#DisabilityDiaries2017 | Review! - Unspeakable by Abbie Rushton

Title: Unspeakable

Author: Abbie Rushton

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+ (M/F; F/F)

Amazon: UK - USA

A few starting notes:

If anyone with, or with first-hand experience of, selective mutism or OCD, has reviewed this book, please let me know - I'd love to leave a link to your review.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book.

There were parts of it I truly loved and parts which... I just wasn't comfortable with. There are a lot of problems with this book.

So prepare yourself nerdlets, we're gonna discuss some sh**.

(Seriously, if you need the loo or whatever, go now and come back, because once I've started I'm not stopping.)

Premise:

Megan hasn't spoken in months. Because there are things people don't know - things about the day when everything changed, the day she stopped talking.

But then Jasmine started at school. Beautiful, bright, bubbly, Jasmine... and for the first time in a long while, Megan might just want to talk again.

Best bits:

I loved that Megan's problems aren't simple.

Too often, depictions of mental health problems are put down to textbook examples, and left there.

The truth is that everyone's problems affect them differently, and that sometimes conditions combine to have a joint effect on someone's life.

I also liked Jasmine - I've seen a lot of criticism of her character, but I liked her. Yes, she's pretty idealised. But she's also not perfect.

And, honestly, the hope that there are people like her in the world - people who will accept you as you are - is not a bad thing. If you're a queer teen, and/or a teen with mental health problems, that hope might just be a lifeline.

I also thought the relationship between Megan and her mother was realistic and beautiful. They struggled a lot with how to relate to each other, but there's an amazing undercurrent of love between them.

And that part of Megan - written in bold, large, italics - which tells her she ruins everything, which she has to push past, push against, push through? Yes. I've been there. And it felt... real.

It's also exceptionally readable - the prose is skilled and involving throughout, and you really do want to know what happens.

There's just a lot of heart to this book, y'know? And that's great.

Not so great bits:

First things first, there's a lot of potentially distressing/difficult to deal with content, here:

• grief
• mental health problems
• low self-esteem
• anxiety
• implied OCD
• selective mutism
• bullying
• anonymous threats
• guilt
• violence
• arson
• animal cruelty/violence to animals
• attempted suicide
• homophobia
• ableism
• poverty
• physical abuse from a parent
• implied domestic abuse

There's also some swearing, drink-driving, and underage drinking (which you shouldn't do, in case you were wondering.)

I have problems with this book, nerdlets, both in terms of queer representation, and mental health representation.

Let's start with queer rep:

Megan, who is lesbian (although the word is never used, at least not as an identity rather than a slur, she has no attraction to men/boys,) goes on a date with a boy - Luke.

Now, it's entirely true that sometimes questioning lesbian teens go on dates with boys - BUT A NON-LESBIAN WOMAN WRITING THIS JUST FEELS FREAKING AWKWARD.

I don't know Abbie Rushton's orientation, but she mentions her male fiancée in the acknowledgements, so at the time of writing she didn't identify as lesbian.

The whole date felt a) forced and b) a gimmick - 'look! She's not attracted to him! Look at the lesbian!'

She also has Megan kiss Luke and enjoy it - again, if Rushton were lesbian and understood the issues at play here, then fine.

As it is? I don't think she understands enough to be writing these things in. #SorryNotSorry.

That whole plot-point just feels unnecessary and awkward.

Oh, and there's a male character who only exists for the homophobic bullies to pick on. We're not even told if he's actually queer, and we learn nothing about him as a person. #JustNo.

Now for the mental health rep.

This is disappointing, because there is good mental health rep here, but there's also poor mental health rep:

• Megan's implied OCD is never addressed - we don't know if this is something she had prior to the traumatic event or not, and it just peters out as the story goes on.

• [Luke's] mental health problems are both skirted over, and scapegoated. Everything's fine because we shoved [him] in a psych ward! The other crazy person did it! Not the 'good' crazy person. *Sighs*

• Her psychologist acts like a douche. I don't mean just pushes her to explore her problems. I mean he intentionally upsets her. And somehow acting that out of line is ok, and he's some kind of saint in comparison to her 'out of order' response. The message this sends is... troubling.

• Love cures mental health problems. Ugh. So sick of this. Love is not all you need guys, sorry.

