Bayou Bytes Blog

Oh, did you want to hear about a mermaid story? No, not the delayed live-action Disney movie remake... I'm talking about the horrifying Jackson Pierce retelling of the Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson. Half of this book is so, so good. And the other half is just...okay.  That's actually a great way to describe the main character Lo. Lo is a water nymph-- not explicitly a mermaid-- who dwells with her sisters beneath the ocean waves.  Lo and her sisters used to be mortal human girls before the ocean swallowed them whole-- but their mortal lives, memories, and identities have slowly eroded in the wake of their eternal hedonistic lives that the nymphs enjoy under the sea.  The water nymphs will shed their humanity underwater for as long as it will take. Once a water nymph has shed the last of her humanity, she'll ascend the waves and become part of the ocean. But after Lo rescues a mortal boy from drowning, she begins to realize she's curious about the person she...

What exactly is so valuable about feeling... human? Human beings measure their lives by years, but for the faeries in An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson , a century can go by within a snap of their fingers. Faeries are immortal and impervious to aging, but the inevitable trade-off to immortality is the lack of a full range of emotions and individual expression. Faeries simply exist; most of the time, they exist without feeling anything but simple contentment, displeasure, curiosity, and confusion.  Confusion is their primary feeling about the human world. Human emotion (and any expression of those emotions through art) both fascinates them and confuses them. Fortunately for 17-year-old Isobel, a human girl living in a human settlement near the faerie courts, these immortal faeries are thrilled to grant special enchantments to humans that can create or demonstrate a skill that faeries can't replicate for themselves. Isobel is young, but she's a renowned master of pain...

 All of Us Villains is being marketed as magic meets The Hunger Games , and though I've grown wary of dystopian fiction, it was enough to make me grab the title.  To some extent, this comparison is apt.  Seven kids from Ilvernath's great families compete every twenty years. The last kid standing wins their family exclusive access to the town's hidden well of high magick.  But this year's competition is different. Someone in the know published a novel explicitly detailing the nature of the competition and when it becomes a bestseller, little Ilvernath's big secret becomes front page news.   Even though the seven champions thrown into the ring this year have gone to incredible lengths to prepare for the tournament, things have changed. They're starting to rebel from the inside.  By the time I was done with this novel, I was certain that comparing it to The Hunger Games was selling it short. For a novel with so many characters, they are remarkably disti...

       Mateo Garcia lives in New York with his parents and his sister Sophie. At the start of the novel, he's seen in line for an off-Broadway audition with his best friend Adam. Later, he's at dinner with his parents where they reassure the kids they'll be fine as long as they are "careful."       But being careful doesn't seem to be enough. One day, while the kids are at school,   I.C.E. arrives at the Bodega (his dad's store)...Setting the kids on a new journey of facing America without parental supervision.     His usual worries of prepping for the SATs and becoming an actor become overshadowed by Law & Order. Will the courts let his parents stay in the States or will a rigid outlook on citizenship alter their lives unwillingly?      Aleman paints a human tale about the Garcias. Parents who work hard so their children can strive towards their hopes and dreams-- like many other typical American families. This i...

 Like most other people who are interested in Xiran Jay Zhao, I first learned about her when I saw her viral Twitter thread critiquing the details of Disney's Mulan. For her, and for us, it was a perfect accident because she was still in the public eye when her book Iron Widow was announced.   Not only does Iron Widow have an absolutely gorgeous cover, it is a delightful read. Xiran Jay Zhao reimagined China's infamous empress, Wu Zetian, and placed her in a fantasy world at war, where paired pilots command mythological creature mecha. The male pilots are doted upon and celebrated, but their female partners are drained like batteries and frequently die in battle.   Enter Wu Zetian. After her sister is killed by a famous pilot, Zetian joins the fray as a female pilot. And she is determined to take down the system from within.   Iron Widow is the first in a series, so I'm already eagerly awaiting the next installment. The worldbuilding here was well don...

