Review Detail

Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe is a coming-of-age YA book that touches on family, friendship, and figuring out who you are.

The story begins with Jessica, a high school teenager with a killer goth look starting at a new school. We come to find out that Jessica is in foster care and is well-versed in being the new kid and dealing with bullies.

Jessica's latest foster placement is with an older woman named Barbara. Jessica has a lot of self-imposed rules in place on how she should behave/interact with her foster parent, and it shows how Jess needs to protect herself from getting too attached. Barbara is the first foster parent who doesn't try to change Jessica's look. Instead, she encourages Jessica to be herself.

Jessica's goth look draws the attention of geeky Oliver, who is into cosplay and wants Jess to join his team. Jess agrees to join the cosplay team because the final competition is in NYC where her bio mom happens to live.

There are some twists and turns that the cosplay group has to go through to make it to NYC, but Jess learns a lot about herself and how opening her heart and letting people in may not be such a bad thing.

What I Liked: Author Lindsay S. Zrull was not afraid to write about tough topics like Jessica's foster care experience or her bio mom having schizophrenia. As you read about these things from Jessica's perspective, you begin to understand her more as a character and why she needs to guard her heart. The fact that Oliver opened up to Jess about his anxiety and panic attacks was a real moment of friendship. This story was so diverse and inclusive. Jessica, Gerritt, Emily, and Oliver seem like an unlikely group of friends, but they all care for one another and bring a unique perspective to the group. The whole cosplay world and going to cons just made me squeal. It feels like finally, the geeks have a book where they are represented.

What Left Me Wanting More:  While parts of the book felt predictable, I still enjoyed reading it despite knowing what would happen. 

Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe is so much more than just a book about a girl in foster care who finds friends by doing cosplay. It's a book about a girl who tries to heal her relationship with her bio mom, a girl who learns what being a good friend is, and a girl who realizes there are adults in her corner who want her to succeed. I highly recommend this as your next read!