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cicadaknight's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
- Genuinely love Alanna’s wit and banter. Her characterization is probably what’s made this series stick with me for 2 decades.
- A story from the 80’s where men have loving, tender, and affectionate friendships with each other and a girl? Delightful.
- Pushy, waaay-too-old-for-the-protagonist love interests? Less delightful.
- At least for the era it was written, pretty fascinating for a girl character to reject sexuality entirely and then overcome her fear of it. When she IS ready to explore it, she isn’t oversexualized nor is her desire demonized.
- Also appreciate that this book fully avoided homophobic tropes around fear of the protagonist and her lover being caught or suspected of being involved while she’s disguised as a boy.
- Regrettably, no exploration of her two love interests being attracted to her masculinity given that she presents as male for 8 years. Bicurious kings lmao
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Outing, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Drug use and Racial slurs
Use of “yellow” to describe an asian-coded character. How this character is “asian-coded” should be its own discussion.samanyana's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racial slurs and Torture
I noted two mentions of the slur 'yellow' in regard to an Asian person in the narration.
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