Northranger by Rey Terciero

NORTHRANGER is a contemporary graphic novel western retelling of Jane Austen's NORTHANGER ABBEY, except with a gay Latino teen as the protagonist. Cade is part of a blended family: he lives with his mother, abuela, stepfather, and stepsister in a relatively poor neighborhood. To get extra cash, he and his stepfather are going to work for one of his old military friends, a man called the General.

At the ranch, Cade meets the General's kids: Henri(etta) and Henry. He falls for Henry pretty instantly, because he's cut, charming, and has all of his same interests. But one of the ranch hands says that Henry can't be trusted, implying that he's a murderer with blood on his hands, just like his father. I liked the queer take on the classic brooding gothic love interest and thought it was really well done, and all of the horror movie references were fantastic. I especially liked the dialogues about how horror movies are often queer coded (one of his faves is Jennifer's Body), and how they can represent strong cathartic feelings that can make you feel better when you're feeling isolated, anxious, or alone.

For a YA title, this is pretty brutal. The author included a list of trigger warnings in the beginning, which I found very helpful-- especially for the animal deaths one (it's a mouse, and it is implied and not shown, thank you). NORTHRANGER also features racial and homophobic slurs, mostly to show how rural Texas has an ugly side to its beauty, which taints the experience of living there for marginalized folks. But it's a beautiful story, and I think it does a good job paying homage to the original Jane Austen tale. 

3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars