Reviews with content warning for Car accident - The Many Deaths of Laila Starr

Apparently I'm basically reading my way through all of the graphic novels/comics nominated in the 2022 Goodreads awards, and I'm okay with that. The premise of this one is the goddess of death is fired after a baby is born who is supposed to invent immortality. So, she is sent into the body of Laila Starr, and embarks on a journey learning about mortality and death.

There are some absolutely beautiful illustrations in this. The opening panel of Mumbai--stunning. I loved the color palette used throughout, bringing to life a lot of beautiful landscapes. And also adding a sort of mythological quality to the story itself.

The story reads kind of like a fable, and I think if you like Good Omens, you will definitely enjoy this book. It's got a bit of humor, a bit of philosophical discussion, and a little bit of magic. The art was still my favorite thing about it.

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vigil's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

2.5

this didn’t resonate with me like i believed it would. due to the stop and start of each portion due to laila’s deaths my investment in the narrative was slashed, and i had to start all over again. i think the emotions it was attempting to stir within the readers was largely inaccessible for me during the majority of this book, until perhaps the last quarter, where everything came together perfectly in my opinion. i only wish the earlier seventy five percent was as cohesive.

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reggiethebird's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

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thewordsdevourer's review

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

the many deaths of laila starr - w/ ram v's wholly original and clever story, andrade's vibrant and stylish art - is a refreshing graphic novel that's nevertheless a lil short on emotional impact.

the story delves into themes of death and life, mortality and remembering, and does so movingly in almost every chapter, w/ the last one being esp heartfelt. the incorporation of hinduism and its gods, as well as the indian setting, are also clever and refreshingly diverse. the art can be stunning at times as well (esp the establishing panels), detailed yet never suffocating.

however, the pacing can be off sometimes, and focus on laila's search for darius means we dont learn too deeply abt the characters, thus not having much emotional connection w/ them. certain chapters also feel like merely a vehicle to reach the patterned end of laila's death.

still, this book's a breath of fresh air in many respects, and i enjoy it.

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ma_bster's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? No

4.5

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