• Selective mutism is rarely a result of traumatic events*, and certainly the way in which Megan's mutism descends at the event, fully formed, and stays more-or-less stable until Jasmine shows up...? I have a limited knowledge of mutism, but this seems reductive and unrealistic to me. Please correct me if I'm mistaken; like I said, my knowledge of this is limited.

• Sometimes the impression is given that Megan could speak if she wasn't trying to hide what actually happened. This isn't clear-cut, but is definitely something to keep an eye on. 👀

*where it is the result of traumatic events, it's usually a symptom of PTSD. PTSD is never mentioned in the book, and if this was the author's intent, then I don't feel it was put over clearly enough.

Verdict:

Do I know how to feel about this book now? Nope.

Look, part of me was just really connected to a queer girl with mental health problems... please don't judge me for that.

And parts of this were good. But the representation fell down on more than one front.

That's fine if everyone's going into this with eyes wide open... but there are so many misconceptions about mental health and being queer out there already, that it could do more harm than good.

Buy Now UK – Buy Now USA – Goodreads

  

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Comics Wrap-Up - Bumper Catch-Up Edition!

Since Comics Wrap-Up took a break over Christmas, this week's edition is a catch-up of my comics reading and all related stuff in the last couple of weeks :)

Film Trailers


Here's an extended Batman TV spot for you all :)

(This film looks hilarious!)

Single Issues


I read a butt-load of short and preview comics to help prop up my Goodreads challenge total, so I'll just give you my three top picks.

(Trust me, these three are the ones worth mentioning!)

Heart of a Corpse: An Undead Engagement #1 and Bloody Dreadful #1 are two comics by creator Justin Sane.

Both are fairly interesting, creepily executed, tales of Victorian Gothic horror. Heart of a Corpse actually plays out like a silent movie in silhouette - and was really moody and cool. :)

I enjoyed both, and they def. came as a pleasant surprise.

Loki: Agent of Asgard #1 is the start of the whole Loki-as-a-teen series.



(Fangirling note:

Loki is one of the most difficult Marvel characters to define because s/he spends periods of time as a child, a teenager, a woman, a man, and two people. In honesty, I've probably missed something out.

Just trust me. In this period of time, Loki = reincarnated teenager. Thor = adult. That's as basic as it's gonna get, so let's leave it there.

You can't sweat the small stuff in comics. Your brain will explode. #TrueStory.)



This is the first part of Loki: Agent of Asgard Vol 1 and is pretty awesome. I really want to read the full volume soon for more sassy Loki awesomeness!




Webcomics





Over Christmas, I also read webcomic Princess Princess by Kay O'Neill

This is about two princesses who are faffing around a magical kingdom, challenging gender norms, and falling in love with each other.

One of the princesses is black - so there's a strong person of colour (PoC) lead too 😄



Princess Princess: Ever After (to give it it's fancy in-print title) is also available in printed format.




Other Stuff



Over on Women Write About Comics, Sergio Alexis wrote an awesome recommendation list of webcomics.

And just for the awesomeness of it all, all the comics they recommend are diverse!

Catherynne M Valente wrote a guest post over @ The Mary Sue about her up-coming superhero-based book The Refrigerator Monologues.

For anyone who doesn't know, 'Women in Refrigerators' or 'fridging' is a phrase that was invented by comics artist Gail Simone for unnecessary acts of violence against women in comic books - often used as a plot device to motivate the male hero.

The origin of the phrase was an infamous storyline where the Green Lantern finds his girlfriend murdered and stuffed in his fridge by a super-villain - apparently just to make him angry.

Valente's book plans to give a voice to fridged women - and it looks incredibly poignant, and undoubtedly awesome.

Also on The Mary Sue, Teresa Jusino took an early look at upcoming Afro-Puerto Rican Marvel superheroine La Borinqueña.

Along with America Chavez, Marisol Rios De La Luz aka La Borinqueña, is an awesome step forward for Latinx superheroes.

Like this post? Try these:

• Comics Wrap-Up - Said The Spider to the Fly
• Graphic Novels With Latinx Main Character/s

Last updated: 8th March 2026

Review Time! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Red Sonja: The Falcon Throne

Title: Red Sonja: The Falcon Throne

Author: Marguerite Bennett

Contributors: Aneke, Marguerite Sauvage

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, High Fantasy, LGBTQ+ (M/F; F/F)

Amazon: UK - USA

A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

Ahhhh, Red Sonja - the She-Devil with a Sword.

