divineblkpearl's reviews
733 reviews

I'M A SINGLE MOTHER IN A FAKE MARRIAGE Vol. 3 by Kurako Watanabe

Content Warnings

The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

In my latest haul from my library was Molly Ostertag’s graphic novel, The Girl In The Sea. This graphic novel proved to be very queer and gelled together a narrative of first loves, friendship, and secrets around the shape-shifting selkie piece of folklore. Morgan Kwon is a teenager with a big secret that she feels will make her an outsider. She's also dealing with a family situation that has left her family feeling less whole. The narrative here in this book leans toward sbeing a teenager and feeling lost in the world with a twist.That twist is Morgan being saved by a selkie who rescues her one stormy night and whose kiss allowed her to transform and walk on land.

I loved Ostertag’s visual interpretation of the selkie skin used as clothing between the girls. I loved the complicated messiness of Morgan's teenage angst on page and Keltie, the selkie's adorable fascination with everything human. The Girl in The Sea is a beautiful story about a gay teen failing and trying to be her most authentic self while feeling like a shapeshifter against a backdrop of the ocean, magic, and the obligations we have to each other.

Morgan isn't a perfect protagonist, a perfect friend, or daughter--yet I still was emotionally invested in seeing her be loved and supported and figuring out that not all secrets should be kept. I came for a cute graphic novel centering on girls and I stayed for the marvelous tale of how the connections we make in the world don't always fit into the plans we make but turn out to be ones we cherish, always.

Content Warnings

Yakuza Lover, Vol. 1 by Nozomi Mino

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adventurous emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Yakuza Lover is a fresh breath of air in the crop of shojo romances when you have a taste for more Josei manga content. And it does NOT disappoint-- it is STEAMY, STEAMY, STEAMY smutty goodness! Outspoken and fiesty college student Yuri has a fateful meeting with striking Toshiomi Oya, the underboss of a yakuza syndicate once night when he saves her at a party. Their meeting that night by chance leads them to meet once more and a love affair starts!

I think what grabs me the most is the handling of the tropes: bad boy meets girl” the mafia/yakuza man falls in love with an ordinary girl--certainly a hit or miss read for those who don’t care for those tropes or stories that employ them. What was refreshing was the push for consent in the narrative--Oya never pushes Yuri to do nothing she doesn't want to. It is refreshing to see her be assertive and take the reigns on what happens regarding their bedroom activities. There's a really superb scene near the end of the book between the two that is really illustrative of the mangaka's purposeful placing of Yuri on the page. Yuri's desires, her agency, the dynamic of being the only one who can see certain vulnerable faces and pieces of Oya and the power she gets from it. WHEW. That scene alone connects some much of the narrative tissue and holds together a pretty winning first volume.

Yuri isn’t a plain jane type of girl who is a timid wall flower. Oya isn’t a muscled brute of a man who deals in illegal backroom activities who doesn’t have much emotional intelligence. It is too early to truly say that they step out of their roles that we see them in now as they are still developing as characters but I can say first volume in: it is headed in a good direction.

The art is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I really became captivated by some of the scenes like the two lovers in a hotel in each other arms near a window with fireworks (not so subtly) signifying the climax of their passion. I loved all the chibi Yuri illustrations of her raging out throughout the book.

You want a delicious romance yakuza flavored for the manga reading grownups in the room? You may want to pick this one up. This first volume isn’t perfect, there’s a handful of pages with pieces of dialogue that tickled me as corny and made me laugh unintentionally. Some readers may think that the relationship has progressed two far too soon (towards the middle, Yuri mentions that she’s seen him once in two months due to his busy schedule)--yet I have to say that this first volume is a fast paced, heart pounding smutty volume of Josei genred manga that I loved reading. How often do we get Josei manga licensed and printed? This was a good move on Viz’s end (through the shojo beat imprint) who seem to be better known for their shonen titles.

Content Warnings

Boys Run the Riot, Volume 1 by Keito Gaku

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challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

I can remember the first time I read a manga with a trans main character. It was Claudine by Riyoko Ikeda. A classic piece of manga history receiving its official English translation just a few years ago.

Over the years, we've been blessed with a wider variety of newer, fresher and more nuanced storytelling featuring LGBTQIA+ characters in the realm of manga reaching our shores being translated outside of Japan. As someone who has been reading manga since I was a kid--middle school years--I just never thought I’d ever get to read such a manga like Boys Run The Riot. Not for lack of Japanese creatives making such incredible work but because of other factors like considering what publishers would push what titles, public (conservative leaning) opinion, and the like.

