#museandreview

[museandquill]

YA Gothic Horror

As some one who likes dark and gothic YA books I thought I would share some of my favorites

Warning, all of these books are dark and have gory themes

Also I’ll post more reviews on #museandreview

1. The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude

Stay on the roads. Don’t enter the woods. Never go out at night. Those are the rules in Rowan’s Glen, a remote farming community in the Missouri Ozarks where Ivy Templeton’s family has lived for centuries. It’s an old-fashioned way of life, full of superstition and traditions, and sixteen-year-old Ivy loves it. The other kids at school may think the Glen kids are weird, but Ivy doesn’t care—she has her cousin Heather as her best friend. The two girls share everything with each other—or so Ivy thinks. When Heather goes missing after a May Day celebration, Ivy discovers that both her best friend and her beloved hometown are as full of secrets as the woods that surround them.

This book is one of my absolute favorite books of all time. It’s dark, it’s gritty, it’s full of folk lore that small towns and farm communities often have. There’s mystery and side romance between the Ivy and her childhood best friend.

Triggers- Bury your gays, Murder, physical assault, and animal cruelty.

2. What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo

Eleanor Zarrin has been estranged from her wild family for years. When she flees boarding school after a horrifying incident, she goes to the only place she thinks is safe: the home she left behind. But when she gets there, she struggles to fit in with her monstrous relatives, who prowl the woods around the family estate and read fortunes in the guts of birds. Eleanor finds herself desperately trying to hold the family together — in order to save them all, Eleanor must learn to embrace her family of monsters and tame the darkness inside her.

This is a great book that talks about feeling ostracized from your own family and desperately trying to find your place, even in a strange family like that Zarrin’s. Once again another small town horror (are we seeing a pattern lol) where monsters far too familiar roam the woods and your own home.

Triggers- Animal Death, Child Abuse, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Mind Control, Trauma, and Xenophobia

3. The Fairytale Experiment by Amy Hoyer

A high school psychology class volunteers for “The Fairytale Experiment” to test Doctor Arthur Fae’s theory of ‘conscious travel’. Olivia Beaumont and her classmates are consciously teleported to a world of fairytales, where they are all assigned roles of heroes and villains they must play, living out the stories we all grew up with. As their journey progresses, though, they realize this experiment is darker and much more dangerous than they ever could have imagined, and right when they think they understand everything, the game is changed again. Join Olivia, Hunter, Phoebe, Jack, Wendy, and the rest of their class as they navigate the Fairytale Experiment.

I found this book of TikTok in 2020 and oh boy did I enjoy this. It’s filled with familiar fairytales like Beauty and the Beast, Wizard of Oz, and Alice in Wonderland just to name a few. We get little backstories to even some of the smallest background characters. There’s body horror and psychological horror throughout the whole book and I really home she writes a second book

Triggers- violent imagery, body horror, physical and emotional abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, captivity and control, disordered eating, and trauma related flashbacks

4. The Good Demon by Jimmy Cajoleas

Clare has been miserable since her exorcism. The preacher that rid her of evil didn’t understand that her demon—simply known as Her—was like a sister to Clare. Now, Clare will do almost anything to get Her back. After a chance encounter with the son of the preacher who exorcised her, Clare goes on an adventure through the dark underbelly of her small Southern town, discovering its deep-seated occult roots. As she searches for Her, she must question the fine lines between good and evil, love and hate, and religion and free will. Vivid and sharp, The Good Demon tells the unusual story of friendship amid dark Gothic horror.

I found this book in a resale store not long after this book came out. (big thanks to my hippy grandma who bought this for me) This is the book who created my love for books FILLED with religious imagery and trauma. Not gonna lie it’s been a minute since I’ve read this book so I can’t say as much as I can on the others.

Triggers- SA, substance abuse, animal cruelty, religious trauma, addiction, demonic possession, violence, slut-shaming, poor representation of other religions, parental neglect, and self deletion

5. My Best Friends Exorcismbt by Grady Hendrix

The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act…different. She’s moody. She’s irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she’s nearby. Abby’s investigation leads her to some startling discoveries—and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?

