![\"The](\"https:\/\/writingya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Moriarty_Bronte-189x300.jpg\")
If you\u2019ve followed this blog for a while, you\u2019ll know how much of a fan I am of Jaclyn Moriarty\u2019s YA books\u2014I find her both hysterical and delightful, whether she\u2019s writing realistic fiction or fantasy\/magical realism (or the occasional adult book). Well, I hadn\u2019t realized that she\u2019s also dived into middle grade, with a series called Kingdoms and Empires. I found this out by accident because one of the books, The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst<\/em>, was in my library\u2019s ebook app. When I finished reading, I realized that A) the book was part of a series! Yay! And B) I had managed to read the third book out of five! Ooops!<\/p>\nWell, anyhoo, I of course went back and read the other ones (in order this time) and just tore through them. The land of Kingdoms and Empires is in many ways much like our world\u2014if technology had frozen sometime in the period when telephones and automobiles were new and people still used horses and carriages, too. Oh, and there\u2019s quirky magic, and plucky heroines, and outlandish adventures, and situations that made me laugh out loud\u2014but also characters that feel very real, that you wish you could jump into the book and meet. This was one of those series that I kind of wanted to start reading again as soon as I finished. Hot tip: start with the actual first book, The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone<\/em>.<\/p>\n Yadriel, a trans teenage boy, is the narrator, and he is determined to become a brujo and defend the cemetery against rogue ghosts like his dad and older brother\u2014the problem is, because he\u2019s trans, they think that he won\u2019t be able to access the type of magic traditionally gifted to men when he comes of age. His family is throwing a wrench into Yadriel\u2019s following his calling, so Yadriel takes matters into his own hands\u2014and events soon spiral out of control, of course, with mysterious disappearances, a handsome ghost boy, and everything coming to a head on Dia de los Muertos.<\/p>\n The fantasy elements\u2014the world of the brujx that Yadriel inhabits\u2014is terrific and fun, but what really stood out for me was the character development. The characters were so fully realized, so relatable and familiar, so funny and lovable, that I just wanted to hug them. I thought the family themes were especially meaningful, that you can have blood family and chosen family, both precious, and even though your own family has the ability to betray you in the worst way possible, they can also surprise you with the depth of their love and support. Yes, it\u2019s important for books to show trans kids that they can persevere through difficult situations, but it\u2019s also important to show those situations where a trans kid has a loving, supportive family\u2014not without its struggles, but willing to listen, change, and grow.<\/p>\n![\"Cemetery](\"https:\/\/writingya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Thomas_CemeteryBoys-194x300.jpg\")
Speaking of characters who feel very real\u2014another book I really enjoyed recently was Cemetery Boys<\/em>, by fellow Mills alum Aiden Thomas. Yes, I know, I\u2019m late to the party reading this one\u2014my towering TBR pile and I are suitably embarrassed. In any case, I\u2019ve been meaning to read this one for a long time, and it did not disappoint.<\/p>\n
![\"Visions](\"https:\/\/writingya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Rainfield_ParallelVisions-199x300.png\")
It’s not often that an author gets an opportunity to re-release a book the way THEY wanted it written all along, but Cheryl Rainfield has done just that with her\/their book Visions, <\/em>which I reviewed a number of years ago in its first incarnation as