Keito Gaku’s manga comes at such a time. Boys Run The Riot comes at such a time.

This manga has strong coming of age vibes and those who love series set in high school (a la’ school life) will appreciate the narrative of Ryo coming into his own. Just as a trans person living in a body, going to a school, living in a home where he can’t fully be himself. But as a young adult wanting to forge a future for himself and have some measure of happiness and fulfillment. For Ryo: his escape from all that’s work in his life is art and fashion and the clothes he can wear and the street wear he admires. It is camouflage. It is armor. It is one of the few weapons he can utilize to feel okay in his own skin.

The mangka never loses focus on Ryo and his struggles and pulls them into this beautifully heart wrenching and hopeful story about finding your true self and the unexpected ally you may find along the way. There are spots of comedic hilarity. There’s tears and frustrations. There’s profound moments. There’s thought provoking commentary on what it feels like to be an outsider--a sentiment that everyone in their teen years has felt at least once. It is 2021 and we’re seeing more and more stories with and about trans, nonbinary and genderqueer characters getting their due and not in the background. The other characters like a quiet, non-confrontation classmate who loves taking photos and the young man who ends up being Ryo’s partner in crime, so to speak--both start to go down paths of being more courageous and doing more.

I’ve really enjoyed the art style that Gaku brings to the table: I love the attention to detail to the street wear the teens make, the graffiti, the intensity of the expressions especially when in the emotional scenes. Boys Run The Riot comes at such a time. Easily one of my favorite manga debuts this year, Kodansha has taken care and really paid attention to handling this incredible story: I had picked up from Twitter that the English translator (Leo McDonald) is trans but the entire team behind the English-language release is all trans. Wow! I know in reviews and publishing, we talk about representation so often yet being able to hold a book like this in my hands is really the dream.

It is also one that I hope continues--that more trans creatives can collab on bringing more storytelling that presents whole, evolving portrayals of trans folks that escape the tragic stories that have been the norm. My one critique actually is influenced by a few reviews that I read regarding how Ryo’s gender dysphoria could be explored/explained more clearer in the first volume. Alas, as I am not someone who deals with that, I am not equipped to speak on it as some other readers and reviewers have but I am certainly interested in how that is handled in the narrative here on out and hope to educate myself to understand those who are dealing with issues like so. This manga blew me out of the water and I can’t wait to read the next issue.

Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, misgendering, Gender Dysphoria
Minor: blood, bullying

The One Thing You'd Save by Linda Sue Park

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-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? N/A

4.0

For the #kidlit & poetry fans: I recently read 'The One Thing You'd Save' by Linda Sue Park--a teacher asking her middle school class about what they'd save in their home caught fire- 10/10 would do it again! WHOLESOME BOOK! All the kids shine with their answers--

In the author's note, she writes that she borrowed the line structure from sijo. An ancient form of Korean poetry. I love this handling of something older for a children's book-introducing new readers to not only poetry but a piece of your culture.

What can't be understated is the story--instead of an individual poem per kid--the story is alive! Students and the teacher-Ms. Chang interjecting and commenting. It's busy at times, quiets at others--paced great with so much personality and warmth!

From the practical answers of what to save in case of a fire: someone's mom's insulin kit, someone's dad's wallet--to sentimental--a sweater unraveled and knitted twice by grandmothers to what looks like that universe's version of Pokemon cards!!! (Art by Robert Sae-Heng ) While the black and white art works for a majority for the small piece of art inserted [The dog], there were a number of illustrations that would have lit up the scene , I bet, if colored! [The beach scene, the laptop, the tea boxes]

'The One Thing You'd Save' is a short but thought provoking read. The kids shine even tho it is a brief book. Accessible Prose, (could help kids rethink poetry as a whole) fun B & W art [I had BIG feels with the dog illo] for the 8 - 12 Years age range. Wholesome experience!

Content Warnings

The Tradition by Jericho Brown

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

No shaming here—His book 'The Tradition' is a 2019 poetry collection that won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. His poems certainly carry a certain weight, they have body to them. Which works because the poet pens about his body often. He writes of Black bodies touched with tender care by lovers and violated by those who are predators and those who do harm.

