Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier & Val Wise
I read this graphic novel five years ago now, so I’ve had to go back to my review to refresh my mind. Unfortunately, as this was an ARC, I no longer own a copy so couldn’t give this a re-read. Anyway, this is what I had to say about this graphic novel in my review: “The romance side was very sweet and a great representation of what a high school first love should be like. There was no big coming out moment or shocked parents or peers, which I loved as often these types of stories can go over the top with those types of situations with ‘friends’ not wanting to associate with them anymore or parents not supporting their child’s choices. But there was none of that here. Everything happened with a quiet classiness that was surprising but welcome in a story about teenagers.”
I think I was genuinely surprised to read a LGBTQIA+ story that didn’t involve prejudice or homophobia of any type. I can’t remember exactly how people react to a transgender cheerleader, but the fact that I didn’t comment on it probably means it was fine.
The growing friendship and relationship in this graphic novel is incredibly sweet. I love a clean high school romance – they’re such easy reads and I love the nostalgia it gives me.
Synopsis: Annie is a smart, antisocial lesbian starting her senior year of high school who’s under pressure to join the cheerleader squad to make friends and round out her college applications. Her former friend BeeBee is a people-pleaser—a trans girl who must keep her parents happy with her grades and social life to keep their support of her transition. Through the rigors of squad training and amped up social pressures (not to mention micro aggressions and other queer youth problems), the two girls rekindle a friendship they thought they’d lost and discover there may be other, sweeter feelings springing up between them.
A Hunt of Shadows by Elise Kova
My thought to include this book in this post series came way before I read the final book. I’m not sure how much I love this series for friends to lovers after that as honestly, it felt more like Eira settled with her chosen love interest in the end. However, the friends to lovers arc Eira and Cullen go through in this book is everything to me. This book is pretty heartbreaking so be warned – they don’t get a happy ending, which makes this a little weird to include in this post, however, I adored their dynamic in this book.
I could have spent the entirety of my review of this book talking about Eira and Cullen but I limit myself to just a couple of paragraphs. My favourite part is “There were so many tender moments between Eira and Cullen and it was refreshing to see a romance so raw. As I said before I am completely obsessed with them, especially the fact that they never beat around the bush with each other and just said how they feel.” They honestly do keep up telling each other exactly how they feel. I’m not going to spoil the rest of the series but Cullen is very forward with his emotions – we love an emotionally mature/aware man.
Synopsis: Eira is now a champion of the Solaris Empire. She’s off to a land she’s only dreamed about. But a nightmare awaits her.
Her sworn enemy has escaped. His allies are powerful and deadly. And Eira finds herself tangled in the dangerous web of the undercity of Risen where the mysterious Court of Shadows and lethal Pillars battle for the fate of the kingdom.
But vengeance has a price. When Eira is captured by her enemies, it’s not only her life, but the lives of her friends, and the man she loves most, at stake. The woman she was won’t be enough to turn the tides churning against her from long before she was born. She’ll have to become something more. She’ll have to love deeper and fight fiercer than ever before.
The only way to kill a legendary champion, will be to become one herself.
Experience Eira’s adventure in the A Trial of Sorcerers series by USA Today bestselling author Elise Kova today, for readers who enjoy young adult, epic fantasy, filled with sorcery, deep friendships, forbidden romance, and tales of faraway lands.
A Hunt of Shadows takes place after the events of A Trial of Sorcerers. Readers should begin with A Trial of Sorcerers before reading A Hunt of Shadows.
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