If you know anything about Grady Hendrix you know this man love a dark book. There’s body horror, theirs 80’s body image issues, and of course being in love with your best friend but never actually admitting it (technically it’s not confirmed but my god is Abby gay for Gretchen)

Triggers (there’s a lot)- Alcohol, Animal death, Assault, Attempted murder, Attempted self deletion, Blood, Cheating, Child abuse, Cults, Demons, Drug abuse, Eating disorders, Vomiting, Gore, Hallucinations, Homophobia, Misogyny, Poisoning, Potential SA, Racist language, Self-harm, Sexism

These book are NOT light or easy reads. They are dark, they are disturbing, and they are gory. If you need read these books, please do your research on what triggers they have (I know I listed them but just in case I missed them) I have gone into books without knowing their triggers and they were very similar to these and because I didn’t know, it was very hard to read and I had to stop (this was for school and EVERYONE in the class had to stop reading it)

Please be safe, please be careful, your mental health comes first

[museandquill]

Books With Queer Romance Reviews

Hello, welcome to the second addition of Muse and Reviews, this time over YA Queer Romance novels. Now these books will mostly be YA Romance, but there will also be books with romance as a side plot

1. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him. When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

I adore this book, I adore Yadriel, I adore Julian, I adore Yadriel’s cousin Maritza, I just love this book. This book actually made history by being the first New York Times Bestseller List by an openly trans author with a trans character. Even though I am not Latinx, I related to Yadriel in such a deep way because of my own experiences with being trans in a fairly conservative family. I love the relationship between Yadriel and Julian and I personally envy the relationship between Yadriel and Maritza. When it comes to the urban fantasy aspect, I think it blends very well with the world. This book also talks about Latinx gods and goddess, mainly Santa Muerte, and Mexican traditions.

I think this book is a good introduction to YA romance since it’s not mainly just a romance.

2. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after. When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle.... But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

This is another book that I really connected with due to the fact the main character is trans, and also that he's an artist that has been struggling with feeling like he is too complicated to love. This book focuses on self love, gender identity, racial identity, and social pressures. It has been awhile since Ive read this book but I do remember very much enjoying it, especially since Felix is not a completely perfect character

3. The Extraordinaries by TJ Clune

Some people are extraordinary. Some are just extra. New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune's YA debut, The Extraordinaries, is a queer coming-of-age story about a fanboy with ADHD and the heroes he loves. Nick Bell? Not extraordinary. But being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right? After a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City’s mightiest hero (and Nick’s biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he’ll do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, Nick's best friend (and maybe the love of his life).

I was recommended this book by my high school librarian about two years ago and it was a fun and fairly light hearted read (at least compared to what I usually read) Nick truly imbodies the super fan inside all of us. I mean who wouldn't write fanfic about actual superheroes? I love Nick, I love Seth, and the book does a wonderful job at showing Nick's ADHD. This book was absolutely adorable 5/5 stars

4. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day. Adam Silvera reminds us that there’s no life without death and no love without loss in this devastating yet uplifting story about two people whose lives change over the course of one unforgettable day.

Of course I had to talk about They Both Die at the End. God damn you Adam Silvera, I love this book and hate it at the same time. It's amazing but horrifically sad. Obviously the ending is spoiled in the title but god does this book give you a sliver of hope. Thoughts and prayer (in a nonchristian way) to anyone who reads this book, bring your tissues!

5. Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgemond

Infatuation. Reincarnation. Damnation. Gem Echols is a nonbinary Seminole teen living in the tiny town of Gracie, Georgia. Known for being their peers' queer awakening, Gem leans hard on charm to disguise the anxious mess they are beneath. The only person privy to their authentic self is another trans kid, Enzo, who's a thousand long, painful miles away in Brooklyn. But even Enzo doesn't know about Gem's dreams, haunting visions of magic and violence that have always felt too real. So how the hell does Willa Mae Hardy? The strange new girl in town acts like she and Gem are old companions, and seems to know things about them they've never told anyone else. When Gem is attacked by a stranger claiming to be the Goddess of Death, Willa Mae saves their life and finally offers some answers. She and Gem are reincarnated gods who've known and loved each other across lifetimes. But Gem—or at least who Gem used to be— hasn't always been the most benevolent deity. They've made a lot of enemies in the pantheon—enemies who, like the Goddess of Death, will keep coming. It's a good thing they've still got Enzo. But as worlds collide and the past catches up with the present, Gem will discover that everyone has something to hide.

I just finished my second read through of this book and god do I love this book with my whole heart and soul. Complicated main characters, interesting romance, old gods, and queer people in small towns, what more could you need. If this book had zero fans I’d be dead. If this book at one fan it’s ME. It’s a why choose romance with a fight between fate and creating your own life. I want to do a whole deep dive into this book and doing an in depth analysis. This book is not for the faint of heart or only wants perfect main characters. No one in this story is perfect, especially Gem, Willa Mae, and Enzo. (And anyone who says Willa Mae is perfect hasn’t ACTUALLY read the book and I will die on this hill)