Poems like 'Bullets Points' point to the ever exhausting relationship Black people have to the police and being over policed here in America. The Duplex poems all share themes of love, lust, wholeness and being in repair. Jericho Brown, y'all. This is the necessary poetry book that I'm not sure we deserve but he gave it us anyway. Superb collection. I'm reading on my kindle but I just bought a physical copy and I'm looking up his other poetry collection now.

Also? This beautiful artwork on the cover by L. Ralphi Burges. A striking image that quietly kept looking at me, taking up space in my subconscious . It even made it into one of my dreams. And for someone who often doesn't remember most of my dreams, this was a really poetic thing. Note: The Tradition won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, making Jericho Brown the first black gay man to receive that award in its 98-year history.

Content Warnings

Nubia: Real One by L.L. McKinney, Robyn Smith

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense 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

5.0

Yes, there are cool action scenes and fun dancy, fun panels with the besties but my FAVORITE pages from Nubia: Real One are the ones of Nubia's parents embracing her. Loving on her. In a year that continues to drown us in Black death by hands of the police, these ring true. 🖤 I just want to see more Black girls protected and loved and alive. 🖤
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Rereading Nubia: Real One by the creative team of L.L. McKinney and Robyn Smith has
me thankful for such small moments of comfort and love for teenage Nubia in the YA reimaging of Wonder Woman's twin sister living in a time of Black Lives Matter, racial inequality, school violence and living amongst those who don't respect boundaries or care about consent. There are several scary moments like Nubia having a police officer hold a loaded gun at her as she's on her way home to an intense series of moments when her high school goes on lockdown due to an active shooter on campus.
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This graphic novel address a question: “Can you be a hero…if society doesn’t see you as a person?” Being young gifted and (openly) Black, this version of Nubia can most definitely be a hero, an avatar for those who see themselves in a world that doesn’t always look kindly to them. This is a graphic novel that speaks to Black girlhood, coming of age in turbulent times and becoming the hero you need, first and foremost. ULTIMATELY, I really wanna see Black girl win. Fictional and real. This book fulfills that need in comic book form.

Content Warnings

Haru's Curse by Asuka Konishi

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dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Haru's Curse is extraordinary in the way that the author breaks down what grief looks like. The visuals of what it means to be a grieving person who has lost someone, who has lost part of themselves and who has lost part of the future that they have been planning. I was unprepared with how nuanced the relationships in this manga become and how deeply I felt bonding with the characters. Natsumi has lost the only person in the world that she loved most: her little sister, Haru.

She was her entire world and now that she's gone she's locked into this cycle of guilt and grief--she's also apparently dating her late sister's fiance'--Togo.Sounds like a hot mess, believe me, I know. But the journey is one, I do not regret taking. Haru's Curse almost has a coming of age type feel--this is what I realized after reading it to finish for the first time. It is every bit an incredible manga about the lives we lead and who we love. Yet it is also about first loves, the people who roll into our lives and impact us. It is a book about growing up, maturing and figuring out what your life means to you. This one took me by surprise. So much. I can not stress just how it blew me away again and again after my second and third reread.

Asuka Konishi’s English-language debut is a superb effort that presents a narrative where love, family and expectations can linger like a curse, like burdens on us all and how some of us are lucky enough to see the writing on the wall and make the choices that are not always offered to many.

the ending feels rushed--wrapped up the book but it surprised me. May come off as jarring the first time you read it--it would sit fine with me if another reader took off points or stars for the ending alone.

Come, Read with Me by Margriet Ruurs

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted

3.75

Come Read with Me, opens to book pages, dragons, mountains and smiling, 
happy faces. This children’s book follows the adventures of two small childreneagerly moving through many fictional 
worlds and the desire to read and be read to is framed as a great adventure,
itself. Newcomer illustrator Christine Wei’s artwork pops with color with all manner of objects and creatures that 
are fun to look at and young minds will love to point out. 

The two protagonist, two young girls or
 color, it looks like, move from page to 
page from magical setting to magical 
setting and I count it all joy to 
reread to catch all the finer details 
on the pages from the sloth hanging outin the corner of one page to the crafty animals stealing some lunch on one of the 
last pages. (there apparently enough literature references like Alice in wonderland to point out in the artwork but none of it feels consistent enough to carry through) Author Margriet Ruurs with over forty books credited to her, pens poetic verse to accompany the children on their way here in this tale. 

