Status Updates From All Out: The No-Longer-Secr...

The Inferno And The Butterfly- Shaun David Hutchinson⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Two magicians’ assistants connect over a trick that maybe isn’t. (But who’s the girl in the kimono? Does she need rescuing too?!)

Three Witches- Tessa Gratton⭐️⭐️⭐️
In inquisition-and-conquest-era Spain, a girl is sent to a convent to cure her of her love of women. An odd choice, given that the one sent to feed her and pray with her is a beautiful young morisca. I don’t really understand the witch angle in this, though! Are non-conforming women ACTUALLY witches?! Is the witch gonna help?

The End Of The World As We Know It- Sara Farizan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
LOL, feeling a little called out by this one, with MC being similar age as me at Y2K, getting ghosted by pre-highschool bestie, and hanging with the miscellaneous weirdo group! Only, in this case the ghosting friend comes back…

Walking After Midnight- Kody Keplinger ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Former Hollywood child actress gets stranded in 1950s small town due to train mishap and meets local diner waitress. I love that they are coming from such different experiences but are able to open up and discover that they have the same fear - That at 18 they’ve already run out of adventures - and reassure the other that it’s not true.

The Secret Life Of A Teenage Boy- Alex Sanchez⭐️⭐️⭐️
What’s up with the odd timing of these stories? 1969 is the year of Stonewall. Julio says Tidewater Virginia is a place where no guy would wear an earring. And yet he’s obviously flirting with this stranger who does, possibly kissing him in front of his bully (unclear) and coming out to his family who seem kinda OK already? It feels more 1990s or 2000s.

The Girl With The Blue Lantern- Tess Sharpe ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Man, I feel like I’m nitpicking these middle ones! I like “girl from gold rush CA meets gold-flecked river maiden.” But this is set in 1849, only 1 year after gold was discovered - the town should be newer-feeling and almost all male. Also, why doesn’t Oriana look Native (besides the long dark hair) or have a stronger beef with the environmental destruction?

Willows - Scott Tracey⭐️⭐️
I was happy to hit another witchy one - but I don’t understand the curses or the relationship between the witches and the town at all! Also…I don’t like that colonial town Southwyk is given this air of antiquity when it can’t be more than a century old, and there is no mention of the native peoples

Every Shade Of Red - Elliot Wake ⭐️⭐️
A Robin Hood tale told by a deaf Will Scarlet, who is in love with a trans prince of thieves. I love the concept, but I hate the ending, that it’s the brown girl’s fault, & that Will is actually useless! Her resentment is coming out of a racial dynamic that didn’t exist in 14th century. The major antagonist being a woman undermines every point based on period gender dynamics

The Coven - Kate Scelsa⭐️⭐️
Uh…yeah, no, Halloween was NOT celebrated in 1924 Paris! There are some interesting ideas here:Gertrude Stein and Alice B Toklas heading up a coven of witches, a brother’s loss in WWI having sister stumbling in fog…but it doesn’t come to much.

Molly’s Lips - Dahlia Adler ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m a little too young to have been an OG Nirvana fan (and was more i to folk music due to parents’ 1960s collection + contrariness anyway) so I mostly don’t get the references. But I liked AB’s awkward roundabout way of confessing her feelings to Molly at a vigil for Kurt

New Year - Malinda Lo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pretty sure this evolved into ‘Last Night at the Telegraph Club’

The Dresser And The Chambermaid - Robin Talley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
All the details of 18th century Hanoverian court dress and manners really enhanced the story of a budding romance between two servant girls

Burnt Umber - Mackenzie Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A 17th century Dutch art student is anxious about anyone finding out why he’s the only one not flustered by the female form. Good thing his dockworker crush isn’t the model, right? Right? Funny, anxiety-inducing (bc of possible consequences), with a hopeful, romantic ending.

And They Don’t Kiss At The End - Nila Magruder ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Asexual 1970s teen goes roller skating, tries to figure herself out. It was a sweet story, but extremely high introspection to plot ratio

The Sweet Trade - Natalie C Parker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
’Do you know of the Sweet Trade?’ Clara asked…Pearl’s expression was skeptical. ‘Piracy? That’s your plan? Become a pirate?’…’All my life, people have told me what to do or taken what’s mine…We’ve been raised among pirates who call themselves gentlemen. And I’m ready to turn the tables.’”

Roja - Anna-Marie McLemore ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Terrific reimagining of Red Riding Hood inspired by a real Mexican outlaw woman, in which Red has magic rage poison powers, and ‘El Lobo’ is her trans man lover, a deserter from the French army.