We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry

 

DNF @ p.86

I remember when the READY PLAYER ONE movie came out, there were all these memes about what the 1980s would look like if viewed through the lens of girl culture. WE RIDE UPON STICKS is kind of like that, mixed with a bit of witchcraft. Unfortunately, like READY PLAYER ONE, I think it is overly reliant upon its pop-cultural references in its attempt to endear itself to readers and this comes at the cost of clarity and readability.

I wanted to like this so badly that I stuck it out for way longer than I wanted to. I liked the writing and the pop-cultural references and I appreciate the girl power vibes and the care the author took in making this feel "80s" without being too offensive, but the story itself just wasn't that interesting, and I'm not sure it's worth wading through.

Pre review:

This sounds like one of those 90s sports movies, only with a dash of Satanism.

"Salem's hockey team lost every game they ever played. Just when they felt like they were all out of puck... they received a little help from an old friend..."

*record scratch*

"The DEVIL."

2 out of 5 stars