A queer love letter to mariachi music and culture.
A queer mariachi musician learns that his star shines brighter when it’s part of a constellation.
Seventeen-year-old Mexican American Rafael Casimiro Álvarez is destined for mariachi greatness. Not only has he won best vocalist two years in a row, but he’s a third-generation musician. Rafie’s plan for domination hits a snag when the mariachi director at his new performing arts school decides he’s not ready to be lead vocalist. Being relegated to backup singing would be bad enough—the blow is compounded by the fact that Rey Chávez, the Afro-Latino lead vocalist, is the boy he hooked up with at last year’s Mariachi Extravaganza Nacional. When Rey’s voice cracks during a performance (Rey is transitioning), Rafie seizes the spotlight, earning the dubious honor of becoming co–lead vocalist. Weeks of training together thaw the ice between the boys until Rafie opens up about the pain of losing his abuelo and the stress of his family legacy. He lets himself feel the love he’s suppressed for Rey, but just when they become a happy couple (onstage and off), Rafie’s ambition threatens to destroy it all. The novel is driven by multiple, compounding elements—grief, Rafie’s ambition, the suppressed romance, and the pressures of expectations—ensuring that the tension never dissipates, even once Rey and Rafie get together, much to readers’ satisfaction. Racism, homophobia, and transphobia within the mariachi community are realistically portrayed, complicating that space without rejecting its beauty.
A queer love letter to mariachi music and culture. (author’s note) (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: April 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781250875754
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
SEEN & HEARD
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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