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jstilts's reviews
104 reviews
The Storm of Echoes by Christelle Dabos
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A satisfying conclusion to the series, but it's not just a wrapping-up of plots: The Storm of Echoes puts Ophelia through more hardships as she explores and suffers through yet another institution in this strange world. As much as Books 1 and 2 felt like a pair, Book 3 and 4 do much the same, elevating the third book somewhat.
There are interesting and sometimes distressing themes introduced, including the deportation of refugees and minorities, forced institutionalisation and medical experimentation - all new to this book, which for a final is very welcome.
As for the ending, it kept me on my toes right to the very finish - I've not read much fantasy for a very long time, and while I think this pretty much played to it's own rules there was a lot introduced in the final half of this book, so I can't honestly say I feel completely happy there was a through-line from the first to the last book... and looking back there are perhaps a few rather convenient coincidences along the way. Still, I highly recommend the series as a whole!
There are interesting and sometimes distressing themes introduced, including the deportation of refugees and minorities, forced institutionalisation and medical experimentation - all new to this book, which for a final is very welcome.
As for the ending, it kept me on my toes right to the very finish - I've not read much fantasy for a very long time, and while I think this pretty much played to it's own rules there was a lot introduced in the final half of this book, so I can't honestly say I feel completely happy there was a through-line from the first to the last book... and looking back there are perhaps a few rather convenient coincidences along the way. Still, I highly recommend the series as a whole!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, and Deportation
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Death, Infertility, Murder, and Dysphoria
Minor: Terminal illness
Swimming on the Lawn by Yasmin Hamid
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-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
5.0
A beautiful poetical book that shows Sudan of the 1960s through the eyes of young Farida, the oldest of three siblings living in Khartoum.
Each chapter follows Farida through a different day in her life, revealing to us only what she understands and revelling in the small details that grab her attention. A sense of foreboding hangs over the book, I think partly because as an adult I am uncomfortable with not understanding everything that is happening, whereas for Farida that is just life as a child: not always comprehending, and rarely getting explanations from adults - Farida takes a lot on trust, and to be fair her trust is well placed.
Nevertheless that sense of foreboding is eventually borne out - this is a turning point in Sudan's history after all - and it's an emotional few days only made more intense by feeling it through Farida.
It's hard to believe this is Junior Fiction - while in theory very accessible for young readers, they may have trouble sticking with what would seem like an aimless plot. As an adult, these are beautiful slices of life and a fascinating insight into Sudanese culture, even if the final chapters brings tears to the eye.
Each chapter follows Farida through a different day in her life, revealing to us only what she understands and revelling in the small details that grab her attention. A sense of foreboding hangs over the book, I think partly because as an adult I am uncomfortable with not understanding everything that is happening, whereas for Farida that is just life as a child: not always comprehending, and rarely getting explanations from adults - Farida takes a lot on trust, and to be fair her trust is well placed.
Nevertheless that sense of foreboding is eventually borne out - this is a turning point in Sudan's history after all - and it's an emotional few days only made more intense by feeling it through Farida.
It's hard to believe this is Junior Fiction - while in theory very accessible for young readers, they may have trouble sticking with what would seem like an aimless plot. As an adult, these are beautiful slices of life and a fascinating insight into Sudanese culture, even if the final chapters brings tears to the eye.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Death, Kidnapping, and War
She-Ra: Legend of the Fire Princess by Gigi D.G.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
3.75
If you've not seen the She-Ra Netflix show this will be a little inaccessible (so go watch it, it's genuinely great), but this graphic novel would have been a perfect early Season 2 episode.
It's absolutely spot-on to where the characters are at that point in their lives and their interpersonal relationships - yes, including the tense love/hate/frenemy triangle between Adora, Catra and Scorpia. Catra and Scorpia especially are given some space to have some moments that ring true and tug at the heartstrings.
Once the first few pages of info-dump are done it's fun, it's funny, it's touching, and while it slots in perfectly with the show the final few pages still manage to give Adora a deft bit of character development that wasn't ever quite addressed in the show so explicitly, but doesn't contradict anything either.
The art style is very close to the cartoon - my only complaints are the lettering is hard to read and the speech balloons sometimes have two people's words but only one pointer. Minor niggles!
