Saundra Mitchell

Admittedly I have never seen the musical or listened to the soundtrack so I went into this blind. I was NOT disappointed! Emma is the only out teenager at her high school. It's tough being the only openly gay kid in a small Indiana town. She isn't exactly the most accepted kid, even her parents kicked her out. Her girlfriend, the super popular class president, Alyssa, is still in the closet, as her mother is the head of the PTA. All they want to do is go to prom together and dance, but show more that's about to be a lot harder now that Alyssa's mother has started meddling. As a conservative Christian she is aghast when she finds out Emma plans on bringing a female date (can you imagine how much more upset she would be if she knew that date was her own daughter!), she swiftly changes the rules so that only boy/girl dates are allowed. Once the news picks up on it, two Broadway stars lend themselves to Emma's cause. They want to fight for justice (and a little free publicity too). Soon the whole situation has spun out of control. All Emma and Alyssa wanted to do was dance together. Wonderfully written, this is a must read for teenagers. It shows just how harmful discrimination is and begs readers to be more open minded and empathetic. I definitely want to see the musical now! show less

I always find it difficult to know how to review a book like “Out Now” because of the variety of voices and themes that are contained within its covers. I find myself in that position once more with this wonderful collection of short works.

What I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this collection. There are stories about queer vampires, heartbreak, longing, asking a boy to winter formal, instagram influencers and their take on romance, aliens and other creatures! There are show more such a variety of delectable queer stories that’s it’s impossible not to connect!

There are some great and visible authors in this collection: Caleb Roehrig, Mark Oshiro, Julian Winters, Candice Montgomery, Tanya Boteju, Tara Sim, and Meredith Russo. I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of the authors and the different takes on the theme! There really is something for everyone in this collection!

I had my favourite stories, naturally, everyone will. I’m a huge fan of Caleb Roehrig and his story “What Happens in the Closet” was a bitey, snarly, queer joy. I also was really touched by Mark Oshiro’s “Refresh” which deals with online dating and how we represent ourselves in the photos we choose.

The topics are modern, the feel is authentic. A great book for your isolation! Or simply a wonderful gift to someone who might need a pick-me-up or some queer feels! show less

Originally posted to: www.books4hearts.com

First things first: This book was refreshing! Why? Because it was good, but it was a standalone. I felt satisfied with how it wrapped up, which I often don't with standalone books, without having to read a sequel to get the whole story! Don't get me wrong. I like series of books, however, I don't appreciate it when EVERY book is a series-- especially those times when you don't even know it is/will be one.

Saundra Mitchell's writing. Ohmygosh. I read show more the Vespertine and really liked the story but my favorite part was Mrs. Mitchell's writing style. It's unique, rather poetic, and rather visual. Shadowed Summer is super creepy and gothic, emphasized by her writing.

The whole thing was creepy, really Iris and Colette's pretending to be witches gone wrong, when something ACTUALLY happens and there's an actual ghost. Not a quiet ghost either, this ghost had a story to tell and a mystery to be solved. The whole thing wraps up in a way you wouldn't expect; as the story goes on, Colette and Iris think they know what happened, and the reader thinks they do too; but then it's not what you expect!

If you want a really creepy gothic type of book that's written well and is a relatively short STAND ALONE read, then check out Shadowed Summer. show less

Mitchell's debut, Shadowed Summer was a surprising hit for me that still makes me shiver whenever I think of the 'where y'at?'. Atmosphere is what Mitchell is good at and she puts it to good use in this book. The book begins at what essentially is the tail end of Amelia's story. Mitchell lays out the consequences of Amelia's actions, serving small tidbits of information that later take on new meanings.

The book is mainly set in the Spring of 1889, in Baltimore where Amelia stays with her show more cousins the Stewarts, but the occasional chapter will appear to speak of her present, Autumn 1889 in Broken Tooth, Maine. The book is somewhat haphazard about pacing, sometimes the plot races and the suspense is high and you can feel the adrenaline of the moment. Other times its leisurely and meandering, showing us what life was like for the working middle class of Baltimore in 1889.

While Shadowed Summer seemed to dwell on friendship, romance and secrets, The Vespertine indulged in darker ideas. Forbidden love, forbidden power and the allure of the future. What began as a harmless game to amuse her friends and perhaps set their minds at ease quickly snowballed into a situation that Zora and Amelia lost control over. At one point Amelia asks Zora if she would like to know her future and Zora responds "I want the wonder of it." (pg 242, ARC edition) and I wondered if I would want to know my future.

Its a rather tempting idea isn't it? To know how taking one invitation over another will effect me. Or to know whether or not the young man I'm eying across the hall is meant to be my true love or a big mistake. The trouble is Amelia has to go by contextual clues to understand 'when' the vision is taking place. In the case of the first one she sees for Zora, its easy--its the manner of the dress she's wearing. Later, when her powers develop further she doesn't even have that to go on.

The romance of Amelia and Nathaniel was woven throughout, a counterpoise to the excitement. He is definitely not an eligible groom. She knows this. She admits this, but they're drawn together and the reasoning is sound if a little shallow. We don't get a clear understanding of who Nathaniel is. Amelia is very much the focus of the novel and at times that means to the exclusion of all else. In one scene, in which we could have learned quite a bit about him, Mitchell instead focused on Amelia's reactions to her surroundings. To her teasing of Nathaniel and how she felt. Much of what we learn about Nathaniel feels like a reaction to Amelia.

As for the ending...tragedies come in threes. Amelia is taught a heart-breaking lesson and the 'present day' chapters take on more sense. I had hoped for a sequel and I was rewarded for that hope! The Springsweet is due out in 2012 and is a companion to this book. The Goodreads page has only the smallest of blurbs but it can be considered a spoiler for the fate of two characters.

My question to y'all: Would you want to know the future, come what may? show less