Come Read With Me opens with a loving embrace and ends with one, reading is presented as a loving but fun activity to do with other people you love--for the 
little ones present on the page--it is with a grownup. This title from Orca Books is perfect for the 3-5 age group but as picture books can we enjoyed by 
ALL age groups, I wouldn’t discourage a parent, an educator, librarian or vivacious 
reader the ability to purchase a 
copy for themselves.

Love Is a Revolution by Renée Watson

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-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

3.75

You know that old adage: "Never judge a book by its cover?" YEAH. I saw this book cover and was stunned: by how gorgeous the art was. Nala is hella cute and the colors just pop. And then it struck me--how many times I could count on my hand a plus sized Black girl!!! Nala is centered on the cover AND in the narrative--in such a confident stance. Author Renee Watson talked about it in an interview:"So many times in literature, big bodies are erased or portrayed in defeated, downtrodden ways. I am intentional about having girls with big bodies on covers who are happy, content and fashionable. I truly believe that representation matters, and that includes body diversity as well."

In this YA novel, Nala is a Black teenage girl who, like many teenagers is staring the summer in the eyes. Summer is finally here and she wants to have fun, go places, heck, even fall in love. She’s also staring the changing transitions that come with young adulthood: she has yet to figure out what she wants to do after highschool, she hasn’t even written her personal statement essays for college apps and she constantly reminded of the expectation of her family for her. She’s also in a weird space: her best friend, her cousin is drifting away from her and she can’t figure ot why. Dragged to a youth activist meeting by her cousin and neighborhood friend, she finds a guy involved in the group in a leadership position who thinks she’s cute. He’s interested in what she has to say and a little lie becomes a big lie in the foundation of their new and fresh relationship that builds over the summer.

So, I hate the “I lied in the beginning and will ultimately hurt this person I might/may/will be in love with” trope. Alas, I do love Renée Watson’s writing. She writes in the familiar voice that everything I open up a book of hers, I feel at home. I feel like this voice is from my old neighborhood. From middle school lit like ‘Piercing Me Together’ to kid lit like ‘Harlem’s Little Blackbird’, I welcomed reading this book in the YA genre as I’m always game for her work. So the pros and cons for the review!

Pros:

The narrative: Took me by surprise in a way that worked very well with exploring the characters. I hope that Nala’s story would not revolve around Tye, the cute guy she met. It did not take center stage. Instead the relationships of Nala’s family take this precious spot and the story was better for it. Nala’s cousin, Imani, Imani’s parents who took in Nala after tensions with her mother, and Nala’s favorite person--her grandmother color the pages and as a reader, I learned so much about Nala through the interactions with them. There are some great themes threaded into the story that are super important and relevant like activism in the neighborhood, especially for young people today as we learn more and more about social injustices and more young people are heading movements.

Representation of what we don’t see often in literature super often nowadays: Black girls, Plus sized Black girls and women centered in stories and on the cover. Also young people not always living with their parents but having family members as their legal guardians. There is an example of a loving, supportive family that has Nala’s back. While complicated, (Nala left home after an argument with her biological mother and went to live with her auntie, uncle and cousin) they met and do their best for family gatherings and taking care of each other. I reckon it could have been easy for any other author to lean towards Black pain and Black trauma here and thankfully this author doesn’t. It is mostly implied in Nala’s own words that not every is well equipped to handle everything in life, like parenthood and that is fine. Like the Ashanti proverb,” it takes a village (to raise a child)” and this was one of the biggest selling points that I hope readers don’t gloss over. It is ever so important for Black characters and Black families.

Cons:

While it served the topic of self love, the lyrics (by fictional indie singer Blu?) that sometimes opened a chapter or led Nala listening to in a moment of feeling down, killed some of the immersion for me as I read through this book in a few sittings. The pacing of the book threw me for a loop after the big confrontation scene where Nala is “found out” and some loose ends about certain family members for both Nala and Tye fell flat to me as the book was ending.

Overall a solid book for the YA audience with a few weak points, I loved Nala as a character. We are not always perfect. People are flawed, imperfect, messy. Being a teen, especially one of color and especially a young woman isn’t an easy road to travel, speaking from experience. Author Renee Watson fills these pages of someone I rooted for, someone I cringed for and ultimately a character that picked herself up on the pages I read who danced and struggled and preserved, finding that loving herself during a summer to remember was the biggest prize to win.

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divineblkpearl's reviews 733 reviews

divineblkpearl's reviews
733 reviews