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The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza

Shaun David Hutchinson (Goodreads Author)

3.65 · Rating details · 3,083 ratings · 695 reviews

Sixteen-year-old Elena Mendoza is the product of a virgin birth.

This can be scientifically explained (it’s called parthenogenesis), but what can’t be explained is how Elena is able to heal Freddie, the girl she’s had a crush on for years, from a gunshot wound in a Starbucks parking lot. Or why the boy who shot Freddie, David Combs, disappeared from the same parking lot min ...more

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Hardcover, 438 pages

Published February 6th 2018 by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

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Feb 06, 2017 Elle (ellexamines) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: author-love, 5-star, x-coverporn, z-2018reads, x-buylist, y-2018releases, x-arcs, z-2018favs, gorgeous-writing, y-notowned

sometimes I think about the fact that this book referenced the name game meme from like two years ago and it was actually funny and then I wonder how the fuck this isn’t an NYT bestseller

The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza is like nothing I have ever read before or will ever read again. It is an existential and oddly hilarious book about choices, with a wide cast of amazing characters and some weird mystery thrown in. And I loved it so much. I could have read this forever over and over again.

Thi ...more

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Sep 06, 2017 Emily May rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, sci-fi, arc, 2018

"What is going on?"
"Maybe nothing," I said. "Maybe the end of the world. I'll let you know when I figure it out."

I'm on the fence about The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza. It has many great individual components, but when looking back over the novel as a whole, I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped. I definitely didn't enjoy it as much as Hutchinson's We Are the Ants, which was one of my favourite reads of 2016.

Having only read two of his books, I cannot say for certain, but I get the impressi ...more

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Feb 14, 2018 Larry H rated it it was amazing

Shaun David Hutchinson's The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza may be one of the craziest, most thought-provoking books I've read in some time, if not ever. It's wild, poignant, forces you to suspend your disbelief, and some may even think it's sacrilegious or blasphemous, but it definitely cements Hutchinson as one of the best YA authors out there right now, one who combines science, emotion, and life's daily struggles to tremendous effect.

"The apocalypse began at Starbucks. Where else did you ex ...more

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Sep 08, 2017 ✨ jamieson ✨ rated it liked it

Shelves: 2018-reads, lgbtqiap, f-f, owned-books, romance, supernatural, science-fiction, bi-mc, what-the-fuck-bro, young-adult

"What is going on?
"Maybe nothing" I said. "Maybe the end of the world. I'll let you know when I figure it out"

so I'm finally reviewing this book. And Honestly? I can't remember the last time I felt so indecisive about a book - because I really wanted to love this and yet the more I think about it the more I don't think I do. This review is going to be hard to write.

The thing is, this book is by no means bad. Shaun David Hutchinson is such an excellent writer and I constantly value the perf ...more

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Jan 20, 2018 Kai rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018, owned, queer

“That’s the problem with living in a world where everyone was assumed to be heterosexual until proven otherwise.”

This is my fourth novel by Shaun David Hutchinson. A few months ago I read Feral Youth and it must have been a year or even two since I first picked up The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley, which made me want to read all the Hutchinson books that exist. But it was We Are the Ants that really took my breath away. If you loved Shaun's earlier books, you will love Elena Mendoza just as much “That’s the problem with living in a world where everyone was assumed to be heterosexual until proven otherwise.”

This is my fourth novel by Shaun David Hutchinson. A few months ago I read Feral Youth and it must have been a year or even two since I first picked up The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley, which made me want to read all the Hutchinson books that exist. But it was We Are the Ants that really took my breath away. If you loved Shaun's earlier books, you will love Elena Mendoza just as much.

Reading a Hutchinson book will guarantee you two things: 1. Queer kids 2. Weird shit.
Usually, there is a third one (3. Tears.) but while this main character's life isn't always peaches she leads a happy life with a close best friend and a loving and supportive family (apart from her dickish stepdad, that is). This means that The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza wasn't as heartbreaking and tragic as We Are the Ants and Andrew Brawley. However, Shaun's stories often talk mental health and depression in an honest and fearless way, and this novel doesn't fail to do so either. Many teenagers and especially queer teenagers struggle with mental health issues and I believe that these books could make them feel heard and understood, especially because Shaun comes from a similar place. Right now he is working on a memoir for teens that will focus on his personal struggles with depression and suicide. It's called Brave Face and will be released in 2019.