We come once again, my nerdlets, to the opportunity to review a Red Sonja book (which apparently, as a woman, is beyond my expertise; but it turns out girls can review comics. #TrueStory.)

And to see that this Sonja story had Marguerite Bennett at the helm?

I hardly dared get my hopes up at the prospect of Sonja being given the book she deserved... but I think my fervent prayers to the feminist gods were at least somewhat answered.

Strap in guys, 'cos I got some stuff to say.

Premise:

Hyrkania's king is dying. Sonja believes the kingdom will be better off with someone who... well, basically, isn't her... in charge.

Instead of the She-Devil, someone else comes in to fill the power vacuum.

But will this new leader be a force for good? Or will the prejudices he stirs up become Hyrkania's shame?

Best bits:

WOW. Dudes, this was the Red Sonja book I've been waiting for.

Finally, Sonja is freed from the prospect of painful chainmail wedgies and having to make pathetic doe-eyes at Conan that make her fans (well, some of us,) want to barf.

Instead, we have a still-sexy she-warrior who gets to wear warmer (though still not especially protective) clothes into battle, and doesn't have to worry about rust in her most intimate areas!

(Does anyone else flinch at the idea of non-lined chainmail underwear? *shudder*)

The (in)famous chainmail bikini is the costume male creators and fans have chosen again and again for Sonja; essentially they want an overly-sexualised Barbarian Barbie.

But as Sonja makes very clear - NO-ONE owns her!

There's also a clear political message throughout this book - hatred against people who are different to you goes against everything that makes us human.

Sonja is revolted by the clear bigotry and outright racism that creeps into Hyrkania, and even more revolted by the support this bigotry has from the people.

Instead of a strong female leader, they have a douchebag bigoted dude. Kind of timely, don't you think?

Sonja's bisexuality is not ignored here: too often, Sonja's character is manipulated to erase her queer aspects - she becomes de facto straight in so many of her books.

But with Marguerite Bennett at the helm, we have a queer woman making sure Sonja is given her dues.

There are also people of colour (PoC) characters with agency, and complexity, and lives of their own.

Not so great bits:

Ok, so, my main problem with this book is that it comes dangerously close to White Saviour territory.

For those who don't know, the White Saviour trope is where a white person comes along and rescues the PoC characters - the implication being that they couldn't possibly rescue themselves, and need a white person to come and do it for them (which ofc is utter sh**.)

This trope reinforces the ugly idea of white superiority, and places PoC in a position where they are never the hero, only the victim.

Here, the PoC characters are pretty much doing things for themselves, but the final save-the-day business is achieved by Sonja - the white heroine and symbol of inspiration.

It all plays out a lot more complexly than just white-girl-saves-PoCs, but... I'm not saying this necessarily goes over the line, but we can certainly see the line from here, y'know?

And even seeing the line is worrying guys. I don't want to be anywhere near that line.

Parts of the plotting in general are... confused? Maybe? It just feels a bit hectic and out-of-control in places in terms of plot.

Maybe this is a side-effect of trying to make the plot twisty and action-filled, when really, all that was needed was to follow the characters' lead.

There's a bunch of gore and violence pretty much everywhere, swearing, and some non-explicit sexual content.

Verdict:

We verge uncomfortably close to white saviour territory here (*squints suspiciously at book*) and that's not cool.

Aside from that, though, this is the Sonja book her (true) fans have been waiting for - she kicks butt, looks sexy, but never betrays her character or her dignity.

Bennett's Sonja is strong. Bennett's Sonja is my Sonja, finally brought to the page.

This book is a major step-forward for the character. I just hope it can be built on and improved in the future.

Buy Now UK – Buy Now USA – Goodreads

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Friday Fics Fix - Tis the Season

I actually really liked this week's fic (well... obviously... since I'm recommending it... but you know what I mean!)

Sometimes a fic comes along at just the right moment - I currently have an awful cold, and am freezing on top because the weather's decided to go from oh, it's a bit autumn-y to dear God are we living in an iceberg?! within a few days, so I really needed something short and sweet.

