I'm a Gay Wizard

September 9, 2019
Johnny and Alison are bully bait at their Chicago high school, where he’s gay, and she’s a trans goth. But after they experiment with protective magic, they are “extracted” and brought to a wizard academy. This is no Hogwarts, though: it’s essentially a prison, and the two teens quickly start to concoct escape plans, despite the formidable obstacles, including monsters. Meanwhile, Johnny falls for fellow student Hunter, who seems to return his interest, even as he insists that he’s straight. Debut author Santoni’s alternate universe is carefully detailed, but his characters are less developed. Johnny’s first-person narration allows readers to know him well, but Alison is stuck in snarky sidekick mode, and Hunter is a titch perfect: gorgeous, loyal, strong, and kind. In addition, contrivances weaken the plot: whenever Johnny and his team need a clue, it’s given to them; when they need a spell, it’s in a book they happen to have. Santoni’s refreshingly LGBTQ wizard world is made up of haves and have-nots, and a war for liberation is surely brewing, suggesting that a sequel may be forthcoming. Perhaps Johnny’s friends will receive fuller treatment in future volumes. Ages 14–up.

October 1, 2019

Gr 9 Up-When a group of bullies almost murder Johnny for being gay and Alison for being trans, the two use the instructions out of a mysterious spellbook to get revenge. Kidnapped after the spell actually works, Johnny and Alison are thrown into the Marduk Institute-a secretive magic school that functions more like a prison and sets them on the path to be wizards, whether they like it or not. Johnny learns that dreams are connected to a dimension called Everywhen and the nightmares he's had about sand flooding his room may be about a very real monster. With inconsistent pacing, the novel struggles to balance exposition with emotion, leaving the characters alternating between feeling distant and melodramatic. The homophobic attack at the start of the book could be triggering for some readers. Many readers will also find parallels between Johnny, a Latinx character, being dragged from his home by Marduk agents and today's political climate. Johnny and Alison both find love interests at Marduk, though Johnny's relationship turns romantic faster than Alison's, who struggles with trust issues. Most of the world-building is dedicated to unraveling the mysterious Institute, while the magic is of the "imagine you can and you will" variety. VERDICT The diverse cast is a welcome addition to the fantasy genre and dystopian vibes could appeal to teens, but the melodramatic writing style may be a turnoff for many readers.-Emmy Neal, Lake Forest Library, IL

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 15, 2019
A (presumably Latinx) gay teen is forcibly taken to a school for teen wizards. Juan "Johnny" Diaz and his best friend, a transgender girl named Alison, think they're just playing around when they cast a magic spell, but they are abducted to a secretive institute for teens exhibiting magical potential. At this facility, however, they are told that using magic is forbidden both on and off campus, so it's unclear how they are expected to be trained, and it seems its true purpose is to suppress magical powers, or maybe to conduct nefarious research, or perhaps to do some other dastardly thing to the teens--who alternately want to get the hell out and want to stay put, especially Johnny, who finds an instant friend-turned-boyfriend in Hunter (who rapidly goes from thinking he's straight to understanding he's gay--and then equally rapidly from wanting to keep that information to himself to wanting to shout it from the rooftops). Johnny and friends venture into the Everywhen, a place all humans enter when they sleep, and encounter monsters. The pacing can best be described as hurry-up-and-wait, and the characters' motivations and needs change by the page. Magical beings seem to be drawn from myriad mythological and literary sources, which would be interesting if they weren't so briefly visited and quickly dropped in favor of the next plot twist. The entertaining title is the best part of this disaster. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)

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