***ALERT: SPOILERS BELOW**
Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre
I am a huge fan of this author. I discovered her while ordering books by Joelle Charbonneau. (The Testing, Independent Study, Graduation) Amazon recommended the Aguirre’s Razorland series to me.
I went with the recommendation because Amazon is one of my best friends in that way. It knows me so well! Almost like it made an algorithm just for me, based on its analysis all of my purchases and browsing history. Amazon, you shouldn’t have. I mean it, you really shouldn’t have. But since you did—might as well go with it. {Do you ever think Amazon knows you better than anyone? No? Me neither.}
After Enclave, I read the rest of the trilogy: Horde and Outpost. I LOVED THEM. Ann Aguirre taught me that it’s not that I don’t like reading about zombies, it’s that I don’t like reading poorly written things about zombies. Because her books are just awesome. They are delicate and fierce in perfect proportion.
After that fabulous trilogy, I looked for more of her books and found her to be a fine example of a multi-genre author. I think you would call her Perdition trilogy a space opera, but I’m not sure. I loved that series and it led me to this new book at my library The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things. Sorry about the long intro here, but I am always curious how people find good books and authors. I’m indulging in a bit of retrospect transparency.
This book has all the things I love about her characters and plotlines. It is both tender and steely. The main female character is strong, has a past, and grittily makes her own path. The male interest is not perfect. I love that. He makes mistakes and does not solve her problems, yet he is endearing and brave in his flaws. You see why she would love him, and he her, specifically. Ann Aguirre does not shy away from awful topics, heartbreak, or violence. I like that. In this book, Sage, the female lead, struggles to move past her abusive childhood and her resulting talent for being terrible.
A cute part of this story is that Sage tries to be a good person by leaving kind Post-It notes on people’s lockers. She notices someone having a bad day and then writes them a personal Post-It cheer up message. It’s a nice tangible way for her to keep putting one foot in front of the other on the path to happiness. Spreading joy brings joy, and she demonstrates this effectively to the students in a way that does not come off as annoying or Pollyanna-ish. The students react believably.
In Queen of Bright and Shiny Things, Ann Aguirre reminds us that it is not easy to be nice, sometimes it’s easier to be mean. For me as an adult reader, she drove this point home a bit too much. We get it; Sage is conflicted. She has a bad side and has to tamp it down to keep up her new “well” image. At the same time, Sage feels deeply unworthy of her second chance and keeps thinking she will ruin it. Sure, I get it, but let’s not have quite so much internal thought about it. I *loved* when the mean side, Shadow Sage, came out. I thought the depiction of how quickly she could slip and be evil was exciting and was rendered artfully with a few deft scenes. Sage had the power and chose not to use it- but indeed, it was a heady power for both the reader and Sage to flirt with.
Another thing I would tweak is a plot point in which Sage knows something extremely convenient and blackmail worthy about the antagonist who is bullying her friends and her. I do believe that such coincidences happen, but I needed it to be a bit more realistic that she would have this info before I bought into it. Why would Sage of all people stumble on this juicy piece of info about her enemy when no one else had for years?
What would have made it work for me was if she had a talent for sneaking/snooping or if she was trying to find something out about him. The author didn't lead up to it either. Boom- almost halfway through the book- Sage suddenly remembers that she knows a secret that could destroy him. Only just then does she think of it. Another way it could have been more realistic is showing how she discovered this info. Since she rode her bike everywhere and never drove, it could have been something only visible from a bike path, and no one bikes in the winter—except Sage did. That would have solved that whole gap for me in a couple of sentences. Personal note to Ann- I’m here for you- I’ll be a beta alpha omega reader for you any time.
I also liked how: sex didn’t solve anything, musical talent didn’t get immediately discovered/famous, and unrequited crushes stayed unrequited in some cases. The subplots could have developed more and even branched off into sequels. Who knows, maybe that’s the plan. I hope so!
Another strength of this work was that Sage’s body description was not harped on, a trap many books fall into. Yet Sage’s minor insecurities (big butt) were the exact things the bullies teased her about, ringing true for the reader. It also filled in the blanks about her appearance that weren’t important except as details. Takeaway thought: She was as pretty as she felt inside.
I will continue to read this author with enthusiasm. I am very impressed by her versatility of topic, genre, and plot.
Of all her books, Enclave is still my favorite. I am excited that there are many books of hers yet to read. There is nothing better than knowing there is a great stack of books waiting for you- especially over the holidays.
