Addison C, Chesapeake High School
In Vinyl Moon by Mahogany L. Browne, Angel arrives in Brooklyn alone. Or at least it feels that way even though her uncle has taken her in. With a broken arm and secrets to follow after her sudden upheaval from California to Brooklyn, Angel feels just like her arm–broken. However, Angel begins to find friends in her homeroom at school and finds herself through music and books.
Overall, this was an enjoyable, quick read. The format of this book was very interesting in a good way. It combines prose and poetry seamlessly. Additionally, with some conversations being written in an interview format and text messages. I loved watching Angel find herself through the books she read featuring main characters like her and through music. Each of the girls in Angel’s homeroom had their own story and were so interesting to learn about. I really enjoyed Angel’s growing relationship with her uncle and teachers as well.
However, there were many traumatic situations Angel had faced in the past and I wish the story went into a bit more depth of how Angel healed from this trauma. Angel was struggling throughout the entire book with this trauma and suddenly she processed it all and could talk about it openly right at the end. Additionally, the romantic relationship felt forced to me and the ending was too tidy in my opinion.
All in all, I did think this book was very interesting and unique. I would recommend this to those looking for a quick read that covers some very important topics.
Click here to check out Vinyl Moon by Mahogany L. Browne.