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betweentheshelves's reviews
2700 reviews
49 Days by Agnes Lee
emotional
reflective
sad
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? No
4.5
This is beautifuly done. It is subtle at the beginning, and if you read it too quickly, I think you'll miss the emotions behind the story. Lee takes the reader through the emotions of grief, both from the perspective of someone who has died too soon and from the family and friends they left behind. All of the elements work so well together, flipping between Kit and her family. I appreciated the use of color to distinguish between the two, making it easy for the reader to follow.
The art itself is somewhat simple in nature, but Lee is still able to portray so much emotion in her art. It's truly such a lovely graphic novel, and one that I'd recommend to everyone.
The art itself is somewhat simple in nature, but Lee is still able to portray so much emotion in her art. It's truly such a lovely graphic novel, and one that I'd recommend to everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Car accident, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Blood
Spider-Man: Spider-Island by Emma Ríos, Tom Fowler, Max Fiumara, Rick Remender, Barry Kitson, Onofrio Catacchio, Dan Slott, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Scott Hanna, Humberto Ramos, Lee Garbett, Stefano Caselli, Minck Oosterveer
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I do enjoy Dan Slott's writing when it comes to Spider-Man, and this reads as sort of a pre-curser to Spider-Verse. Everyone being trapped in Manhattan as a spider virus rampages through the city lends itself to some fun moments, especially for Peter as he's trying to hide his own identity. Ramos isn't my favorite artist, though, so the art wasn't always it for me. But overall, definitely a fun Spider-Man story.
An Outbreak of Witchcraft: A Graphic Novel of the Salem Witch Trials by Deborah Noyes
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
There's a lot of information packed into this graphic novel, which isn't a bad thing! If you want to learn more about the Salem Witch Trials, this would definitely be a good place to start. Noyes gives context throughout, connecting the dots between the more narrative part of the story. It would work well in a high school setting touching on this part of history.
However, at times it is difficult to follow who is who (partly because there are so many people involved). There is a guide at the beginning, but something more of a family tree showing how people are connected might have been more helpful. I would forget who was who while I was reading. Despite that, this is well done overall with art that depicts the feeling at the time so well. I love that there are more nonfiction graphic novels for teens because it makes the informaiton much more easily digestable. Let's keep them coming!
However, at times it is difficult to follow who is who (partly because there are so many people involved). There is a guide at the beginning, but something more of a family tree showing how people are connected might have been more helpful. I would forget who was who while I was reading. Despite that, this is well done overall with art that depicts the feeling at the time so well. I love that there are more nonfiction graphic novels for teens because it makes the informaiton much more easily digestable. Let's keep them coming!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, and Torture
HoverGirls by Geneva Bowers
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Once again, the art in this is stunning. The world building is confusing and honestly kind of chaotic. I'm left with a lot of a questions about the magic, the powers, etc. Kim and Jalissa have a fun dynamic, with a little bit of growth by the end of this particular arc. I'm not sure if the story goes futher than this in the webcomic, but I could see it continuing! Maybe with a bit more explanation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Violence
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Infidelity, Car accident, and War
Greater Secrets by Ananth Hirsh, Tess Stone
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Sooo...is this going to get a sequel? Because if not, that's a really cruel way to end the story. Lol. My favorite thing about this was definitely the art. There are some gorgeous panels and landscapes in this. I do wish there were a few more explanations included throughout. Is mythology a part of this world? Is this set in the future? How far in the future? Parts of the story were definitely confusing and a bit difficult for me to follow.
Fingers crossed the story continues in another volume to give us more context!
Fingers crossed the story continues in another volume to give us more context!
Off Menu by Oliver Gerlach
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.0
A delightful little cozy fantasy graphic novel about the power of food to bring people together. The art fit the overall tone of the book really well, depicting some delicious food concoctions. In addition to fighting for control of the restaurant she loves, this book is also about Soup's journey finding confidence and learning to take time for herself. If you like books like Legends and Lattes, this is definitely the graphic novel for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Abandonment
Girlmode by Magdalene Visaggio
emotional
hopeful
medium-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
2.5
This was...not really what I was expecting, and man, these teens at this school were really awful to Phoebe. There was so much potential here to make commentary on being a teenage girl in current society, but it almost feels like it was taken too far. The way Mackenzie talks about being a girl to Phoebe at points just didn't jive with me.
The art, though, was really great! Probably the best part of the book overall, if I'm being honest. Not necessarily my favorite graphic novel of the year.
The art, though, was really great! Probably the best part of the book overall, if I'm being honest. Not necessarily my favorite graphic novel of the year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cancer, Death, and Drug use
Flopping in a Winter Wonderland by Jason June
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
3.0
If you enjoy Hallmark movies, this is definitely a holiday book for you. It's a light, fluffy romance set on a remote Christmas island, which is fun! The competition aspect between the teens that lived on the island was a little odd to me, and I do wish the voices between the main characters would have been made a little more distinct. But overall, it was a fun holiday book to read over the Christmas holiday!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Grief and Abandonment
Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Avengers & Fantastic Four: Empyre by Valerio Schiti, Dan Slott, Al Ewing
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The problem with reading Marvel comics when you're just following one character is that you get to large scale events like this one and are often missing some part of the story. That's definitely how I felt reading this volume, because there's a lot of space Marvel things happening in this that I didn't have context for. I powered through, though, and I did like some of the art in this one! I know that this is a jumping point for Marvel space in the future, so we'll see if I go down that route!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide and Violence
Even If It Breaks Your Heart by Erin Hahn
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Explorations of grief definitely seemed to be a trend in YA romance in 2024 because there were a lot of them. To be fair, it is a pretty popular theme to explore in YA, it just felt like there were a lot of them this year. Which I'm thinking is a side effect of the pandemic, because it's likely a lot more teens have had to deal with this because of that.
Anyway! This book hit all of the right notes when it came to exploring grief. Case is struggling with the fact that his best friend is gone and how that influences his own future; especially when it means Walker's dreams go unfulfilled. Winnie is struggling with pursuing her own dreams when she has to take care of her younger siblings. Both Winnie and Case have excellent chemistry, and they bring out the best in each other. Hahn also made their voices distinct enough that I didn't get confused when they switched POVs, which isn't something easy to do!
I do feel like the resolution at the end felt a little too quick, especially when we're talking about Winnie's POV. And while I understand the need to include pop culture references, it felt like there were a lot in this (though maybe it's just because they tend to bother me), so they took me out of the story a little bit.
All in all, if you enjoy cowboy romances and explorations of grief, definitely check this one out!
Anyway! This book hit all of the right notes when it came to exploring grief. Case is struggling with the fact that his best friend is gone and how that influences his own future; especially when it means Walker's dreams go unfulfilled. Winnie is struggling with pursuing her own dreams when she has to take care of her younger siblings. Both Winnie and Case have excellent chemistry, and they bring out the best in each other. Hahn also made their voices distinct enough that I didn't get confused when they switched POVs, which isn't something easy to do!
I do feel like the resolution at the end felt a little too quick, especially when we're talking about Winnie's POV. And while I understand the need to include pop culture references, it felt like there were a lot in this (though maybe it's just because they tend to bother me), so they took me out of the story a little bit.
All in all, if you enjoy cowboy romances and explorations of grief, definitely check this one out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic