TW: homophobia and transphobia (and related bullying and violence)

"I'm a Gay Wizard" is a really fun book and definitely something that YA (and fiction in general) needs more of-- people not being white, cis, and hetero and that being an integral part of the story but not the main plot point. Johnny is very much not straight and there are issues in the book relating to him being gay but the plot of the book is that he and his friend Alison (mtf) have accidentally become wizards. After doing one spell Johnny and Alison are kidnapped and taken to a school for people for wizards and navigate what it means to be a wizard. Them being gay and transgender respectively is a part of who they are and how they handle the world, but the book takes such care to make sure that while the ideas of gender and sexuality are always present, the characters and their lives have other issues. Alison is mentioned as trans *after* the fact that she dresses all in black and I think that's marvellous as she is written as a stereotypical quirky female best friend-- the being trans does not change the fact that she is both quirky and female.

The wizardry in this book is quite fascinating as it relies on knowing math and science and not an ability to speak Latin or other arcane phrases. As the story develops Alison and Johnny get love interests and have to deal with their conflicting feelings about staying for said love interests and leaving a place that a dangerous class system and mind-wiped everyone they love.

My one issue with this book is that sometimes the writing can be a bit off. There is a lot of characters saying exactly what they mean which limits some nuance in the writing and makes the beginning of the book less enticing than the rest of it as it is a bit on the nose. The same can be said for the end of the book in that it seemed a bit abrupt and rushed. The ideas were there but the execution of them could have used an extra few pages.

Overall, "I'm a Gay Wizard" was such a fun book and it is so great to see better representation in YA! I look forward to seeing what else VS Santoni brings to the writing world in future!

I could not get past the first couple chapters. The writing style just didn’t mesh for me personally. I won’t rate this on goodreads as I was unable to finish.

3]
I would not say I enjoyed this book, but at the same time, I did not not enjoy it. The book honestly made no sense, but I found that it was really easier to read and I did want to continue reading it. There is no plot, AT ALL. I thought the last book I had read had no plot, but compared to this one, it had the most intricate storyline ever. The characters were also, meh. But I never found myself not liking the book, which is weird, but probably has to do with how short the book is since it wasn't long enough to make me feel like I was wasting my time.

Great great concept. Bad execution. This was a cover, title, and description grab for me. I was super excited to read it. Unfortunately I had to DNF it because I could not get into the writing style or the bullying of the main character.

Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I can't but compare any book featuring a magic school to Harry Potter. Sorry, it's just how my brain works. But I quickly realized bot books have very little in common. Instead of "yay, magic school" it's "oh no, magic school", since it's clear from the beginning that the people at the school are not the good guys. I really liked the MC, wish we could've seen a bit more of his best friend Alison. Curious to see what happens next.

This was a very interesting book that I was immediately drawn to, but unfortunately the premise was better than the execution.

Johnny and his friend Alison are kidnapped after they perform a spell that makes the magical Institute interested in them. The Institute, which keeps wizards safe from the outside world. Johnny and Alison immediately want to run away but find it difficult to. And ... that's the plot.

What I loved most from this book is the diversity: Johnny is gay and Latinx, while Alison is trans. I liked the book for the most part but it dragged quite a bit. I don't think I'll be reading the next book in the series.

The title of this book really says it all.

I'm a Gay Wizard focuses on Johnny and his best friend Alison. After accidentally causing an earthquake the pair are kidnapped and taken to an institute for wizards where they meet new people and try to escape.

This book was pretty entertaining. The world building could do with a little work but the magic system is pretty interesting and I liked the characters. There are some hard hitting scenes to do with homophobia and transphobia that should be warned about. But...when writing a novel set in a world that's mostly based off our own... It's an unfortunate but realistic addition.

I did really enjoy this book though. It was a bit of a slow start but once it gets going, it's really easy to get through it.

I'd definitely recommend this book.

I was very very disappointed in this book. The writing was awful! No world or character building at all. The characters were very immature and I couldn't get over all of the vulgar language and negativity. It was said to be a cross between Harry Potter and the Magicians which is very very misleading since it is nothing like that at all. There wasn't even really any magic in the book! I don't recommend it at all.

