Candy Bunny Reader

  A must read for Monster High fans (and new ones too)! The first volume of Monster High: New Scaremester is by several different authors. It is told in the style of American comic books. The first chapter is very chill and is about Clawdeen and Toralei's relationship (yes, they are a sapphic couple here!). The second chapter is about a gay couple, Valentine and Spelldon. It's also pretty chill. But with the last few chapters the story takes a darker turn. Many characters, including the Headmistress Bloodgood, mysteriously disappear. Many think it was the fault of normies (humans), and new rules are put in place restricting everyone's activities.  The friendship between our main six ghouls gets strained, and Frankie notices her/their father (he becomes the temporary headmaster) acting stranger than usual.  Well, I'll have to find out in the next volume what happens!  I gave this first comic book 5 stars . I love how this comic incorporated so many characters and lor...

TW: Acephobia, harassment, toxic friendship all are mentioned. You can see a full list of trigger warnings here: https://booktriggerwarnings.com/Let%27s_Talk_About_Love_by_Claire_Kann   My second Claire Kann book!  Let's Talk About Love is about the biromantic asexual college student Alice, who just broke up with her girlfriend and (now also ex) roommate Margot. She tries to forget about the breakup by moving in with her now engaged childhood friends Feenie and Ryan, bingewatch her favorite shows and write essays on them, and chow down on her favorite foods. She is also trying to find out what to major in at college. Her family wants her to go into law because that's what they all do, but Alice's interests lie somewhere else. One day at her part-time job at a local library, they get a new employee named Takumi. The second Alice sees him, she's head over heels! They start hanging out as friends a lot outside of work, but Alice is afraid to come out to Takumi as asexual...

  It's been a while since I did one of these! Today's poem is inspired by Revolutionary Girl Utena! The creator is Be-Papas. Above is the opening. Poem: "Let’s create A new world Where we girls Rule the world Aren’t you tired Of being tossed around From person to person? Or can the Rose Bride Have no thought or feelings Of her own Oh Goddess! Let me save you Or is it possible Only you can save yourself?"

  A cozy little fantasy adventure with queer representation! The Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught follows two friends, Juniper and Hadley. They work at a bakery and sometimes perform at an inn. One day their boss at the bakery sends them on a mission to get some glowing oyster mushrooms in a big forest for a big order a rich customer places. The friends get notice that several crops nearby are failing. They find out the cause is because of giant caterpillars that belong to a fey (fairy) named Thistle. It turns out, the fey caterpillars have some problems of their own. Juniper and Hadley find a way to help Thistle and get the mushrooms they need for the bakery. I gave it 5 stars. It's such a simple, but magical story! I think this book is perfect if you're in the mood for some adventure but with not very high stakes. Kind of like Legends and Lattes! There is also queer rep in this book. Hadley and Thistle are nonbinary, and Juniper and Hadley become a Sapphic couple.

  Another memoir everyone needs to read! Homebody by Theo Parish is a graphic novel memoir of the author on their journey on how they discovered they are nonbinary. They use an extended metaphor of a house to explain their story, on how discovering they were nonbinary was liking coming home to themselves. They also highlight realities on being nonbinary that not everyone will understand you and that is okay--surround yourself with people who support you. And questioning yourself and coming out is a continuous process.  I loved how uplifting and heartfelt this memoir was! I also love the author's illustrations. I also liked their cats and the fact they were a nerd who likes cosplaying and roleplaying games. So this book got a pure 5 stars from me!

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this! The first volume of Magical Boy by The Kao is about Max--a trans guy who is descended from a line of magical warriors who have to protect the earth from these giant bug monsters who feed off of peoples' negative feelings. The magical warriors of his family got their powers from the goddess Aurora. Max doesn't like this new magical warrior responsibility at first, as his outfit looks really feminine, and his mother (the previous magical warrior) expects him to do his magical duties the traditional way. That includes "acting" really feminine, something Max is obviously uncomfortable with. But with the help of his friend Jen, a new friend named Sean, and an enemy turned friend named Pyper, Max begins to do things his own way. They work together to try to stop the bug monsters from destroying the Earth. His magical outfit also looks less feminine over time.  This book was a blast! I loved this take on a magical warrior...