Back to Elena Mendoza. Elena is bisexual and what is best is that no one questions her sexuality. No one bullies her or shows signs of biphobia. This is one of the things that I enjoyed most about this book. I doubt that we will ever see this happen in real life, but reading about it already makes me feel better about our own world. And to be honest, Elena has more important things going on that being stigmatised and reduced to whom she loves. For once, she hears voices. And she can heal people. And the voices tell her that the world will end and she has to save mankind. But every time she heals someone countless people vanish into thin air all around the world, never to be seen again. (I told you it's weird.)

I also loved the cameos of characters from Shaun's earlier novels. You might not notice this, especially if this is your first Hutchinson, but I love when we get to see a glimpse of what happened to these main characters after their own novel. The only thing I could criticise is the world-building. Creating a story where the fate of the world is in the hands of a single teenager puts you in front of quite a few challenges. One of them is how to make it believable. There are so many factors that need to be addressed that it is nearly impossible to mention all of them in a single novel. If the world is ending because of tsunamis and earthquakes, how come Elena and her environment seem to be unaffected by the horrors that unfold all over the world? What about food shortages or bulk buying? And if people know that Elena can heal people, how aren't there hundreds of them camping in front of her house, claiming she is the messiah or an evil demon? What I want to point out is that the apocalypse is too big to think of every single aspect that might be affected by it.

What is left to say? I am a huge fan of Shaun's writing, characters and dialogues. There is depth, a well-plotted story and empowering advice for teens (and adults, too). And overall it's a captivating and exceptional read.

Find more of my books on Instagram ...more

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Jan 24, 2018 Cece (ProblemsOfaBookNerd) rated it liked it

Shelves: anticipated-of-2018, lgbtqia, read-in-2018

I’m falling asleep and I have to be at work at 5 am tomorrow, so I’ll come back and write a very intensive review later!

Update 1/28/18:

The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza has all the pieces that should make up a book I would love. It is by Shaun David Hutchinson, the author of one of my favorite books of all time. It's about Elena, a bisexual Cuban girl, dealing with huge philosophical choices. There's a f/f romance, and a Muslim side character who is figuring out whether or not he might fall on the I’m falling asleep and I have to be at work at 5 am tomorrow, so I’ll come back and write a very intensive review later!

Update 1/28/18:

The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza has all the pieces that should make up a book I would love. It is by Shaun David Hutchinson, the author of one of my favorite books of all time. It's about Elena, a bisexual Cuban girl, dealing with huge philosophical choices. There's a f/f romance, and a Muslim side character who is figuring out whether or not he might fall on the ace/aro spectrum. And yet, with all of this, I just couldn't fall in love with it.

Here's what I will say about how SDH writes: his books are introspective, philosophical, and they don't give you an easy answer. Things are not tied up in a bow, and choices are not made simple. These are the things that made me love We Are the Ants as much as I did. His books value character over plot, and that is absolutely true of this book as well. A lot of the middle is just centered on Elena asking questions about herself, others, and the universe, which is actually a feature I liked a lot. I love internal narratives, and I like introspective characters. But where I think this failed is that I don't feel like I knew any of the characters well enough to be interested in their introspection.

This book is over 400 pages long, which is lengthy for a character-centric story, but in all that time I never really felt like I had fallen in love with any character. Not Fadil, the best friend who I think could have used more page time. Not Freddie, the love interest, who spent so much time being mean to Elena that I couldn't really get invested in their romantic relationship. Not Elena's family, who seemed fleeting and forgetful. And, most disappointing of all, not even Elena. Despite the fact that the stakes couldn't possibly have been higher, I never felt the urgency or response from her that I so desperately wanted.

I was also really frustrated with a character named Javi, Elena's ex-boyfriend. For the entire book (even after he got some character development) he has this real sense of entitlement to Elena, despite the fact that she repeatedly tells him to leave her alone and that she has no romantic interest in him. This never goes away, and I was somewhat uncomfortable with that.

This did still have some stuff I loved. SDH is a good writer. He knows how to write a line that is succinct but so powerful, and even though I wasn't connecting to the characters, I was constantly marking passages that I wanted to remember. Also, the conclusion to the book was supremely satisfying. It was exactly what I was looking for, a perfect combination of character development and exploration of universal issues. I loved how it talked about choice, consequences, and consent.