Well, I had tons on fun reading this book. Did it sometimes feel like a debut/Wattpad/fanfic? Sure. Did it have way too many similes? Like grains of sand on a beach! Were there tons of pop culture reference that will not age well in the least? You betcha! Did it stop me from enjoying it? Nope, not a lot.

First of all, the novel's approach to the magical academy trope was truly unique. Instead of a privileged experience of an elite Hogwarts-like school, our protagonist Johnny is kidnapped, his whole existence is erased and - spoiler! - it's not even the worst of it. The worldbuilding was really interesting and left me wanting more. I enjoyed the characters as well: the MC, Johnny, is a gay Latino and his bestie Alison is a trans girl. His love interest, Hunter, is questioning at first, then reveals he is a closeted gay who was gay-bashed by his homophobic father. There is an empowering scene where Hunter stops his father's abuse in the dream world (Everywhen). And finally, there is Blake, Alison's love interest and also the low-key White Knight of the story who can, like, slay any monster, no problem.

The writing and characterization were a bit shaky sometimes, but I held my breath during all the action scenes and found all identity-related dialogues and thoughts very realistic: I could really tell it's an #ownvoices novel and I appreciated that. Johnny's narration wasn't that of a literary genius and he often repeated pretty obvious things, but like, so what? This is a YA book from Wattpad, not the next great American novel. Chill.

On a different note, all these negative DNF reviews from people who expected "unicorns and rainbows" and got angry upon encountering a very realistic description of queer-bashing from an #ownvoices author feel like, I don't know, unfair to the book... This experience is, unfortunately, very common for us queer people and the author even went and put trigger warnings on Goodreads.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC! Looking forward to the sequel. 🌈🦄

Johnny and his friend Alison are extracted (kidnapped really) from their families after they perform a spell that puts them on the Institute's radar. The Institute is a school for wizards meant to keep them safe from the outside world.

The Institute staff act as if this is all okay, as if snatching children from their beds in the middle of the night and keeping them forcefully in prison is perfectly normal. Johnny and Alison want to run away although they've heard it's impossible. Johnny's worried about his father's depression, Alison is worried about her mother who has cancer. The Institute doesn't give a damn about any of that.

I'm A Gay Wizard is a mildly interesting and story. Johnny is a gay Latinx and his best friend is a trans girl dealing with transphobia and crushes. The book touches on some severe bullying in the first few pages that might be triggering.


I enjoyed the overall idea of the book but I found it difficult to get into. The story dragged on a bit with a lot of parts that didn't really do anything for the plot. Although it was an average read I'm interested to see how the story progresses in the next book.

I liked this. It was cute and clever but it could be more developed. It has major issues with triggering problems such as homophobia and fat shaming and transphobia. It needs several sensitivity readers and then to be re-released.

I was really hoping that I would enjoy this book because it's an LGBTQ+ book but I was wrong. There were definitely aspects that I enjoyed but the parts that frustrated me far outweighed the good. Something that I enjoyed was the way Hunter's character was written at the beginning but what I disliked which made me really not like the whole story was how his character suddenly shifted. Hunter was such a likable character and I was hoping to see him develop a lot more, and he did but it just didn't seem like Hunter anymore. It seemed like we just got another copy of Johnny which was annoying. I also didn't really enjoy the action scenes that were written near the end. While the other action scenes in this book picked the pace up a lot the end scenes just dragged on.

I couldn't finish this book. This book had potential and was one of the reasons that I requested it but I didn't get on with the writing style and honestly what I read made me uncomfortable and angry. The use of homophobic slurs and bullying of the main character was not what I signed up for.

Honestly this whole book was disgusting. The amount of homophobic slurs this book contains is ridiculous. Not to mention it's intended for "Young Adult" audience. I didn't even finish reading it. It literally upset me beyond words. The writing it self as a whole just seemed generic from what I did read. Over all of I could give a real rating it would be a 0 ZERO for me, for poor execution. This is my honest opinion.

