avriel212's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
hulttio's review against another edition
1.0
This is a pretty strange book… and shorter than I was expecting. I watched the Netflix show and it was quite good, and I was sad when they discontinued it. I thought the source material would give me some answers, but it feels like almost another story. The graphic novel takes a snippet of Sydney’s life, which is a fairly bleak and dark snippet. Sydney’s attitude at times felt fairly realistic to being a teenager, but at other times, it didn’t feel like there was really a point to her ruminations and it didn’t encapsulate the ‘teenage ethos’ as well as the blurb anticipates. Her struggles and the plot were understandable, and the ending was to be expected in light of those, but I’m still not sure what the takeaway here is for the reader.
The use of supernatural powers could have been interesting, but its symbolic use feels quite heavy-handed. The art style is a bit juvenile and not eye-catching; it feels more like a newspaper strip than a graphic novel. Nothing wrong with that—this style might be great for some readers—but it doesn’t add anything to the story being told in a graphic format. The characters have a hint of promise; but due to the length, we don’t get enough backstory or emotional stakes in their lives. There also hints to the themes of trauma and control, but nothing so concrete that these are actually utilized well. This is one of those rare instances where I enjoyed the TV series adaptation more than the source material.
The use of supernatural powers could have been interesting, but its symbolic use feels quite heavy-handed. The art style is a bit juvenile and not eye-catching; it feels more like a newspaper strip than a graphic novel. Nothing wrong with that—this style might be great for some readers—but it doesn’t add anything to the story being told in a graphic format. The characters have a hint of promise; but due to the length, we don’t get enough backstory or emotional stakes in their lives. There also hints to the themes of trauma and control, but nothing so concrete that these are actually utilized well. This is one of those rare instances where I enjoyed the TV series adaptation more than the source material.
lvjyzach's review against another edition
dark
2.0
one of the few times I'll say the show was better than the book
versky8's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked this ending better than the show.
koplomps's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Sexism, Drug use, Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cursing
sweetvireo's review against another edition
1.0
Definitely not what I thought it was going to be. Much worse in fact. A very trigger-warning-laden book. This could have been much more for the topics it covered. Instead, it took the cheap, easy way out. Literally.
mirandaandtitania's review against another edition
felt so shallow, impersonal and disconnected...
in the show you feel for her so much but in this I felt nothing. The ending was very abrupt, almost with no reasoning. Just huh
in the show you feel for her so much but in this I felt nothing. The ending was very abrupt, almost with no reasoning. Just huh