very cute retelling of emma that...ooh boy...really hits right to the core of the emma experience, which is horribly awkward secondhand embarrassment.very cute retelling of emma that...ooh boy...really hits right to the core of the emma experience, which is horribly awkward secondhand embarrassment. overall, really cute but not especially standout....more
okay i do feel a little bit bad but the whole time i was reading this i was like "damn the main character is so annoying" and it wasn't until i got tookay i do feel a little bit bad but the whole time i was reading this i was like "damn the main character is so annoying" and it wasn't until i got to the end that i realized it was semi autobiographical hahhaha WHOOPS. to be fair though the main character is 18 and everyone finds their 18 year old self annoying, right??? sorry ms. mai i'm sure you're lovely i just was not rocking with this one - i guess the whole like well off white girl goes to college and feels insecure about her english major type narratives always kind of ring hollow to me. i'm sure someone would find it really comforting to read, just not my thing...more
as someone who was utterly obsessed with books in the vein of hatchet, this like spoke DIRECTLY to little me.queer hatchet queer hatchet queer hatchet
as someone who was utterly obsessed with books in the vein of hatchet, this like spoke DIRECTLY to little me. except little me, while also nonbinary, did NOT have the commitment to do all the survivalist research hahaha (i also didn't have a cool sporty dog best friend, rip). i think this is going to be a really important one for all the lonely nonbinary kids out there who feel most at home in the woods though, and that's really cool to see. shoutout jen wang, i wish this had existed when i was a kid...more
YES PERFECT!! god this was so much fun - i loooove the art style and the story concept and the characters and just in general it was good vib4.5 stars
YES PERFECT!! god this was so much fun - i loooove the art style and the story concept and the characters and just in general it was good vibes all around. huge fan. also all of the riffing on youth groups and evangelical churches was extremely on point and made me laugh every time. my only complaint was that it could've used a bit more time for the plot and characters to breathe, but since that's a common gripe with graphic novels i'm not too mad about it. ...more
very cute illustrations, fun story and an interesting premise that seems to have some really cool worldbuilding behind it...but felt more like Fantasyvery cute illustrations, fun story and an interesting premise that seems to have some really cool worldbuilding behind it...but felt more like Fantasy CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy to be clear....not the other kind of cbt): the handbook than an actual fleshed out story i guess?? which was fine for what it was, especially if you're going into it expecting that - however if you're expecting a full storyline you're not really going to get that....more
i would've given this a higher rating but the main character was so insufferably quirky i couldn't manage it. please, god, i do not care about this sti would've given this a higher rating but the main character was so insufferably quirky i couldn't manage it. please, god, i do not care about this straight girl, or frankly any of these people, they're all SO ANNOYING. if i wanted to experience annoying american teenagers i would simply look outside my window <3...more
a really sweet graphic memoir about coming to terms with being nonbinary! the art is lovely and the message is very focused - i like that they chose sa really sweet graphic memoir about coming to terms with being nonbinary! the art is lovely and the message is very focused - i like that they chose specifically this topic to cover as it prevents the work from feeling too meandering/spread too thin. also just super sweet and a lot of it resonated really strongly. definitely wish i'd read this when i was a teen...more
aughhh it's so CUTE :') also i am obsessed with the fact that the woods the children play in is called THE BOG. why is it so eerieaughhh it's so CUTE :') also i am obsessed with the fact that the woods the children play in is called THE BOG. why is it so eerie...more
i was lucky enough to get my hands on an arc copy of this thanks to my wonderful coworkers and OH MY GOD AHHHHH!!! molly knox ostertag isSO GOOD AAAAA
i was lucky enough to get my hands on an arc copy of this thanks to my wonderful coworkers and OH MY GOD AHHHHH!!! molly knox ostertag is such a powerhouse and i've loved their previous works but this is far and above my favorite. the characters and story are so compelling and immediately catch your attention - i loved mags from the start and by the end i was crying over her SO. that's a solid endorsement if there ever was one. obviously the art is gorgeous and ostertag clearly has an excellent sense of how to make a story flow using visual storytelling. i often find that graphic novels run into issues with pacing but this one doesn't struggle in that area at all which was super refreshing! the story moves quickly when it needs to build tension but also has room to breathe and let the characters develop, which gives you time to get attached. plus it's absolutely heartbreaking! win/win/win. just a really lovely book and i highly encourage everyone to pick it up when it comes out in june!...more
