist, The Black Flamingo. A bold story about the power of embracing your uniqueness. Sometimes, we need to take charge, to stand up wearing pink feathers – to show ourselves to the world in bold colour.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I swear I say this with every novel in verse that comes across my vision, but if I finished it and rated it higher than 3 stars, then it must be a big deal. I’m not fan of novels in verse, so when they’re good, they’re GOOD.
“I notice when Anna plays with my Turtles, no one asks her why. I notice when Anna wears my overalls, no one comments. I’m glad she is free to play and dress however she plays happy.”9%
Hands down the best part of this was the writing style. Again, novels aren’t my favorite. That’s because they always seem so disjointed and the plot always seems all over the place. But this one was the complete opposite. It read like a complete story. I didn’t feel like any part of his story was missing and to me that was refreshing for a verse novel. I don’t know the last time I was this engaged in a novel in verse.
“Her poetry is everything I could hope mine could be one day, for somebody. Even if that somebody is me.”16%
The next thing I liked about this was the MC. He finds himself and meets some terrible and some good people along the way. It’s a real coming of age story of him going from child and finding himself as an adult. This own voices look into his journey was powerful and truly touched me. I couldn’t stop reading!
“There’s always something. No matter how hard you work. No matter how well you do. How successful or respectable. There’s always something that will remind you you shouldn’t get too comfortable.”46%
His poetry also truly moved me. I highlighted so many quotes in my e-ARC. And when I went back and transferred it to my quote notebook, I got emotional all over again. I loved getting to know Michael and see the world through his eyes.
“This is what its like to be Black in this country or anywhere in the world. They interrupt our joy. Our history. Our progress. They know they can’t stop us unless they kill us but they can’t kill us all.”“46%
This book has indeed changed how I feel about novels in verse. If they were all like this, I can guarantee I wouldn’t have to say that I don’t care for them anymore. One thing is for certain, Dean Atta is a gifted poet and I plan to read all I can by him.
Overall, I give this
What about you? Have you read this? Do you like novels in verse? Let me know in the comments!