An essay exploring societal norms by Davrielle
- What did you think of your partner's work?
I thought my partner's work was well written and had just the right amount of details to set the story. The story, written in the first person, focuses primarily on Angel and her relationship with a boy named Jaxon, who used to be Angel's friend. He is now kind of her nemesis and is vying to be valedictorian at their school. He threatens Angel with an old video of her getting really sick after eating a lot of fondant at a birthday party and the only way he will not release the video is if Angel successfully tutors a student, namely Maxine, who Angel has a teeny crush on. I loved the set up of this story. It vaguely reminds me of Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda and brings me back to when I read that story. Though the stories are markedly different, the overall feel of the story is there. The piece is strong and Angel's voice carries through in the writing. She has a personality and it's evident that the author put a lot of passion into her story.
- What sets it apart from what you usually read?
When I do read young adult contemporary stories, this is the kind of story I usually gravitate to, but what sets it apart from the other stories is how the author, shadowsettle, decided to take Maxine and reverse the gender role. Usually, it's the girl tutor trying to tutor the "bad boy" but instead, the "bad boy" is Maxine. I like it when authors bend gender roles as it makes for an interesting dynamic within the threads of the story.
I thought the writing style was pretty innovative, with the character's voice actually having a personality rather than it just being "I did this, I did that." Because of the writing style is so deep into the perspective of Angel, it was hard not to fall in love with the story and the plot progression. The writing style is right on for the YA market and reminds me of Becky Albertalli. Shadowsettle's writing style simple, but largely effective in carrying across the story and shows all characters remarkably well.
- As an author, what did reading a fellow writer's work teach you about writing?
Honestly, that going against the grain of the cliche bad boy/tutor story can be done effectively. With Angel and her reaction toward Maxine, it was evident that the genderbending can work. While I don't read a lot of YA stories set in high school, reading this taught me that a story like this can be unique and stand out on its own, even if the plot is not a truly original one.
To be honest, I found myself absolutely hating Jaxon in this chapter. He was very cruel to Angel, but that does not mean the story is not good. It just means that the author has done a really good job of showing characters. Even Maxine was prickly and seemed to me to be standoffish, but I don't really dislike her like Jaxon. I'm glad that the author put some personalities to these two people because they really do stand out as characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this piece and am hoping for big things with it in the future!
YOU ARE READING
Inner Reflections: June Edition
Non-FictionIn celebration of our one month anniversary, authors engaged in a stimulating Readathon and reviewed the works their partners had worked on in the month of June. The aim of the Readathon was not to exchange critiques or votes. Its purpose was to exp...
