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Hurricane Heels
Five ordinary girls discover magical powers in this new series of interconnected short stories from Isabel Yap
When Alex, Ria, Aiko, Natalie and Selena met at summer camp, they never expected the goddess would ask for their help, enlisting them as soldiers to protect the world from the forces of darkness. Gifting them each with a different object of power—a bracelet, a ring, a watch, earrings, a necklace—the goddess’s grace grants the friends the weapons to fight, the ability to heal, and the magic to strike back against the Grey.
Now, over a decade later, the five best friends are still fighting. But the burden of secrecy, the inevitability of pain, and the magnitude of their responsibility to keep saving the world has left them questioning their goddess.
How much longer can they keep saving the world? Can their friendship survive if one of them leaves their fold? And can they keep it together just long enough to get through Selena’s wedding?
When Alex, Ria, Aiko, Natalie and Selena met at summer camp, they never expected the goddess would ask for their help, enlisting them as soldiers to protect the world from the forces of darkness. Gifting them each with a different object of power—a bracelet, a ring, a watch, earrings, a necklace—the goddess’s grace grants the friends the weapons to fight, the ability to heal, and the magic to strike back against the Grey.
Now, over a decade later, the five best friends are still fighting. But the burden of secrecy, the inevitability of pain, and the magnitude of their responsibility to keep saving the world has left them questioning their goddess.
How much longer can they keep saving the world? Can their friendship survive if one of them leaves their fold? And can they keep it together just long enough to get through Selena’s wedding?
190 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2016
1 person is currently reading
438 people want to read
About the author
Isabel Yap
33 books217 followersIsabel Yap writes fiction and poetry, works in the tech industry, and drinks lots of tea. She grew up in the Philippines, and has lived in San Francisco, the Bay Area, Boston, and London.
In 2013 she received her degree in Marketing from Santa Clara University, and also attended the Clarion Writers Workshop. In 2020 she obtained her MBA from Harvard Business School. She likes reading manga, playing videogames, taking photos of her smash-faced dog, and eating excellent ramen.
In 2013 she received her degree in Marketing from Santa Clara University, and also attended the Clarion Writers Workshop. In 2020 she obtained her MBA from Harvard Business School. She likes reading manga, playing videogames, taking photos of her smash-faced dog, and eating excellent ramen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
May 16, 2023
Did I read it again for the extra bits in this version? Yes, I did! Love it.
Read
November 29, 2016We did this! *\o/*
December 17, 2016
And this is how you write a book full of diversity and not think this will be enough for people to like it. Wow. This is really awesomely done.
First, Hurricane Heels isn’t actually about diversity, it’s just inherently diverse. This book is about growing up, about friendship, about women and diverse characters fighting for a better world.
But as you might have noticed by looking at the tags, there are two Asian characters. Two different Asian characters. One from Manila in the Philippines and another one whose parents are from Japan. The characterisation felt very authentic to me, which is no wonder since the author herself is Filipino and spent some time in Japan. Some of the scenes in this book are even set in Japan, YAY! And FUCK YES, only heroines saving the world, no bloody men to save the day—which, don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against heroes, but it’s about damn time that we see more women in our Western fiction who get to have the glamour and cool weapons and stuff.
Hurricane Heels features five girls/women who get their own chapter and point of view to reveal the story. They are distinct with different backgrounds, different character traits, and different fears and struggles. They are really amazingly well crafted and in only one hundred and something pages the author manages to show them plausibly grow from teenagers to adults. The story is not told chronologically, but with snippets from the past, the now, and in between, but it still feels like a comprehensive whole and isn’t confusing or anything, but rather captivating and motivates to find out more. I was intrigued by the characters and their fight against evil, and, above all, I liked to see how the burden of having to fight for good shaped them, made them weary and tired, and how they found the will to go on.
At around 80% I noticed with delight that I still had no clear picture what to expect from the end. Plainly, everything seemed possible—from nothing would actually happen, leaving this story to be a glimpse into the lives of heroines, to a full on out fight and showdown—and I would have been okay with all of it. But, I still was surprised at what really happened, like WTF did just happen surprised. I think the solution to the story is very satisfying and I like the, in a way, allegorical comparison to modern day struggle for equality that shone threw the fantastical element.
I want to add that there is a very subtle love story between two of the girls (one lesbian and one bisexual) interwoven into the story, which enhances the density of the characters and the plot. It feels natural and not like an unnecessary addition, and is both a little complicated and also sweet. Even to this rather small detail of the story the author pays attention and it depicts that showing love to less important things is very valuable and, all in all, contributes to the richness of a story.
Some more short comments: There are some minor typos here but they weren’t distracting to me. The artwork is really lovely, and I think you can read the whole story on the publisher’s website, if you so choose—although it will probably be more comfortable to buy it.
I am so utterly positively surprised by this cool story by this new to me author, and I will definitely look for more books by her to read. I highly recommend this and hope you’ll give it a try and enjoy!
____________________________________
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Tags: Lesbian Character, Bisexual Character, Filipino, Japanese, and Black Characters, F/F Pairing, Magic, Good vs. Evil, Growing Up
Content Warnings for: Mention of Domestic Abuse in Flashback
Rating: 4.5 stars
Blog: Review for Just Love Romance
First, Hurricane Heels isn’t actually about diversity, it’s just inherently diverse. This book is about growing up, about friendship, about women and diverse characters fighting for a better world.