           It's 1946 in Metropolis and Lois Lane is waiting for Superman to save the day. He shows up, of course, and slays the Atom Man, a Nazi soldier. Like a movie, there's a scene change to a car ride with four passengers: the Lee family.           There's Dr. Lee, who has a new job at the Metropolis Health Department, his wife, who he keeps reminding to speak English instead of Cantonese; and his two kids: Roberta (originally Lan-shin) and Tommy. They're moving from Chinatown, Los Angeles to White suburbia. Upon arrival, they're greeted by a welcoming committee of his new boss, Dr. Wilson, and mildly racist coworker, Dr. William.   Soon, they're harassed by local hate group, the Klan of the Fiery Kross. A whole slew of problems are encountered, but with Superman and a team-effort, Good trumps Evil.          Touching on racism, assimilation, and coming-to-age woes of trying to fit in, Gene Luen...

Let's imagine, for a moment, that you're an innocent bystander in a superhero story.  Sailor Moon: Meme Princess The bad guys have you cornered-- but then, from almost out of nowhere, a superheroine interrupts the action. Whew! What a relief! You're saved! Sort of.  She didn't yank the bad guy away from you with a golden lasso. She doesn't incapacitate anyone with expert martial arts action or sneak up on anyone with world-class stealth.  She doesn't even seem to want to be there. It then starts to dawn on you -- as you watch your superheroine run in terror from the fight she started with the bad guys -- that she doesn't seem like she wants to be a heroine at all.  Oh, well. At least she showed up.  Sailor Moon, or Usagi "Serena" Tsukino, first made her way from Japan to American audiences via the Toonami block on Cartoon Network about 25 years ago. No one-- not even the Powerpuff girls-- defeats the forces of evil with 90s girl power more effecti...

       The beginning of the popularity of the Internet as we  vaguely remember  it: dial-up, cherished cassette tapes, and grunge. It’s the 90’s after all in Matthew Bogart and Jesse Holden’s Young Adult  g raphic  n ovel, Incredible Doom.          As the chapters alternate, so do the POVs. There’s only child Allison,  who’s been forced to be a magician’s assistant for her controlling dad.  Then there’s Richard,  a   new kid in town, struggling to make friends.  Both teens find  solace in the Bullet in Board System (BBS) , a virtual community before the World Wide Web was a thing.  At the time, members joined up with  their local BBS to avoid International-calling fees.   Its local option led   to  Allison meet ing  Samir, and Richard meet ing  Tina, his  defense against bullies.        The authors paint their realistic story ...

Soraya is a cursed princess. Poisonous, any living creature she touches will die. She's spent her whole life locked away in her castle, while her mother and twin brother travel across the kingdom. But this year, when her family returns to the castle, they bring the promise of change. Soraya's brother will be getting married soon. Not only that, but they caught a demon on their travels, and she's now locked away in the dungeon. If Soraya can meet with the demon, she may learn how to break her curse... Girl, Serpent, Thorn is the first book I've read in a while that really stuck with me long after I finished it. Usually, I finish one story and jump into another, but this one I just sat with it for a little while. And immediately recommended it to three of my friends. This is a wholly original story, crafted like a fairy tale and pulling inspiration from Persian folklore, and it is absolutely worth the read. The story twisted and turned, crushing my predictions and wrappin...

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black The titular Cruel Prince is Cardan Greenbriar-- the youngest heir to the Faerie throne, and the least likely ever to inherit it. It's a good thing he's not favored by the folk or the royals themselves to sit on the throne-- he's a spoiled bully and cruel to the human protagonist Jude for being a mortal girl living among faeries. Cruelty runs rampant in the royal family, however.  "If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse." Identical twin sisters Jude & Taryn Duarte have known their place in the faerie kingdom since they were very young-- and that their ordinary mortality is viewed with contempt. As regular mortals girls living amongst royalty, nobles, and beautiful immortal folk, they haven't exactly had an easy time with the locals. But while Taryn would rather work harder to fit in, Jude can't help but meet their contempt with her own rage and disdain.  And Jude hates the beautiful faerie prince Car...

 Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo are the only two Black students at Niveus Private Academy. It’s their senior year and everything seems promising. Chiamaka is popular, has great grades, and is on track to get into Yale and become a great doctor. Devon is working on a piano arrangement he hopes is good enough to get into Juilliard.   When they're both named class prefects, the year seems to be off to a great start. But then an anonymous text get sent to the entire student body. The sender, Aces, reveals a new dirty little secret with each new message. But is only targeting Chiamaka and Devon.   Determined not to let Aces win, Devon and Chiamaka team up to find out who Aces is and why they're being targeted.   This YA novel is absolutely worth the read. It's well-written, full of suspense, and every move Aces makes is absolutely horrifying. As the story moves along it only grows more intense, and I wondered how the author would possibly pull together...

  Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating follows two sixteen year old Bengali girls in Ireland.   Hani comes out to her friends and they pull some classic biphobia – how can Hani *know* she's bi is she's never dated a girl? Fed up, Hani lies and tells them she is in fact dating someone. Ishu, the only other Bengali girl in class, who she's barely spoken to.  Ishu is cold and distant, unwilling to put up with class drama and determined to show her parents she's on the right track in life. To prove it to them, she plans on being voted Head Girl, on top of getting top marks in her classes. But Head Girl is a popularity contest, and Ishu's not exactly popular.   So the two agree to a fake dating scheme.   This has all the classic fake dating tropes. Fake-dating-whoops-real-dating and the classic grumpy one/happy one pairing. And it's wonderfully diverse.  I really enjoyed this story. It was well done, had all my favorite tropes, and provided an ex...

She Drives Me Crazy combines two of the best romance tropes in a combination similar to Red, White, and Royal Blue that I simply can't pass up. An accident forces together mortal enemies when gorgeous, popular Irene Abraham accidentally crashes into Scottie Zajac. When their parents arrive to work out the insurance details, they pretend to be friends to avoid some awkwardness. Maybe they were a little too convincing because now Scottie has to drive Irene to school until her car can get repaired. They spend a week antagonizing each other, until Scottie realizes that dating a perfect cheerleader like Irene would be just the thing to drive her ex crazy. So she proposes a fake dating scheme, and to her amazement Irene agrees.  Kelly Quindlen used two of my favorite tropes in this work, so I certainly enjoyed it. It's a sweet and simple plot with a lot of drama. But I enjoyed how Quindlen emphasized healthy relationships, healing post-breakup, and finding yourself before finding a...

 Kiera Johnson is one of a handful of Black kids at Jefferson Academy. She spends her days trying to lay low, and dodge questions like "Is it offensive if I wear dreads?" from her white classmates. But every night, she rushes home to log on to Slay, a card-based dueling MMORPG designed by Black gamers for Black gamers. Designed by Kiera, specifically. With the help of just one faithful moderator, Kiera (or Emerald, in-game) has devoted years to designing, building, and maintaining this safe haven.  But when an in-game dispute leads to a real life murder, Kiera has to navigate the fallout. The media learns about the existence of Slay and immediately vilifies the game, insisting it is racist and promotes violence. If that wasn't bad enough, a troll infiltrates Slay and begins terrorizing players. He's even threatening to sue Emerald, if he can figure out who she is...  I read this book entirely in one sitting (in part because I had borrowed it and didn't want to be ...

 Divya is a normal teenager, living with her single mother and working to help make ends meet. Except that her job is streaming Reclaim the Sun (think No Man's Sky) on Glitch for thousands of viewers. On stream Divya (D1V) shares her in-game coordinates so her fans can log in and explore planets with her in real time. But during one fateful stream Divya and her companions are attacked by trolls who have named themselves the Vox Populi.  Divya loses the fight and when she respawns half a universe away she has nothing left. Not only that, she receives an email from the Vox Populi threatening to dox her (or worse) if she doesn't stop streaming. Frustrated but determined, Divya starts the long process of leveling back up. Along the way she runs into Aaron, a boy who wants nothing more than to become a video game writer. They agree to work together, and their friendship begins. This novel deals heavily with online harassment and the fear of that bleeding into real life. And the inc...