Roar Cat Reads

Tag: Graphic Novel

  • 10 Underrated LGBTQ+ Books

    10 Underrated LGBTQ+ Books

    In general, queer literature tends to get less press than other genres, although increasingly, LGBTQ+ stories are getting the attention they deserve. Still, many excellent books are underrated on Goodreads (aka have less than 5,000 ratings). I wanted to give them a little extra love, and I hope you will too!

    Idea taken from Kat Impossible.

    10 Underrated LGBTQ+ Books

    Alice Payne Arrives by Kate Heartfield

    The Alice Payne novellas are time traveling adventures centered around women of color (one is queer) from different time periods. They are fun, feminist, and philosophical.

    Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi

    A literary novel about a Nigerian mother and her twin daughters breaking apart and coming back together. It’s a book about love, travel, trauma, and the liminal space between mental health and spiritualism.

    Camp by L.C. Rosen

    An adorable YA novel about a diverse cast of queer kids attending a supportive summer camp. The premise is ridiculous (an effeminate gay teen goes masc to win over his crush) but handled with surprising care.

    The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith

    A beautiful fantasy graphic novel about two young twins who escape a royal slaughter into a magical convent for girls. One wants to get back to his life as a prince and reclaim his throne, while the other realizes she feels more herself as a girl and hesitates to leave this refuge.

    FINNA by Nino Cipri

    What if IKEA was a(n actual) dangerous labyrinth that passes through wormholes into different worlds? This delightful novella places two underpaid employees going through a breakup in life-or-death situations and, in the most queer story imaginable, centers on successfully rebuilding a relationship after romance.

    Flamer by Mike Curato

    A black and white YA graphic novel that uses color for emotional effect about a young Boy Scout coming to terms with his attraction to his bunkmate in honest, heartbreaking, and joyful scenes. His dreams of the two of them acting out fantasy romances are priceless!

    Miranda in Milan by Katharine Duckett

    Queer Shakespeare geeks rejoice! This short novel follows a post-The Tempest Miranda back to Milan where she must confront the ghosts of her past while navigating falling in love with a woman.

    Naamah by Sarah Blake

    If you’ve ever wished the Bible were gayer and more feminist, this is the book for you! Noah’s wife Naamah is given a voice as she struggles with living through a disaster that killed her female lover and wrestles with what it means to relate to the god who caused such tragedy.

    Trans-Galactic Bike Ride edited by Lydia Rogue

    A novella anthology of short stories centered on trans narratives and biking through space…weirdly specific and utterly delightful! I guarantee that some of the stories will be your flavour, though who knows which ones that will be.

    The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood

    An excellent fantasy novel about a lesbian orc who works as a wizard’s assassin and struggles with her life’s meaning after fleeing a cult who wanted to sacrifice her to appease an ancient god. That should be all you need to know to be assured that this is so much fun!

    What underrated LGBTQIA+ books do you want to boost?
    Leave a comment and let everyone know about them!

  • Flamer by Mike Curato

    Flamer by Mike Curato

    Genre | YA Graphic Novel
    Page #s | 368
    Publishing Date | September 2020

    Award-winning author and artist Mike Curato draws on his own experiences in Flamer, his debut graphic novel, telling a difficult story with humor, compassion, and love.

    I know I’m not gay. Gay boys like other boys. I hate boys. They’re mean, and scary, and they’re always destroying something or saying something dumb or both.

    I hate that word. Gay. It makes me feel . . . unsafe.

    It’s the summer between middle school and high school, and Aiden Navarro is away at camp. Everyone’s going through changes—but for Aiden, the stakes feel higher. As he navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can’t stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance.

    Goodreads

    Using spare colors with an inviting cartoon aesthetic, Curato has created a beautiful graphic novel about a young boy on the cusp of adolescence who struggles to accept his attraction to boys during a Boy Scouts summer camp. Occasionally haunting but ultimately uplifting, I adored this book and want everyone to read it.

    This is Aiden’s last summer before high school, and he wants his camp experience to be a fun, safe space for him to be fully himself. Unfortunately, he is at camp with a bunch of boys, and they throw insults and gay slurs at each other with abandon. Curato captures these microaggressions with nuance, showing how they hit differently for someone who worries he actually IS gay while also showing how good it can feel to turn the tables and call a bully a f*****.

    Although this is a quick read, the length of the novel allows us to get a full sense of Aiden’s life. The main action takes place during summer camp, but we get flashbacks to his family, his school, and his church that better inform what he is experiencing in the present day as he participates in orienteering, archery, and basket weaving.

    Aiden is such a cute boy who can’t, and doesn’t want to, hide his feminine side despite being very in the closet when it comes to accepting his attraction to bunkmate Elias. Every night he dreams of the two of them together. These were my favorite sections of the book, as he imagines the pair of them as Frodo and Sam or Wolverine and Jean Grey, in an adorable fantasy that increasingly turns dark as he tries to push the feelings aside.

    The story culminates in a dark moment that might be triggering for some readers, though the scene is handled with care. The fires that Aiden worries will engulf himself ultimately manifest as his own life energy, a fire full of strength and vitality that cannot be put out. It’s a lovely book, drawn with skill and passion, that should be on the shelf of every school library.

    Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

    It’s great for readers of all ages, but this is a book to prioritize giving to young queer kids who will see themselves in Aiden.

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

    Find more books nominated for Lambda Literary Awards reviewed here.

  • The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith

    The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith

    After a terrible political coup usurps their noble house, Hawke and Grayson flee to stay alive and assume new identities, Hanna and Grayce. Desperation and chance lead them to the Communion of Blue, an order of magical women who spin the threads of reality to their will.

    As the twins learn more about the Communion, and themselves, they begin to hatch a plan to avenge their family and retake their royal home.While Hawke wants to return to his old life, Grayce struggles to keep the threads of her new life from unraveling, and realizes she wants to stay in the one place that will allow her to finally live as a girl.

    Goodreads

    This was an excellent graphic novel that I would seriously love to see made into a movie. There is action and political intrigue, fascinating world building, and deep character development. Not bad for a middle grade graphic novel!

    When royal twins find their family under attack, they escape and hide in the women’s section of the city. There is one panel in particular that shows a land mass within a bustling city circled by a river, high walls guarding feminine secrets, and I want in! Dressed as girls, they are initiated into the Communion of the Blue, which is a fabulous society based on religious myths of a Mother Weaver whose proclivity for blue bestows life. One twin, Hawke aka Hannah, is taken into the guards, where he struggles to learn weaponless combat after a young life of sword training. The other twin, Grayson aka Grayce, is welcomed into the inner sanctum to learn how to spin blue wool. Oh, and I mention that spinners can perform magic with their spinning? This whole premise gives me serious Avatar: The Last Airbender vibes, and I love it.

    What Makes This Book Queer?

    When Grayson enters the Communion of the Blue, everyone around comments on what a lovely girl they make, which causes Grayson to blush with obvious pleasure. While Hawke is eager to return to their old life and reclaim the throne, Grayce feels at home in the women’s world, seen and understood for the first time.

    It’s a very sweet transgender narrative. Her brother is unobservant, but when a more savvy mutual friend points out Grayce’s happiness, he quickly understands and supports his sister. And even though I knew it was coming, seeing the magic of the tapestry confirm Grayce’s identity was absolutely moving. I really hope Smith writes more in this world!

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

    Find more books nominated for Lambda Literary Awards reviewed here!