But as you might have noticed by looking at the tags, there are two Asian characters. Two different Asian characters. One from Manila in the Philippines and another one whose parents are from Japan. The characterisation felt very authentic to me, which is no wonder since the author herself is Filipino and spent some time in Japan. Some of the scenes in this book are even set in Japan, YAY! And FUCK YES, only heroines saving the world, no bloody men to save the day—which, don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against heroes, but it’s about damn time that we see more women in our Western fiction who get to have the glamour and cool weapons and stuff.
I hadn’t seen them until now, but suddenly, there were other magical girls surrounding us—to our left and right, countless women, of all ages, blazing in all different colors, shining with an awesome, terrifying light.
Hurricane Heels features five girls/women who get their own chapter and point of view to reveal the story. They are distinct with different backgrounds, different character traits, and different fears and struggles. They are really amazingly well crafted and in only one hundred and something pages the author manages to show them plausibly grow from teenagers to adults. The story is not told chronologically, but with snippets from the past, the now, and in between, but it still feels like a comprehensive whole and isn’t confusing or anything, but rather captivating and motivates to find out more. I was intrigued by the characters and their fight against evil, and, above all, I liked to see how the burden of having to fight for good shaped them, made them weary and tired, and how they found the will to go on.
I said yes and never asked why. That’s one of the problems. It’s not that I don’t wonder. About the forces of evil, and whether this will actually end one day. About why the hell we’re fighting. Why me? More often: why us? I didn’t worry about it the first few years, when I was still high on saving the world. But these days it didn’t feel like that anymore. Instead it felt like the world always needed saving, and my power was limited, and I was tired of the lies coating my tongue. Tired of wanting no one to see, and tired of no one seeing.
At around 80% I noticed with delight that I still had no clear picture what to expect from the end. Plainly, everything seemed possible—from nothing would actually happen, leaving this story to be a glimpse into the lives of heroines, to a full on out fight and showdown—and I would have been okay with all of it. But, I still was surprised at what really happened, like WTF did just happen surprised. I think the solution to the story is very satisfying and I like the, in a way, allegorical comparison to modern day struggle for equality that shone threw the fantastical element.
What matters is that I can defeat the darkness—at least for today—that I will remember again, when I need to—
I want to add that there is a very subtle love story between two of the girls (one lesbian and one bisexual) interwoven into the story, which enhances the density of the characters and the plot. It feels natural and not like an unnecessary addition, and is both a little complicated and also sweet. Even to this rather small detail of the story the author pays attention and it depicts that showing love to less important things is very valuable and, all in all, contributes to the richness of a story.
Some more short comments: There are some minor typos here but they weren’t distracting to me. The artwork is really lovely, and I think you can read the whole story on the publisher’s website, if you so choose—although it will probably be more comfortable to buy it.
I am so utterly positively surprised by this cool story by this new to me author, and I will definitely look for more books by her to read. I highly recommend this and hope you’ll give it a try and enjoy!
____________________________________
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Tags: Lesbian Character, Bisexual Character, Filipino, Japanese, and Black Characters, F/F Pairing, Magic, Good vs. Evil, Growing Up
Content Warnings for: Mention of Domestic Abuse in Flashback
Rating: 4.5 stars
Blog: Review for Just Love Romance
May 30, 2017
This was an enjoyable New Adult magical girl story told from the perspective of the five girls that make up the team, interleaving a present day storyline leading up to the wedding of one of them and flashbacks of how they got their powers and significant events early in their lives. Overall, the characters were enjoyable and the climactic battle was satisfying- definitely recommended if you like this genre.
One note- my ebook copy, an EPUB from Kobo, duplicated almost the entire third section, so it was a little shorter than it appeared.
One note- my ebook copy, an EPUB from Kobo, duplicated almost the entire third section, so it was a little shorter than it appeared.
February 14, 2017
Pros: diverse and multi-layered characters, great world-building, excellent storytelling
Cons: minor confusion at times
Five thirteen year old girls are chosen by the goddess to help fight the Grey, an entity created from terror, rage, and destruction. Now 25, Alex, Ria, Aiko, and Natalie help Selena prepare for her upcoming wedding. As the big day approaches, they reflect on their past as magical girls and wonder how long they’ll have to keep fighting.
Hurricane Heels is a a collection of 5 interconnected stories. Each one is told from the point of view of a different girl.
This is a novel for adults who love magical girl stories like Sailor Moon, who are interested in what real life for such girls growing into women would look like. The author clearly explains why no one in the larger world knows what’s going on in the fight between good and evil and how the girls heal after their battles. But these are women who swear, drink, go to a strip club (it’s a bachelorette party), and hold day jobs around their monster battles.
I loved the juxtaposition of these young girls getting magical powers and being given decidedly earthy weapons. When you think of magical girls you think glittery magic weapons, light weight, deadly because of their magical attacks. But these girls get an ax, a chainsaw, double swords. There’s no way to avoid the solid brutality of these as weapons and the death and gore of their battles against the Grey.
Each chapter begins with a black and white illustration of the girl whose point of view that chapter is from. Unlike the Sailor Moon characters, these aren’t thin waifs. They’ve got some weight on them and some curves. They look like real women, chosen to do great things.