And, of course, I have to talk about how much I appreciated the rep in this book, and I think it was all handled incredibly well. Elena is openly bisexual, out to her friends, her family, and her school. Her sexuality is a part of her, enough that she uses the words "bisexual" and "bi" multiple times throughout. Also, I loved the little bit of conversation we got about Fadil possibly being ace/aro. Seeing those words used in a YA book in a conversation centered on sexuality was so wonderful.

I wish I could have cared about the characters in this book. I wanted to be invested in their lives and their decisions, but in over 400 pages worth of story I just never felt like my heart was in it until the very last chapter. I think there's a lot to love in this book, and I think a lot of people are going to love it - and rightfully so, let's get SDH more appreciated please, but for me this book didn't hit the mark. ...more

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Feb 12, 2018 April rated it it was amazing

I think the best thing to do is to go into this book not really knowing much about it. Definitely five stars!

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Mar 29, 2018 may ➹ rated it liked it

Shelves: read-2018, pov-female, buddy-reads, ownvoices, 3-star, rep-disability-neurodiverse, rep-mental-illness, young-adult, diverse, rep-lgbtqiap-author

// buddy read with a smol!!

...more

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May 20, 2020 megs_bookrack rated it really liked it · review of another edition

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Elena Mendoza is a miracle. Literally.

The product of parthenogenesis, otherwise known as a virgin birth, Elena's life has been quirky indeed.

As you can imagine, this biological anomaly made headlines, making Elena low-key famous.

She does her best to just live her life, ignoring the chatter around her, but it hasn't always been easy.

Elena has never really fit in and although she has some close relationships, she's far from one of the popular kids.

When the girl she has been ...more

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Feb 11, 2018 R.K. Gold rated it it was amazing

I'll always support fiction that gives baby Cthulu a voice. On a humor level Shaun just gets me, or I get Shaun, or there is no getting but his work makes me laugh enough to keep coming back to it. I'm getting off track. The Apocalypse begins at Starbucks and the story of Elena Mendoza begins with one of the best opening lines I have read in a while.

After saving her crush from a shooting on a Starbucks patio (it's not a spoiler that much is given away in the description) Elena is handed the imp ...more

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May 01, 2017 Korrina (OwlCrate) rated it really liked it

Super interesting concept and story, that I devoured in a few short hours. It gives the reader so much to think about, in terms of life and death, the state of our world, and love. I'll simply say that I underlined a lot of passages in this one that I will hopefully reflect back on. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, was that I found it dragged a bit in the middle, and at times was a little repetitive. But all in all, a solid book that will really make you think and question the wor ...more

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Feb 22, 2018 ellie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018-faves, 2018-release, made-me-laugh, queer-and-here, girl-meets-girl, dystopia

a book featuring a melodramatic, self-hating, confused bi young girl who wants to die... can't believe my life has been plagiarized like this!

So this book took me completely by surprise. This is my first Shaun David Hutchinson, so my expectations were very low (I had no idea what to expect, really) so I guess the reason I enjoyed it so much was the reason this deserves those 5 stars. I'm a big believer that the reading experience is as important as any story. Because the writing can be completel a book featuring a melodramatic, self-hating, confused bi young girl who wants to die... can't believe my life has been plagiarized like this!

So this book took me completely by surprise. This is my first Shaun David Hutchinson, so my expectations were very low (I had no idea what to expect, really) so I guess the reason I enjoyed it so much was the reason this deserves those 5 stars. I'm a big believer that the reading experience is as important as any story. Because the writing can be completely magical and intricate but still make you feel nothing. I mean, you're going to admire the pretty flowers, but unless you have some emotional connection to them, you're just going to throw them away when they've withered (aka, drifted into that space in your mind where you stop remembering specific details about it).

I love how Elena Mendoza is written. She's incredibly herself. I know this sounds kind of circular logic, but stay with me. Her voice feels like an actual person narrating the things that have been happening to her. She kind of talks about all these things that happen that are out of control, and she has to deal with it. She's constantly torn, confused, (see before: melodramatic) and pulled in all these different ways by her friends, school, family, and aliens (did I mention there are aliens?).

But she tries to stay afloat. She tries to make decisions, messes up, tries again. She doesn't know how to save the world, so she makes the decision that seems the most reasonable to her. She finds another way. Basically, she's a survivor. And I wanna say, to every person who's experienced or currently experiencing adolescence, you just have to survive. You sometimes let yourself be pulled in these directions when you're a teenager and think you have to go through everything life throws at you. And I think one of the ways you can tell you're maturing is when you realize that you don't have to. When you cut off the things that will never be important as your happiness and the people you love. That's what Elena does. She kind of becomes a miracle herself. A name you want to know and learn from.

So that's what I loved the book. I also loved the relationship she had with her mother, the focus on friendship, proving that boys and girls can actually be just friends, the humor, the love interest, the actual way she dealt with her having these new powers (by not dealing with them at all. same, girl, same. i, too, would drive myself insane with all these different thoughts about how to deal with them but never act on any because of a crippling fear of the unknown. SAME.). i just loved elena mendoza. it's a bit on the longer side, and it did feel a little bit too long at times, but we got there in the end. I love what she decided to do at the end. and who she decided to be. She decided to be Elena Mendoza, not Elena Mendoza Miracle-Healer Who Is Also Born Of a Virgin Birth.

P.S. i lov the existentialism hints throughout the book, that's legendary. also, the ex bf is really annoying and i know he gets better but like. geez. why does he exist ...more

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Jun 25, 2018 shady boots rated it liked it

Shelves: boooooring, unoriginal, meh-it-was-okay, read-in-2018

This was probably one of the weirdest books I've ever read.

The first thing I need to get off my chest is the GLARING similarity this book has to the game Life is Strange. I usually ignore when things have minor similarities here and there, but this book had so much that was eerily similar to LiS to the point where I couldn't brush it aside. It was too uncanny at parts, especially in the beginning. Let me explain for those of you who have never played or seen a playthrough of LiS. (You should, b ...more

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Feb 26, 2018 laur gluchie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: won-giveaways, 2018, arc, favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 01, 2017 Dylan rated it it was amazing

um...wow....

Since this doesn't come out until February of 2018, I don't want to say too much, but what I will say is that this book is magnificent.

I'm going to be honest, I was quite worried going into this. WE ARE THE ANTS is my favourite book of all time, I was frankly, disappointed with his 2017 release, AT THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE, but I also really loved THE FIVE STAGES OF ANDREW BRAWLEY, so there was still hope.

As always, ELENA was beautifully written and crafted, the characters were SO ...more

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Feb 24, 2018 Gabby rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary, disappointed, romance, just-no, read-in-2018, suicide, 3-star-books, young-adult, annoying-characters, lgbt

More of a 2.5 unfortunately

I am so disappointed with this book. Shaun David Hutchinson wrote my favorite book of all time: We Are the Ants. Unfortunately, I haven't been very impressed with his books ever since. This book felt like another copy and paste of the same premise as We Are The Ants, just not as good. (Which is the same feeling I got with his other book At the Edge of the Universe). As another reviewer has said, I think Shaun David Hutchinson needs some fresh ideas, because all of his More of a 2.5 unfortunately

I am so disappointed with this book. Shaun David Hutchinson wrote my favorite book of all time: We Are the Ants. Unfortunately, I haven't been very impressed with his books ever since. This book felt like another copy and paste of the same premise as We Are The Ants, just not as good. (Which is the same feeling I got with his other book At the Edge of the Universe). As another reviewer has said, I think Shaun David Hutchinson needs some fresh ideas, because all of his books since We Are the Ants have felt exactly the same.

This book follows a girl named Elena Mendoza who was born from a virgin birth. Her Mom was a virgin when she gave birth to her and she was considered a miracle. Now, Elena is sixteen and she can perform miracles. She has a crush on this girl named Freddie who gets shot in a Starbucks parking lot and then she is able to heal her somehow. Elena also hears "voices" and inanimate objects speak to her all the time throughout the book, telling her it's up to her to save the world.

