Teenage Lexicon

It’s difficult to write a book like The Flames that Corrupt Us. Stories that take place in intricate universes tend to lack in either world-building or character development. Isabel Jordan has woven a story that doesn’t lack either. Warning: spoilers ahead! From the very first encounter, you are pulled into the Valley. You take that plane with Insley and Andrew through the hole in the sky, and you are there . This level of world-building surpasses some from adult authors, yet Jordan has struck genius. I cannot fathom the depth of her imagination. She details what can best be described as augmented reality: she strikes a balance between magic, science, and reality with delicacy. Her world doesn’t rely on any one aspect—it’s extraordinarily balanced. But the focus on world-building doesn’t distract from characterization. Insley and Andrew are especially developed; their tenacity is astounding without defying normal fourteen-year-old tendencies. They embark on this jour...

While I only gave the book three stars, the Dumplin’ movie deserves all five stars. I cannot get over how fantastic this movie was. Warning: Spoilers ahead! I loved Will’s character in the movie, whereas I wasn’t her greatest fan in the book. This Will, played by Danielle Macdonald, had a very strong, consistent, and lively character. She had her flaws, but she worked through them and apologized for them, much better than book Will did.  Bo, portrayed by Luke Benward, wasn’t toxic at all. He was so much happier than book Bo; he was no where near as moody or strong-and-silent, and I liked him so much more.  And Mitch didn’t exist in the movie, so it did away with the love triangle, which refocused the movie back onto the message the story was always meant to convey. I think this was my absolute favorite thing about it. Hannah, Millie, and El were also more developed. Rosie was wonderful. Even Lucy, in the few scenes we saw her, was vivacious. All of the act...

SPOILER ALERT! I went into Dumplin’ expecting a strong narrative voice, tons of body positivity, and a quick-paced pageant revolution. That’s not really what I got. I do love the message it attempts to convey: One should not be expected to change themselves to be liked or accepted by other people. Willowdean (and Julie Murphy) excel at this for the first few chapters. I run into some issues when Will starts to veer away from this mindset when Bo Larson comes into her life. Yes, Will is a teenager, and yes, teenagers are often swayed by the objects of their affection. But Will’s personality (and inner monologue) are demolished by Bo, and he doesn’t really do anything to instigate it. He touches her back, and I understand how that can be uncomfortable and formative for some people, but from that point on, Will’s whole character seems to have shifted. She is extremely inconsistent with the girl we meet in the first chapter, and not because she’s developed; she’s regresse...

I’ve got some hobbies that are pretty unusual. I like watercolor painting, I work at a science museum, and—of course—I’ve written two novels and a bunch of short stories. It’s great to have a character who does interesting things. In fact, it really can set your character apart from others.  However, have you ever met a character who's a little too unique? That they’re so quirky and original and not like everyone else that they just seem like a person who could only exist in YA fiction? I’m sure a couple of characters come to mind. It’s totally cool if your character is into Russian folk art. But then maybe she shouldn’t be named Magnolia Wren Davidson, have violet hair and vibrant green eyes, and burst into Emerson quotes at inopportune moments. Having too many things that make your characters special can ruin the verisimilitude.  As much as we like to believe that all of us are eccentric, it's just not true. The vast majority of us are pretty normal. Tho...