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lovelymisanthrope's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I picked this up because it is one of Kayla's favorite books, and I felt it was the most appropriate book to read during Lalathon.
"We Ride Upon Sticks" follows 1989 Danvers high school's field hockey team. The group seems to be on a winning streak, and they are determined to continue winning. Through research they learn some witchy tricks that will help them to find victory, but they quickly learn that all magic comes at a cost.
This book was strange, fun, and heart-warming all in one. One of my favorite aspects of this book was all of the historical homage to 1692 Salem, Massachusetts. I think the time of witches and especially in Salem, though dark, is really intriguing to learn about. Having all of the historical elements made the magic in the story feel all the more real.
This type of writing really reminded me of Grady Hendrix's style. There is such extreme horror, but it is so comical you want to laugh out loud instead of hiding under your covers.
The characters were a little crass for my personal liking. I think they were written well and are perfect for the intended tone of the story, but they were just a little much for my own enjoyment.
I have had this book on my radar for a long time, and I am excited I finally picked it up. I will definitely keep Quan Barry on my radar and perhaps pick up something new in the future.
"We Ride Upon Sticks" follows 1989 Danvers high school's field hockey team. The group seems to be on a winning streak, and they are determined to continue winning. Through research they learn some witchy tricks that will help them to find victory, but they quickly learn that all magic comes at a cost.
This book was strange, fun, and heart-warming all in one. One of my favorite aspects of this book was all of the historical homage to 1692 Salem, Massachusetts. I think the time of witches and especially in Salem, though dark, is really intriguing to learn about. Having all of the historical elements made the magic in the story feel all the more real.
This type of writing really reminded me of Grady Hendrix's style. There is such extreme horror, but it is so comical you want to laugh out loud instead of hiding under your covers.
The characters were a little crass for my personal liking. I think they were written well and are perfect for the intended tone of the story, but they were just a little much for my own enjoyment.
I have had this book on my radar for a long time, and I am excited I finally picked it up. I will definitely keep Quan Barry on my radar and perhaps pick up something new in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Lesbophobia and Homophobia
ameliez's review
funny
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Homophobia, and Racism
Minor: Racial slurs and Animal death
annablume's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this but there are a couple of things i don't like: I wish the main characters got like... equal page time. With some of them I didn't get to spend enough time to really get to know them. I was a little disappointed by the ending the time jump.. i wish i could have been there at the final game and I didn't really care for the all grown up versions of the team. I did not enjoy the adult-minor-relationship and the commentary on that... left a sour taste in my mouth that i'm still sitting with, even more so when paired with that one little comment on sexual abuse ...
i really liked the story and the writing style so it still gets a (maybe spineless on my part idk) high rating
i really liked the story and the writing style so it still gets a (maybe spineless on my part idk) high rating
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, and Alcohol
Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, and Homophobia
Minor: Rape, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Eating disorder, Stalking, and Infidelity
leahb88's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was funny and campy! Cool concept where the occult elements emphasize themes of teamwork and how far people will go to achieve what they want. Love the teen girl camaraderie, acceptance, and figuring out identity! The writing style and perspective of the narrator just wasn’t for me and coming back to present day and reading the climax as a flashback just took me out and I wish I read the final game in 1989 time
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Infidelity and Adult/minor relationship
saintyeehaw's review
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Had to really force myself to finish this one as the writing style confused me a lot of the time. Despite only being 360 pages, this book feels really long for some reason (30+ page chapters?). The witchcraft was cool and cute in equal measure, but the sports talk was very boring for me personally. I liked several of the characters but since the focus kept changing between the whole team, I never felt like I got to really know any of them. Unfortunately, by the end I was also completely done with the romanticization of high school girls in sexual relationships with adult men and was ready to put the book down and never pick it up again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Toxic relationship, and Gun violence
dlrosebyh's review
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This entertaining story by acclaimed author Quan Barry is a tour of feminine force. We Ride Upon Sticks is set in the coastal town of Danvers, Massachusetts, where the accusations that led to the 1692 witch trials began. It follows the 1989 Danvers High School Falcons field hockey team, that will do anything to reach the state finals—even if it means channeling some disarmingly dark powers. Barry brilliantly ties together the individual and communal evolution of this charmed squad as they crash their way through a remarkable season in chapters filled with 1980s iconography—from Heathers to big hair.
The Falcons, led by good-girl captain Abby Putnam and co-captain Jen Fiorenza, prove to be astute, inventive, and daring, defying society's antiquated conceptions of femininity in order to discover their wonderful true selves via the furnace of team sport and, more importantly, friendship.
This book is the identical result of Stranger Things but with hockey. This book is intriguing, but the run-on phrases and overly detailed chapters are not for me. Although I wasn't a major fan of the writing style, I like how dense and witty it is. I expected horrors in this novel, but halfway through, I knew there would be no horror, only black magic. Finally, this novel would have been better if the conclusion had been more interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Homophobia
Minor: Racism, Sexual assault, and Infidelity
githgorlfriend's review
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
so much fun and i got so easily attached to every single character. i never ever say this but i want a tv adaptation. absolutely raving abt this book UNTIL the ending which was underwhelming. mel should have been a lesbian no matter how cliche it was i’ll die on this hill. also i didn’t really like the time jump and anticlimax basically the last 35 pages felt weird to mebut up until then it’s genuinely so wonderful and i loved the ride. perfect perfect use of a character ensemble
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Stalking, Animal death, Homophobia, and Racism
Minor: Sexual assault
kteq's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Deadnaming, Racial slurs, Animal death, and Stalking
Minor: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Cursing, Drug use, Homophobia, and Sexual content
lindseythelibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This Rebel yell of a book follows 11 field hockey players in their 1989 season. It's such a fun, feminist romp and written in the collectivist "we". It's so weird, but it's my kind of weird!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Adult/minor relationship, and Homophobia
solenekeleroux's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I loved this book so much, it's one of my new favorites.
I'm not at all a team sports fan, so I didn't know if I would enjoy it, but it's about so much more than sports. It's really about a team turned coven using dark powers to become their true full liberated selves. The collective narration is so good, I loved the magic, the wild moments of dancing under the moon, the sexual liberation stories. I loved how it is funny but also lyrical at times, the writing is beautiful.
I'm not at all a team sports fan, so I didn't know if I would enjoy it, but it's about so much more than sports. It's really about a team turned coven using dark powers to become their true full liberated selves. The collective narration is so good, I loved the magic, the wild moments of dancing under the moon, the sexual liberation stories. I loved how it is funny but also lyrical at times, the writing is beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Stalking
Moderate: Sexual content, Animal death, Cultural appropriation, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, and Homophobia
Minor: Rape