Elena is a lot like Henry from We Are The Ants, but not as likable. I found it incredibly cheesy when she would talk to the voices. (One part was actually her box of tampons talking to her... like seriously?) I don't know if it was supposed to be cool, but I just found it cheesy. Her love interest Freddie is kind of a bitch... I'm sorry but she treats Elena like shit for 95% of this book and I just couldn't really stand her..? Elena spends most of her time in this book healing people, talking to the voices, and debating whether or not she should be healing people. She also spends most of her time complaining to her friends about how rude Freddie is and then continues to pursue her anyway and pick up the phone every time she calls. The whole "saving the world" thing falling on the shoulders of a teenager again and again in his books is getting kind of old for me. It worked so well in We Are The Ants, but it hasn't worked very well in his other books for me.

The good things in this book include bisexual rep, a diverse cast of characters, and gorgeous writing with beautiful quotes about life and the meaning of it. (view spoiler) Other than that, I wasn't very impressed with this story and I found myself skimming most of it, which sucks because I wanted to love this book. ...more

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Aug 19, 2018 Faye* rated it liked it · review of another edition

2.5 stars

The concept of this story was super unique and interesting. Unfortunately, I was kind of in a book slump while listening to this. So, while I still enjoyed it, the weirdness of the plot wasn’t enough to make this one great for me. I had problems understanding the characters and sometimes felt that I didn't get the point of their conversations. Also, nothing much really happens?!?

***
Again, Eli made me do it :D I just DNFed my last read so I have high hopes for this one. Book, you better ...more

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Oct 07, 2018 booksNpenguins marked it as to-read

Even if it's gonna take me forever, I will make it my mission in life to read everything this guy writes. ...more

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Apr 19, 2018 Alexandra ☁ rated it really liked it

Shelves: on-my-shelf, read-in-2018

4 stars.
I really liked the writing and the originality of the plot but I felt like it was dragging a lot in the middle and end of the book. I also feel like I have a lot of questions I never got the answers to. But it was a interesting read!

btw; A lot of important and great quotes/conversations in this.

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Feb 20, 2018 Acqua rated it really liked it

Shelves: q, qf, no-chemistry, ya, db, contemp-sff-mr, boring-li, love-cover, loved-it, w-ones

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would, considering I DNFed another book by this author after two chapters. I didn't think it was perfect, but I did really like it.

Let's start with the good.
The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza is a very weird book, and if you know me, you know I like weird. It's about a bisexual girl of Cuban descent who had a virgin birth and can perform miracles.
I like weird because it's a very interesting way to explore concepts, and those concepts can be everything: the i ...more

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Jun 16, 2018 Katie rated it liked it

Honestly idk how to rate this. Maybe 3.5? If we're talking quality, I think it deserves more of a 4 or 5 stars - I think it's a good book! But I tend to rate based on my enjoyment level. And while I was amused while reading this, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I'm struggling to find a way to describe exactly why other than it was just a...weird book and just not really my thing.

So my thoughts in a nutshell: this book is really well done, has super unique and interesting ideas, and great diverse r ...more

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Aug 03, 2018 Anna rated it liked it

Shelves: lgbt, science-fiction, young-adult, 2018

While I thought this was a unique apocalypse story with likable characters and compelling writing, the plot moved a little too slowly and there were a few statements that annoyed me enough that I enjoyed it but probably won't remember it by tomorrow. ...more

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Jan 02, 2017 Cassandra rated it really liked it

Shelves: reads-of-2018

"No one is perfect, no one is flawless, and loving someone means admitting they have faults. It means loving them, not in spite of those flaws, but because of them."

I loved this. I knew I would love it from the day I pre-ordered it, but the first hundred pages or so I was worried. Then I became emotionally attached to all (well, most) of the characters and I knew everything was going to be just fine.

For the first chunk, this book was almost too weird for me. Mostly because no one else writes ...more

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Jan 10, 2018 Kelly added it

Shelves: ya-fiction, read-in-2018

Readers who love the weird genre-bending fiction of Shaun David Hutchinson won't be disappointed. I'd also hand it to readers who love and are itching for weird in the style of AS King. And then for readers who love this book -- particularly the messages about life, about humanity, about saving the world -- would do well picking up Blake Nelson's DESTROY ALL CARS.