I'm always a sucker for an own voices novel because I love to read and understand perspectives that are not my own. I found this story to be unique and the world building was wonderful allowing me to truly be engulfed in the story as it was unfolding before me. I feel as though some of the characters could have been more developed. The romance between Johnny and Hunter was really sweet and does not feel like a love at first sight cliche that a lot of YA novels fall into.

Overall, this book is super unique with the latino-gay wizard perspective and the writing is able to bring you into the world even if it is fantasy based! I would recommend to anyone looking for something different.

Having seen the whirlwind involving this novel prior to requesting, I was so excited to be able to read it. After around the first 5%, that excitement was extremely quickly dwindling. The frequent use of homophobic slurs and constant bullying of the main character began to really grate on me and started to make me extremely angry. So I put it down thinking maybe another day and a different mood would make me love it as much as so may had before.

Unfortunately, when I started reading it again, it continued to attract my ire. Within the first 10-15% of the novel, the MC had been called various homophobic slurs including 'faggot', there was constant taunting and abuse towards the MC and his best friend and there had also been a scene whereby the two had beaten to a pulp by some nasty teenagers. Had this been advertised as a contemporary, I could have understood but unfortunately it was not.

By the time the MC is kidnapped and taken to 'wizarding school' I had developed so a uncomfortable feeling towards the novel that I struggled to get any further. Usually one to take maybe a week or two to read a novel, this took me more than a month of reading small portions just to tamp down the rage that steadily built inside with every sitting.

So, I found the MC to be superficial and unlikable (usually I like unlikable characters - Lila Bard is the bomb but so not a 'nice' character). I found him to have very few redeeming features despite the fact that he has been abused which is extremely unfortunate as he should have been a person I could at least pity.

The writing was extremely simple. While it is a young adult novel and one would not expect a writing style similar to that which would win a Pulitzer, I at least expected some better than basic vocabulary.

The story line felt tedious and provided me endless frustration despite the fact the blurb makes it feel fantastical and wonderous. I also felt that there were so many similarities between I'm A Gay Wizard and many different popular franchises that I felt I was reading a poorly disguised fanfiction rather than an independent work.

I was extremely hopeful for this novel as it was own voices. Unfortunately the 'own voice' seemed more like the author hates his own identity rather than someone who I felt should be celebrating his own sexuality.

Overall I found this novel to be a disappointment. I find it extremely difficult to find a redeeming feature however I am sure many will find it an enjoyable novel - It simply was not for me. I would warn any person who reads this novel that the language and behaviour of multiple characters within this novel will be triggering

INTERESTING PREMISE, POOR EXECUTION

Actual rating: 2.5 ⭐️

I was so excited for this book mainly because if the title - I mean, how can you not get excited about a book about a gay wizard who so openly claims his sexuality that the books is named after it?! Sadly, it had a lot of issues that made it hard to love this book as much as I wanted to.

"Just two guys riding a unicorn. Nothing gay about that."

THE THINGS I LIKED

Queer representation: Johnny is gay. Alison is transgender. Hunter is a little unsure of his sexuality at first. Blake is probably pansexual though it is never voiced. I loved how each of these were represented.

THE THINGS I DISLIKED

Magic?: What magic? Though this is a book about magic and wizards, there is actually very little magic in it...

Pace: The pace was just all over the place, making the story feel oddly patchy and fragmented.

Writing: Sorry, but the writing felt almost amateurish, there were simply too many unnecessary descriptions.They hindered the story instead of driving it forward.

World building: Yeah, this part was REALLY lacking. Everything was super confusing because it was unexplained. And the different fantasy elements just didn't seem to go together somehow, it was as if there were too many ideas. They were left un-executed and almost seemed like three different fantasy-worlds patched together into one.

I’m a Gay Wizard by V. S. Santoni left me with a lot of mixed feelings. It has it’s pros and cons, leading me to rate it three out of five stars.