At one point I tried to see what the main thrust of each story was - love, power, etc. Each character has a colour, a different piece of transformation jewelry, and a primary weapon, surely they each have an attribute they embody as well. A few of them seem to on the surface, but when you consider each character - and each story - more carefully, these aren’t simplistic portrayals. These are multi-layered characters who are scared of their new responsibilities and powers in different ways. They also try to hide their frailties from their friends, not realizing that they all have similar doubts. They fight because they need to, because the world needs them to. It’s amazing how well you get to know each girl, despite how short the book is.
I did find the scene in Ria’s story where she moved from the Philippines to the US a bit confusing. I had to read it twice to realize that’s what happened. There was also a formatting issue in the first story. In two places necessary page breaks, showing where one scene ended and another began, were missing. Because each story jumps between places and times so often, the page breaks are needed to help the reader reorient themselves. It was very confusing going from the end of a fight scene to the girls grabbing a drink with no indication that the location or time had changed. It was even more confusing jumping from a post fight conversation to a strip club scene.
This is a brilliant book. If you like magical girl anime - and even if you just enjoy well told stories about women trying to find their places in the world while battling evil to save it - this book is for you.
Cons: minor confusion at times
Five thirteen year old girls are chosen by the goddess to help fight the Grey, an entity created from terror, rage, and destruction. Now 25, Alex, Ria, Aiko, and Natalie help Selena prepare for her upcoming wedding. As the big day approaches, they reflect on their past as magical girls and wonder how long they’ll have to keep fighting.
Hurricane Heels is a a collection of 5 interconnected stories. Each one is told from the point of view of a different girl.
This is a novel for adults who love magical girl stories like Sailor Moon, who are interested in what real life for such girls growing into women would look like. The author clearly explains why no one in the larger world knows what’s going on in the fight between good and evil and how the girls heal after their battles. But these are women who swear, drink, go to a strip club (it’s a bachelorette party), and hold day jobs around their monster battles.
I loved the juxtaposition of these young girls getting magical powers and being given decidedly earthy weapons. When you think of magical girls you think glittery magic weapons, light weight, deadly because of their magical attacks. But these girls get an ax, a chainsaw, double swords. There’s no way to avoid the solid brutality of these as weapons and the death and gore of their battles against the Grey.
Each chapter begins with a black and white illustration of the girl whose point of view that chapter is from. Unlike the Sailor Moon characters, these aren’t thin waifs. They’ve got some weight on them and some curves. They look like real women, chosen to do great things.
At one point I tried to see what the main thrust of each story was - love, power, etc. Each character has a colour, a different piece of transformation jewelry, and a primary weapon, surely they each have an attribute they embody as well. A few of them seem to on the surface, but when you consider each character - and each story - more carefully, these aren’t simplistic portrayals. These are multi-layered characters who are scared of their new responsibilities and powers in different ways. They also try to hide their frailties from their friends, not realizing that they all have similar doubts. They fight because they need to, because the world needs them to. It’s amazing how well you get to know each girl, despite how short the book is.
I did find the scene in Ria’s story where she moved from the Philippines to the US a bit confusing. I had to read it twice to realize that’s what happened. There was also a formatting issue in the first story. In two places necessary page breaks, showing where one scene ended and another began, were missing. Because each story jumps between places and times so often, the page breaks are needed to help the reader reorient themselves. It was very confusing going from the end of a fight scene to the girls grabbing a drink with no indication that the location or time had changed. It was even more confusing jumping from a post fight conversation to a strip club scene.
This is a brilliant book. If you like magical girl anime - and even if you just enjoy well told stories about women trying to find their places in the world while battling evil to save it - this book is for you.
February 21, 2018
A stunning series of short stories about love, hope, and enduring hardship. There was intense action and nuanced emotions and when I finished my heart felt so, so full. It also felt incredibly REAL and made me want to get together with my best friends for the biggest hug ever!
April 17, 2019
Five interconnected short stories, each told by a different woman In a group of friends with "magical girl" type powers. The book is currently out of print, but the individual short stories are available on the Book Smugglers' blog.
July 28, 2017
Magical girls, friendship, diversity, feels, action... need I say more? Full review to come but I really enjoyed this one ♡♡
July 15, 2022
this was hella boring, i expected more of a magical girl story 😞
August 15, 2017
(Kindle copy needs better copy editing and you can tell it's bad if *I* noticed.)
That out of the way, I'm really enjoying the upsurge of superhero narratives in book form that ask all these interesting questions about saving the world and what it means to be chosen and to fight. Yap's book is less interrogative than some of the others that have come out the Book Smugglers' initiative: she's not interested in the moral complexity of super powers or in the way that good and evil are handled, she cares more about what being a girl battling the forces of darkness does to a person. Well, a team of people. In schoolgirl outfits and heels. But she's explicit about taking her cues from the magical girls who populate manga and anime. Yap is another example of using fun and fluffy ideas--magical girls and one of them is getting married!--to write fun and fluffy books that also add depth to these larger narratives of superheros and saviors that populate (in particular) visual media. Prose invites a certain kind of interiority and Yap takes advantage of that approach to give the characters more time and space to worry and struggle with who they are.
The downside is that magical girls fighting monsters does not translate perfectly to prose and some of the action scenes would work much better in another medium. Basically, someone make this into a graphic novel while preserving the inner thoughts and illustrating the fight scenes. Win/win.
