There was nothing explicitly wrong with this, it just reads very much like an intro to the world and a set-up for later graphic novels. Nothi3.5 Stars
There was nothing explicitly wrong with this, it just reads very much like an intro to the world and a set-up for later graphic novels. Nothing really massive happened; it reads kind of like a prequel. I should pick up volume 2 while it's fresh in my mind, but knowing me, that probably won't happen lol.
I think something significant about this book is that it's written in a southern dialect and I'm typically someone who hates that, but I didn't mind it in this book. So kudos. Not my favorite art style, but the plot was interesting enough for me to read this in one sitting and everything was always 100% understandable, which is sometimes hard to find in sci-fi/apocalyptic graphic novels....more
I've been crying for 10 minutes if that tells you how good this collection was.
I picked this up as an ebook a couple of weeks ago but then completely I've been crying for 10 minutes if that tells you how good this collection was.
I picked this up as an ebook a couple of weeks ago but then completely forgot about it and when I returned to it tonight, I reread the entire thing in one sitting and was just bawling throughout it. Other than the fact that this book has gorgeous and creative prose that utilizes metaphor well, her poems are so unique. Most modern poetry collections are the same things over and over about "omg i loved a boy but he left me," but these were so varied and yet retained cohesion and flow. Additionally, some of these poems touched on her bisexuality and disability, so I enjoyed the representation this book offers.
I can't say enough good things about this. It's totally refreshing to read a poetry book that has me highlighting at least one line from every single poem. My favorite was probably her poem called "Advice to Teenage Girls/with Wild Ambitions/and Trembling Hearts," which is a one about the world's teenage, female heroes that made me cry instantaneously. Here’s the first stanza:
"When you are 13 years old, the heat will be turned up too high and the stars will not be in your favor. You will hide behind a bookcase with your family and everything hunted. You will spend years pouring an ocean into a diary. When they find you, they will treat you like nothing more than a spark above a burning bush. Still, tell them, Despite everything, I really believe people are good at heart.”...more
This series continues to amaze me just because of its depth and scope. For a while I thought this book was just boring politics, but then I r4.5 stars
This series continues to amaze me just because of its depth and scope. For a while I thought this book was just boring politics, but then I realized that it continues to play with the themes of identity and religion/culture. But in this book, it also questions loyalty and morality and it’s just??? so good????? I don’t want this to sound like I’m shitting on other YA books but this is seriously so thought-provoking and mature (not in its content, really, just that it tackles so many themes and creates such depth of characters) that I can’t believe more people don’t talk about it. The way that it tackles feelings of belonging and religion and loyalty are so impactful and strangely relatable even though this takes place 600 years ago. it’s just absolutely fascinating.
The biggest thing I admire about these books is how much they read like character studies. Lada and Radu are genuinely two of the most interesting characters in YA right now, in my opinion. AND PPL ARE SLEEPING ON IT!!! I cannot emphasize how much I adore Lada as a character. She is ruthless and doesn’t care about others’ opinions of her and does what she think is best for her and is so self-motivated and self-confident, AND YET there’s still this vulnerable and human side to her that craves validation and it makes her so real. And this passion and feeling isn’t even driven by romantic feelings—it’s about duty and feminism and family and morality and IT’S JUST SO GOOD SHE’S SUCH AN INTRICATE AND WELL-CRAFTED CHARACTER. Nothing about her is glossed over. She has periods, she has casual sex, she kills people who betray her, she cries, she is generous. I’m so impressed at the quality of her character. And likewise for Radu. I just……. he’s incredible. The complete opposite of Lada. He wears his heart on his sleeve and he’s outwardly passionate and intelligent and emotional, but there’s a darker, melancholy side to him and his coming to terms with religion and feeling in-between cultures and his sexuality and his feelings of estrangement from his family. I was genuinely crying by the end of this book when he was having to justify being in war and feeling torn between the two cultures and not being able to escape with blood on his hands. i just want to hug him and wrap him in blankets. And the two of these characters together in one book? As brother and sister? Working together? I’m hooked on every page. Even though they are separated throughout this entire book, I couldn’t choose whose POV was my favorite and I never wished they were together just so that the plot would be more interesting. It carried its own weight magnificently. The machinations of their brains drive the story despite their being apart and in this book, the angst and the tension continues to build. It’s addicting.
