C. B. Lee

This is everything I was hoping for from Of Fire and Stars! Relatable characters—check. Diversity—check. Super-cute queer romance—check. Teens against the shady government—check. Humour and fast reading—check. Women being awesome—check. I’m fairly sure my heart grew three sizes just from opening it, and my cheeks hurt from smiling by the end.

I’ll freely admit, though, that I am a sucker when it comes to certain cheesy romance tropes and this hit me hard, that way. Mistaken show more identities! Mutual pining! Accidental confessions! Highly adorkable, all ‘round. The rest of the story’s pretty full of tropes too, the way a lot of teen dystopia and superhero stories are, but the story doesn’t suffer from them. Lee’s built a world and crafted a writing style where that all works. (And really, why shouldn’t Asian readers and queer readers get to see themselves represented in trope-y stories too?)

It’s not a slave to the tropes, though. I can name a handful of moments where Lee surprised me or played against the tropes, and that sold me even harder, I think.

That all said, it did take me a bit to adjust to the present-tense writing, since I’m a lot more used to past, and I (cis, white) felt like the bad guy didn’t need to do the stuff in the warnings, since she was plenty bad already, but hey, that’s fine, it’s not like there aren’t people like that in the world.

But basically, this is a lot of words when I could just flail at you and tell you to read it. (The sequel went on my TBR as soon as I closed the book.)

Warnings: transphobia and anti-Asian racism from the bad guy, including a threat to undo a transition; insinuations of background pro-powers eugenics.

8/10 show less

I almost didn't read this book, and I am so glad that I did.

With the increased trend in superhero narratives in the last few years, it was inevitable that I would read a few, but the ones I read were mostly disappointing. I hoped for explosions and action-adventure-spy sorts of plots with secret identities and, well, fun. I did not get that, and it turned me off the genre in general.

Luckily, not only does Not Your Sidekick provide the good superhero things (explosions, chase scenes, show more government conspiracies, post-apocalyptic scenario), it also fulfilled a growing craving I had for cheesy romance tropes featuring two women. I happen to really love amnesia, fake-dating, and secret identity/disguise tropes, the latter of which you'd think would be more prevalent in superhero stories. Imagine my delight when secret identities are a huge part of the plot of Not Your Sidekick, both the mundane one and the romance.

This isn't a perfect book. While a lot of thought and imagination is visible in the creation of a post-apocalyptic America of the 22nd century, from what food is like with limited water supply, to how people move around or whether they do, and of course things like future tech, most of the day-to-day high school stuff is straight out of the 2017. Many of the plot points towards the end have been telegraphed almost from page one, and there are a few confusing bits of timeline. But, honestly, I didn't care so much about that - I enjoyed the futuristic setting with familiar routines, and it was fun to see how the plot would play out to those waving flags.

Like the best superhero movies (in my opinion, anyway!), this is a feel-good book. Despite the nasty government conspiracies that honestly seem to fit at home in 2017 America, it is incredibly optimistic. It has a post-apocalyptic society but people are getting along and adapting. The main characters are all from very different backgrounds - immigrants from Thailand and China, climate refugees from Louisiana, well-to-do Americans of white and Latinx background - and of course the main character Jess is bi and has a crush on another girl, while one of her best friends is trans.

The diversity of the cast, the optimism, the fun plot (if a little predictable and goofy) - they all make this an indulgent, comforting read and I finished it with a big grin. I hope the next book in the series is just as fun! show less

This book was not even on my radar a couple of weeks ago. I think I just saw it on a pride recommendations list and I’m so glad I decided to pick it up. Another single sitting read that I didn’t want to put down at all.

It’s set in the 22nd century, after WWIII and the world has meta-humans, people with abilities who help the citizens and are considered heroes. Jess is a bisexual biracial Asian teenager from Andover whose parents just happen to be the local superheroes. She feels very show more lost being in the shadow of her parents, her super powerful sister and a genius younger brother. She also has the feeling of not fitting in with either the Vietnamese or the Chinese community, guilty of not knowing her ethnic languages enough to communicate, and just missing that sense of belonging. She is also hardworking, very organized and an aspiring writer but also an average student. To escape all of this feeling of being a nobody and in an act of teenage rebellion, she decides to take up an internship working for her parents’ nemesis and town supervillains Master and Mistress Mischief.

Abby is a popular, talented and very beautiful girl from Jess’s high school whom Jess has had a crush on for sometime. When they end up working together as interns, Jess is initially tongue-tied and can’t even form coherent sentences while trying to talk to Abby. But slowly they develop a tentative friendship – driving together to work, sharing lunch at school, fixing Jess’s domestic MonRobot, and partnering on a school project. The gradual progression to flirtation and falling for each other is beautiful, sweet and I was just waiting for more.

Jess’s best friends are Emma, a latina teen and Bells, a black trans boy. I adored their dynamic. It was so reminiscent of my own relationships with my friends that I enjoyed reading about these wonderful friends who love sharing food, binge watching TV shows and forwarding cat videos. They understand each other so well and it reflects in the thoughtful presents they get for her birthday. When Abby starts joining them for lunch, their friendship is very organic and I think they all fit together perfectly. Jess’s parents maybe be superheroes, but they also are a little clueless about what Jess is feeling. However, when confronted with some uncomfortable truths, they totally believe and support her. Claudia, her elder sister is an A-class superhero who believes she is superior because she works for the government and is quite dismissive of Jess for not having any powers of her own. The other most endearing characters for me in this book are not even humans, they are Jess’s robot Cha and Abby’s robot Jacks who are just too cute and adorable. I hope they I’ll get to meet them again.

As much as the characters in this book are a delight to read about, I think it’s the writing that really stood out. It’s very easy, lighthearted, I could see almost every twist from a mile away, which is so rare for me, but I think this predictability worked very well for the aesthetic of the story. Every time Jess struggles with something which we have already figured out or Emma is being clueless about Bells obvious crush on her, it was just too hilarious to read. The way it’s written, you feel like it’s silly and entertaining and not to be taken seriously, but simultaneously, the author touches on multiple issues like teenagers struggles with parents expectations, dealing with racism, classism and privilege even in the superhero community, choosing between right and wrong when everything seems gray.

But I think the main conflict of the story seemed the most realistic and relevant to our current world. The idea of government using it’s power and even the media to create a perception in the minds of the citizens that is just a distraction from it’s corrupt practices hit me quite hard. I think that’s something we see everyday, where we are always presented with a picture of the governmental policies but never about their true consequences and the subsequent domino effects. I think this whole subtle commentary was written very well into the story of good vs evil, making us question is a person is truly a villain just because they disagree with those in power and is the government right in silencing it’s own citizens without due process if it thinks that’s necessary to keep the general public happy.

Whether you want a fun YA story about high school kids going on adventures, a superhero vs supervillain tale, a book with the kind of casual acceptance of diversity that you want our future to be, or a book with the underlying theme of perception vs reality in the world – this is the book for you. show less

So this book was QUITE THE READ, to say the least. Of all the "Treasure Island" type retellings that I have read, this one is definitely, by far, my favorite. With queer representation that is so beautiful and feels so natural, while still giving you the tension and fulfilling those love story tropes we all crave, I really admired the relationship between Xiang and Anh. At the very start, I began thinking that the pacing was slow but it picked up speed quickly and in a way that was dynamic show more and thoroughly engaging. I really was excited by the writing style and loved the way the plot unfolded gracefully, making you fall in love with story, character, and setting. The found family element of this story melted my heart. This is something that I find so endearing in books and it was so lovely to have in A Clash of Steel. And finally, as a history teacher, I loved getting that glimpse into the story of Zheng Yi Sao/Ching Shih! What an absolute thrill! show less