My favorite character was definitely Freddie. Perhaps the most complex, challenging, and yet utterly real character who wavers betwee ...more

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Jun 04, 2018 Eli rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2018, best-of-2018

okay so imagine Jesus
But as a sarcastic, sixteen year old bisexual girl! Crazy!
I just can't get over how cool this idea is! All the characters are perfect and I loved Elena so much!

even ~~Morgan Freeman~~ god would approve of this book. ...more

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Feb 13, 2018 Maria rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018-new-releases, on-my-shelf, read-2018

Actual rating: 4.5 Stars!

--

I just love Shaun David Hutchinson and his books so much. I've been waiting for this one and I can't believe I've already finished reading it! It was a fantastic edition to his "end of the world series" and I absolutely loved how it connected all of his other books together in one!

Stay tuned for a full review coming soon! ...more

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Dec 30, 2019 anna (½ of readsrainbow) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2-protags-of-color, 2-lgbt, 5-young-adult, 2-bi-pan-protags, first-person-pov, favourites, 2-lgbt-authors, 1-contemporary, 1-science-fiction, 2-sapphic

rep: bi Cuban-American mc, sapphic li, Muslim ace (questioning) side character

yes, the mc literally performs miracles & i would still say this is the least weird of hutchinson's books

anyway, there's so much to love here but the ideas it incorporates that i wanna focus on are 1) that we get crushes on a person we imagine, not a real human being & 2) that all we can do in this life is make our own choices

(yeah, i'm putting this on my 'chosen one' self and u can't stop me) ...more

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Jun 28, 2018 Martin rated it really liked it

Shaun David Hutchinson tends to situate his protagonists at the brink of apocalypse, often placing the fate of humankind in their hands. This is also the case with Elena Mendoza who faces an especially dire dilemma: is she willing to perform miracles even if she dooms others in doing so? However, besides the magical realism frame of the story, do not expect to receive answers to why the world might be ending. Once one has read several books of the author one sees through the pattern and realises Shaun David Hutchinson tends to situate his protagonists at the brink of apocalypse, often placing the fate of humankind in their hands. This is also the case with Elena Mendoza who faces an especially dire dilemma: is she willing to perform miracles even if she dooms others in doing so? However, besides the magical realism frame of the story, do not expect to receive answers to why the world might be ending. Once one has read several books of the author one sees through the pattern and realises that it takes such apocalyptic extremes for the characters to make a decision regarding their lives. Hutchinson fans of previous books will be in for a treat, seeing that the novel contains several Easter eggs which may or may not hint at the future of already familiar characters. Unlike the previous three books, The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza is slightly less heavy and more uplifting. The female perspective is also refreshingly new.

Elena has a balanced life of loving people (be it her mum, siblings, best Friend Fadil or elderly neighbour) and people who are a nuisance (her stepdad and people at school). I liked the differentiating portrayal that people can have more than one side to them. They can be both caring for their loved ones and be cruel to others. I immensely enjoyed Shaun’s whimsical humour – I mean a talking tampon box and baby Cthulhu?! While character dynamics developement, e.g. Elena’s relationship towards Javi and her complicated relation to Freddie were a success, I thought the pending involvement of the authorities and of another ominous party and their taking action not until the very end seemed to me a bit implausible; yet this was only a minor factor. Moreover, the reader gets in Fadil another diverse and multi-layered character.

As always, Shaun does not shy away to depict the darker truths of life, often disillusioning and taking on picture-perfect lives and relationships shown in other books, films and TV. The book reflects on love, heteronormative society and raises questions like “How many chances does a disgraced person deserve and when is it OK to cut them out of one’s life for good?”

David became one of my autobuy authors and I am looking forward to read “The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried” in 2019.
...more

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Mar 01, 2018 Brooke rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2018, lgbtq, lgbtq-side-characters, apl, ya, not-my-cup-of-tea, lady-lovin

I had a hard time with this one. I was looking forward to SDH's quirkiness, but there were too many character & prose issues to fall in love with Elena & her world.

First, the positives. The representation here is great. Elena is a bisexual Cuban teen who has a crush on Freddie, the girl she heals from the Starbucks parking lot. This in turn leads to them getting to know each other better, eventually leading to a f/f romance. There's Fadil, Elena's Muslim best friend who is unsure whether he fall I had a hard time with this one. I was looking forward to SDH's quirkiness, but there were too many character & prose issues to fall in love with Elena & her world.