One of my only complaints is that it’s so hard to keep characters, nations, and events straight in this book. I don’t know much about Ottoman or European history, and not much is given explanation-wise. I mean, obviously there’s tension between Muslims and Christians, but I feel like White should have used the opportunity to make this more comprehensible by adding information about the countries and basic history that we should know, because I seriously always forget who’s fighting who and why and who is avenging who and why they died and why does Mehmed want to capture Constantinople and was Constantinople a real place and are these descriptions historically accurate? It pulled me out of the story to be constantly questioning what was happening. Is Constantinople in Turkey? If so, why are they fighting with the Ottomans? Why are there so many Italians? Is it in Italy? Do I have to google 15th century European geography just to understand this book? (Yes.) ((Also, googling Constantinople spoils the war in this book soooo))
[side note: the entire problem stated above could probably be solved with a bigger/better map]
One more thing that I think would have made this book stronger would have been the addition of Mehmed’s POV. I know the book is centralized on the Wallachian siblings for a reason and it would have been 100+ pages longer with the added perspective, but everyone is split up and I think it works, but knowing what’s going on with the Ottomans would round out the story and help the readers reason with how they should feel about Mehmed, because he’s in a very grey area in this book. He’s the link between the two siblings, a romantic love interest, and the leader of a powerful empire, but for the majority of this book, i wasn’t sure if i was supposed to be rooting for him or not.
This is such a slow-burning but strong series. I highly, highly recommend it. It contains some of the most dynamic, fleshed-out characters I’ve ever read in YA, on the level of Cassie Clare & Maggie Stiefvater. Don’t let the slowness of the plot and thickness of the books deceive you....more
I read this book based on two people's recommendations that it was game-changing and eye-opening. On one hand, I do like that this book brings up issuI read this book based on two people's recommendations that it was game-changing and eye-opening. On one hand, I do like that this book brings up issues that I haven't seen before in any other books about a young, black teenager, such as reconciling privilege and advocating for racism as a bystander and voicing injustices. There were threads and motifs that were woven throughout this book gorgeously, and I also thought that Jade's evolution from someone unsure of herself to someone who is vocal about she wants was really encouraging and powerful, and I can see how impactful it will be especially for young, marginalized teens who read this.
On the other hand, I just don't see it as anything revolutionary, so it was a little bit overhyped. It's a great story, there's great writing, and the transformation of the characters was really meaningful, but it was lacking a punch that would set it apart from other books, and I just didn't feel that impact as much as I wish I had. Nevertheless, seeing Jade's ambition and honestly was so refreshing and several people who saw me reading this asked about it because they liked the cover, so I still say it's a winner....more
side note, i only read harry potter once when i was 15/16 so i’m not obsessed with it or anything. therefore, i dlol, i really liked it. sorry ya’ll.
side note, i only read harry potter once when i was 15/16 so i’m not obsessed with it or anything. therefore, i didnt notice that anyone was out of character or that the plot was weird. i thought it was actually quite nice and it made me tear up a few times and i grew to love harry and draco more. the only thing i didnt like was 1) snape is in the book and 2) i get why it’s a play, but it would have been a much more successful sequel (hence, titling this book “harry potter #8) if it were an actual novel. i loved albus and severus but it’s just not up to the same level as the original series at ALL in this format.
i get why people hate this, i guess i just didnt care as much lol...more
I don't regret reading this book, it was just so bland and lacking any purpose. It was just kind of a homage to all the dogs she's owned, but since I'I don't regret reading this book, it was just so bland and lacking any purpose. It was just kind of a homage to all the dogs she's owned, but since I've never met them, I really couldn't relate to it. So these were quick and lighthearted, but I had no connection to it and it didn't even really offer a broad stance on why dogs are great, it was just central to her dogs. overall, meh....more
One of the better collections I've read in a while! The imagery in this was so impactful and really put me in her situation, and the emotion came throOne of the better collections I've read in a while! The imagery in this was so impactful and really put me in her situation, and the emotion came through in this without being overly cheesy or sentimental. Sometimes there was a little too much repetition of a certain detail or metaphor, but otherwise, I thought this was lovely.
