[Review] May the best man win, ZR Ellor

Hoy vengo con una entrada algo diferente, una reseña en inglés que forma parte del tour organizado por Turn the page para presentar el recién publicado libro May the Best Man Win, escrito por Z.R. Ellor. Como se que muchas de las personas que me seguís no os sentís cómodas leyendo en este idioma, en unos días tendréis también la reseña en español. Os adelanto que ha sido una lectura maravillosa y estoy segura de que dará mucho que hablar. Y a partir de aquí empiezo ya con la reseña en inglés.

*And from here I start with the review in English.

Title: May the best man win

Author: ZR Ellor

Published by: Roaring Brook Press

Release date: May 18th, 2021

Genre(s): Young Adult Fiction - Contemporary, Romance

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A trans boy enters a throw-down battle for the title of Homecoming King with the boy he dumped last summer in ZR Ellor's contemporary YA debut.

Jeremy Harkiss, cheer captain and student body president, won’t let coming out as a transgender boy ruin his senior year. Instead of bowing to the bigots and outdate school administration, Jeremy decides to make some noise—and how better than by challenging his all-star ex-boyfriend, Lukas for the title of Homecoming King?

Lukas Rivers, football star and head of the Homecoming Committee, is just trying to find order in his life after his older brother’s funeral and the loss long-term girlfriend—who turned out to be a boy. But when Jeremy threatens to break his heart and steal his crown, Lukas kick starts a plot to sabotage Jeremy’s campaign.

When both boys take their rivalry too far, the dance is on the verge of being canceled. To save Homecoming, they’ll have to face the hurt they’re both hiding—and the lingering butterflies they can’t deny.

Content notes for May the Best Man Win: homophobia, transphobia, sexual harassment, bullying, death of a family member.

"'Please, try to look presidential Jeremy.'"

I learned about the existence of this book a couple of months ago, looking for YA romance books on Goodreads, and the story caught my attention as soon as I read the synopsis: a trans boy who fights against his ex to be Homecoming King... You'll not deny that the story looks absolutely great. And I assure you that it does not disappoint!

I briefly introduce you to the wonderful lead characters of the book: Jeremy and Lukas. Lukas and Jeremy. Almost half a life together, popular (I would even say that they the most popular couple in high school), envied and with a promising future ahead of them. But that was before. Before Jeremy had enough and decided to be himself and not some suffocating version of himself: the perfect daughter, girlfriend, cheerleader, friend. Before Jeremy decided that he didn't want to be invisible anymore, that he wanted to be seen, to be him and to be respected and loved. Before he decided to end things with Lukas, without explanation and on the same day as Lukas' brother's funeral. Before.

Now things have changed and Lukas and Jeremy hardly speak to each other. They only have a somewhat cordial relationship, but that also seems to end when the two decide to present themselves for the title of Homecoming King. Both for different but equally valid reasons:

Jeremy likes attention, even more so now that he needs the other students to see him for who he really is: he doesn't want his transition to define him and he wants - needs - to be seen and treated as just another boy. Also, it's his senior year and, therefore, his time to shine. And what better way to finish high school than to be crowned Homecoming King.

For Lukas, on the other hand, being the Homecoming King can make a difference in his future: the difference between going to a prestigious university and becoming the perfect son, or remaining the son who is not good enough for his parents...

So may the best man win!

However, the competition between the two soon turns into rivalry, where friendships break, relationships change, feelings evolve... Will Jeremy and Lukas be able to be friends... or something else again? Or will their relationship end forever? Thus, ZR Ellor  tells us a wonderful story about second chances, friendship, love, trust and the importance of being yourself, of being happy. It will not be an easy road but it will be one that will be worth traveling.

The story is told in two voices, by Jeremy and Lukas, in a narrative that presents us with a countdown to the Homecoming dance and the election of the King. The fact that the chapters are narrated by different characters, on the one hand, makes the reading faster and, on the other, makes us get to know the two main leads much more thoroughly, as well as their pain, their fears, their anger... I think they are two unique characters that complement each other perfectly, in addition to how real they feel: they both make mistakes, they are selfish, they push others away... they also both feel lonely, not loved, not enough... I really liked the evolution that the two have, as well as the relationships that are created between them and the other characters, the community that they create little by little, the strength they have when they join forces...

I do not want to go on much longer in this review: you will have to read the book if you want to know more about the story.

Tell me, have you or do you want to read this book?

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Z. R. Ellor (he/him) is the author of MAY THE BEST MAN WIN and the forthcoming adult fantasy SILK FIRE (written as Zabé Ellor.) He holds a BA in English Lit and biology from Cornell University. When not writing, he can be found running, playing video games, and hunting the best brunch deals in Washington D.C.. Find him online at https://zrellorbooks.com/

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Up for grabs, we have ONE (1) copy of May the Best Man Win by Z.R. Ellor. This giveaway is open to US residents only and will run from May 16th to May 23rd at 12 AM CST. No giveaway accounts allowed.

