poemsandponds's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
3.5
This book was sad and melancholy. It hurt to see Val’s relationship with her mother and how her mom put fuel on a fire of Val’s unhealthy relationship with food. Had some good takeaways about friendship, creating space from toxic family relationships, and healing. There was a certain level of emotional distance and also part that felt sanitized and just there for the story’s plot that made the book fall short a bit in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Vomit
sisters26's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Body shaming, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Vomit, Death of parent, and Fatphobia
befrazzledenby's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
As someone who's struggled with an eating disorder for most of their life, I was pretty disappointed by this graphic novel, which was a surprise. It was so fast-paced, and felt so shallow but also way too deep at times, like the pace of the novel couldn't contain the intense emotionality of everything happening in the plot/character. It just didn't feel realistic or very human to me. I've had patrons rave about it, though, and the illustrations (colored pencil, I think) were really lovely and fit the theme. The pacing was too off for me, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Eating disorder, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Child abuse
radclyffe_uhaul's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Death of parent
Moderate: Vomit and Emotional abuse
seawarrior's review against another edition
5.0
A great graphic novel about the fear and guilt that amplifies eating disorders, especially when they're trained into a young person by their parent. I appreciated that this story portrayed the thought process of a teenage girl who starts out obsessed with thinness and perceived perfection in the eyes of her mother, and later re-evaluates why she feels this way and aims to improve her fatphobic beliefs and suffocating relationship with her mother as she works towards recovery. The illustrations are colorful and dynamic; breezy in some scenes, yet display emotion clearly in tenser ones. This is a valuable book for those who've been affected by disordered eating and who are learning how to balance their love for their parents with their frustration towards their hurtful behavior. This is a difficult story to tell, yet Ying never stumbled.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Vomit
valmai's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Fatphobia, and Eating disorder
btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent and Vomit
phoebemurtagh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
thelittlestmermaid's review against another edition
challenging
sad
4.0
* Thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for the free ARC! *
Stories about eating disorders are hard to tell, and often are done poorly. Hungry Ghosts is not one of those stories. It is beautifully done, touching on very sensitive topics in a realistic yet careful way. It's a difficult read but also very important. I highly recommend it but please look into trigger warnings before going into it. The artwork is lovely and suited the story.
TW - body shaming, fatphobia, death of a parent, grief
4 stars
Stories about eating disorders are hard to tell, and often are done poorly. Hungry Ghosts is not one of those stories. It is beautifully done, touching on very sensitive topics in a realistic yet careful way. It's a difficult read but also very important. I highly recommend it but please look into trigger warnings before going into it. The artwork is lovely and suited the story.
TW - body shaming, fatphobia, death of a parent, grief
4 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Emotional abuse
thewizardofbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Hungry Ghost tells the story of grief, emotional abuse, and forgiveness. At the center is Val, a teenager struggling with her body in a parental environment that focuses on her weight and her eating. The relationship depicted between Val and her mother is heartbreaking but friendships, family and a stranger are there to help pick up the pieces and be a loving reprieve. As a reader, I could tell that the mother figure was largely influenced by her own upbringing and the sadness of great loss. This is not an excuse but a depiction of generational abuse.
The art style and character growth work together organically to strengthen the story as Val slowly eases toward some body acceptance. It's a hard road, but the illustrations are light and honest with color being expertly chosen to strengthen character emotions. The color scheme is based in light pastels of pink, greens, and blues which work to soften, ever so slightly, the heaviness of the topic. Darker tones are used to depict strong, negative emotions like sadness, depression, and grief. The mother, and with her, the abusiveness, is often pictured in a darker blue hue and when Val deals with intrusive thoughts about her body, food, and her mother, she too is depicted in deeper tones.
The story, while difficult, is hopeful and poignant. It reaches out and holds tight, making it a quick read. I would highly recommend it to those who enjoy graphic novels, realistic fiction, and art.
CW: ED, Emotional Abuse, Fatphobia, Death
The art style and character growth work together organically to strengthen the story as Val slowly eases toward some body acceptance. It's a hard road, but the illustrations are light and honest with color being expertly chosen to strengthen character emotions. The color scheme is based in light pastels of pink, greens, and blues which work to soften, ever so slightly, the heaviness of the topic. Darker tones are used to depict strong, negative emotions like sadness, depression, and grief. The mother, and with her, the abusiveness, is often pictured in a darker blue hue and when Val deals with intrusive thoughts about her body, food, and her mother, she too is depicted in deeper tones.
The story, while difficult, is hopeful and poignant. It reaches out and holds tight, making it a quick read. I would highly recommend it to those who enjoy graphic novels, realistic fiction, and art.
CW: ED, Emotional Abuse, Fatphobia, Death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse