There aren’t a lot of books out there about cosplay — and one that also includes queer characters, fandom, and conventions? Even rarer. I was interested to read Ryan La Sala’s Be Dazzled, to see how he represented this world, especially as the book came to me with very mixed reviews.
Billed as “Project Runway goes to Comic Con,” Be Dazzled is narrated by Raffy Odom, a high school student dead-set on winning a major cosplay competition in Boston. Winning would mean accolades, respect, and — most importantly — scholarship money, which Raffy wants to use to go to art school (a career choice his art-purist mother Evie sees as a waste). But forget Evie; Raffy’s good at what he does. He knows he has the chops to win this contest.
Unfortunately, the universe has other plans: on the first day of the convention, Raffy’s ex-boyfriend Luca shows up with his former friend Inaya — wearing outfits that Raffy came up with. Worse still, Luca wants to talk. And Raffy absolutely, positively does not want to do that. Not after everything that happened between them.
Told from Raffy’s POV, Be Dazzled juggles dual timelines: the present-day Controverse convention alternated with chapters about Raffy’s past with Luca. The novel does not supply content warnings, but it does address homophobia and also hints at bi erasure (without directly naming it as such). These topics come up in Luca’s story, as he’s not out as either bisexual or nerdy; instead, he leans into the safety of soccer, an activity he legitimately enjoys — and one that his family perceives as an “appropriate” hobby for a teenage boy. These familial pressures force Luca to enjoy his other hobbies, including anime, video games, and maybe even cosplay, in secret.
Raffy is similarly hiding his interests. His mother Evie finds pop culture lowbrow and cosplay distasteful; this leaves Raffy both resenting her opinions and vying for her approval all at once. These complicated family dynamics initially unite Raffy and Luca, forming the basis of a flirty friendship in which Luca can explore cosplay without shame and Raffy can practice working for enjoyment (and not just for streaming views or likes or a scholarship to art school).
But as the boys’ friendship blossoms into something more, their differences begin to drive them apart. Raffy is perfectionist, and this inflexibility does not mesh well with Luca’s layered secret-keeping and insecurities. Without spoiling too much, their eventual falling out is, as expected, over both cosplay and their relationship. Their conversations during their reunion at the cosplay competition are the same.
Focusing on themes of identity, authenticity, family, and creative passion, Be Dazzled makes an important point about homophobia. Molly Catherine Turner’s review for Lambda Lit summarizes it thus: “In examining the pain of homophobia and bi-erasure specific to Luca’s story, […] La Sala makes it clear that homophobia is the cause of the conflict, not Luca, a clear writing choice that affirms the lived realities of closeted readers.”
While the distinction is small, this authorial decision does feel powerful. Raffy’s clear understanding of the larger systemic problem of homophobia gives him empathy for Luca, an empathy that is then passed along to the reader, who is reminded that coming out in real life is not always simple — or safe.
I really enjoyed the set-up of Be Dazzled. The dual timeline felt as layered as the relationship between Raffy and Luca. As a cosplayer myself, it was fun to read about Controverse and see La Sala’s shout out different fandoms (including some Zelda cosplayers, a fandom I’ve written about a lot!). Though the cosplay competition was far more dramatic and bombastic than real-life events, I was able to suspend my disbelief and go along for the ride.
That said, however, I struggled a little with the ending. (And there will be SPOILERS from here on out!) In the final portion of the competition, Raffy and Luca work together to create a costume from scratch on a livestream. This gives nice set-up for the boys to talk through some of their problems, and I was totally onboard until Luca kisses Raffy. His coming out is played as part of the drama of the event. His relationship with Raffy begins to warm up immediately after this, and it left the impression that Luca coming out “fixed” all of their problems, which felt a bit at odds with the conversations around homophobia earlier in the book.
In quick succession, the boys’ other problems are also solved. Luca’s mother finds out about the kiss from one of Luca’s cousins, who’s watching the stream. She shows up at the convention, in the middle of the contest, to confront her son; despite previous indications that she wasn’t accepting, her truncated conversation with Luca is supportive (yay!). While I love this development, I wish I understood it more — this is the first time readers see Luca’s mom on the page. We know, overall, very little about her. Her abrupt change of heart is relieving, but it also feels a little deus ex machina.
This sentiment is echoed in many of the other changes that happen quickly in the ending: Raffy and Luca’s happily ever after, the cooling of tensions between former friends Raffy and Inaya, agents and businesses DMing Raffy to team up, and a positive conversation with Raffy’s mom Evie, who apparently watched the stream and called to congratulate him, despite previously cutting apart one of his cosplays. (Quite literally, unfortunately.)
Same as with the sudden changes in Luca’s mom, many of these changes were welcome—I just wish they had more page time. For example, early in the novel, Raffy accuses Inaya of stealing his zombie Bambi design; Inaya lied to Luca and said that Raffy had given them permission to use his idea. Despite this, Raffy and Inaya rekindle their friendship at the end with an offer to go to karaoke like they used to. I can buy their reconnection, but without a conversation? It left me wanting more.
Overall, Be Dazzled was a fun and fast read. Raffy has a distinct sense of humor, with lines like: “Some kids do drugs. Some kids start fires. I embroider in the dead of night, for the attention of strangers.” As someone who has also been overly intense and perfectionist in pursuit of a goal, I appreciated how Raffy begins to question his relationship with cosplaying by the end of the book. He doesn’t need to be consumed by it, and he doesn’t need to walk away, either; instead, as he says, “There’s time for the future in the future.” He lets himself enjoy the moment, which feels like the perfect ending for a YA book about growing up and learning to be true to oneself.