Johnny and his friend Alison perform a magical ritual to summon the Cintamani. Something goes wrong and they are whisked off to the Marduk Institute, a school for wizards-in-training where they are told they’ll be able to hone their powers. Yet nothing is as it seems and the two friends have to learn whom to trust as they navigate a new world filled with monsters, magic, and mayhem.

First of all, I love the cover. It’s exploding with color, proclaiming in bold text the title of the story. I’m a Gay Wizard promises readers a tale filled with queer magicians, and it does not disappoint. The entire cast of characters is queer and diverse, starting with Johnny—a gay Latino protagonist—and his friend, Alison—a trans girl. This type of representation is important to have, showing diverse kids and young adults that they’re not alone.

The characters all had different backgrounds, some coming from loving families and others from abusive households, shaping their personalities and their reactions to the different situations portrayed in the story. The romances were all queer, although none of them really seemed like a good pairing in my opinion, causing me to not really care what ended up to the couples. Some of the character reactions also didn’t make sense to me, such as one character being incredibly secretive about being gay, only to not care a few pages later, announcing it to literally everybody. I’m glad he was comfortable enough to take pride in it, but it seemed unnatural and rushed for that character to achieve that level of comfort so soon.

Some parts were difficult to understand due to the writing, and I found it hard to engage in the beginning. However the plot picked up in the end, making the last half a fast read for me.

The plot was fast paced and somewhat interesting, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how this book reminded me of other stories that I’ve read. Wizarding school, the stuck up lineage wizards, and ventures to the town next to the school reminded me of Harry Potter. Other plot points reminded me of middle grade books I read back in my early teens about dimensions and magic. So for me, the plot didn’t seem to be fully original, and I wished there was more worldbuilding and details on how the magic worked and what the limitations were.

Overall, it’s a great book if you’re looking for queer representation and diverse characters and not much else. I found it lacking in originality, pacing, and characterization: making it not the book for me. It is an explosion of color from the cover to the characters, and I only wish it had been more memorable.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
🌟 Some people are born for greatness kid, the rest of us are just born 🌟
I'm A Gay Wizard following Johnny and his best friend Alison as they struggle to come to terms with what casting one simple spell does to their lives. After casting one spell they are both whisked away to the institute and thus begin to learn about the spell as well as magic and wizards.

For me this book felt like a cross between Harry Potter and Shadowhunters whilst throwing in some Dr Strange vibes, and I did enjoy the book once I got into it, it just took me some time, although I'm not sure if that was me, or the book.

There were a number of times the book had me laughing at comments made, and the banter/awkwardness between Johnny and Hunter, as well as Alison's sarcastic behaviour and Blake in general, I actually think Blake is my favourite character. What I also liked is the fact that the main character is from the LGBT community and the way the relationship with his boyfriend develops and it is so refreshing for them both to be supported when they "come out" and it is taken as completely normal (which it is may I add) and a "coming out ceremony" unnecessary. However the book does include a horrific scene in which Johnny and Alison are attacked for being "weird" and you discover that Hunters father is a mean SOB who beats Hunter for discovering his sexual orientation, as horrible as these scenes are they added to the authenticity of the book in regards to how people are treated in the real world.

However there are some negative points of this book for me, I feel it could still do with some editing as there are a number of times I came across the line <editorial break> and the format of the eBook is a little haywire and could probably be adjusted. Additionally for me the timings for the chapter titles felt short, as we were reading chapters labelled "a week after extraction" and I feel like the books time scales could be extended, especially in regards to Johnny's use of magic, the fact he was able to put a wall up in his mind instantly kind of made it feel a little easy, especially when its compared to other magical books in which students take a long time to develop the use of their magic.

Overall I rate this book a 3.5

This book read like the author picked a few elements from his favourite books. He has some good ideas but he could not put them into words. Especially the world building is poorly done. Most of all I missed explenations: how does the magic work? Why don't they teach magic? What is about the school? The magic has all in all no real system and is hard to imagine. The relationship between the characters is way better portrayed. There is a lot of pontential and I liked how everything evolved. But all in all it is a kind of disappointing story. The focus is on "gay" instead of "wizard".