YA – C.C. The Word Nerd

Book Review: With the Fire on High

I enjoyed the story, and I recommend reading it—even if it means abiding by the library’s 14-day new-book deadline.

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acebedo

This book flashed on the screen while I was checking the library’s hours on their website. Because of the 14-day deadline, I don’t normally check out recent releases, but I just had to read this one.

Cover Description

“Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions, doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen. There, she lets her hands tell her what to cook, listening to her intuition and adding a little something magical every time, turning her food into straight-up goodness.

“Even thought she’s always dreamed of working in a kitchen after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she’s made for her life—and everyone else’s rules, which she refuses to play by—once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.”

Characters

Emoni is a Boricua Phili girl with magic in her fingers. In the kitchen, that magic not only frees her from current troubles, it connects her with her past and launches her toward the future. With grit and determination, she surmounts challenges none of her peers face. While people rarely think of teen mothers as role models, Emoni definitely is.

While others wonder if Emoni’s Puerto Rican heritage “disqualifies” her from being a “real” black girl, or whether she “counts” as Hispanic if she doesn’t speak Spanish well, Emoni is sure of herself. Her confidence in her identity is refreshing in a genre plagued by identity issues.

Emoni knows who she is, but she doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life. She can’t see past the day-to-day struggles into her dreams for the future.

Michael, the principal love interest, draws the dreamer out of her practical nature. In most YA romantic subplots, the guy is usually too perfect and too persistent to be realistic. This book falls into the same trap, but it is one of the better ones in that regard. Michael’s backstory and the casual nature of their relationship keeps it from getting corny.

Emoni and Michael have great chemistry—another rarity in a genre where good looks is often the only link between love interests. I like that Emoni doesn’t throw herself at him. They develop their relationship at their own pace, on their own terms. More young readers should have role models like them.

Plot

Emoni isn’t sure what she wants to do after graduation. Much of the plot is her discovering what she wants. Rather than hooking the reader with constant tension and heart-pounding drama, this book champions the everyday struggles of being a young mother, and I applaud the author for that. So often we overlook how much goes into just keeping a roof over your child’s head.

Not a thriller, but perfect for curling up on the couch.

Writing Style

Poetic

I love reading books written by poets. Acevedo has a beautiful way of expressing herself. This is one of my favorite passages:

“Although my food still doesn’t give me any memories, it has always been looking back; it’s infused with the people I come from. But it’s also a way for me to look forward: to watch the recipes that from my roots transform, grow, and feed the hungriest places inside of me.”

Italics

The author chose not to italicize the Spanish words throughout the English text. This is a common trend among Latino authors, especially Junot Díaz. These authors consider italicizing othering. By writing both Spanish and English words in plain text, the author asserts both languages are a part of the same person, both equal and integral to their identity.

Personally, I prefer italics. I think maintaining plain text flattens the prose, limits characterization, and hinders readers who are first learning to read in a second language. Italics provide needed clarity between false-cognates and help the reader’s narrating mental voice pronounce words correctly. I could devote an entire blog post to this topic, but let me end with this:

While I prefer italics, I understand the author’s justification for not using them, and I respect her choice. My reasons for preferring italics are linguistic rather than socio-political, but I understand that we live in a divided world plagued by racism and xenophobia. If the author feels plain text combats othering, I support her, even as I dream of a world that celebrates differences rather than ostracizing them.

Miscellaneous

Love the cover.

Conclusion

While it lacks the thrills and dramatic tension of other books, With the Fire on High is a beautiful read. Emoni’s hard work and determination make her a great a role model. I enjoyed the story, and I recommend reading it—even if it means abiding by the library’s 14-day new-book deadline.

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With the Fire on High

Book Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely

In this retelling of The Beaty & the Beast, tough-but-vulnerable Harper and arrogant-but-defeated Rhen must join forces to save the kingdom—and perhaps fall in love.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kremmerer

I almost didn’t read this because I was looking for a different book, but I’m glad I did.

Book Description

Harper is determined to help her brother earn money to pay off their mother’s cancer debts, but Jake always underestimates her because of her Cerebral Palsy. She’s relegated to lookout duty, but when she spots someone being kidnapped, she can’t help intervening. She doesn’t realize this kidnapper is heading to another world until he accidentally takes her instead.

Thrust into a fairytale land full of magic and suffering, Harper meets Prince Rhen and learns of his curse. Upon the season’s end, he transforms into a terrifying monster and attacks his own people. After his rampage, time resets, and he must relive his eighteenth year again—until a woman falls in love with him.

Apparently, that woman is supposed to be Harper.

She doubts she could fall for someone so arrogant, but when a neighboring kingdom sends an army over the mountains, Rhen and Harper have bigger things to worry about than breaking a curse.