Review Detail
4.8 4
Young Adult Fiction
281
Brilliant, compelling, captivating... and this is just the beginning
(Updated: June 04, 2026)
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
5.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by Evienne
There's a new voice in GLBT teen fiction. And when I say "new," I mean NEW. When she first began work on "Ring Around the Moon," the first book in the "Words Like Weeds" trilogy, Anya Weinstein was only a year older than her 13-year-old protagonists. "Words Like Weeds" chronicles two parallel struggles, both of which take place among the teens of Green Haven, an isolated rural town in America's heartland.
One is the struggle of Asher Denmont, the child of homophobic Christian fundamentalist parents, who must overcome both his family's and his own prejudices to come to terms with his budding homosexuality. The other is the story of a long-lived war between middle school cliques which is quickly escalating. Lucas Farlot, an oft picked-on loser, plots revenge on those who have hurt him, even as his girlfriend Kat desperately tries to keep him from acting on his hatred.
Mark A. Roeder, author of the bestselling "Gay Youth Chronicles," hails Ring Around the Moon as "the most superb writing I've seen in a long time." Indeed, 16-year-old Weinstein writes with skill and wisdom beyond her years. "Ring Around the Moon," although unable to stand alone as a novel, is an extraordinarily promising start to what is sure to be a dynamite series. Her descriptions of Green Haven and its teen inhabitants bring the story vividly to life. Each character is so complex and multi-faceted that you'd swear they were real people, and their reactions to the differences between them move the story along beautifully. The characters end up buried in questions about prejudice and tolerance, violence and peace.
From a generation mired with depression, drug abuse, sex, and anxiety, a voice cries out in the din, begging for someone to hear, begging for someone to understand. The voice is Anya Weinstein's. The words are heartrendingly honest. The message is one we all must hear. Much like her character Kat Wilder, Weinstein sits somewhat apart from her peers, watching them, hearing their pain. She insightfully captures their struggles, saying for them what they are too distraught to say themselves. Like Kat, Weinstein fully intends to save the world. And like so many that have come before her, she uses language as her weapon against hate. She arms herself with words, screaming to be heard.
The question is: will anybody listen?
There's a new voice in GLBT teen fiction. And when I say "new," I mean NEW. When she first began work on "Ring Around the Moon," the first book in the "Words Like Weeds" trilogy, Anya Weinstein was only a year older than her 13-year-old protagonists. "Words Like Weeds" chronicles two parallel struggles, both of which take place among the teens of Green Haven, an isolated rural town in America's heartland.
One is the struggle of Asher Denmont, the child of homophobic Christian fundamentalist parents, who must overcome both his family's and his own prejudices to come to terms with his budding homosexuality. The other is the story of a long-lived war between middle school cliques which is quickly escalating. Lucas Farlot, an oft picked-on loser, plots revenge on those who have hurt him, even as his girlfriend Kat desperately tries to keep him from acting on his hatred.
Mark A. Roeder, author of the bestselling "Gay Youth Chronicles," hails Ring Around the Moon as "the most superb writing I've seen in a long time." Indeed, 16-year-old Weinstein writes with skill and wisdom beyond her years. "Ring Around the Moon," although unable to stand alone as a novel, is an extraordinarily promising start to what is sure to be a dynamite series. Her descriptions of Green Haven and its teen inhabitants bring the story vividly to life. Each character is so complex and multi-faceted that you'd swear they were real people, and their reactions to the differences between them move the story along beautifully. The characters end up buried in questions about prejudice and tolerance, violence and peace.
From a generation mired with depression, drug abuse, sex, and anxiety, a voice cries out in the din, begging for someone to hear, begging for someone to understand. The voice is Anya Weinstein's. The words are heartrendingly honest. The message is one we all must hear. Much like her character Kat Wilder, Weinstein sits somewhat apart from her peers, watching them, hearing their pain. She insightfully captures their struggles, saying for them what they are too distraught to say themselves. Like Kat, Weinstein fully intends to save the world. And like so many that have come before her, she uses language as her weapon against hate. She arms herself with words, screaming to be heard.
The question is: will anybody listen?
G
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