The Second Mango
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Average rating4
Queen Shulamit never expected to inherit the throne of the tropical land of Perach so young. At twenty, grief-stricken and fatherless, she's also coping with being the only lesbian she knows after her sweetheart ran off for an unknown reason. Not to mention, she's the victim of severe digestive problems that everybody thinks she's faking. When she meets Rivka, an athletic and assertive warrior from the north who wears a mask and pretends to be a man, she finds the source of strength she needs so desperately. Unfortunately for her, Rivka is straight, but that's okay -- Shulamit needs a surrogate big sister just as much as she needs a girlfriend. Especially if the warrior's willing to take her around the kingdom on the back of her dragon in search of other women who might be open to same-sex romance. The real world outside the palace is full of adventure, however, and the search for a royal girlfriend quickly turns into a rescue mission when they discover a temple full of women turned to stone by an evil sorcerer.
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Series
3 primary booksMangoverse
Mangoverse is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2013 with contributions by Shira Glassman.
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I didn't enjoy this book as much as I hoped to. It's not at all a bad book; in fact, it's clearly a labor of love. But it didn't really charm me.
The story is really about Shulamit and Rivka's friendship, yet somehow, I didn't get caught up in it. They both worked through their issues and everything, and saved the day. But they accomplished a lot of important things without each other's help. Maybe that's not it exactly, but for whatever reason, I didn't feel their bond the way I have in other novels that focused on friendship.
It's a quirky book overall, with a fairy-tale plotline and a lot of elements of YA fantasy, yet some of the characters' problems and thoughts felt very modern, occasionally in a jarring way. There were a few genuinely funny moments, though.
My real issue with this book: I thought I was going to be reading Shulamit's story - and I did like her very much - but her romance was significantly less epic than Rivka's. Also, I don't really know what the resolution of Shulamit's romance will be, whereas Rivka's was very much tied up neatly with a bow. I'm sure Shulamit's story continues in the rest of the series, but I'm on the fence about reading more.
