delphinaris's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Spoiler
her ending made me so sadGraphic: Body horror, Pregnancy, and Child death
Moderate: Transphobia
Spoiler
Dead monster baby eats other baby, be warnedchalkletters's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
The art in The Sandman: A Game of You is nothing like Charles Vess’s illustrations, it’s much more comic-book-y, and while individual visuals were arresting, the overall style might not be appealing to readers who enjoy more conventional book art. That said, there were some cool references to older media which made it fun to give the pictures a second look, and they would probably reward even closer scrutiny.
The Sandman: A Game of You works very well as a stand-alone story. Even without having read the previous four volumes, Neil Gaiman gives the characters enough context for a reader to pick up both the different worlds and the relationships between them. Wanda, Hazel and Foxglove particularly stand out as being nuanced female characters who don’t conform to archetypes; their lives feel as though they extend beyond the pages dedicated to their stories in this one book.
As a villain, the cuckoo is interesting, and Neil Gaiman raises a lot of questions about what exactly she is and where she comes from. As with the whole of the dream world, the reader is invited to interpret it as a metaphor, and every person’s understanding will probably be a little different. Book club focused (perhaps unsurprisingly) on dreams as a way of interrogating stories and story-telling, which was particularly rewarding. The tension between the 'real’ world of New York and the dream kingdom worked to really emphasise the dramatic moments in the New York storyline, especially the ending.
My first graphic novel was always going to feel a little uncomfortable and unfamiliar, but I know I have at least two more in my TBR so I’m curious to see how they feel now that I’ve dipped my toe in the water!
Moderate: Blood, Transphobia, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Deadnaming, and Death
Minor: Pregnancy
purplesaturday's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Blood, Transphobia, Animal death, and Deadnaming
Moderate: Grief, Hate crime, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy
m1nature's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Torture, Pregnancy, Deadnaming, Abortion, Physical abuse, Death, Animal death, Violence, Murder, Child death, Body horror, and Blood
doomluz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It was an interesting story and I liked the theme around identity, but it also raised some questions about the Dreaming and a few characters that popped up.
This volume centered on Barbie (from Volume 2 The Doll's House) and explained why she has such a vivid dream.
There was a weird green bird in the dream that had the same name as me, which made me laugh, but also made me kind of confused about why she was named Luz.
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Gore, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Death, Animal death, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy
librarianmage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, and Transphobia
Moderate: Murder, Animal death, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy
annamorgan27's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Pregnancy, Vomit, Animal death, Blood, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Transphobia, and Violence
bealiy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Moderate: Death, Transphobia, Deadnaming, and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy