Scan barcode
emily_mh's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
My experience with this comic was certainly a mixed bag! Unfortunately the art style was weirdly blurry and the backgrounds were cluttered, so it was sometimes hard to understand what was being depicted.
The character work in the MCs Darwin and Lupé could also have been better. Darwin’s character development was poorly done. With no prior signposting, it is revealed that he’s worried about being re-abandoned at the orphanage. Then later on, out of context and with no development in the meantime, Olive tells Darwin that he’ll always be a part of the family. End of “development”. Similarly, Olive has zero character development. On the more positive side, Charlotte’s character development was okay. She has recently been adopted into the Dare family and is resisting considering them her family. We don’t really find out why, but she does discover that she wants to be a Dare, part of the family. Also, it was cool that Lupé, the MCs’ grandmother, featured so heavily. Honestly, she felt like the most fully-realised character.
I had unresolved questions about the backstory to the plot, such as: where are the brooches from? If they are from the same place as the mask, then the Land of the Dead; but how did Justino travel there to get a brooch WITHOUT a brooch? Where does Xochitl come into Justino’s disappearance? Why pretend she never existed? Why was Justino searching for Lupé, when surely he could just go home and find her there?
This would have been better as a full-length graphic novel rather than a comic. It felt like panels were missing because the authors were rushing to get the story in. If the book was longer, I think it could have been a five star read for me! I actually loved the story: it was full of adventure, an interesting magic system, a twisting mystery, and a really sweet found family element. It just needed more space so that the issues with character development could be resolved, the plot holes could be properly explained, and the plot could be given more room to breathe in general. I did still enjoy my time with this read despite these flaws, but because of them, a 3.5 star rating felt apt.
Rep: queer Mexican-American MC, fat Mexican-American MC with selective mutism (?)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: adoption, missing loved one Minor: loss of a loved one, sick loved one, imprisonmenttherainbowshelf's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Very imaginative, and fun world building. The characters are a delight, and I really like the art style. This will be loved by many of the target middle grade age group. Overall, the storytelling itself was so-so. The beginning didn’t do enough to establish the characters and their backstories, leading to some confusion in the start, and I never got into Charlotte’s whole deal as a result.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gun violence, Racism, and Injury/Injury detail
Something Parallele to dementia, adoptee not feeling like part of the family