(spoiler alert: "dogs" is a metaphor for boys. i was upset. i kinda wanted a poetry book about dogs. *sigh*)...more
If you’re easily triggered by descriptions of other people’s mental illnesses, I would advice against reading this during low points. There’s4.5 stars
If you’re easily triggered by descriptions of other people’s mental illnesses, I would advice against reading this during low points. There’s some very in-depth descriptions of his dark thoughts and the panic and depression he felt, and it was really uncomfortable to confront. I think the title misled me because I picked this book up on a bad night hoping it would be uplifting, but I almost immediately had to put it back down when I realized it wasn’t going to help at all, just add to my spiraling. So definitely pick this up when you feel emotionally stable enough to confront very real descriptions of mental illness.
Matt talks several times about how he doesn’t take medication and it scares him and he doesn’t want to, which is a personal choice and that’s fine, but there are so many people that do take meds and it works for them, and if I would have read this before getting on my anxiety medication, it probably would have scared me away from it even further than I already was.
The way that Matt phrased a lot of things was just spot-on. I don’t suffer from depression, but when my anxiety is bad, it can be debilitating. I related to all his descriptions of the fear and the agoraphobia and almost everything else he touched on. Parts of this book were so powerful they brought tears to my eyes. He truly is a brilliantly talented writer, and i'm tempted to pick up some of his other books just because he had that much of a knack with words. But more than that, he just put the experience of living with debilitating mental illness into words. There were a few "solutions" to anxiety that I disagreed with (such as his telling the audience to avoid distractions because they're unhealthy, when I use distractions almost every day as a coping mechanism), but overall, I did tab several parts of this book to return to in the future. ...more
The whimsy of this was very attention-grabbing. I typically don’t listen to fantasy books on audio because I find them hard to follow, but th3.5 stars
The whimsy of this was very attention-grabbing. I typically don’t listen to fantasy books on audio because I find them hard to follow, but this was a breeze at 2x speed, and I never got lost. However, I don’t know if it was me or the book, but this just sort of read like fanfiction. I just don’t think retellings that are set in the same universes as the original works are my favorite. I went into this after having read Alice in Wonderland twice, so I thought I’d be able to follow along and pick up references really well. However, I haven’t read Through the Looking Glass, and there were sooo many references to that as well, so I should’ve studied up completely.
One of my biggest gripes about this book is that the plot develops so blatantly, and I don’t know if the dramatic irony is intentional or not. This was just SO predictable. And I know retellings are often predictable because we’re already familiar with the storyline but Meyer would just throw hints in about what was happening WAY too early and it was so obvious, and then for the next 200 pages the main character is like “omg…. i wonder what that means…. this is so weird……” and I was pulling my hair out because it was already so clear and she could have been so much more subtle about it. (also, all the conflict in this book boils down to a pumpkin. which made me go ?????)
Also I can't help but note that if I hadn't been listening to this audiobook as fast as I was, I wonder if it would have taken me longer to read the book. A huge middle chunk of this book just felt really... idle. Not really boring, but I would find myself 30 pages into a scene thinking "how does this add to the plot?"
But the same clichéness applies to the love story between Cath & Jest. There was nothing new to it. I enjoyed Jest as a character and he provided some angst, but nothing was particularly unique about their story and Cath’s inner monologue in regards to her feelings for Jest were often over the top and obvious. There was never a clutch-my-chest-and-sigh type of climax scene between them, and even though I enjoyed their story together, it’s not going to be anything memorable.
Another complaint I have about this is that Meyer chose to write Wonderland as a very patriarchal and misogynistic society. From Cath’s mom bullying her into skipping meals in order to maintain a figure and forcing her into an arranged marriage, to women not being allowed to own their own businesses or do anything other than wifely duties, I was just sighing at every page. I just find it more and more disappointing that given a fantasy world where anything is possible, authors still choose to oppress women.
By FAR, the most interesting character in this was Hatta, or Meyer’s version of the Mad Hatter. Every single action and line of dialogue he had was so impactful and I wanted to read an entire book about him. Cath wasn’t that interesting to me. Nothing about her personality was particularly groundbreaking, and I felt that her progression from happy-go-lucky baker to… well, the red queen, was very abrupt with no real downward spiral. i think that transformation could have been so cleverly explored, but instead it was just sorta contingent on this one really predictable plot point, so the impact of it wasn’t as jarring as it probably could have been. Which is why I return to Hatta. Because I love him. And I want my own book about him.
