millyking's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.0
I've been on a bit if a graphic novel binge and so decided to give this a go without knowing anything about it other than it was a graphic novel! It wasn't exactly what I was expecting but it was still interesting. I can't say the story was my usual interest but I thought the depiction of childhood trauma and teenage conflict really beautifully done and I can appreciate the significance of a story such as this. I absolutely loved the artwork though and the way everything is set out and how different elements are depicted is very creative and really enhances the story being told. I can't say it was my favourite graphic novel purely because it's not really my genre but I can see why so many people have loved this and I definitely think it's worth a read if personal struggles especially with religion is something that sparks you're interest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Mental illness
veronicalathroum's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
What a beautifully heartbreaking, yet achingly hopeful book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, and Religious bigotry
oliverreeds's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
this book was great! i loved the way the author wrote about his experiences with christianity and
Spoiler
the bigotry present in the christian church along with the blatantly overlooked translation errors.Spoiler
i liked how the artwork really demonstrated the vibes of the characters and i felt like it really worked as a memoir piece. i felt as if the story could have benefitted more from a better demonstration of how heSpoiler
fell out with religion as the only explanation present was the issue of homosexulality (which while a massive issue) didn't feel like it was enough to motivate this character specificallySpoiler
the strongest parts to me were when the main character wasSpoiler
staying at raina's place because that's where the character felt the strongestSpoiler
and throughout their childhood. i really loved the energy in this book. i loved the illustrations. i was, however, unsure about the language he used to describe some of the mentally disabled characters and feel that didn't represent their humanity enough or maybe their intelligence or perhaps treated them as only children. i'm not super sure, but there was something that didn't feel quite right to me in that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Bullying
Moderate: Alcohol, Confinement, Cursing, Excrement, and Religious bigotry
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