That out of the way, I'm really enjoying the upsurge of superhero narratives in book form that ask all these interesting questions about saving the world and what it means to be chosen and to fight. Yap's book is less interrogative than some of the others that have come out the Book Smugglers' initiative: she's not interested in the moral complexity of super powers or in the way that good and evil are handled, she cares more about what being a girl battling the forces of darkness does to a person. Well, a team of people. In schoolgirl outfits and heels. But she's explicit about taking her cues from the magical girls who populate manga and anime. Yap is another example of using fun and fluffy ideas--magical girls and one of them is getting married!--to write fun and fluffy books that also add depth to these larger narratives of superheros and saviors that populate (in particular) visual media. Prose invites a certain kind of interiority and Yap takes advantage of that approach to give the characters more time and space to worry and struggle with who they are.
The downside is that magical girls fighting monsters does not translate perfectly to prose and some of the action scenes would work much better in another medium. Basically, someone make this into a graphic novel while preserving the inner thoughts and illustrating the fight scenes. Win/win.
February 10, 2020
AMAZING!
Currently road tripping so this will be short, but I am so happy I decided to read this set of stories. I grew up with Sailor Moon and magical girl stories. I liked that in this book, the magical girls were growing up and dealing with young adult stuff and all the emotions that are normal and kind of finding/affirming their own identities. SO MANY FEELINGS
Currently road tripping so this will be short, but I am so happy I decided to read this set of stories. I grew up with Sailor Moon and magical girl stories. I liked that in this book, the magical girls were growing up and dealing with young adult stuff and all the emotions that are normal and kind of finding/affirming their own identities. SO MANY FEELINGS
August 11, 2017
Ach, Magical Girls. Seit ich das erste Mal Sailor Moon im TV erblickte – das ist jetzt auch schon 20 Jahre her – bin ich den Sailorkriegerinnen verfallen. Junge Frauen, Mädchen, die gegen das Böse kämpfen, die nicht nur der sexy Sidekick irgendwelcher männlichen Helden sind, die emotional dargestellt werden, aber nicht wie unfähige Jungfrauen in Nöten. Sailor Moon und ihre Freundinnen haben die Welt gerettet und endlos Hintern verkloppt. Die eindeutige Heldin meiner Jugend in einem verkorksten Elternhaus. Mädchen sind stark, das habe ich damals gelernt und es hat auch mir den Hintern gerettet. Als ich nun Hurricane Heels von Isabel Yap bei Read me at midnight entdeckt habe, hüpfte mein Sailorkriegerrinnenherz vor Freude auf und das Buch wanderte sofort in meinen Einkaufskorb.
Während Bloggerin Aentee das Buch nun so richtig klasse und beeindruckend fand, hält sich meine Euphorie leider etwas in Grenzen. Es ist nicht schlecht, aber die Erwartungen hat es für mich nicht erfüllen können. Erzählt wird die Handlung in fünf Episoden, jede Episode aus Sicht einer der Magical Girls. Dabei wird die Handlung mit jedem Abschnitt weiter voran getrieben und liefert gleichzeitig Einsicht in das Leben der einzelnen Kämpferinnen und Rückblicke in die Zeit, als sie gerade erst zu den Kriegerinnen der Göttin ausgewählt wurden. Inzwischen sind Ria, Aiko, Alex, Selena und Natalie mitte Zwanzig und seid zwölf Jahren im Dienst der Göttin. Sie haben unzählige Greys bekämpft und ebensoviele Wunden überlebt. Im Grunde finde ich die Idee spannend darüber nachzudenken, wie es den Magical Girls ergeht, die langsam zu Frauen heranwachsen und ein normales Leben aufbauen müssen, neben ihrem Dasein als unbesungene Heldinnen. Denn auch das Konzept des Magiesystems in Hurricane Heels klärt über so manche Frage auf: Warum tragen Magical Girls keine Rüstung? Warum scheint niemand von ihrer Existenz zu wissen, auch wenn ganze Stadteile in Schutt und Asche gelegt werden? Warum werden die unmaskierten Frauen nicht erkannt? Warum stellt niemand Fragen über ihre teils horrenden Verletzungen? Wie kann es sein, dass immer nur der Ort angegriffen wird, an dem sich zufällig die fünf Kriegerinnen befinden, während die Welt doch so groß ist?
Spannende Fragen und kluge Antworten finden sich in diesem Büchlein. Auch eine Menge Vielfalt hinsichtlich der unterschiedlichen Herkunft der Figuren und ihrer sexuellen Orientierung. Im Grunde ist alles da, was die Zutaten für ein tolles Buch ausmachen würden und trotzdem bin ich nur so halb glücklich. Denn Hurricane Heels ist im Grundton irgendwie depressiv. Die Heels wirken alle ausgebrannt, keine scheint so richtig stolz darauf zu sein was sie leistet und auch die Freundschaft zwischen den Heels ist bei mir nicht als solche angekommen. Die Texte vermitteln eher den Eindruck, dass sie gezwungen wurden zu Freundinnen zu werden und jetzt keine andere Wahl mehr haben, weil sie nur untereinander über ihre magische Aufgabe reden können. Nope, nope, nope. Das sind keine Magical Girls wie ich sie kennen und lieben gelernt habe.
Obwohl Hurricane Heels also selbst mehrfach die Referenz zu Sailor Moon zieht kann ich das Buch nur mit Vorbehalt empfehlen. Dieses Buch lässt zu viele Feinheiten vermissen, die Sailor Moon ausgemacht haben. Hurricane Heels ist eine interessante Geschichte mit einer erwachsenen Perspektive, aber sie ist nicht zu vergleichen mit der Liebe, dem Zusammenhalt und der weiblichen Tapferkeit, die in den Vorbildern für dieses Buch vorherrscht.