Giveaway Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1e4a114d41/?

If you want to read other opinions about May the best man win, here you can see the tour schedule.

✨ ¡Vuelta al blog! ✨

 

 

¡Hola! ¿Qué tal os va todo? 

 

Sí, estáis leyendo bien, después de casi dos años sin actualizar el blog (la última entrada es de septiembre del 2019...), he decidido volver. Llevo tiempo pensando si volver a actualizar o abandonarlo completamente, pero tras la pandemia y volver a coger el hábito de lectura que, con los estudios, había dejado un poco a un lado, he decidido que por qué no. 

 

No se si alguna de mis seguidoras seguirá por aquí, o si tan siquiera alguien estará leyendo esta entrada, es por eso que me tomo esta vuelta a Blogger como un nuevo comienzo, desde cero otra vez. Ya he visto que algunos de los blogs que seguía han cerrado sus puertas (temporalmente o definitivamente) y el diseño de Blogger ha cambiado (lo sé, hace tiempo ya...) así que perdonad si tardo un poco en volver a habituarme y estar presente en vuestras entradas.

Para todas aquellas personas nuevas en Fly with paper wings, ¡bienvenidas! Por si no me conociaís, me presento: mi nombre es Marina y soy la administradora de este pequeño rincón de internet dedicado a la literatura. En él encontraréis principalmente reseñas de libros juveniles, fantásticos y románticos (con alguna excepción aquí y allá), así como entradas más distendidas sobre libros, series, novedades, noticias literarias o Book Tags. 

Estoy segura de que yo tampoco os conoceré a muchas de vosotras (estoy segura de que estos dos años se han creado espacios maravillosos que estoy todavía por descubrir) así que os invito a presentaros en comentarios, ¡contadme vuestros gustos literarios o vuestro libro preferido! Y, si queréis, también podéis dejarme un enlace a vuestro blogs y estaré encantada de pasarme por ellos.

¡Nos leemos!

The Poppy War, R.F. Kuang

Título: The Poppy War
Autor(a): R.F. Kuang
Saga: The poppy war 1 (1/?)
Editorial: Harper Voyager
Páginas: 544
★★★★★

When Rin aced the Keju, the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies, it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard, the most elite military school in Nikan, was even more surprising.
But surprises aren’t always good.
Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.
For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away...
Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity... and that it may already be too late.

"Take your clothes off."

The Poppy War me ha sorprendido enormemente y ya es, sin duda, una de mis mejores lecturas en lo que vamos de año. El libro cuenta una historia de género fantástico, intensa y oscura pero MUY recomendable. La protagonista, Fang "Rin" Runin, es una huérfana de guerra que trabaja prácticamente como una esclava para su familia de acogida. Aún así, gracias a su esfuerzo y sacrificio, logra entrar en la escuela militar más prestigiosa y exigente del país. Pero las cosas no serán nada fáciles para ella, una joven pobre y de piel oscura, además de mujer y huérfana. Y no voy a contar mucho más porque cuanto menos sepáis, mejor.

Al ser la primera parte de una saga, no es de extrañar que los primeros capítulos resulten algo introductorios y más pausados, para poder situar de manera general al lector. Podríamos decir que el libro de divide en dos partes: la primera, más introductoria, desde que Rin empieza a estudiar para entrar en la Academia hasta que sale y la segunda, la guerra. Porque sí, a pesar de que en un principio pueda no parecerlo, The Poppy War es un libro sobre una guerra, sus causas y sus consecuencias, que, además, trata temas muy duros como el genocidio, el abuso, el racismo o la adicción a las drogas (el nombre de la guerra, "the poppy war" hace referencia directa al opio). Quiero dejar claro que no es una historia agradable, no tiene un final feliz, los personajes no son buenos ni malos y eso le da al libro un aire muy creíble y real.

Me ha gustado que, a pesar de ser el primer libro, la historia que se nos cuenta es muy completa, abarca un periodo de tiempo bastante extenso y se ve una gran evolución en lo que respecta a los personajes (crecen, aprenden, progresan...) y al trasfondo histórico (a nivel político y social).

Según he leído en la página web de la autora, The Poppy War está basado en la historia de China, especialmente en la masacre de Nanjing (1937), donde las tropas japonesas asesinaron y violaron a un enorme número de personas en la entonces capital de la República de China. Fue el tema principal de la tesis de Kuang por lo que, detrás de la historia, hay una gran labor de investigación y documentación aunque el resultado sea de género fantástico. Y la verdad es que se ve el trabajo que hay detrás del libro, por lo bien construído y bien llevado que está todo lo relacionado con la guerra.

La pena es que de momento el libro solo se encuentra en inglés ya que se publicó hace poco pero, por las buenas reseñas que está recibiendo, no creo que tarden en traducirlo al español así que, si queréis leerlo y no os animáis a hacerlo en inglés, no creo que tengáis que esperar mucho.

¿Conocíais el libro? ¿Lo habéis leído? ¿Os llama la atención?