First, the positives. The representation here is great. Elena is a bisexual Cuban teen who has a crush on Freddie, the girl she heals from the Starbucks parking lot. This in turn leads to them getting to know each other better, eventually leading to a f/f romance. There's Fadil, Elena's Muslim best friend who is unsure whether he falls on the ace/aro spectrum. Freddie is queer & deeply depressed due to her father's death by suicide a year ago. I loved that these things are openly discussed & mentioned; however, I do wish a bit more time had been spent on Fadil because it felt like his questioning had just gotten thrown away in the end. There's no doubt that this will attract the right readers for this reason alone but I felt like the book was missing something to truly get me invested in it.

I liked the short chapters in the beginning, but they quickly grew annoying as it would break off after a single scene. The last couple chapters I enjoyed & glad I stuck around for, but 436 pages is too long for a plot that's mainly going nowhere except for the MC to do some internalization. There was a lot of telling instead of showing & I honestly felt like the book could have been cut down by at least 50% as there were a lot of pointless sentences added that did nothing to fuel the plot forward. I was curious to see what Elena would choose to do in the end, but that could have happened a lot faster if the text was concise.

I had a major problem with some of the people in Elena's life, especially Sean. Sean is Elena's stepfather, a man who doesn't want to get a job, is addicted to pills & booze & makes it clear that Elena is unwanted. Because of this, Elena must pick up the slack & take care of her siblings while her mother's at work. I was baffled at the interaction here. Elena sasses him but doesn't get angry enough. Sean reminds me of men I was surrounded with at that age, & while I admit I did sometimes sass them, mostly I was fucking pissed. Enraged that they didn't want to do anything & I was constantly trying to make them change their ways. (Yeah it wasn't successful, but hey. At least I gave it a try.) I guess I just couldn't understand why Elena is mostly complacent & put up with his bullshit for as long as she did.

I also hated Elena's romances. Javi, her ex-boyfriend still wants her back & while Elena makes it clear that that will never happen, he doesn't care & attempts to try to make her change her mind. This still isn't resolved by the end of the book; instead, a few jokes are tossed in for good measure in an attempt for it to be suffice enough. Javi's sense of entitlement & the fact that he just could never get the picture unnerved me & I wish Elena would have just stopped talking to him altogether. On the other hand, Freddie was just as bad to her. She was mean & insulting, then somehow decided she was interested in Elena & they end up (somewhat) together. What? Not really sure how it's okay for someone to treat you like shit for 250+ pages, then change their tune (not excusing depression but it almost makes it seem like it's okay for this reason, which I know wasn't the author's intent) & get together with her. But whatever.

I did like how Fadil called Elena out for being a bad friend- which she was- & would have liked to see more of Fadil standing up for himself because it was never an equal friendship. In all, this book is filled with humans making human mistakes which is great in concept, but I had hoped the characters would have been more likable. The themes of choices & consequences was fantastic, but unfortunately I was bored & disappointed at the MC's actions & didn't end up enjoying this as much as I thought I would. If you're familiar with SDH's work, I'd recommend it. Otherwise I'd start with his AT THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE. ...more

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Jul 17, 2018 Ashley rated it really liked it

Shelves: fabulism, sci-fi, lgbtqia, 2018-reads

So. I really really really love Shaun David Hutchinson's writing style. I loved the premise of this book and I loved the characters and all of the diverse representation in here. Somehow, it all flowed really nicely together and never felt forced or like he put these characters in there solely for representation. They are just people, characters with diverse backgrounds who happen to be friends. Amazing.

I loved how sassy the characters were and, although they were frustrating at times, I still ...more

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About Shaun David Hutchinson

Shaun David Hutchinson

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Shaun is a major geek and all about nerdy shenanigans. He is the author of many queer books for young adults. Find out more information at shaundavidhutchinson.com. He currently lives in Seattle and watches way too much Doctor Who.

Books by Shaun David Hutchinson

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“The moment we forget that even the evil among us are still human is the moment we forget that even the most human among us are still evil.” — 16 likes

“Falling in love is about hormones and pheromones and powerful emotions that overwhelm our better judgement. Staying in love requires time and effort and knowledge and trust that has to be earned over the course of lifetimes. Falling in love is the illusion. Staying in love is the real miracle.” — 10 likes

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