The Hunger Games was never this cringey was it? I remember The Hunger Games being kind of badass. Have I become a snob, or is this actuall2ish stars.
The Hunger Games was never this cringey was it? I remember The Hunger Games being kind of badass. Have I become a snob, or is this actually as lame as I think it is?...more
Unfortunately I didn't care much for the writing. At least at the beginning, I found it overwritten and forced. Either it improved by th3.25ish stars.
Unfortunately I didn't care much for the writing. At least at the beginning, I found it overwritten and forced. Either it improved by the end, or I just stopped noticing as much. The story itself was too convenient at times and didn't seem to follow any conceivable rules, but I guess that's part of the plot. Sufficiently creepy and I thought the ending was satisfying....more
The source material is classic. The story itself is very influential, and pretty good on its own. The artwork is fantastic. Skottie Young4.5ish stars.
The source material is classic. The story itself is very influential, and pretty good on its own. The artwork is fantastic. Skottie Young has been one of my favorite artists since his run on New X-Men and it's such a perfect fit here. My 6-year-old loved it. ...more
Perfectly pleasant. The characters are all perfectly likable or unlikable as the story necessitates. Good sufficiently conquers evil. It3.75ish stars.
Perfectly pleasant. The characters are all perfectly likable or unlikable as the story necessitates. Good sufficiently conquers evil. It didn't move me, but I don't think Kingfisher is really that author for me. ...more
C.L. Polk is one of my favorite authors of the past few years. I liked everything about this. The concept, the characters, the setting. A4.5ish stars.
C.L. Polk is one of my favorite authors of the past few years. I liked everything about this. The concept, the characters, the setting. A beautiful novelette. ...more
I've liked just about everything of Kelly Thompson's that I've read and this is no exception. She's great at characterization and dialogue 4ish stars.
I've liked just about everything of Kelly Thompson's that I've read and this is no exception. She's great at characterization and dialogue in the vein of the great BKV. The worldbuilding here is intriguing, but it's also half-baked and rushed. It would have worked better if just the first half of the story was expanded into a complete arc for the entire length of the volume to give it the detail and space it needed to be effective.
Mattia De Iulis's hyper-realistic art is beautifully detailed, although his faces occasionally border the uncanny valley. Overall, great character designs and lots of delightfully unsettling ambiance, especially with his choice of color palette....more
The real hero of the book is the worldbuilding. It's endlessly inventive and fascinating. The characters are also well-written and well-4.25ish stars.
The real hero of the book is the worldbuilding. It's endlessly inventive and fascinating. The characters are also well-written and well-realized. I would argue that the mystery itself is the least interesting aspect....more
Always a good romp with this group of students. I do, however, think I've made it as far on this journey as I care to go. It's all more or 4ish stars.
Always a good romp with this group of students. I do, however, think I've made it as far on this journey as I care to go. It's all more or less the same at this point. Maybe I'll pick up the final installment if it ever comes. ...more
This is a good volume 1 with a cool, BA heroine (view spoiler)[(slash villain?) (hide spoiler)] and some of the art, especially the issue 3ish stars.
This is a good volume 1 with a cool, BA heroine (view spoiler)[(slash villain?) (hide spoiler)] and some of the art, especially the issue covers and full-page panels, is pretty beautiful.
At first the story seems like your typical epic fantasy, race wars, magic, Chosen One. It ends up a lot stranger and creepier than that, which is a good thing. The heroine/monstress, Maika Halfwolf is super cool and not a typical heroine. Other interesting characters include cute little fox-girl Kippa (I just want to take her home and keep her and pinch her cheeks and love her forever) and various talking cats.
The setting professes to be "1900’s Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steampunk" which I think is misleading. The artist, Sana Takeda, definitely incorporates some art-deco inspired elements but I didn't get 1900s Asia or any steampunk. I didn't think the villains were that cool except for the monster-thing. Whatever's going on with that is crazy and disturbing and I love it.
The art is mostly beautiful. Certain characters are especially well-drawn throughout and a lot of the architecture and indoor layouts are really impressive and highly detailed. I feel like the artwork gets a little sloppy as it goes on and impacts the storytelling especially because the plot itself gets confusing at times, but whenever there are large or full-page panels, they're stunning.
Overall a solid first collection worth checking out.
Merged review:
3ish stars.
This is a good volume 1 with a cool, BA heroine (view spoiler)[(slash villain?) (hide spoiler)] and some of the art, especially the issue covers and full-page panels, is pretty beautiful.
At first the story seems like your typical epic fantasy, race wars, magic, Chosen One. It ends up a lot stranger and creepier than that, which is a good thing. The heroine/monstress, Maika Halfwolf is super cool and not a typical heroine. Other interesting characters include cute little fox-girl Kippa (I just want to take her home and keep her and pinch her cheeks and love her forever) and various talking cats.
The setting professes to be "1900’s Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steampunk" which I think is misleading. The artist, Sana Takeda, definitely incorporates some art-deco inspired elements but I didn't get 1900s Asia or any steampunk. I didn't think the villains were that cool except for the monster-thing. Whatever's going on with that is crazy and disturbing and I love it.
The art is mostly beautiful. Certain characters are especially well-drawn throughout and a lot of the architecture and indoor layouts are really impressive and highly detailed. I feel like the artwork gets a little sloppy as it goes on and impacts the storytelling especially because the plot itself gets confusing at times, but whenever there are large or full-page panels, they're stunning.
Overall a solid first collection worth checking out....more
A cool, creepy story, but the narrator/protagonist didn't do much for me, so it was hard to stay invested. And while I appreciate that the 3ish stars.
A cool, creepy story, but the narrator/protagonist didn't do much for me, so it was hard to stay invested. And while I appreciate that the audiobook narrator is also gender nonconforming like the protagonist, I strongly disliked their work. Audiobook not recommended....more
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