Tag: Camille Boelt Hindsgaul

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Never Trust a Gemini by Freja Nicole Woolf: Review

Never Trust a Gemini

Never Trust a Gemini by Freja Nicole Woolf Book Cover

Never Trust a Gemini
Freja Nicole Woolf
Walker Books, June 2023
Paperback, £7.99
ISBN 9781529509991

When 14-year-old Cat Phillips decides to finally confess her feelings to her friend and long-time crush, Alison, she instead accidentally walks in front of a bus. Though Cat escapes with minor injuries, this is only the first of many mishaps, comedic and serious, that occur as Cat navigates life as a young, yet-to-be-out lesbian who really, really wants to find love before Libra Season is over. 

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Review: Tomorrow Is Beautiful by Sarah Crossan

Tomorrow Is Beautiful
Sarah Crossan (ed.)
Bloomsbury YA, September 2021
Hardback, €18.20
ISBN 9781526641892

Tomorrow Is Beautiful is a collection of poetry from the last 200 plus years, by authors of many different backgrounds. The common theme across the poems is hope: hope for the future, hope in the present, hope after a break-up or in grief or fear, the very nature of hope.

The poems are wonderful and fully deliver on the promise of conveying hope. Whether quiet contemplations or rallies to make a change (to the world, to yourself), there is a distinct presence in the tone throughout the collection. Each poem is very clear in its imagery, and if not necessarily easy to follow, easy to feel. They are given lots of space on the page to allow the reader to focus and remain in the poem’s moment.

In her introduction, Crossan states that “poetry belongs to us all”, and the book is particularly aimed at readers who would not otherwise think poetry was for them. Crossan has provided light commentary before most poems: suggested interpretations, author bios, even personal anecdotes. These make the reading experience feel less isolated, gently guided without anything getting over-explained. I did, however, find the occasional footnotes (actually, more so the stars indicating them within the poems) a bit distracting.

The collection is an enjoyable read cover to cover, but I think Tomorrow Is Beautiful is particularly well-suited to be the kind of book you can reach for when you do feel down. Open at a random page, read a couple of poems, and find one that speaks to and comforts you.

Camille Boelt Hindsgaul

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Cinderella Is Dead

Cinderella Is Dead
Kalynn Bayron
Bloomsbury, August 2020
Paperback, 389 pages, £7.99
ISBN 9781526621979

In the kingdom of Mersailles, the tale of Cinderella dictates your life. Girls must attend the royal ball when they are sixteen, and if they are not chosen by a husband, their lives are forfeited. But Sophia doesn’t want a husband, and she doesn’t want to be controlled by a fairy tale. Instead, she sets out on a mission to end the regime and discover the truth about Cinderella and her prince.

Cinderella Is Dead uses the question, “How do the stories we read as children shape how we see the world?” as the foundation for its worldbuilding. Cinderella’s romance with the prince is the ideal which those in Mersailles must strive for, and so same sex relationships are forbidden. This particular aspect of the fairy tale drives much of Sophia’s rebellion at the start of the novel, as she tries in vain to convince her girlfriend to flee with her.

I thought this was an interesting approach to a fairy tale retelling. Rather than cast LGBTQIA+ characters inside the Cinderella story itself, the novel points out the consequences of their absence, shows the importance of questioning the narratives one takes for granted, and suggests a way to create new, truer narratives.

Bayron’s writing shines the most when the focus shifts to individual scenes that show either the horrific cruelty exercised by Mersailles’s leadership on its people, or the sweet and tender intimacy between Sophia and her two female love interests. Bayron masterfully brings the reader into the action and the emotions of the characters. It is an intense experience, but a captivating one.

Cinderella Is Dead is an ambitious novel with much potential. I look forward to reading what Bayron writes next.

Camille Boelt Hindsgaul