Fazit:
Man kann dieses Büchlein gut weglesen, darf aber nicht zu viel nostalgischen Zauber erwarten. Hurricane Heels liest sich mit einer eher desillusionierten Sichtweise.
Während Bloggerin Aentee das Buch nun so richtig klasse und beeindruckend fand, hält sich meine Euphorie leider etwas in Grenzen. Es ist nicht schlecht, aber die Erwartungen hat es für mich nicht erfüllen können. Erzählt wird die Handlung in fünf Episoden, jede Episode aus Sicht einer der Magical Girls. Dabei wird die Handlung mit jedem Abschnitt weiter voran getrieben und liefert gleichzeitig Einsicht in das Leben der einzelnen Kämpferinnen und Rückblicke in die Zeit, als sie gerade erst zu den Kriegerinnen der Göttin ausgewählt wurden. Inzwischen sind Ria, Aiko, Alex, Selena und Natalie mitte Zwanzig und seid zwölf Jahren im Dienst der Göttin. Sie haben unzählige Greys bekämpft und ebensoviele Wunden überlebt. Im Grunde finde ich die Idee spannend darüber nachzudenken, wie es den Magical Girls ergeht, die langsam zu Frauen heranwachsen und ein normales Leben aufbauen müssen, neben ihrem Dasein als unbesungene Heldinnen. Denn auch das Konzept des Magiesystems in Hurricane Heels klärt über so manche Frage auf: Warum tragen Magical Girls keine Rüstung? Warum scheint niemand von ihrer Existenz zu wissen, auch wenn ganze Stadteile in Schutt und Asche gelegt werden? Warum werden die unmaskierten Frauen nicht erkannt? Warum stellt niemand Fragen über ihre teils horrenden Verletzungen? Wie kann es sein, dass immer nur der Ort angegriffen wird, an dem sich zufällig die fünf Kriegerinnen befinden, während die Welt doch so groß ist?
Spannende Fragen und kluge Antworten finden sich in diesem Büchlein. Auch eine Menge Vielfalt hinsichtlich der unterschiedlichen Herkunft der Figuren und ihrer sexuellen Orientierung. Im Grunde ist alles da, was die Zutaten für ein tolles Buch ausmachen würden und trotzdem bin ich nur so halb glücklich. Denn Hurricane Heels ist im Grundton irgendwie depressiv. Die Heels wirken alle ausgebrannt, keine scheint so richtig stolz darauf zu sein was sie leistet und auch die Freundschaft zwischen den Heels ist bei mir nicht als solche angekommen. Die Texte vermitteln eher den Eindruck, dass sie gezwungen wurden zu Freundinnen zu werden und jetzt keine andere Wahl mehr haben, weil sie nur untereinander über ihre magische Aufgabe reden können. Nope, nope, nope. Das sind keine Magical Girls wie ich sie kennen und lieben gelernt habe.
Obwohl Hurricane Heels also selbst mehrfach die Referenz zu Sailor Moon zieht kann ich das Buch nur mit Vorbehalt empfehlen. Dieses Buch lässt zu viele Feinheiten vermissen, die Sailor Moon ausgemacht haben. Hurricane Heels ist eine interessante Geschichte mit einer erwachsenen Perspektive, aber sie ist nicht zu vergleichen mit der Liebe, dem Zusammenhalt und der weiblichen Tapferkeit, die in den Vorbildern für dieses Buch vorherrscht.
Fazit:
Man kann dieses Büchlein gut weglesen, darf aber nicht zu viel nostalgischen Zauber erwarten. Hurricane Heels liest sich mit einer eher desillusionierten Sichtweise.
June 17, 2021
An amazing story about 5 super powered girls, with magical healing and badass weapons, who are burdened with saving the world. I absolutely loved this!! Not to mention Im a sucker for best friends trope so
Rather than the usual same old super hero whatnot, this deals with the girls' everyday lives, their doubts and fears and most importantly their friendship. Since starting at the freshman year of high school, through college and now with mundane day jobs, these girls have been at it for more than a decade, and they're tired of the fighting, tired of the pain and secrecy and the immense responsibility they have to shoulder. Its a story filled with love and friendship interspersed with monster battling.
It's realistic, with well developed character's with complex human character traits, although they're superpowered theyre still very human, and their trauma from having been put through near death experiences countless times. Each character deals with a struggle of their own and it explores how they juggle this everyday life scenario with having to chop monsters in a moments notice. Unbeknownst to each other, each girl carries a fear of losing the others, losing the only people who understood them as no one else but them knew this huge responsibility resting on their shoulders, losing their best friends, although each girl carries this fear in a different way. The characters come from diverse backgrounds and this is well explored, as well as can be done in a short story. The diversity trope is so well done that it is not made obvious but rather it is just there, as a normal part of life.
FINALLYYY I get an amazing women centered, badass women with chainsaws and axes saving the world story, beautiful imposing women with everyday jobs and super powers and quarter life crises kicking badguys' butt kinda story and IM THRIVING
Rather than the usual same old super hero whatnot, this deals with the girls' everyday lives, their doubts and fears and most importantly their friendship. Since starting at the freshman year of high school, through college and now with mundane day jobs, these girls have been at it for more than a decade, and they're tired of the fighting, tired of the pain and secrecy and the immense responsibility they have to shoulder. Its a story filled with love and friendship interspersed with monster battling.
