I keep saying I won’t read anymore anthologies or collections, but this 464 page YA fantasy mystery intrigued me because each chapter is written by a different author, presenting a different character to unravel a whodunit.  In total there are 18 character perspectives, 18 authors, and one murder that needs to be solved.  With two Muslim authors included and it created by a Muslim writer, I hoped there would be some Islamic representation.  The list of authors is quite diverse, and I think every character presents some minority label to normalize a specific culture or identity.  The Muslim characters both wear hijab, but nothing more about their religion is mentioned and no other faith is included.  There are Black, Asian, Hispanic characters, and every letter of LGBTQ+ is highlighted and seemingly the focus of the book.  At times it is just attempted normalizing that a character is queer or gay, but other times it is central to the plot such as when two girls spending the night together provides an alibi, and a few times it really takes away from the story, for example at one point two boys (one magical, one neutral) kissing and falling in love.  There are gender fluid, non binary, pronoun preferences, trans male-to-female, female-to-male characters as well. I kept reading to get to Hafsah Faizal and Karuna Riazi’s chapters, which were 10 and 12 and by then I was so close to the conclusion, I just finished.  Some chapters are stronger than others, but the resolution was really anticlimactic and didn’t do the buildup justice.  I share this review not just to comment on the story, but to also give a heads-up to the content so that you can decide if the book is suitable for you and your children.  I would not shelve this book in our Islamic school library, which is unfortunate, because I think even with the weak ending, I like the theoretical storytelling concept.

SYNOPSIS:
In moving school for magical students, a murder has been committed, and the students who all feel like they are the “chosen one” are determined to solve the case.  The characters share what they know and add to the “solving” of the case for the reader with their different magical abilities.  Some of the students are werewolves, some necromancers, there are those whose dancing is magical, others whose embroidery is, a few are the same, many are unique.  They don’t compete with one another so much as they are in their own world trying to prove their worth and right to belong.  When a homophobic, racist teacher “dies” secrets are uncovered and dirty administrators are called to account.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I like seeing a glimpse of the action from a character and then not really seeing that character again, it made it seem more puzzle-like in the coming together of the clues.  I also liked it because if I didn’t particularly like a character or writing style, it didn’t last the duration of the book.  I wish it didn’t feel so token representation though.  If the goal was to be inclusive, the mirroring uniqueness was lost when each character seemed to have to tick a box.  It made it read formulaic.

The conclusion just unraveled, and I know mysteries and horror stories tend to fall in to this trap, but I was hoping it would go out with a bang.  The buildup was strong, but then it became a lot more just telling, then sleuthing, and I don’t know if it was a reflection of the individual authors, or the overall arc of the book.  Either way, I felt like it could have concluded with a bigger punch and wrapping up of some of the loose ends.  Hanna Alkaf didn’t have a chapter, presumably she wove it all together and made it flow cohesively with the internal memos and emails and notes.

I wish the two “Muslim chapters” would have had some more representations about Islam or the girls’ cultures influencing their magical style or goals, but with token rep it is often just a label, an identifier, and then nothing more.  The two connect over fear of Islamophobes blaming them for the death of their teacher.

FLAGS:

The focus of the book is largely on relationships, mostly LGBTQ+ but some hetero crushes as well.  Trans, non binary, gender fluid, bullying, racism, prejudice, murder, magic, lying, sneaking. The Muslim characters do not have crushes or romantic relationships mentioned, but one has a close male identifying gay friend that she does have physical contact with, a reassuring hug- so the book does have Muslim girls with close male friends. Fear of Islamophobia, stereotypes.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I would not be able to teach this book or shelve it in an Islamic school.