The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
lawbooks600's review against another edition
3.0
6/10, I really didn't like this one despite its interesting premise and I think this is the first Marvel novel in prose that I read and it was just a shame that it underwhelmed me so badly. The story begins with Nadia Van Dyne and 4 other girls in an organisation called, guess what, G.I.R.L. The pacing of this book is sluggish considering that this book is less than 300 pages mainly due to the prose that just goes on and on without stopping and should've been cut down for a more action packed novel but this is not the case here. Then she discovers an A.I. called VERA but looking there's a lot of books mentioning A.I. and now it's prevalent in the form of ChatGPT and DALLE so it feels really uncanny looking at it now since it looks like unintended foreshadowing due to this book being published in 2020. Anyways, VERA controls Nadia's mind and makes her all annoying and focused on her project which was a massive reason why I didn't like this book but in the end the other girls broke in to the headquarters of the person who made VERA and saved the day and that is it but another aspect I didn't like was that Nadia liked to explain things. A lot, so much so that she really got on my nerves and I almost put the book down. If you like Marvel books this one is for you but if you want a better sci-fi novel try Legend by Marie Lu.
aimmyarrowshigh's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this so much. Nadia is my blorbo and everyone in G.I.R.L. is so great. I liked this story's pacing and the space it gave Nadia's inner life, and I appreciated how much the Red Room was allowed to inform her actions and decision-making. Could have used more Ying, but I loved seeing Priya in action!
girlreading's review against another edition
4.0
3.75* This was just SO MUCH FUN.
- Nadia is such a wonderful character and is truly a gift to the Marvel universe. She's funny, resilient, feminist, honest and beautifully flawed in a way she acknowledges, grows from and apologises for. All I want is a Nadia/G.I.R.L./Ms. Marvel MCU movie please and thank you.
- G.I.R.L. has everything I love in a girl gang. It's messy, supportive, diverse and imperfect (but also, like, so perfect?)
- The diverse cast of characters were everything. Nadia is bipolar and on the ace spectrum. Shay is a black lesbian in a relationship with Ying, who's East Asian. Priya is the daughter of Indian immigrants and Taina is latina and has cereal palsy and uses both a wheelchair and crutches.
- Seeing positive representation of a superhero having therapy and taking medication in a Marvel book made my heart so freaking happy.
- The relationships explored throughout were wonderful to follow. As with everything, they weren't perfect but I loved that they were allowed to be and that Nadia, for the most part, accepted that. I especially loved her relationship with Janet and Bobbi but the friendships were equally great and an awesome portray of teen friendship struggles.
- The mini photo biographies for characters were so cute.
- Whilst I didn't *love* the science explained elements (science isn't my forte and I found they took me away from the story a little bit) I can totally appreciate how some people might love it and how great they'd be for a much younger audience.
- For anyone who's read any of Nadia's previous stories/comics, the first few chapters are a little bit info dumpy but it gets over that fairly quickly and those chapters would be great for those who are new Unstoppable Wasp.
- I will never stop being jealous of the identity reveal of Nadia's driving instructor.
Overall this was super entertaining and perfect for anyone looking for a Marvel read that brilliantly balances the life and struggles of being a teen with those of being a superhero.
TW: bipolar, mental illness
- Nadia is such a wonderful character and is truly a gift to the Marvel universe. She's funny, resilient, feminist, honest and beautifully flawed in a way she acknowledges, grows from and apologises for. All I want is a Nadia/G.I.R.L./Ms. Marvel MCU movie please and thank you.
- G.I.R.L. has everything I love in a girl gang. It's messy, supportive, diverse and imperfect (but also, like, so perfect?)
- The diverse cast of characters were everything. Nadia is bipolar and on the ace spectrum. Shay is a black lesbian in a relationship with Ying, who's East Asian. Priya is the daughter of Indian immigrants and Taina is latina and has cereal palsy and uses both a wheelchair and crutches.
- Seeing positive representation of a superhero having therapy and taking medication in a Marvel book made my heart so freaking happy.
- The relationships explored throughout were wonderful to follow. As with everything, they weren't perfect but I loved that they were allowed to be and that Nadia, for the most part, accepted that. I especially loved her relationship with Janet and Bobbi but the friendships were equally great and an awesome portray of teen friendship struggles.
- The mini photo biographies for characters were so cute.
- Whilst I didn't *love* the science explained elements (science isn't my forte and I found they took me away from the story a little bit) I can totally appreciate how some people might love it and how great they'd be for a much younger audience.
- For anyone who's read any of Nadia's previous stories/comics, the first few chapters are a little bit info dumpy but it gets over that fairly quickly and those chapters would be great for those who are new Unstoppable Wasp.
- I will never stop being jealous of the identity reveal of Nadia's driving instructor.
Overall this was super entertaining and perfect for anyone looking for a Marvel read that brilliantly balances the life and struggles of being a teen with those of being a superhero.
TW: bipolar, mental illness
jkdehaven's review against another edition
4.0
The book The Unstoppable Wasp tells a story about Hope van Dyne, aka the Wasp in Marvel Comics. In this story she is trying to learn how to balance all of her competing interests, such as running her G.I.R.L. lab, moving, and learning to drive. However, when she discovers something unexpected left by one of her birth parents, all of these desires continue to be challenged. I enjoyed reading this book. I thought it portrayed someone dealing with mental illness in an interesting and realistic way. I also thought that it dealt with the importance of learning to prioritize as a teenager while also challenging some of the predominant views in Silicon Valley. I thought there where some unnecessary plot holes at the end of the book, but otherwise I recommend it for teenagers.
tentwentyfourty's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Nadia🫶🏾
scribe391's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Set in Cresskill New Jersey, and partly narrated by sixteen year old Nadia Van Dyne, Maggs’s plot is an action packed Marvel adventure.
spideyreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I thought this was a pretty fun read. As a ballet dancer, I appreciated all the little technical details and the fact that the author included how ballet heavy the Red Room was. This book definitely satisfied my want for more Marvel novels, but it wasn't my favorite. I preferred Loki: Where Mischief Lies, but this is definitely lighter. I just love the main character, Nadia. Seeing a super hero working through her own mental health and adjusting to a new country while trying to be a "Cool American Teen" was refreshing. Fast paced and interesting read, even though the plot was predictable.
kharereads's review against another edition
2.0
The Unstoppable Wasp relies too heavily on exposition and references to prior Marvel canon. The reader has to get 50+ pages in before there's much explanation about exactly who the main character is or her connection to the Pym family. The storyline of this book doesn't agree with some of the characterizations and plot lines of the MCU that most fans are already familiar with.
The positives are the snippets of scientific facts throughout the book, the diversity of the characters, and the inclusion of a character with a diagnosed mental illness. This book may be a good fit for another reader, but I found it difficult to read.
The positives are the snippets of scientific facts throughout the book, the diversity of the characters, and the inclusion of a character with a diagnosed mental illness. This book may be a good fit for another reader, but I found it difficult to read.