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btwnprintedpgs's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really liked the way grief, sisterhood, and parenthood is treated in this one. I feel like Gigi was excessively mean even before their father's death, but I appreciated how they talked it out and understood each other a bit through the build up to their duel.
I do wish we got a bit more accountability for both sisters through the book as some things they do to each other really was just mean. Felt like they were never taught to respect each other which feels off from how they resolve things in the end.
I enjoyed the fencing though, as I have some knowledge of the sport. The chapter intro pages were fun and informative, and I liked how we saw the sport bring the family together.
TW: bullying, grief; mentions death of a parent
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
ARC gifted by Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.
I do wish we got a bit more accountability for both sisters through the book as some things they do to each other really was just mean. Felt like they were never taught to respect each other which feels off from how they resolve things in the end.
I enjoyed the fencing though, as I have some knowledge of the sport. The chapter intro pages were fun and informative, and I liked how we saw the sport bring the family together.
TW: bullying, grief; mentions death of a parent
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
ARC gifted by Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Grief
Minor: Death of parent
lawbooks600's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
thebookguru's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Oh duel…you beautiful heartbreaking book!
What an excellent exploration of sisterhood and grief!!!
I tried fencing once and it was really fun and this was a great book about fencing and sisters and friendship and family and grief.
It was sad seeing how Lucy and Gigi fought but I am SO GLAD we actually got to see them make up in a realistic way and I am so glad that they had an open and honest talk with their mum! We don’t often see that in graphic novels and I thought that was done really well!
I also LOVED how supportive Lucy’s best friend Sasha was so that was also nice to see 🥹🥰
I am glad that all the issues discussed DID GET RESOLVED at the end by OPEN AND HONEST COMMUNICATION which does not always happen so this really was refreshing!
I loved the grandma and it was hard reading about how they saw their mum being so absent because of her job and grief and how she wasn’t handling things well.
The depiction of grief was excellent and real and they did not sugar coat it and it truly was a wholesome and pure ending which I loved and yes it DID make me tear up 🥹😭🥰
Also great to see another graphic novel
By a Black author and featuring Black MCs! We need more!!!
10/10 would recommend!
Hope they do another one!
What an excellent exploration of sisterhood and grief!!!
I tried fencing once and it was really fun and this was a great book about fencing and sisters and friendship and family and grief.
It was sad seeing how Lucy and Gigi fought but I am SO GLAD we actually got to see them make up in a realistic way and I am so glad that they had an open and honest talk with their mum! We don’t often see that in graphic novels and I thought that was done really well!
I also LOVED how supportive Lucy’s best friend Sasha was so that was also nice to see 🥹🥰
I am glad that all the issues discussed DID GET RESOLVED at the end by OPEN AND HONEST COMMUNICATION which does not always happen so this really was refreshing!
I loved the grandma and it was hard reading about how they saw their mum being so absent because of her job and grief and how she wasn’t handling things well.
The depiction of grief was excellent and real and they did not sugar coat it and it truly was a wholesome and pure ending which I loved and yes it DID make me tear up 🥹😭🥰
Also great to see another graphic novel
By a Black author and featuring Black MCs! We need more!!!
10/10 would recommend!
Hope they do another one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Grief, and Death of parent
stories's review
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
Really sweet “middle grade” graphic novel about fencing, sibling conflict and grieving a parent’s death. Lively, colourful, full of corny jokes and fun info about fencing.
Lucy (year 6) feels overshadowed by her older sister as she moves into middle school.
Gigi (year 8) is struggling under the pressure to be perfect at everything.
Meanwhile, Mum is overwhelmed with grief and the responsibilities of suddenly becoming a single parent and doesn’t know how to handle the sisters’ growing conflicts.
Obviously, the answer is for the sisters to resolve this over a duel. In front of the whole school.
It’s on.
Lucy (year 6) feels overshadowed by her older sister as she moves into middle school.
Gigi (year 8) is struggling under the pressure to be perfect at everything.
Meanwhile, Mum is overwhelmed with grief and the responsibilities of suddenly becoming a single parent and doesn’t know how to handle the sisters’ growing conflicts.
Obviously, the answer is for the sisters to resolve this over a duel. In front of the whole school.
It’s on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Death of parent
greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
lighthearted
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
lettuce_read's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Death of parent
nicolelovesbooks's review
4.5
A poignant look at sisterhood and grief, this graphic novel is also a fun story of friendship and fencing! I love the artwork and the use of color changes in memories and between characters, and style changes with excerpts from an annotated textbook to begin each chapter. Sisters who might think they’re very different come to an understanding of each other that’s very touching and relatable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
balletbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
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
4.0
So this is an excellent middle-grade graphic novel that I picked up on the recommendation of Jesse on YouTube as part of their Blackathon TBR recs. I wasn't prepared for the level of "meanness" the sisters gave each other - like, they aren't just annoying each other, like they are actively undermining each other (granted, they have some other stuff going on, like grieving the loss of their dad and their mom trying to hold it all together. Although, speaking of the mom, LADY, your kids need some discipline, not being told to "work it out", they are doing some therapy-level of acting out on each other, sheesh; also, you could probably use a therapist, too).
Loved all the fencing references throughout the book, it really helps understand how the sport works.
Loved all the fencing references throughout the book, it really helps understand how the sport works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
library_kb's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
4.5
I really enjoyed this graphic novel that features sibling relationships, as fraught as they sometimes can be. It has a really unique introduction, as the younger sister challenges her older sister to a fencing duel on the first day of middle school and it becomes a bigger deal than they thought. The story is told from two perspectives, and the reader is brought into how each sister interprets events and their relationships with their father differently. Highly recommend to 4th grade graphic novel lovers and up!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
jackelz's review
emotional
“I think we might always feel like that piece is missing. And that’s okay. That’s dad’s piece. We don’t need to replace it or him. But maybe we can fill that space with the love we had for him.”
Lucy is starting sixth grade in her older sister GiGi’s shadow. GiGi is popular and good at everything, and when GiGi humiliates Lucy in the cafeteria on the first day of school, Lucy snaps and challenges GiGi to a fencing duel. Lucy stopped practicing after their fencing coach father died, and GiGi must behave perfectly or risk getting kicked off the fencing team.
There is a lot going on in this story, but it didn’t feel overwhelming. The mother is busy and struggling, and expects the girls to work out their issues on their own. Gigi feels like her father loved Lucy better, and Lucy feels like her sister was able to spend more time with him, since he taught her how to fence. Lucy does things for attention, but GiGi retaliates in very mean ways, so she wasn’t the most likable character. The sibling strive was very relatable, but I can’t even imagine dealing with that on top of grief. While everyone grieves differently, Lucy, GiGi, and their mother were all bottling it up inside instead of working through it together.
I also enjoyed the side characters, particularly Lucy’s best friend Sasha, and their paternal grandmother. It was refreshing to see a positive in-law relationship. Sasha helped Lucy practice fencing, and I appreciated how this was a quality way for them to spend time together. I feel like it’s too common in books that when a friend gets a new hobby, it puts distance in the friendship, and this wasn’t the case here.
I loved the alternating narratives. Lucy’s dialogue was in orange and GiGi’s was in purple, so it was easy for me to know who was narrating that chapter. The flashbacks were also in a different color palette.
I highly recommend this emotional graphic novel for the family and sibling dynamics, and you will learn quite a lot about fencing. I can’t wait to see what the wife-husband creator duo do next! *Don’t skip the author’s note.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent