Rolls and Rivalry

Gr 9 Up–Boyce’s latest Dungeons & ­Dragons–inspired YA romance is a ­well-paced frolic in the world of marching band and color guard as two former-friends-now-enemies face off for best in show. Hazel, an Ohio high school senior, is the color guard section leader trying to nab a Superior rating at the state band competition. She wants this partly for herself, partly to stick it to percussion leader and bully Brody, and partly to live up to her mother’s ridiculously high standards. As Hazel is forced to corral a crew of amateur guards through band camp and beyond without much help from their recently graduated advisor, she is also dealing with her childhood best friend/crush returning with a chip on his shoulder and joining her adversaries in the percussion section. Max is bitter after his parents’ separation and looks to make Hazel’s life miserable, until their parents’ Dungeons & Dragons game reunites them and forges new alliances between the guards and the percussion section. The two main characters are seemingly white, cisgender, and heterosexual; the supporting characters run the gamut of ethnicities and sexual orientations. Boyce fans will appreciate the fun and flirty vibe between the two leads as well as the ever-present role-playing game element. Newcomers will enjoy the familiar trope of enemies-to-lovers that reaches a satisfactory ending.