It's realistic, with well developed character's with complex human character traits, although they're superpowered theyre still very human, and their trauma from having been put through near death experiences countless times. Each character deals with a struggle of their own and it explores how they juggle this everyday life scenario with having to chop monsters in a moments notice. Unbeknownst to each other, each girl carries a fear of losing the others, losing the only people who understood them as no one else but them knew this huge responsibility resting on their shoulders, losing their best friends, although each girl carries this fear in a different way. The characters come from diverse backgrounds and this is well explored, as well as can be done in a short story. The diversity trope is so well done that it is not made obvious but rather it is just there, as a normal part of life.
FINALLYYY I get an amazing women centered, badass women with chainsaws and axes saving the world story, beautiful imposing women with everyday jobs and super powers and quarter life crises kicking badguys' butt kinda story and IM THRIVING
July 26, 2017
(I forget who recced this, so apologies for not tipping my hat yr way.) This has a really great range of characters (we get a pov section from each) and is an interesting take on the Magical Girls trope/how that interacts with growing up.
I think I was expecting a little more of the romance between two of the girls than we actually got in the book, but the balance of detail with all the characters and their relationships was very even throughout so that wasn't anything the book promised without delivering. I think it's closer to a 3.5 stars for me, really, but I hit the ending with a lot more feelings than I expected so I'm erring on the side of rounding up.
The ebook version I bought has some issues - a section repeats by mistake (nothing appeared to be missing) and a few typoes, so fair warning on that. I did find the frequent time jumps a little confusing at some points - there's a parallel narrative of about 4 'chunks' of time that cycles through, and I feel like some formatting to delineate that rather than just an extra line of empty space would have made that work better.
content note: warning for very briefly described memories of domestic violence in one character's backstory; attempted assault on that same character (she saves herself from it); action-movie level violence throughout in the battles with monsters.
I think I was expecting a little more of the romance between two of the girls than we actually got in the book, but the balance of detail with all the characters and their relationships was very even throughout so that wasn't anything the book promised without delivering. I think it's closer to a 3.5 stars for me, really, but I hit the ending with a lot more feelings than I expected so I'm erring on the side of rounding up.
The ebook version I bought has some issues - a section repeats by mistake (nothing appeared to be missing) and a few typoes, so fair warning on that. I did find the frequent time jumps a little confusing at some points - there's a parallel narrative of about 4 'chunks' of time that cycles through, and I feel like some formatting to delineate that rather than just an extra line of empty space would have made that work better.
content note: warning for very briefly described memories of domestic violence in one character's backstory; attempted assault on that same character (she saves herself from it); action-movie level violence throughout in the battles with monsters.
December 7, 2021
Collected in Never Have I Ever. Alex, Ria, Aiko, Natalie and Selena, five girls of different backgrounds meet at a summer camp only to be attacked by monsters. They would have died except a goddess requested help, then gifted them with better reflexes, fast healing and magical jewelry - a bracelet, ring, watch, earrings and necklace! Honestly this would initially seem like a dream come true, until the girls get jaded over time, having to fight battle after battle, with no other allies or thanks.
This might be my favorite story in the collection because of it has the trinity of wish fulfillment.
1. Kick ass girl Gang in gorgeous outfits, complete with magical girl transformation
2. The pure friendship and emotional support.
3. Activate jewelry special weapons and Super Powers to save the world!
Besides the anime isekai fun and power, deep down most girls want the friendship. Unfortunately getting this kind of pure friendship with 100% support from other females is honestly really difficult in real life, so yeah, I can only wish I had friends like this. They're all different, in every conceivable way. But it doesn't matter. The only thing they have in common is the calling, which they heed but they're tired, just so tired. Nobody else can know, and nobody helps much either. Now one is getting married and they can't even enjoy a bachelorette party.
There's a profound message here about the struggles of life and how the support from friends can help one cope with and navigate life's changes, which may be why this story resonated so strongly with me.
This might be my favorite story in the collection because of it has the trinity of wish fulfillment.
1. Kick ass girl Gang in gorgeous outfits, complete with magical girl transformation
2. The pure friendship and emotional support.
3. Activate jewelry special weapons and Super Powers to save the world!
Besides the anime isekai fun and power, deep down most girls want the friendship. Unfortunately getting this kind of pure friendship with 100% support from other females is honestly really difficult in real life, so yeah, I can only wish I had friends like this. They're all different, in every conceivable way. But it doesn't matter. The only thing they have in common is the calling, which they heed but they're tired, just so tired. Nobody else can know, and nobody helps much either. Now one is getting married and they can't even enjoy a bachelorette party.
There's a profound message here about the struggles of life and how the support from friends can help one cope with and navigate life's changes, which may be why this story resonated so strongly with me.
December 15, 2016
You only get to be a hero to the people who know, which isn’t very many, and on the hard days you start to wonder how much is too little, while your scars pile up in places others can’t see.
Not very interested in the world and all the monster fighting but ALWAYS very into girl gangs. Especially when they're 25 and it's more quarter-life crisis than teen angst.
December 30, 2017
i did not know that what my heart needed above all else was a story about magical girls as adults and all the little bits of life and growing up you go through in your twenties alongside the burden of fighting evil but indeed it did. ty isabel yap
4 stars
p.s. the ending is perfect
4 stars
p.s. the ending is perfect
September 19, 2018
I loved this collection of stories. At first it feels like it's just a set of interesting stories about these women, but it all comes together in a great way!
