morgancward's review against another edition
beautiful gowns, i don't have time to finish this
jules317's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.5
andrewb21's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
A brilliant and difficult read, with an art style that elevates this story from excellent to genius. One of the best graphic novels of all time.
aspasia17's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
nmcannon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Back in…2019…I read this amazing blog post by Casey the Candian Lesbrarian about the best books she’d read that year. My Favorite Thing is Monsters was on it, and I put it on my TBR, so future!Natalie would remember. Future!Natalie came through.
Karen Reyes is a ten year old girl obsessed with horror movie monsters. With bullies, a best friend lost to homophobia (still alive, but heavily forced into the closet by parents), and the stress of working class ‘60s Chicago, she has a A Lot to process. And that’s before her upstairs neighbor Anka is murdered, her older brother becomes the prime suspect, and her mom gets a cancer diagnosis. Trusty sketchbook and fedora in tow, Reyes decides to figure out whodunit. What she doesn’t bargain for are tapes of Anka telling her life story in Nazi Germany, rife with parental abuse, rape, and pedophilia.
The entire, hefty book of My Favorite Thing is Monsters is styled as Reyes’ journal and sketchbook. The art is GORGEOUS. The book is art and art is the book. I was reminded of coffee table books, which are set out to entertain guests. Then again, the subject matter is not for the light of heart. Ferris pulls no punches, and her heroine’s lives are dark. A serious dead dove; don’t eat situation. I thought the story would focus more on the intersection of queerness and horror, and it does to a certain extent. There’s just a whole lot more. Anka’s flashbacks take up more pages, which makes sense because Reyes is ten and Anka died in her fifties. While Anka and Reyes are twin pole stars, the other characters aren’t neglected at all. The depth of character is truly incredible and incredibly colorful.
Despite the grim subject matter, there’s a thread of youthful hope throughout the story. If you can grasp it and hold tight, I highly, highly recommend Ferris’ masterwork. My Favorite Thing is Monsters is a beautiful, heart-wrenching magnum opus.
Casey’s blog post: https://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.wordpress.com/2019/01/08/my-2018-year-in-reading-favourite-books-of-the-year-most-memorable-character-best-cover-and-more/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Murder, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Rape, Outing, Misogyny, Mental illness, Grief, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Deportation, Death, Death of parent, Cursing, Child abuse, Antisemitism, Alcohol, War, Vomit, Violence, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Terminal illness, Cancer, Medical content, Dementia, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, and Classism
I'd say the majority of the CWs are period-typical considering the setting is pre-Holocaust, Holocaust, and 1960s working class Chicago. Reyes is a young, queer woman of color, and she experiences period-typical racism, lesbophobia, classism, and misogyny.robinbrasslibrary's review against another edition
3.0
Karen grandit dans le centre-ville de Chicago dans les années 1960 en s’imaginant loup-garou puisque sa grande passion, ce sont les monstres en tout genre. Ce semblant d’équilibre est mis à mal lorsqu'une de ses voisines, Anka, survivante de l’Holocauste, est retrouvée chez elle avec une balle dans la poitrine. Alors que le voisinage et la police croient à un suicide, Karen décide de mener l’enquête en se plongeant dans le passé d’Anka…
J’ai attendu de lire ce roman graphique pendant plusieurs années jusqu’à ce que je tombe dessus à la bibliothèque de ma fac et j’ai beaucoup apprécié ma lecture bien que j’ai eu un peu de mal à suivre avec les multiples intrigues secondaires qui sont parsemées tout au long du livre, ce qui m’a un peu ralenti dans la lecture. Cependant, voir l’intrigue au travers de l’interprétation de Karen permet d’inclure toutes ces intrigues dans sa propre histoire qui devient facilement fantasmagorique en particulier avec la technique du stylo-bille. Le dessin inspiré des comics et des films d’horreur de l’époque, est vraiment beau et colle parfaitement à l’ambiance de l’histoire principale. Dans l’ensemble, j’ai plutôt apprécié la lecture même je me suis un peu perdue en chemin, je pense que je lirais tout de même le deuxième tome pour avoir le fin mot de l’histoire
J’ai attendu de lire ce roman graphique pendant plusieurs années jusqu’à ce que je tombe dessus à la bibliothèque de ma fac et j’ai beaucoup apprécié ma lecture bien que j’ai eu un peu de mal à suivre avec les multiples intrigues secondaires qui sont parsemées tout au long du livre, ce qui m’a un peu ralenti dans la lecture. Cependant, voir l’intrigue au travers de l’interprétation de Karen permet d’inclure toutes ces intrigues dans sa propre histoire qui devient facilement fantasmagorique en particulier avec la technique du stylo-bille. Le dessin inspiré des comics et des films d’horreur de l’époque, est vraiment beau et colle parfaitement à l’ambiance de l’histoire principale. Dans l’ensemble, j’ai plutôt apprécié la lecture même je me suis un peu perdue en chemin, je pense que je lirais tout de même le deuxième tome pour avoir le fin mot de l’histoire
exlibriskari's review against another edition
5.0
Insanely beautiful art and a great story with depth. A lot darker than I expected and I loved that.
I hope the sequel stops being pushed back and actually gets published soon.
I hope the sequel stops being pushed back and actually gets published soon.
requiredreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
A breathtaking work, a visually stunning and emotionally rich coming-of-age story wrapped in a true crime graphic novel.
tuulikki_ni's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0