bigmouthsass's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Absolutely incredible. A masterpiece. The art is stunning, and the stories are so important. It covers some heavy topics, so be sure to check content warnings as needed. 

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kananineko's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Oh my god, this was amazing. I’ve had it on my shelf for like 8 or so years and I’m so glad that I finally decided to read it! The art is amazing and I love the way the story was told! I really loved how although it was definitely an adult-audience story, not children’s or YA, it was told from the perspective of a 10 year old girl. I’ve never read a book like that before and it made it all the more interesting. 

Rating it 4 stars instead of 5 just because at some points I was a little confused, but I’m sure everything will be explained and wrapped up in the second book (which I definitely want to buy when it is released). Highly recommend!!

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cmcrockford's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Mostly pretty astonishing, I've just never read a comic quite like this even with the occasional narrative hiccup. A real achievement.

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owlribbon's review against another edition

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5.0


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nmcannon's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 Back in…2019…I read this amazing blog post by Casey the Candian Lesbrarian about the best books she’d read that year. My Favorite Thing is Monsters was on it, and I put it on my TBR, so future!Natalie would remember. Future!Natalie came through.

Karen Reyes is a ten year old girl obsessed with horror movie monsters. With bullies, a best friend lost to homophobia (still alive, but heavily forced into the closet by parents), and the stress of working class ‘60s Chicago, she has a A Lot to process. And that’s before her upstairs neighbor Anka is murdered, her older brother becomes the prime suspect, and her mom gets a cancer diagnosis. Trusty sketchbook and fedora in tow, Reyes decides to figure out whodunit. What she doesn’t bargain for are tapes of Anka telling her life story in Nazi Germany, rife with parental abuse, rape, and pedophilia.

The entire, hefty book of My Favorite Thing is Monsters is styled as Reyes’ journal and sketchbook. The art is GORGEOUS. The book is art and art is the book. I was reminded of coffee table books, which are set out to entertain guests. Then again, the subject matter is not for the light of heart. Ferris pulls no punches, and her heroine’s lives are dark. A serious dead dove; don’t eat situation. I thought the story would focus more on the intersection of queerness and horror, and it does to a certain extent. There’s just a whole lot more. Anka’s flashbacks take up more pages, which makes sense because Reyes is ten and Anka died in her fifties. While Anka and Reyes are twin pole stars, the other characters aren’t neglected at all. The depth of character is truly incredible and incredibly colorful.

Despite the grim subject matter, there’s a thread of youthful hope throughout the story. If you can grasp it and hold tight, I highly, highly recommend Ferris’ masterwork. My Favorite Thing is Monsters is a beautiful, heart-wrenching magnum opus.

Casey’s blog post: https://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.wordpress.com/2019/01/08/my-2018-year-in-reading-favourite-books-of-the-year-most-memorable-character-best-cover-and-more/

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jessereadsthings's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Interesting art storytelling style, but overall mixed to negative feelings on this one. 

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amazelan's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? No

5.0


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yrioona's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Absolutely stunning art and storytelling, funny and emotionally devastating. I found the last chapter or two pretty disorienting/confusing and I couldn't tell how much of it was intentional. Maybe things are cleared up in volume 2!

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katkinslee's review against another edition

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dark sad fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

This book made my heart hurt

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lancakes's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.5


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