Happy Reading,
~gregorific
Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre
I am a huge fan of this author. I discovered her while ordering books by Joelle Charbonneau. (The Testing, Independent Study, Graduation) Amazon recommended the Aguirre’s Razorland series to me.
I went with the recommendation because Amazon is one of my best friends in that way. It knows me so well! Almost like it made an algorithm just for me, based on its analysis all of my purchases and browsing history. Amazon, you shouldn’t have. I mean it, you really shouldn’t have. But since you did—might as well go with it. {Do you ever think Amazon knows you better than anyone? No? Me neither.}
After Enclave, I read the rest of the trilogy: Horde and Outpost. I LOVED THEM. Ann Aguirre taught me that it’s not that I don’t like reading about zombies, it’s that I don’t like reading poorly written things about zombies. Because her books are just awesome. They are delicate and fierce in perfect proportion.
After that fabulous trilogy, I looked for more of her books and found her to be a fine example of a multi-genre author. I think you would call her Perdition trilogy a space opera, but I’m not sure. I loved that series and it led me to this new book at my library The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things. Sorry about the long intro here, but I am always curious how people find good books and authors. I’m indulging in a bit of retrospect transparency.
This book has all the things I love about her characters and plotlines. It is both tender and steely. The main female character is strong, has a past, and grittily makes her own path. The male interest is not perfect. I love that. He makes mistakes and does not solve her problems, yet he is endearing and brave in his flaws. You see why she would love him, and he her, specifically. Ann Aguirre does not shy away from awful topics, heartbreak, or violence. I like that. In this book, Sage, the female lead, struggles to move past her abusive childhood and her resulting talent for being terrible.
A cute part of this story is that Sage tries to be a good person by leaving kind Post-It notes on people’s lockers. She notices someone having a bad day and then writes them a personal Post-It cheer up message. It’s a nice tangible way for her to keep putting one foot in front of the other on the path to happiness. Spreading joy brings joy, and she demonstrates this effectively to the students in a way that does not come off as annoying or Pollyanna-ish. The students react believably.
In Queen of Bright and Shiny Things, Ann Aguirre reminds us that it is not easy to be nice, sometimes it’s easier to be mean. For me as an adult reader, she drove this point home a bit too much. We get it; Sage is conflicted. She has a bad side and has to tamp it down to keep up her new “well” image. At the same time, Sage feels deeply unworthy of her second chance and keeps thinking she will ruin it. Sure, I get it, but let’s not have quite so much internal thought about it. I *loved* when the mean side, Shadow Sage, came out. I thought the depiction of how quickly she could slip and be evil was exciting and was rendered artfully with a few deft scenes. Sage had the power and chose not to use it- but indeed, it was a heady power for both the reader and Sage to flirt with.
Another thing I would tweak is a plot point in which Sage knows something extremely convenient and blackmail worthy about the antagonist who is bullying her friends and her. I do believe that such coincidences happen, but I needed it to be a bit more realistic that she would have this info before I bought into it. Why would Sage of all people stumble on this juicy piece of info about her enemy when no one else had for years?
What would have made it work for me was if she had a talent for sneaking/snooping or if she was trying to find something out about him. The author didn't lead up to it either. Boom- almost halfway through the book- Sage suddenly remembers that she knows a secret that could destroy him. Only just then does she think of it. Another way it could have been more realistic is showing how she discovered this info. Since she rode her bike everywhere and never drove, it could have been something only visible from a bike path, and no one bikes in the winter—except Sage did. That would have solved that whole gap for me in a couple of sentences. Personal note to Ann- I’m here for you- I’ll be a beta alpha omega reader for you any time.
I also liked how: sex didn’t solve anything, musical talent didn’t get immediately discovered/famous, and unrequited crushes stayed unrequited in some cases. The subplots could have developed more and even branched off into sequels. Who knows, maybe that’s the plan. I hope so!
Another strength of this work was that Sage’s body description was not harped on, a trap many books fall into. Yet Sage’s minor insecurities (big butt) were the exact things the bullies teased her about, ringing true for the reader. It also filled in the blanks about her appearance that weren’t important except as details. Takeaway thought: She was as pretty as she felt inside.
I will continue to read this author with enthusiasm. I am very impressed by her versatility of topic, genre, and plot.
Of all her books, Enclave is still my favorite. I am excited that there are many books of hers yet to read. There is nothing better than knowing there is a great stack of books waiting for you- especially over the holidays.
Happy Reading,
~gregorific
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