So this was a really fascinating read, but the side characters sorta outshined the main character in my opinion. Nevertheless, I think it did Alice in Wonderland justice, which is all you could ask for.
(lowkey why weren’t cath & mary ann a couple tho….. i’m just saying)...more
I have been reading so much mindless poetry lately. Poetry written on napkins and scribbed in diaries, just sySHUT THE HECK YOUR FACE THIS WAS SO GOOD
I have been reading so much mindless poetry lately. Poetry written on napkins and scribbed in diaries, just syntax-less ramblings. THIS is poetry with substance, with carefully thought-out writing, with power and emotion.
most of this is about love, but it's unlike anything you've read before. there's not a single cliché.
my favorite poem by far was "The Type." I read it once and was so impressed that I read it again out loud to myself. The quality of all of these poems was so great that I highlighted at least one line from each. Magnificent....more
This continues to be very strange but very enjoyable! I find that when I read time travel books I get reeeeally disoriented because I hate ho4.5 stars
This continues to be very strange but very enjoyable! I find that when I read time travel books I get reeeeally disoriented because I hate how many loopholes arise and all the scientific timey wimey stuff just loses me really fast, but this managed to keep my interest most of the time, and I understanded most of it!
The art continues to be wonderful and I love Erin as a main character. (She has anxiety!! Yes!!!!) There were still a lot of really cool references and I wanted to crey when they brought up a woman running for president. The cliffhangers at the end of each issue were jaw dropping every time and I can't wait to keep reading these because the stakes just keep being raised....more
ok i guess. i'm not in the right mood to read something this dark, so i skimmed the last few poems.
most of these poems employed far too many cliché2.5
ok i guess. i'm not in the right mood to read something this dark, so i skimmed the last few poems.
most of these poems employed far too many cliché turns of phrase. there's very little creative imagery, and it reads soooo conversational. the language was so plain in some poems that it began to read like diary entries of a high schooler rather than a poem.
only some were haunting and gorgeous and gave me chills, like this one:
"But while she’s sleeping in your arms at midnight, I hope you look out your window and remember that my name will forever live in the stars.
And I hope you’re reminded that no matter how hard you close your eyes to try and forget the way I held you close, you’ll never escape the moonlight.”
also the art was gorgeous but i don't think it mentioned who the artist was. but i loved the art....more
TW: homophobia (+ usage of word f****t), suicide attempt
This book was just so genius. The best way I can describe it is Saga meets Stranger Things. I TW: homophobia (+ usage of word f****t), suicide attempt
This book was just so genius. The best way I can describe it is Saga meets Stranger Things. I loved the concept of a girl squad running around to solve the world's issues. I loved the sass, the artwork, the clothing and the vibe of the entire book. I love each girl in the group for their own reasons, and I didn't find myself thinking, "wait, who is this person?" like I usually do in graphic novels. As far as a feminist graphic novel, I enjoyed this one more than Bitch Planet, which was weighted down with a lot of boring and aimless dialogue whereas I was glued onto every page of this. Because this book deals with time travel, it was so cool to see pop culture references from both our time and the 80s.
A lot of people say that the plot of this is confusing, but compared to the mindfuck that is the Saga series, I actually followed it alright. It leaves you with unanswered questions, but those should definitely (and hopefully) be resolved in later volumes which I plan to pick up.
There was a character who would make homophobic remarks, but they always went challenged by other characters. I can't wait for (and hope to see) the development and growth of this character....more
I enjoyed this one more than her first book, although both were just so lighthearted yet packed with great stories and advice. It's very good, clean hI enjoyed this one more than her first book, although both were just so lighthearted yet packed with great stories and advice. It's very good, clean humor, and Mindy is so energetic and playful that I can't help but love her. In this one she focuses a lot on confidence and friendships, and I thought a lot of her advice was so endearing and I actually underlined some of her thoughts near the end.
