Staff Review - Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Title/Author: Last Night at the Telegraph Club - Malinda Lo

Genre(s): YA Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance, History

Last Night at the Telegraph Club is set in the perspective of an Asian(Chinese)-American teen living in San Francisco during the 1950s. Lily Hu is just beginning to understand her sexuality that has been lingering within her ever since she could remember. Throughout the novel the reader becomes encapsulated by Lily's growth and exploration of herself and her boundaries. This journey is not an easy one for Lily. After all, she is a lesbian in the 1950s. Lily has to tiptoe around her father and the nosey neighbours within Chinatown. This book is thrilling, painful, and heartwarming. A necessary read for Queer youth.

Reviewed by: Madison

Staff Review: Thorn

Title/Author: Thorn - Anna Burke

Genre(s): YA, Retellings, LGBTQ+

Is Anna Burke quickly joining the ranks of one of my favourite authors? I think so! After my enthusiastic enjoyment of her Robin Hood reimagining, Nottingham, I sought out more titles by this writer, and came across Thorn, an imaginative retelling of Beauty and the Beast. This story follows Rowan, a city girl forcibly relocated to a village with her family due to financial ruin, Rowan herself used as a bargaining chip in an arranged marriage with the son of the village’s most powerful family. The beast is instead The Huntress, a woman of legend whose beauty is as cold as the perpetual winter that surrounds her castle high in the mountains. When Rowan’s father crosses her, his daughter is taken in payment for the misdeed, and in the Huntress’ cold realm, Rowan finds something unexpected: her life’s purpose, and possibly more. This story has the feel of a wonderfully classic Scandinavian folktale while also being a wonderfully modern fantasy. A highlight of the 2021 reading year!

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: Not My Problem

Title/Author: Not my problem - Ciara Smyth

Genre(s): YA, LGBTQ+, Coming-of-Age

Set in Ireland and reminiscent of the hilarious, heartwarming show Derry girls. This is a Queer coming of age high school story with delightful characters that you will immediately fall in love with. At the center is a developing romance between the uptight, nerdy daughter of the principal and the witty, standoffish daughter of a recovering alcoholic. Both girls keep getting thrown together under chaotic circumstances that only escalate more as they form a group of unlikely friends. This story also explores the complex difficulties teenagers face from their parents, the complicated feelings of living with a parent who is recovering from an addiction, and the flaws of the education system in accommodating students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who are struggling with difficult home lives. At its core this book is about learning how to open oneself up to friendship and love, and accepting the help from people that care about you.

Reviewed by: Rosemary

Staff Review: Music from Another World

Title/Author: Music from Another World - Robin Talley 

Genre(s): YA, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+

This book looks at a particular time in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, namely the period from June 1977 and November 1978, between when Harvey Milk was elected and when he helped defeat California Proposition 6. The story is told through letters and journal entries between pen pals Tammy, who’s hiding the fact that she is gay from her fundamentalist Baptist family, and Sharon, living in the heart of San Francisco trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs. This is a wonderful book all about identity, human rights, how religion can be twisted into something ugly, and the importance of hope in the face of seemingly hopelessness, and has wonderful parallels to today's continuing struggle for equality, particularly in the US. 

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: Once & Future

Title/Author: Once & Future - Cori McCarthy & A.R. Capetta

Genre(s): YA, Sci-fi, LGBTQ+

The story of King Arthur takes on a new twist in this imaginative story where we meet the 42nd reincarnation of the fabled king, & the first that is a girl, Ari Helix. At once classic and also totally original and wonderfully intersectional, this book does what the best of sci-fi always does: gives us ideas of fantastical possible futures while also mirroring our world’s issues today.

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: Children of Virtue & Vengeance

Title/Author: Children of Virtue & Vengeance (Legacy of Orisha #2) - Tomi Adeyemi

Genre(s): Young Adult, African-Inspired Fantasy

Steeped in West African Yoruba lore, the world of Orisha is rich and magnified by Adeyemi’s imagination. A must-read for adults & children!

Reviewed by: Ben

Staff Review: The Falling in Love Montage

Title/Author: The Falling in Love Montage - Ciara Smyth

Genre(s): YA, LGBTQ+, Romantic Drama

A near-perfect examination of love and what it means to connect with another person, in all it’s pain and joy. The main characters of this book look at the tropes of queer storytelling and basically dismiss them all, even as they try to copy the tropes of the rom-com genre throughout a summer romance. A girl looking at a future of almost-guaranteed early-onset dementia diagnosis determined not to get close to anyone has her world turned upside down by a beautiful stranger, and learns the message that love doesn't have to mean 'forever' to be meaningful or true.

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: This Poison Heart

Title/Author: This Poison Heart - Kalynn Bayron

Genre(s): YA, Dark Fantasy, LGBTQ+

This riveting story is filled to the brim with magic and mystery, small town secrets, a surprise inheritance, a hidden garden, and a girl with a magical connection to plants - the trees bend towards her as if she were the sun. Where do her powers come from? With hints of gothic horror, greek mythology, and a pair of delightful lesbian moms who just want the best for their magical daughter, this book is an intriguing and mesmerizing read for all the plant lovers out there!

Reviewed by: Rosemary

Staff Review: The Dead and the Dark

Title/Author: The Dead and the Dark - Courtney Gould

Genre(s): YA, Mystery, LGBTQ+

This novel was the dark mystery I was looking for, with just enough of a supernatural twist to make it even more interesting. It offers a creepy vibe, perfect late night reading, twists you don’t see coming, & it takes a strong look at the anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes that unfortunately still persist even in 2021, especially in small communities. A look at identity, perception and expectation, as well as the possibility of finding love in the most unlikely of places, this is a near perfect read, and a powerful debut YA novel.

Reviewed by: Alex