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marjoleinvanderspoel's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Beautiful artwork and definitely a story that requires some thinking, but not sure I really enjoyed the "twist"? Might need to reread in the future to gain perspective.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Gun violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Infidelity
lilaceous's review
1.5
characters - .5⭐️
illustrations - .5⭐️
effective storytelling - .5⭐️
engaging to read -
would recommend -
… yikes. at first i was trying to be open minded about a grown man befriending a high school girl (maybe it would be a positive and appropriate relationship?)… but it got gross and the grossness was just overlooked for a bizarre plot twist.
… yikes. at first i was trying to be open minded about a grown man befriending a high school girl (maybe it would be a positive and appropriate relationship?)… but it got gross and the grossness was just overlooked for a bizarre plot twist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicide, and Mass/school shootings
stefieereads's review
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Suicide
lindcherry's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Suicide
suzanneke's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
monique_horn's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I loved the illustration style in this graphic novel-- there is just something so appealing about the simple contrast of hard blacks upon a white canvas. More than that, the harsh contrast helps to portray how dark the narrative is. I think that the illustrative style of the images suited the overall tone of the narrative and levied some of the weight of the heavy subject matter.
However good the illustrations were, though, the plot left something more to be desired.I personally think that the suicide of the woman and the accidental death of Simon's friend could've been separate stories, as they are two completely different events taking place in two separate parts of his life. I understand the present story needs to have something that triggers, and therefore leads into past events, but I don't think that the present event needs to be as extreme as what happened in the past-- the woman's death triggering memories of Simon's friend's death for example. It would've been better if the trigger was something simpler, like Simon running into one of the boys that bullied his friend, and that was the thing which triggered his trauma-- this event connects the past and present and gives focus to one key event. Since there are two deaths in the plot they somewhat take away from each other, and the significance of what happened to Simon's friend is dulled and doesn't have the impact I felt it could have-- especially since the death of the woman happens at the beginning of the novel. I felt the story struggled to bring the two events together succinctly and because of this the entire narrative suffered.
I personally don't think the symbol of the honey buzzard worked. I liked the "idea" of the symbol. I thought that it could have been something that was really beautiful and poetic but I don't think it added anything to the story. I feel as though symbols are meant to add a deeper understanding to the subtext, but this symbol meandered and never quite got there in the end. I kept getting the feeling that this was one of he earlier ideas the author had for the story they just couldn't let go of.. which I get, but at the same time you should always do what is best for the story.
Overall this was a very quick read that I enjoyed enough, but I feel as though so much more could've been done and the author could've taken their time and delved further into the depths.. but alas.
4/10
However good the illustrations were, though, the plot left something more to be desired.
I personally don't think the symbol of the honey buzzard worked. I liked the "idea" of the symbol. I thought that it could have been something that was really beautiful and poetic but I don't think it added anything to the story. I feel as though symbols are meant to add a deeper understanding to the subtext, but this symbol meandered and never quite got there in the end. I kept getting the feeling that this was one of he earlier ideas the author had for the story they just couldn't let go of.. which I get, but at the same time you should always do what is best for the story.
Overall this was a very quick read that I enjoyed enough, but I feel as though so much more could've been done and the author could've taken their time and delved further into the depths.. but alas.
4/10
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, and Suicide