December 31, 2019
This is gorgeous. There is *so much* here, I would love to see it further developed and fleshed out!
March 12, 2022
First of all, (before we get into the gushing review) I wanted to comment on the fact that this book was so hard to find. I only found it fully uploaded on the author's website in an almost webtoon format, so that's where you can all find it too.
And you need to find it and read it because this book was amazing. It takes the magical girl dynamic found in Sailor Moon, Winx and the W.I.T.C.H, and explores it in a realistic, adult setting. I loved that we had stories from the perspectives of all the girls of the group and how well the different points of view just flowed together to create a very cohesive story. Last but not least, this story didn't shy away from the grittiness of the usual flashy fight scenes; the grievous injuries, the fear, the inelegance of fighting while wounded or outnumbered were all there, making the whole story so much more believable.
All in all, it was an excellent read, that I recommend EVERY fan of any magical girl show reads!
And you need to find it and read it because this book was amazing. It takes the magical girl dynamic found in Sailor Moon, Winx and the W.I.T.C.H, and explores it in a realistic, adult setting. I loved that we had stories from the perspectives of all the girls of the group and how well the different points of view just flowed together to create a very cohesive story. Last but not least, this story didn't shy away from the grittiness of the usual flashy fight scenes; the grievous injuries, the fear, the inelegance of fighting while wounded or outnumbered were all there, making the whole story so much more believable.
All in all, it was an excellent read, that I recommend EVERY fan of any magical girl show reads!
May 12, 2023
Story kept me up at night.
June 11, 2023
😭😭😭 damn she got me good at the end
March 19, 2017
3.5 stars.
February 17, 2017
2.5 stars
Noch lange vor Pokemon und Digimon schlug mein zartes Teenagerherz für Sailor Moon. Freundschaft, Liebe, Gerechtigkeit und nicht zu vergessen ästhetische Verwandlungsszenen (die könnte ich mir stundenlang anschauen)! Soweit ich weiß, gab es dieses Genre bisher nur in Mangas und Animes. Das ganze mal komplett zu verschriftlichen, klingt ein bisschen nach Wunschfanfiction. Isabel Yap hat sich dieser Aufgabe gestellt und alles mit einer Portion Diversity gekrönt (POCs, Homosexualität). Außerdem wurden die Herzchenzepter gegen brutalere Waffen wie Äxte und Kettensägen eingetauscht. Die Geschichte besteht aus 5 Parts, die sich jeweils auf eine der 5 Freundinnen konzentrieren und zusammen die Haupthandlung vorantreiben. Die Geschichte schafft es gleichzeitig seinem Vorbild Sailor Moon Respekt zu zollen und auf Aspekte einzugehen, die SM zu seiner Zeit schmerzlich vernachlässig hat, allen voran der offene Umgang mit Homosexualität, aber auch die Frage nach anderen Kriegerinnen auf der Welt und die ständige psychische Belastung durch eine immerwährende Bedrohung, kein absehbares Ende und fehlende Antworten.
Der Nostalgie-Spaßfaktor geht also voll auf. Was dabei auf der Strecke bleibt, ist der Schreibstil. Er liest sich ganz gut weg, aber er ist nicht besonders anspruchsvoll, kommt manchmal geradezu plump daher. Auch die Art des Erzählens hätte eleganter sein können. Natürlich war der Platz beschränkt, aber man muss die erste Geschichte nicht mit einer Zusammenfassung des “Magicial Girls vs. Dämonen” Konflikts beginnen. In manchen Geschichten wird zwischen Erinnerung und Gegenwart hin und her gesprungen, was durch doppelte Absätze gekennzeichnet ist. Ging auf meinem Kobo leider verloren und hat mich des öfteren verwirrt. Von diversen Tippfehlern will ich gar nicht erst anfangen.
Komisch fand ich außerdem die explizite Erwähnung von Sailor Moon. Das hat mich in Fangirl schon irritiert, wo mit Simon Snow eindeutig auf Harry Potter angespielt wird, der gleichzeitig im Fangirl Universum neben Simon Snow existiert. Diese Nebeneinanderstellung von zwei Geschichten, von denen eine die andere persifliert, kommt mir immer unstimmig vor.
Noch lange vor Pokemon und Digimon schlug mein zartes Teenagerherz für Sailor Moon. Freundschaft, Liebe, Gerechtigkeit und nicht zu vergessen ästhetische Verwandlungsszenen (die könnte ich mir stundenlang anschauen)! Soweit ich weiß, gab es dieses Genre bisher nur in Mangas und Animes. Das ganze mal komplett zu verschriftlichen, klingt ein bisschen nach Wunschfanfiction. Isabel Yap hat sich dieser Aufgabe gestellt und alles mit einer Portion Diversity gekrönt (POCs, Homosexualität). Außerdem wurden die Herzchenzepter gegen brutalere Waffen wie Äxte und Kettensägen eingetauscht. Die Geschichte besteht aus 5 Parts, die sich jeweils auf eine der 5 Freundinnen konzentrieren und zusammen die Haupthandlung vorantreiben. Die Geschichte schafft es gleichzeitig seinem Vorbild Sailor Moon Respekt zu zollen und auf Aspekte einzugehen, die SM zu seiner Zeit schmerzlich vernachlässig hat, allen voran der offene Umgang mit Homosexualität, aber auch die Frage nach anderen Kriegerinnen auf der Welt und die ständige psychische Belastung durch eine immerwährende Bedrohung, kein absehbares Ende und fehlende Antworten.