GOD THIS WAS SO FUNNY AND CUTE!! the art is so vibrant and adorable and the characters were just delightful - ALL good vibes here while keeping the plGOD THIS WAS SO FUNNY AND CUTE!! the art is so vibrant and adorable and the characters were just delightful - ALL good vibes here while keeping the plot engaging and fast paced. also made me laugh out loud and god i've never felt more connected to a character than when molly was having an utter breakdown over the removal of the original eighteenth century pews from the church. me too, molly. me too....more
a sweet and nuanced graphic novel - and finally, one that has some MEAT to it!! i've been reading a lot of short comics/gns lately and sometimes that a sweet and nuanced graphic novel - and finally, one that has some MEAT to it!! i've been reading a lot of short comics/gns lately and sometimes that works well but sometimes i just want a good lengthy story you know? this one scratched that itch for a long story, although at times i feel the pacing was a little odd character-wise? like with how much animosity there was between characters in the beginning of the graphic novel, they seemed to flip to liking each other a little TOO fast. but then a lot of the characters are also teenagers so that's not necessarily inaccurate. (speaking of which, idola you're hot and i love you but you need to STOP picking fights with fifteen year olds hahaha)
i did really enjoy how nuanced the characters are, though! there's a lot going on for each of them which means they clash realistically - and often. it's good to see a story that's not afraid to let the characters have conflict. all of this was accentuated perfectly by the art style, which is LOVELY. so expressive and fun with just the right balance struck between loose lines that convey emotion without being too sketchy or losing the concept.
overall a really fun and thoughtful look at coming of age, grappling with being estranged from your cultural heritage, gentrification, and making blended families work. would recommend! ...more
the art is amazing, the concept of the confetti realms is SO good, i just...hated the human characters so much hahaha. i get the reasoning of wanting the art is amazing, the concept of the confetti realms is SO good, i just...hated the human characters so much hahaha. i get the reasoning of wanting to portray messy queer teen relationships and emotions, which i love, and i think a lot of people in that age group could find this story relatable and comforting. for me though, i just found the constant focus on relationship issues and the all-consuming emotions to be tiring? when what i REALLY wanted to see was more of the fantasy world around them!! the raven/cat lesbian relationship!! the swindling poker-playing thieving frog!! whatever the hell was going on with that weird puppet man!! and the constantly renewing world with teeth as the primary currency.... that's such a SICK concept and i would've really loved it if the story explored that more. overall i think it's worth a read even if just for the worldbuilding and the lovely art, but i think a lot more could've been done with the plot to make it a stronger story....more
a fun and fast-paced little graphic novel, which although not especially standout, had enough plot to keep me hooked the whole way through! i appreciaa fun and fast-paced little graphic novel, which although not especially standout, had enough plot to keep me hooked the whole way through! i appreciated the length of this one, which gave the story enough room to breathe, and i loved the humor and adorable art. and who doesn't love a paranormal queer roadtrip romance? super fun and i would love to see a sequel with the whole gang hunting down the chupacabra...more
super cute little historical fantasy graphic novel about illegal broom racing among witches to pad out my end-of-year reading frenzy...absolutely lovesuper cute little historical fantasy graphic novel about illegal broom racing among witches to pad out my end-of-year reading frenzy...absolutely loved the art style for this and it had such a fun and charming cast of characters...more
the plot was a tad hard to follow at times, which meant i kept putting it down and not picking it back up, but once i actually committed to finishing the plot was a tad hard to follow at times, which meant i kept putting it down and not picking it back up, but once i actually committed to finishing it it was amazing! the art is beautiful and feels so futuristic and dreamy - and i absolutely LOVE the jujus, frank counts for an entire star of my rating because i adore him so much. overall a pretty quick and fun read and perfect if you like getting overly attached to little AI quest companions with adorable faces - which of course i do....more
finally got to reading this after meaning to for years, and i'm so enamored with everything about it! the art style, the story, the interweaving generfinally got to reading this after meaning to for years, and i'm so enamored with everything about it! the art style, the story, the interweaving generational stories and different versions of fairy tales...it's all so lovely and also so heartbreaking! made me think about growing up reading hans christian andersen fairy tales - especially the little mermaid story at the end. i read the original version of that one when i was young and it stands out as my first time being utterly heartbroken over a story :') (the first, but certainly not the last time!) super lovely to see such a beautiful tribute to fairy tales and how they connect people and cultures....more
okay i was just bemoaning the inaccurate representation of bullying in teen graphic novels and then this one comes along and proves me wrong. excellenokay i was just bemoaning the inaccurate representation of bullying in teen graphic novels and then this one comes along and proves me wrong. excellent excellent story that does not pull punches and beautiful art...more
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