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giancarlo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
desterman's review against another edition
4.0
The colour palette of this graphic novel is what first attracted me to it. Made of blacks, blues, and purpley greys, this somehow worked really well with a ghost story focused on angst ridden teenagers. Vera Brosgol’s coming of age tale tells the story of Russian immigrant, teenager Annushka Borzakovskaya (Anya), who lives in New England in America with her younger brother and hard working mother. She is unpopular and bullied at school, torn between her Russian heritage and her new home. One night she befriends a teenaged ghost, Emily, who died 90 years ago. Despite her reservations, Anya soon finds an ally in Emily, who helps her at school both socially and academically. Over time though Emily becomes manipulative and controlling, propelling Anya to try to discover more about her mysterious past.
This was a great page turner and I loved how it turned from an unusual teenage melodrama into something more. I also loved how the characters were drawn – the transformation in Emily is subtle and visually effective. Anya’s large breasts and thighs, which she somehow accentuates while simultaneously feeling embarrassed about, perfectly captures the awkward evolution of the teenage body. A great little piece to add to a gothic/horror study.
This was a great page turner and I loved how it turned from an unusual teenage melodrama into something more. I also loved how the characters were drawn – the transformation in Emily is subtle and visually effective. Anya’s large breasts and thighs, which she somehow accentuates while simultaneously feeling embarrassed about, perfectly captures the awkward evolution of the teenage body. A great little piece to add to a gothic/horror study.
lady_bountiful's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Body shaming, and Toxic friendship
schi070's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this book out for a student I tutor who is struggling finding books she actually enjoys reading, and this has made her hate reading in general. Which is horrible to me!! After many claims that it is the books she’s reading, not reading itself that is the problem I think I can get her motivated to see for herself. Also due to COVID-19 and her school being 100% virtual she doesn’t have the convenience of a library at school to choose new books from (cry face).
This book is a perfect bridge for her (she’s in 7th grade) and I think it’ll accomplish exactly what I’m hoping it will. Neil Gaiman’s endorsement on the front cover really pushed me to purchase. Very good idea on part of marketing for this book. This book teaches an excellent lesson and also stayed appealing for a younger audience. Especially a young audience interested in the supernatural. I can’t wait to hear what she thinks of it! I enjoyed it myself :)
This book is a perfect bridge for her (she’s in 7th grade) and I think it’ll accomplish exactly what I’m hoping it will. Neil Gaiman’s endorsement on the front cover really pushed me to purchase. Very good idea on part of marketing for this book. This book teaches an excellent lesson and also stayed appealing for a younger audience. Especially a young audience interested in the supernatural. I can’t wait to hear what she thinks of it! I enjoyed it myself :)
harleyrae's review against another edition
4.0
I am pleasantly surprised by this book. I was not expecting to like this as much as I did. I had picked this up from the library hoping for a quite and light read, and that's exactly what I got!
The things I didn't Like:
(I don't really have much for here)
1. I do wish the ending had been wrapped up differently. If there was 5 extra pages explaining about whats happened after all that's happened happened.
The things I did Like:
1. The color scheme. I felt it was a very good idea to have everything either grey, white, black or purple. I felt it enhanced the story.
2. The art. One could really see what each person was thing from their facial expressions, made it fun and easy to read.
3. The plot twist. I was not expecting that, I knew something had to happened but wasn't sure what.
4. Anya, it was fun to watch her grow and learn from beginning to end.
The only reason I gave this 4/5 stars is that I felt there was something lacking from making this a fantastic 5 star book. All in all i did enjoy this and would recommend this to anyone wanting a fun, quick graphic novel.
The things I didn't Like:
(I don't really have much for here)
1. I do wish the ending had been wrapped up differently. If there was 5 extra pages explaining about whats happened after all that's happened happened.
The things I did Like:
1. The color scheme. I felt it was a very good idea to have everything either grey, white, black or purple. I felt it enhanced the story.
2. The art. One could really see what each person was thing from their facial expressions, made it fun and easy to read.
3. The plot twist. I was not expecting that, I knew something had to happened but wasn't sure what.
4. Anya, it was fun to watch her grow and learn from beginning to end.
The only reason I gave this 4/5 stars is that I felt there was something lacking from making this a fantastic 5 star book. All in all i did enjoy this and would recommend this to anyone wanting a fun, quick graphic novel.
rachelhelps's review against another edition
4.0
Cute graphic novel published this year about a girl from Russia trying to fit in at her high school and her supernatural companion.
charlenejx's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
ruthelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Why can't more YA books read like this? The story, the characters, and the pacing were all pretty great. One of the best parts about this story, having read a lot of subpar romance YA books, is that the point of the story is focused on the self and not on trying to please men.
Woooooo!
Woooooo!