Der Nostalgie-Spaßfaktor geht also voll auf. Was dabei auf der Strecke bleibt, ist der Schreibstil. Er liest sich ganz gut weg, aber er ist nicht besonders anspruchsvoll, kommt manchmal geradezu plump daher. Auch die Art des Erzählens hätte eleganter sein können. Natürlich war der Platz beschränkt, aber man muss die erste Geschichte nicht mit einer Zusammenfassung des “Magicial Girls vs. Dämonen” Konflikts beginnen. In manchen Geschichten wird zwischen Erinnerung und Gegenwart hin und her gesprungen, was durch doppelte Absätze gekennzeichnet ist. Ging auf meinem Kobo leider verloren und hat mich des öfteren verwirrt. Von diversen Tippfehlern will ich gar nicht erst anfangen.
Komisch fand ich außerdem die explizite Erwähnung von Sailor Moon. Das hat mich in Fangirl schon irritiert, wo mit Simon Snow eindeutig auf Harry Potter angespielt wird, der gleichzeitig im Fangirl Universum neben Simon Snow existiert. Diese Nebeneinanderstellung von zwei Geschichten, von denen eine die andere persifliert, kommt mir immer unstimmig vor.
February 19, 2017
I'm sorry, a chainsaw? what sort of weapon is that? Nobody actually goes to war with a chainsaw unless they have no choice.
But my biggest problem with this book is that all the voices sounded exactly the same. Each story could have been the same narrator, there was absolutely nothing that separated them from each other. And it was all boring, there was nothing innovative or creative here at all.
Zodiac Starforce and Agents of the Realm are much better variants on this.
December 7, 2016
So Book Smugglers hooked me up with an ARC of Hurricane Heels by Isabel Yap, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. If you’re into a dark re-imagining of Sailor Moon with great representation of POC and LGBTQ folks, this is the book for you. Prepare yourself for a lot of wedding talk, bachelorette parties, and monster guts.
The concept behind this book is pretty straightforward at first blush. It is a “magical girl” novel, following tropes of the anime genre that gave rise to such classics as Sailor Moon and Madoka Magica. That said, this is not a fluffy book. There are some serious moral questions raised about the prospect of being a child, as these girls generally are, gifted with powers and expected to fight unnameable evils, risking their lives for the good of humankind and some nebulous promise of victory. There’s also some good delving into PTSD and the psychological pressure associated with a life of endless battles.
The book follows five girls who have all been selected to fight evils called Greystones. Like an RPG, each Greystone releases a glass heart, which contains energy that allows their divine benefactor, the goddess (otherwise unnamed) to gain power. The story takes place primarily in the weeks leading up to the wedding of one of the five, Selena. Simultaneous flashbacks show the group’s history together, building their characters and making you care about them. Yap manages the timelines adeptly in each chapter, building a whole out of fragmented moments. The structure of this book actually reminded me of Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes Seanan McGuire’s work.
In addition, the book references its anime inspiration with some great drawings of the viewpoint characters at the beginning of each chapter. My only wish was for a drawing of all of the girls together at the beginning, since it would have helped me to keep them apart in my head better. I found the earliest chapter hard to follow as I assigned names to personalities and histories, but I don’t know if that was due to me reading it on my phone (quite possible). The cover does show all of them together, so that helps, but I didn't get to see the cover until after I read the book!
December 21, 2016
This was fantastic. Yap explores what happens when a magical anime girl grows up in this series of five linked short stories. The women who had gained magical powers and the duty to fight the Grey for the Goddess when they were 13 are now 25. One is on the verge of getting married. They're holding down jobs, trying to have relationships, and are pretty tired of fighting.
Yap explores duty, loyalty, friendship, and family in these stories. And she does so masterfully, in a world where magical girls are given powers to fight a secret war. The stories are interconnected and she weaves them together, revealing the backstory and the contemporary story so that each new story builds on the previous.
This is really, really good. I'm really glad I read these.
Yap explores duty, loyalty, friendship, and family in these stories. And she does so masterfully, in a world where magical girls are given powers to fight a secret war. The stories are interconnected and she weaves them together, revealing the backstory and the contemporary story so that each new story builds on the previous.
This is really, really good. I'm really glad I read these.
February 7, 2018
"The problem with slaying the forces of evil as a high schooler? You didn’t get to put saving the world in your extracurricular activities; you didn’t get to include it in your college essays. You couldn’t tell your mom about narrowly avoiding a snapped neck, and you had to deal with her asking why your jeans were always crusted with dirt. You only get to be a hero to the people who know, which isn’t very many, and on the hard days you start to wonder how much is too little, while your scars pile up in places others can’t see."
painful. perfect. full disclosure: i know the author, but i'd be saying this even if i didn't.
painful. perfect. full disclosure: i know the author, but i'd be saying this even if i didn't.
December 22, 2016
It was okay. I feel like the book would have been better had it not been a short story and not focused around the wedding of one of the girls. It could have been amazing to even just read a straight up short story about how magical girls feel about being magical girls 10 years after they first gained their power. It was really just okay.
December 27, 2017
Gritty magical girl stories are my fave. I loved everything about this but think the writing could’ve been a bit tighter, there were quite a few typos and the transitions into flashbacks were kinda sharp. But really great reflections on growing up as a woman, gaining new powers, and maintaining friendships.
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