This book talks a lot more about The Mindy Project, which I don't watch and don't intend to watch, but she still made it funny and interesting to learn about the behind the scenes. Additionally, this book made me really want to pick up BJ Novak's book, so i'm gonna go look that up now....more
This book was so quotable. Very short but very powerful; I highlighted pretty much every other line. I don't intend on having kids, but this made me tThis book was so quotable. Very short but very powerful; I highlighted pretty much every other line. I don't intend on having kids, but this made me think a lot about how we train girls and boys to be and the gender roles we should avoid them adopting, and it was very empowering and great advice....more
This book wasn't bad at all and there wasn't anything I particularly disliked about it, it just feel very flat for me. The main character is sorting tThis book wasn't bad at all and there wasn't anything I particularly disliked about it, it just feel very flat for me. The main character is sorting through identity issues because her father died in Vietnam before she was born so she's trying to learn about Vietnam to unveil some of the secrecy behind her father. I think there were some really cool threads in this book that were pulled together, and it definitely has something to say about femininity and war, but I couldn't really connect with Sam and idk. I can't put my finger on why this one didn't really grab me; it was just alright. Not boring, not badly written, just not nearly as good as The Things They Carried, which was the book we read right before this one that blew me off my feet....more
I didn't hate this, but it's one of those things that I'm already familiar with his most popular piece of work, and that piece by itself outshined eveI didn't hate this, but it's one of those things that I'm already familiar with his most popular piece of work, and that piece by itself outshined everything else in this collection. So basically, if you've read/seen his poem "OCD," you've basically already experienced his best work. Nothing about this was particularly amazing, but I did enjoy his writing style more than other poets I've read. I just really couldn't relate to it, and nothing really stuck with me....more
TW: rape, sexual abuse, domestic violence/abuse, eating disorders, pedophilia, and suicide.
“This is not a men-versus-women issue. It’s about people veTW: rape, sexual abuse, domestic violence/abuse, eating disorders, pedophilia, and suicide.
“This is not a men-versus-women issue. It’s about people versus prejudice.”
This book could be draining to pick up at times, but I’m so glad I read it. It’s such an elegantly-worded and fully fleshed out call to action. In the most articulate books I’ve read so far, this handled intersectionalism so beautifully and folded together a LOT of examples and research balanced with Bates’ own discussion, as well as quotes from her Everyday Sexism project. Everything folded together really well, and although it could drag at times and I sort of wish I had the audiobook, it was still an important read. The only reason I took a star off is because it could sometimes be long-winded and provide so many examples that it started to weigh itself down, but clearly, the subject matter is still so crucial to examine.
I’ve just learned that I really gain nothing from reading books about feminism that I already agree with. If I don’t learn anything new, or if it doesn’t challenge any of my opinions or give me a perspective I’ve never considered before, it’s sort of just mindless reading that I don’t need to be spending time on. This book reads slightly like a textbook, but I’m realizing that’s probably because I already know and agree with a ton of this material. Some things are more obvious, like cat calling. Yes, i’ve experienced it. Yes, I know it’s uncomfortable, it’s a problem, and that it happens a lot, so nothing new was posed in that regard. However, another chapter about motherhood and the discomfort of the dehumanization was absolutely fascinating, and something I’ve never heard before. So there’s parts of this that were really valuable to me, but more often than not, the chapters covered material that wasn’t new information. this is frustrating to me because the only way I see this being an effective book that will educate and change society is to put it in the hands of people who don’t think sexism exists, ie. pretty much all men, and I don’t see them willingly picking this up. so that’s one thing that just makes me sigh.
overall, i’m grateful for this book because im someone who hasn’t had to deal with being groped or catcalled regularly. since i’m from the south, and i’m really tall and intimidating, i’ve only had to deal with harassment very rarely. but i plan to live in nyc, so i know this may change. it gave advice for how to step in when others are attacked and how to protect yourself for when it happens to you, and it was all advice i’d never considered before, so i think that discussion will stay with me, as well as a few other parts and perspectives that I had yet to consider....more
this book isn’t horrible. it was quick and fun, light and easy. but every poem was just sooo short and seemed overly simplified. there were a handful this book isn’t horrible. it was quick and fun, light and easy. but every poem was just sooo short and seemed overly simplified. there were a handful of clever ones, but the majority of these just read like sentences in a greeting card or really dated, cheesy sayings. i really only enjoyed the last section that was about going out and living your best life, because the previous sections about romance were just so cliché and corny.
however, the pictures in this were GORGEOUS and went really well alongside the poem. i added a star just for them. ...more
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