And that's what I have for you!

via GIPHY

Now, frequent readers of this blog may have noticed that I have a thing for Sara Lance from CW/DC TV series Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow.

So, what could be better than fluffy F/F romance featuring her canon (official) relationship with the beautiful Nyssa Al-Ghul?

Oh, I know, LET'S ALSO SET IT AT CHRISTMAS.

Yes, that's right. We have Christmas, we have F/F romance, we have fluff with no explicit scenes. You're welcome! :)

This week's fic is:

The Gift by DarkAliceLilith

Enjoy, and I'll be back with more fanfiction next week!






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• Friday Fics Fix - Let's Do This

Comics Wrap-Up - Days Like This

Graphic Novels

This week, I read Julio's Day by Gilbert Hernandez (UK - US,) which I've wanted to read since I did my Latinx graphic novels post a little while back.

It was... well, it was freaking weird, in all honesty, but I still really enjoyed it.

There was more sex and gore in there than I was expecting though! Not that there was a lot - there wasn't - but still more than I expected. And some m/m-ness, which was unexpected but awesome.







Other Stuff



Not much else to share with you this week, but a few things:

I read this review of the superhero series Legends of Tomorrow by Jessica @ Rabid Reads.

Regular readers of DORA will remember that I adore Legends - not least because of the beautiful and awesome-sauce Sara Lance :)

(And she's canon queer!)

via GIPHY

But Legends has a lot going for it - not just Sara. This is a show that really shouldn't work, and really does!

-0-

In other queer-girl-superhero-news, the amazing Marvel Latinx heroine, America Chavez, is getting her own comics title!

And author of 'Juliet Takes a Breath' (totally on my TBR!) Gabby Rivera, will be on board for writing, with Joe Quinones on art.

An #OwnVoices Latinx queer superhero! Sometimes guys, there is news which just makes your heart happy :)

I'll see you next week for more comics guys! Go be awesome!

Like this post? Try these:

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• Graphic Novels With Latinx Main Character/s

My Diverse Welsh Authors TBR

**This post contains Amazon.com affiliate links, which allow me to earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.**

**Please only use my affiliate links for .COM purchases, as I do NOT earn from other Amazon sites**

Okie dokes my dearest nerdlets - it's time to combine two of my obsessions, diverse authors and Welsh authors.

A lot of these actually came from a post on black Welsh authors I read the other day, which I will link to here.

So, I give you my modest TBR list of diverse Welsh authors:

Month In Review(s) - October 2016

October is over!!! And I'm sure most of you are currently stuffed with sweets and/or chocolate from Halloween.

So, without further ado my dearest nerdlets - let's get this wrap-up started!

October was a pretty cr*ppy month for me, depression-wise, but I'm lucky enough to have a) family, b) The Bestie, and c) all of you guys.

Seriously, I appreciate you guys a butt-tonne! You make me smile :)

And even though someone who I once considered cool - a fellow bookworm in fact - unfollowed me when I tweeted about LGBTQ+ things, the number of people actually doing that has reduced from what was happening last month.

This is possibly because I've put Sexually Fluid/Queer on my Twitter bio - so the a*shole bigots probably aren't following me to begin with.

And the very lastest day of this month saw my two-year blog anniversary! And with over 40k pageviews over all, and over 7k pageviews this month, DORA is still going strong (and I'm so surprised and happy, you honestly wouldn't believe it!)

So, to the books I reviewed this month:

Young Adult

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley - historical fiction, LGBTQ+ (F/F)

Adult

Finders Keepers by Stephen King - crime, thriller

Star-Shot by Mary-Ann Constantine - magic realism*, sci-fi* (*ish)

Comics/Graphic Novels

Bread and Butter #1 - contemporary

Ghoul Scouts: Night of the Unliving Undead - kids, horror, zombies

Last updated: 19th Feb 2026

Review Time! - Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

**This post contains Amazon.com affiliate links, which allow me to earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.**

**Please only use my affiliate links for .COM purchases, as I do NOT earn from other Amazon sites**

Title: Lies We Tell Ourselves

Author: Robin Talley

Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+ (F/F)

A few starting notes:

Robin Talley is fast becoming one of my faves.

