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lightningmc_logyn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
I am blown away. This is now one of my favorite books of all time. The visual and textual story are breathtaking. The author really understands the medium and the power of graphic novel storytelling, as self-stated in the authors note end of the book. It’s woven together so beautifully. It is heartbreakingly profound and emotional. I was very moved by Tiên and Helen’s stories. The bond they have is beautiful. It was so raw and vulnerable. The art was simply beautiful, the line and color work amazing. It is powerfully delicate. It is inviting and detailed. The composition of each panel was purposeful and communicated the story perfectly. I particularly loved when only a sliver of something was shown in the panel-a wonderful use of spacial storytelling. I was shocked, moved, filled with joy and fear and tenderness and love while reading this book. I borrowed it from the library but I know I must own it someday. I wish I could put this book in the hands of every person on earth and have them read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia and War
Minor: Hate crime and Colonisation
All the listed content subjects are handled seriously and with care in the book. The tone is very much one of accepting painful life experiences and turning to loved ones to guide eachother.tinyjude's review against another edition
dark
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
A really beautiful book that focuses on the relationship between a mother and her son, language barriers, feeling isolated and not truly belonging to one place due to forceful migration and colonisation; and how they are able to understand and support each other through fairy tails such as Cinderella and The Little Mermaid. It was beautiful and fascinating to see the different depictions of the same tale depending on the cultural context. The colour palette was used with such creativity, helping the reader identify the past (yellow), the present (red) and the stories within the main story (blue) with complexity and beautiful details. I found myself instantly attached to the characters and the story. It was beautifully crafted and it couldn't come to me in a most precious and sad time to help me too.
The tale she narrates to her child at the end couldn't have been better. I was sobbing and wrecked. So touching.
The tale she narrates to her child at the end couldn't have been better. I was sobbing and wrecked. So touching.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Homophobia, Murder, and Outing
Moderate: Genocide, Xenophobia, Grief, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Gore and Blood
meganpbell's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
Through luminous and enchanting fairy tale retellings, the young American-born Tiến connects with his mother, who emigrated from Vietnam, as he struggles to come out to her. What a thoroughly enchanting, quietly moving, and engagingly beautiful tale, touching on so many aspects of the queer and immigrant experiences in such powerful and transformative ways!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
indeedithappens's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
pointeshoebookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? N/A
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Death, Hate crime, and Colonisation
ellornaslibrary's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
I had been looking at this graphic novel for awhile. The cover was always just so captivating it always drew my eye when popping up in recommendations, but I couldn’t get ahold of it at my library. Then I managed to get ahold of it this much just in time for a very important readathon - it is called Asian Readathon and is ran by Cindy (withcindy on YouTube); definitely check it out - and I’m so happy I was reminded of this book in time cause it is so, so good. Even made me cry a bit.
The art is stunning, and the way the stories of the mother and son are told through a mixture of their real world experience combined with the messages of fairytales is brilliant. I especially loved the information given by the author, Trung Le Nguyen, after the acknowledgements on his inspiration for both this important story he was telling as well as the comparison of graphic novels to a hybrid language.
I will give a warning though that as this is also a story about an LGQBTIA+ kid struggling with his identity in the 90s that there is a brief reference to the horrible, tragic murder of Matthew Shephard which was a big topic in the media at that time in regards to hate crimes and definitely relevant to the fears of coming out. There is also in regards to the immigration part of the story as far as mentions of loss of a parent & re-education(there might be some others I missed). I wanted anyone going into this graphic novel to be as informed as possible in case they aren’t able to handle it or need preparation to be able to do so.
Even so, I still think this is a beautiful story worth reading and highly recommend it.
The art is stunning, and the way the stories of the mother and son are told through a mixture of their real world experience combined with the messages of fairytales is brilliant. I especially loved the information given by the author, Trung Le Nguyen, after the acknowledgements on his inspiration for both this important story he was telling as well as the comparison of graphic novels to a hybrid language.
I will give a warning though that as this is also a story about an LGQBTIA+ kid struggling with his identity in the 90s that there is a brief reference to the horrible, tragic murder of Matthew Shephard which was a big topic in the media at that time in regards to hate crimes and definitely relevant to the fears of coming out. There is also in regards to the immigration part of the story as far as mentions of loss of a parent & re-education(there might be some others I missed). I wanted anyone going into this graphic novel to be as informed as possible in case they aren’t able to handle it or need preparation to be able to do so.
Even so, I still think this is a beautiful story worth reading and highly recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Hate crime, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Outing, and Colonisation
I wasn’t sure if there were content warning tags appropriate for the mention of re-education and having to flee your country the way that is depicted. If so, please let me know so I might add them to my review.abookwormspov's review against another edition
emotional
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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
chaoticnostalgia's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Colonisation and War
finesilkflower's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
A gentle relationship story between a boy and his mother, who primarily speak different languages but share the common language of stories, is interwoven with fairy tale retellings that comment on the framing story in complex and nuanced ways. Gorgeously drawn, with delicate intricate linework that reminds me of shojo manga, fashion illustration, and Perrault fairy tales. There is so much detail and thoughtfulness in the visual language; read the afterword for some behind-the-scenes info that will enhance your understanding of it.
This story is a great example of a specific tone that I love, where it's made up of small low-key moments - characters hanging out together, the kid goes to a dance, etc. The emotional tension of the story is anchored and rooted in the seriousness of the characters' struggles (e.g. immigrant experience, the fear of coming out), but it's ultimately sweet and hopeful.
A+ beautiful princess dress content.
This story is a great example of a specific tone that I love, where it's made up of small low-key moments - characters hanging out together, the kid goes to a dance, etc. The emotional tension of the story is anchored and rooted in the seriousness of the characters' struggles (e.g. immigrant experience, the fear of coming out), but it's ultimately sweet and hopeful.
A+ beautiful princess dress content.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Colonisation
laurajones's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Terminal illness, Murder, and War
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Colonisation