wends_nblw's review
- 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
I only picked this up because I saw : two guys that I thought could be lovers, one of them nerdy, the other a poc. And my poc gay ass thought "perfect!!!" so I knew absolutely nothing else about this book. I didn't go in looking for good rep or anything so luckily, I wasn't disappointed like the reviewers I've seen.
I can't speak to the autoimmune rep, as I am not and I would recommend reading reviews from those who are.
Aside from that, I enjoyed the story. I liked the whole two troubled guys falling in love because they're both kind of idiots. I was very pleasantly surprised to see Eli was trans since I hadn't known that going in. [unlike some reviews, i found this to be quite endearing, as i enjoy when characters are just trans for the sake of being trans.]
I did not like Biff or Marcia; and I honestly just really, really hate how Biff was handled. The ending was rushed. It's discouraging that Eli really got the short end of the stick even at the ending.
Spoiler
[like tony gets a mini dad moment but eli can't have his mini mom moment??? why????]All in all, it was good. Just don't go looking for good rep.
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Animal death, Chronic illness, Body horror, Medical content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Gun violence and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Homophobia
inkyinsanity's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed it, and both art styles are very cool. I found the story itself to be very simple and cliche, which wasn’t what I was hoping for. The only things to make it stand out was the artwork, the gay romance, an FTM trans protagonist, and an unnamed but apparently debilitating autoimmune disorder in one of the main characters. (I really don’t like it when medical conditions aren’t named, especially when it’s a relevant part of the story! But then, I have one of those invisible autoimmune diseases, so I suppose it’s a personal subject.)
Overall, enjoyable but probably forgettable.
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, and Bullying
Minor: Death of parent and Grief
werevvolf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Grief, Death of parent, Animal death, Chronic illness, Bullying, and Blood
Moderate: Medical content, Emotional abuse, Body horror, and Gun violence
ezwolf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Animal death, Bullying, and Gun violence
Minor: Death of parent and Medical content
clarabooksit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Bullying
Moderate: Body horror, Chronic illness, Ableism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Medical content
dearestiefling's review
- 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
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, and Gore
librarymouse's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Car accident
sydneyj's review against another edition
Graphic: Chronic illness, Ableism, and Bullying
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Medical content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism and Alcohol
bookenbee's review
- 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
Graphic: Death, Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship
slasherreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The characters are wonderful. Their designs are not terribly complex but they are super fun on the page--I love Tony's pomp and little fangs especially. Every character, while obviously inspired by or referencing certain high school stereotypes, is given depth and nuance (including the bully). The excellent characterization and focus on character relationships is what really carries this title for me, I think; the plot itself is fine, but it's certainly not the star of the show. In this case, I think that's a good thing--a simpler, easy to follow (but still interesting) plot using familiar supernatural creatures whose lore broadly follows about what the reader is familiar with allows for more focus to be given to the characters.
Connected to the writing is the pacing. Again, normally pacing in graphic novels isn't my thing; it either feels rushed or over too soon. Blackwater, however, felt very well-paced. The story in this volume wrapped up on a satisfactory note, leaving me feeling like I had gotten a fully developed and well-executed story while still leaving possible openings for more to follow.
I look forward to more of Blackwater. The authors did a fantastic job and I would love to see where the character's story goes next. I would really advise anyone who is interested in queer YA to pick it up, even if they're not interested in horror (As the horror is present in elements but the goal of the story certainly isn't to horrify).
This graphic novel firmly lands itself in the catergory of "god, I wish I had this in high school." I'm glad it's here now.
Graphic: Ableism and Bullying
Moderate: Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Medical content, Violence, and Body horror