After reading As I Descended in September, I kind of... wanted more. So I found one of Talley's earlier books, Lies We Tell Ourselves - and dove right on in there!

That said, I was conscious of the fact that I'm a white woman, writing a review of a book by a white woman, with one of the two points-of-view being that of a black woman, and the major theme being race and desegregation.

So I put out a call on Twitter for any black people who had previously reviewed this book; it felt only right to get a black person's opinion if possible, otherwise it's just us white women talking about a book which has race at its heart.

The lovely Dee Dee @ Will Read For Food answered, and I am uber-pleased to be able to link to her review here :)

Her review is fab, so check it out! I'll also be quoting Dee Dee in the course of my review :)

Premise:

The late 1950s. Virginia.

Sarah is one of the first black students to ever go to the local, previously all-white, high-school.

She and a small contingent from the local black high-school take that first step towards integration; they thought it would be difficult... but did they think it would be this difficult?

To make things even more complicated, Sarah's eye has inexplicably wandered to Linda Hairston - the daughter of the local voice of pro-segregation, and herself an advocate against integrated schools.

Sarah and Linda are on opposite sides of the integration battle - so why, more than anything, do they want to spend time together?

Best bits:

Hrjgtnepthmmkgyrhnlke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DUDES, THIS BOOK!!!!!!

We have complex characters, deep themes, and an F/F love story that doesn't feel as if it was shoehorned in at the last minute.

All that is awesome enough - but Robin Talley can also write, and it's to her credit that she balances all of the different aspects of this book.

Talley does exceptionally well in showing the realities of desegregation, and the general prejudice Sarah's family and friends face.

She doesn't sugar-coat the process of black and white students going to the same school, but neither does she lose sight of integration being the greater good.

This is what Dee Dee thought on this point:

'This is one of those books that I’ll recommend to anyone that says to me that the #BlackLivesMatter movement is doing more harm than good. Once upon a time it was thought that desegregation would do more harm than good as well.'

I loved Sarah and Linda.

But wait, Cee, how can you like a bigoted character?

Because she has a rocking story arc! Because the change in Linda is... I think Dee Dee says it better:

'Linda's character growth was beautiful to witness. She moved from a closed-minded status quo POV to someone who finally thought for herself.' 

Sarah is strong - she struggles a lot with what she's going through: both the attitudes of the white students/teachers, and the fact that she is attracted to girls.

But throughout it all she is strong - and is my new book-girlfriend, because - wow! She rules.

Not so great bits:

Look, this book is heavy (metaphorically - I read the e-book so it was not, in fact, heavy.)

It deals with the harsh realities of this period of history, and doesn't shy away from the sh*t that black people had to deal with just to go to the same school as white people.

As such, it gets violent in places, it gets shocking often, and there's lots of racist slurs - including repeated use of the 'n' word. You've been warned.

Personally, my only problem with this book is the perennial problem with a good book - you can't leave it there! What happened next?!?!

Verdict:

The book! Guys, the book!

Or, as Dee Dee said far more eloquently (seriously, check out her review):

'This book leaves you feeling raw.'

UPDATE 27th November:

Recent discussion of this book has brought up issues with the racial representation in this book - especially the use of the 'n' word, and issues with Linda's early perspective.

While I still love this book, these are valid criticisms that I hadn't caught in my reading - and this is Robin Talley's response to them.

If you have any posts/reviews sharing your concerns with the racial rep. in this book, I'd be more than happy to share/link to them.

Amazon - Goodreads – Author's Site

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Last updated: 20th Feb 2026

Review Time! - As I Descended by Robin Talley

**This post contains Amazon.com affiliate links, which allow me to earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.**

**Please only use my affiliate links for .COM purchases, as I do NOT earn from other Amazon sites**

Image Source

Title: As I Descended 

Author: Robin Talley

Genre: YA, Ghost Story, Horror, LGBTQ+ (F/F and M/M)

Release Date: 6th September 2016

A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

A young adult re-telling of Macbeth. In a boarding school. With LGBTQ+ protagonists. Hell yes!

I sooo wanted to read this - so much so that when my request to receive an eArc was declined on Edelweiss, I marched myself straight over the NetGalley to see if it was listed there.

And on NetGalley I was approved!!!!!!! XD XD

Happy book nerd all around!!!!!!!