caedocyon's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't feeling the first third of the book, but the last 2/3 was generally better. IDK what that's about. Some of the standouts:
"Finding Alex" - surreal mysterious metaphorical adventures that change you. yay!
"Shepherd" - chill and philosophical, but doesn't try to cram too much in. (As opposed to "The Flourishing Feast" which I think was trying for something similar but turned out totally incomprehensible, and not in a way that made me want to reread more deeply.)
"This Far" - wow. wow. Need to find more from this artist.
"Dear Paloma" - alienating in its zaniness at the start, but then it comes together really nicely!
"The Lungs of Jeju" - I wasn't into the ending (felt like the artist ran out of ideas), but I liked the rest.
"Shuvah" - totally made me tear up.
"Finding Alex" - surreal mysterious metaphorical adventures that change you. yay!
"Shepherd" - chill and philosophical, but doesn't try to cram too much in. (As opposed to "The Flourishing Feast" which I think was trying for something similar but turned out totally incomprehensible, and not in a way that made me want to reread more deeply.)
"This Far" - wow. wow. Need to find more from this artist.
"Dear Paloma" - alienating in its zaniness at the start, but then it comes together really nicely!
"The Lungs of Jeju" - I wasn't into the ending (felt like the artist ran out of ideas), but I liked the rest.
"Shuvah" - totally made me tear up.
xoa's review against another edition
3.0
Nice! The tone and themes of the stories were more unified in this anthology than in a lot of other ones I've read, which made for a very smooth one-sitting reading experience. Super short fiction along these lines doesn't really do it for me, so I wasn't totally in love - that's always how I feel about anthologies, I think. I enjoyed it, it's pretty, and there's a really nice variety of stories.
On the whole it was a little more cutesy than really suits my taste. I wasn't expecting it to be so much about children, and most (but not all) of the stories seemed like they were aimed at children. I'm not a fan of most kid's stuff lately, so it didn't really click, but I'm glad it exists. I'm sure a lot of people would love it!
On the whole it was a little more cutesy than really suits my taste. I wasn't expecting it to be so much about children, and most (but not all) of the stories seemed like they were aimed at children. I'm not a fan of most kid's stuff lately, so it didn't really click, but I'm glad it exists. I'm sure a lot of people would love it!
ericawrites's review against another edition
3.0
Heartwood was a hit or miss collection for me. Building a short story in comic format is no small challenge.
My favorites were:
Blât by chlove
Expand by Raven White
Streams of Consciousness by Mar Julia
The Beast in the Garden by Ver
Shepherd by Cori Walters
This Far by Lee Lai
The Lungs of Jeju by Sunmi
My favorites were:
Blât by chlove
Expand by Raven White
Streams of Consciousness by Mar Julia
The Beast in the Garden by Ver
Shepherd by Cori Walters
This Far by Lee Lai
The Lungs of Jeju by Sunmi
dananana's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
soupdumpling's review against another edition
took me years to find a copy but i finally borrowed it thru an inter-library loan! lots of cute (but very short) comics and stories. i definitely wish some were longer but it's always great to see non-binary/enby & trans representation~
francofille's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up. Wish the stories had been in color :/
theybedax's review against another edition
4.0
This is a beautiful collection of amazing works by many queer authors/artists/cartoonists. I rather enjoyed all of the creativity and the uniqueness of each tale. I appreciate the breakdown at the very back of the book of potential trigger warnings and it's call for self care. Whether these tales are windows or mirrors there is something for everyone, especially those who love the fantastical and representation.
joannalumpia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0