ehmannky's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- 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
Saga is back and breaking my heart just as well as it did at the end of the last volume. I feel like I've said this before, but I love that Hazel, despite being so important as an idea, is just a kid and from what we know of her narration, she's going to grow up to be just some person, nothing special. I think it's just lovely storytelling. The grief of our main characters is so well done, especially showing how kids grieve. I truly hate The Will and Gwendolyn, but I think that their journey from vaguely sympathetic characters to those who are so caught up in the politics and mind games of the war that doesn't care about them that they kind of lose any qualities that made them sympathetic has been so well done. It's so interesting because the one Landfall man (I don't care about his name) points out to his superiors, "who cares if this child is still alive? It's been 10 years and nothing has changed." And that's what Gwendolyn and The Will and the rest of the movers who are so tied up in this war can't get--they're wedded to the war to the point it seems unmovable, even as it eats away at them. That being said, I still want The Will to die and idk Gwendolyn to at least lose her job (I feel like Sophie is going to take over at some point in the future and we'll see this story play out between Hazel and Sophie).
This volume has a lot of setup for the incoming volumes, and it takes until the end of the issue for the big change to finally hit. I still bawled like a baby during the last few pages.
This volume has a lot of setup for the incoming volumes, and it takes until the end of the issue for the big change to finally hit. I still bawled like a baby during the last few pages.
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Grief, Sexual content, War, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Death of parent, and Sexual assault
awaterswadesthrough's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Colonisation, Death, Genocide, Police brutality, Death of parent, Grief, and Xenophobia
the_greywarren's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
fast-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
5.0
God I missed this series. I've been waiting for so long that honestly this could've been one page and I would have been happy. But jesus was this good. And sad. And it made me very angry. But I really liked it. And now I need Vol. 11 so that's great. I'm gonna go cry now.
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Blood, Drug use, Grief, Racism, War, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
Minor: Rape
billyjepma's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don't know if this is an entirely satisfying return for the series, but I also don't think it needed or wanted to be. After the events immediately before this new chapter starts, taking some time to reset and establish a new status quo is smart, and Vaughan and Staples do that incredibly well here (because of course they do). The writing is as sharp as ever, the continued commitment to worldbuilding riveting, and the characterization, despite not being exactly what I wanted, as solid as ever. Staples is in especially high form, too, and arguably delivers some of her most impressive visuals thus far, which is saying a lot, considering how consistently lively, creative, and gorgeous this book has been since the start.
Vaughan is laying a lot of groundwork here, and most of it works. Did I wish we had more of certain characters experiencing or talking about certain emotions and experiences? Yes, I did, but that's not Vaughan's style, and I know we're going to get there eventually, so I can be patient. I still struggled to find my footing in this new chapter, though, because it felt like the story had moved on from previous events when I hadn't yet (which I acknowledge is a side-effect of having just caught up on the series, like, six months ago).
Thankfully, the foundation that's developed here is stellar, and seeing Vaughan and Staples reset the table for the next half of their story is equal parts exciting, infuriating, and terrifying. I can't wait to see all the creative new ways they'll break my heart.
Vaughan is laying a lot of groundwork here, and most of it works. Did I wish we had more of certain characters experiencing or talking about certain emotions and experiences? Yes, I did, but that's not Vaughan's style, and I know we're going to get there eventually, so I can be patient. I still struggled to find my footing in this new chapter, though, because it felt like the story had moved on from previous events when I hadn't yet (which I acknowledge is a side-effect of having just caught up on the series, like, six months ago).
Thankfully, the foundation that's developed here is stellar, and seeing Vaughan and Staples reset the table for the next half of their story is equal parts exciting, infuriating, and terrifying. I can't wait to see all the creative new ways they'll break my heart.
Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, and Death
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Death of parent, War, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Rape
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