93. The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa
Our season 6 winning streak continues with The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa. We both LOVED the audiobook narrated by the incomparable Vico Ortiz (Jim from Our Flag Means Death). The novel tells the story of Mar, a magical enby/genderqueer/trans-guy whose father made a deal with the literal devil that comes back to haunt everyone. It’s a book about chosen family, survivor’s guilt, alchemizing self loathing learned from the wider society, and picking your battles (against colonizers, obvi). Recommend if you like… Our Flag Means Death (show on HBO) Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas for another latine trans guy magical protagonist Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callendar (adult series) for more revolutionary plots and complicated feels (Episode…
74. The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta
Our conversation today is about The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta, a transportive fantasy novel that weaves together two perspectives – Indir and Saya – both powerful Dreamers who can access the Dreaming dimension and gain knowledge there. Change is coming to the city of Alcanzeh following the death of an elderly king and the ascent of his violent heir. Indir has a pivotal role to play, while Saya travels and keeps her gifts hidden. There is a whole LOT of talk about chaos in this book, and my notes are a bit chaotic tbh, so let’s do this! Recommend if you like… Chosen one stories: Black Sun by Rebecca…
73. Sia Martínez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything by Raquel Vázquez Gilliland
Today we’ll be discussing Sia Martinez and the Moonlit beginning of Everything by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland, which follows Sia on a wild adventure as she deals with the murder of her mother, friendship woes, and falling in love. Oh and aliens! Chaos does indeed ensure, and there is so much to talk about (though very few show notes) Content warning before we get into this book: the book makes mention and so our conversation will touch on topics of sexual assault, child abuse, ICE, police, racism, bullying, PTSD, and Harry Potter Recommend if you like… Unidentified Suburban Object by Mike Jung for a middle grade rec Dear America by Jose…
38. Bruja Born by Zoraida Córdova
Hello, coven! This is one of the last few episodes where we refer to ourselves as JK, It’s Magic. We hope you like our new name, and that you feel like you’re part of the coven. This week we’re talking about Bruja Born by Zoraida Córdova, were we get to know a lot more about Lula! If you need a recap about what happened in the last book, check out our Labyrinth Lost episode. Call to Action: This week, we’re asking that people learn more about ways they can lend a hand to those experiencing homelessness. One place you can start is The National Alliance to End Homelessness. Full Transcript Below (or…
28. Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
Hello, magical listeners! We’re coming at you this week with a discussion of Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova, the first in the Brooklyn Brujas series. J & K discuss the failed system of incarceration and the implications of those systems on brown people, beautiful world building, and Latin American folklore. There may also be a few tangents along the way… And there are some spoilers for the movie Coco. There aren’t a ton of show notes this week. See you in a fortnight! Full transcript included below. Or access the pdf version. We talked a bit about diversity in YA, but here are the stats from 2018, which includes children’s…
