avvai's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
addison_reads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
brittanyae's review against another edition
4.0
It took me quite a while to finish reading this, purely because I took a long break off my massive binge reading of this series because life got hectic - not because the book wasn't interesting. This one was definitely mostly filler, but hey, if the filler stories continue revolving mostly around Bigby, Snow, and the cubs, then I am 100% for that. Their family continues to contain of my favorite characters thus far. The rest of the issue was foreshadowing a huge (I assume) battle coming up between the Adversary and Fabletown again, and I'm greatly looking forward to seeing what comes from it all as this series continues.
ellenchapman's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.0
nikkibouman's review
adventurous
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? No
4.5
iguessilikereading's review
3.0
So, I decreased my rating for this book as I see it now as a filler issue.
Not much changes in the grand scope of things, Geppetto is planning to retaliate against Fabletown and the mundy world, but Pinocchio is very convincing that the advanced science of this world is too much for the empire.
We get a lot of guest artwork, and in order not to insult anyone, I'm just going to say it's...different.
After a couple of previous issues, Mark Buckingham's work is just something that brings additional value to Fables, and the guest artists just do not work for me on this title. I know there are some interesting story titbits in the shorter stories, but I do not feel I am reading Fables.
Kudos to Buckingham for that, I guess.
Not much changes in the grand scope of things, Geppetto is planning to retaliate against Fabletown and the mundy world, but Pinocchio is very convincing that the advanced science of this world is too much for the empire.
We get a lot of guest artwork, and in order not to insult anyone, I'm just going to say it's...different.
After a couple of previous issues, Mark Buckingham's work is just something that brings additional value to Fables, and the guest artists just do not work for me on this title. I know there are some interesting story titbits in the shorter stories, but I do not feel I am reading Fables.
Kudos to Buckingham for that, I guess.
discocrow's review
4.0
Another wonderful volume in the Fables series.
New characters are introduced, and the plot advances in a number of surprising ways. Fables manages to introduce crucial plot points in something as mundane as a Christmas story, and to interrupt the action at just the right point with a short aside that will come into play later in the series... Excellent.
The artwork is brilliant, with the exception of a single story that I felt was a bit too cartoony for my taste. Never did it feel like the stories dragged, however, and that's the best thing to be said for any graphic novel.
New characters are introduced, and the plot advances in a number of surprising ways. Fables manages to introduce crucial plot points in something as mundane as a Christmas story, and to interrupt the action at just the right point with a short aside that will come into play later in the series... Excellent.
The artwork is brilliant, with the exception of a single story that I felt was a bit too cartoony for my taste. Never did it feel like the stories dragged, however, and that's the best thing to be said for any graphic novel.
ksbrennan's review
2.0
"The winds always change, it's our nature."
My love affair with Fables is coming to an end. As much as I love the fairy tale structure and some of the reimaginings, the representation of gender roles just keeps bringing me down.
Still, Michael Allred's art in Father and Son, and Aaron Alexovich's in The Birthday Secret are beautiful. Also, you'll undoubtedly hear from me again on this series, as I bought books eight and nine at the same time.
My love affair with Fables is coming to an end. As much as I love the fairy tale structure and some of the reimaginings, the representation of gender roles just keeps bringing me down.
Still, Michael Allred's art in Father and Son, and Aaron Alexovich's in The Birthday Secret are beautiful. Also, you'll undoubtedly hear from me again on this series, as I bought books eight and nine at the same time.
mary_the_librarian's review
3.0
The overall story is quite complex, so if I haven't read the series in awhile (as was the case here), it can be hard to jump back in. However, I still really love this series and the characters. This volume hops between the battle prep and some "light-hearted" (other serious stuff happen too) Snow/Bigby family stories.
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