It's absolutely spot-on to where the characters are at that point in their lives and their interpersonal relationships - yes, including the tense love/hate/frenemy triangle between Adora, Catra and Scorpia. Catra and Scorpia especially are given some space to have some moments that ring true and tug at the heartstrings.
Once the first few pages of info-dump are done it's fun, it's funny, it's touching, and while it slots in perfectly with the show the final few pages still manage to give Adora a deft bit of character development that wasn't ever quite addressed in the show so explicitly, but doesn't contradict anything either.
The art style is very close to the cartoon - my only complaints are the lettering is hard to read and the speech balloons sometimes have two people's words but only one pointer. Minor niggles!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
Incredible Hulk by Jason Aaron, Volume 1 by Jason Aaron
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Pretty lame stuff. Bruce Banner and the Hulk are finally seperated both physically and mentally into two discrete beings. Banner cartoonishly loses his mind. That's about it.
The art style is at first somewhat gristly but otherwise aimed at hormonal teens, then swaps artists to become simply a bit rubbish instead.
Cannot recommend this book at all.
The art style is at first somewhat gristly but otherwise aimed at hormonal teens, then swaps artists to become simply a bit rubbish instead.
Cannot recommend this book at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Cancer, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Self harm, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse
Sherlock Holmes - The Labyrinth of Death by James Lovegrove
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
While I have had serious issues with most of Titan's "New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", this mercifully is one of the better ones (see also Mark Latham's "The Red Tower").
James Lovegrove delivers a novel that eschews the steampunk and supernatural conceits that often blight this series, instead promising a tale that puts Watson in the spotlight as the duo investigate a missing persons case. The case leads them to a commune of sorts where Ancient Greek society and mythology is revered, including it's more macabre aspects. It doesn't really put Watson in the spotlight much more than usual - there were plenty of missed opportunities for that, even to the point of sidelining out heroes for a Holmes stand-in for much of the tale where instead Watson could have been written in - but everything on the page was good, so no complaints here.
It's not quite the mystery I was hoping for - the plot is relatively straightforward and solved before the third and final part, leaving the rest of the book as something of a thriller, but one where Holmes uses his brain to ensure their survival.
Lovegrove writes nicely in the expected style, and has created a very engaging page-turner that's generally quite good fun. A little lacking in the criminal deductions department, but this was too enjoyable a read for me to complain.
James Lovegrove delivers a novel that eschews the steampunk and supernatural conceits that often blight this series, instead promising a tale that puts Watson in the spotlight as the duo investigate a missing persons case. The case leads them to a commune of sorts where Ancient Greek society and mythology is revered, including it's more macabre aspects. It doesn't really put Watson in the spotlight much more than usual - there were plenty of missed opportunities for that, even to the point of sidelining out heroes for a Holmes stand-in for much of the tale where instead Watson could have been written in - but everything on the page was good, so no complaints here.
It's not quite the mystery I was hoping for - the plot is relatively straightforward and solved before the third and final part, leaving the rest of the book as something of a thriller, but one where Holmes uses his brain to ensure their survival.
Lovegrove writes nicely in the expected style, and has created a very engaging page-turner that's generally quite good fun. A little lacking in the criminal deductions department, but this was too enjoyable a read for me to complain.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Gun violence, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
World War One: 1914-1918 by Alan Cowsill
dark
informative
medium-paced
1.0
It probably seemed like an interesting challenge to condense the entirety of World War One into a 100 page graphic novel - but it was a mistake to think the result would be readable or engaging.
Frankly half the time this reads like a Wikipedia page, and while many of the subjects covered are worthy they are sped over. The book is supposedly narrated by one of the characters, but there is scant opportunity to experience anything from his point of view.
It's no "Charley's War" but I'm sad to say it does seem to borrow very freely from some of it's highlights - but without any of the character or depth that singular series excelled at. Very disappointing.
The art is passable.
Frankly half the time this reads like a Wikipedia page, and while many of the subjects covered are worthy they are sped over. The book is supposedly narrated by one of the characters, but there is scant opportunity to experience anything from his point of view.
It's no "Charley's War" but I'm sad to say it does seem to borrow very freely from some of it's highlights - but without any of the character or depth that singular series excelled at. Very disappointing.
The art is passable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death and Gun violence
R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) by Karel Čapek
dark
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
In short: surprisingly funny critique of capitalism with a sharp awareness of the societal upheaval the arrival of genuinely useful robots could present.
This Czech play from the 1920s is famous for coining the term "Robot" from the Czech words for serf labour. The titular Robots (human in appeance but much simpler on the inside) are being manufactured with the lofty goal of entirely freeing humans from labour - while making a lot of cash for the manufacturer, and saving lots of cash for the purchasers in unpaid labour. However, as this social revolution is set to take decades, the human workers faced with suffering unemployment through this lengthy change take arms against the robots - and so both Industry and Goverments arm the robots against the humans.
The play covers before, during and after the war - all from the perspective of those running Rossum's Universal Robots, and some of the robots themselves. It's a darkly comical play that critiques Capitalism, Industrialisation, Slavery, and to my surprise Misogyny - although it could be mistaken as only a reflection of the times it was written in depending on how the play is performed (however playwright Karel Čapek' politics point to it as a critique).
The epilogue is fascinatingly dark, and while the last lines became a mid 20th Century sci-fi cliche hoary enough to make my eyes roll, be aware this play was probably the very first to do it - and probably only did so to rescue the play from being utterly bleak, although I imagine people at the time found it so anyway!
This Czech play from the 1920s is famous for coining the term "Robot" from the Czech words for serf labour. The titular Robots (human in appeance but much simpler on the inside) are being manufactured with the lofty goal of entirely freeing humans from labour - while making a lot of cash for the manufacturer, and saving lots of cash for the purchasers in unpaid labour. However, as this social revolution is set to take decades, the human workers faced with suffering unemployment through this lengthy change take arms against the robots - and so both Industry and Goverments arm the robots against the humans.
The play covers before, during and after the war - all from the perspective of those running Rossum's Universal Robots, and some of the robots themselves. It's a darkly comical play that critiques Capitalism, Industrialisation, Slavery, and to my surprise Misogyny - although it could be mistaken as only a reflection of the times it was written in depending on how the play is performed (however playwright Karel Čapek' politics point to it as a critique).
The epilogue is fascinatingly dark, and while the last lines became a mid 20th Century sci-fi cliche hoary enough to make my eyes roll, be aware this play was probably the very first to do it - and probably only did so to rescue the play from being utterly bleak, although I imagine people at the time found it so anyway!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, War, and Classism
The Door-To-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
slow-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
What I took at first for a charming short read in fact takes a number of slightly shocking turns along the way that had me absolutely gripped. After reading the first few chapters over a number of short sessions, I read the final 3/4 of the book in one go to the wee hours of the morning!
This tale is about an elderly employee of a book store who has been hand-delivering books around his German town for decades, and absolutely lives for the job. Circumstances put his ongoing employment in doubt, just as he is joined on his rounds by a disruptive but sweet schoolgirl - and it's as much their story as it is about the people they deliver books to.
This tale is about an elderly employee of a book store who has been hand-delivering books around his German town for decades, and absolutely lives for the job. Circumstances put his ongoing employment in doubt, just as he is joined on his rounds by a disruptive but sweet schoolgirl - and it's as much their story as it is about the people they deliver books to.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Where Is Anne Frank by Ari Folman, Lena Guberman
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
1.0
Hate to give this a 1 star rating, but for what it is trying to achieve (according to the afterword: depict the holocaust and reflect current events where millions of children are displaced by war to diminishing numbers of countries willing to give refuge), it's simply not very good.
The plot is an incoherent mess, the art style is variable (even between characters in the same panel), and there's that crushing sense that a very worthy subject has been squandered. It tries to be reverential - ironically while critiquing such reverence - it's almost offensive in it's failure.
Additionally, I can't imagine who this book is aimed at. Perhaps it hopes to encourage those who have never read Anne Frank to do so, but I think they'll be baffled. For those who have read Anne Frank, I think they'll find this much as I did - an unworthy addition full of random nonsense, with a germ of an idea that went nowhere interesting.
The plot is an incoherent mess, the art style is variable (even between characters in the same panel), and there's that crushing sense that a very worthy subject has been squandered. It tries to be reverential - ironically while critiquing such reverence - it's almost offensive in it's failure.
Additionally, I can't imagine who this book is aimed at. Perhaps it hopes to encourage those who have never read Anne Frank to do so, but I think they'll be baffled. For those who have read Anne Frank, I think they'll find this much as I did - an unworthy addition full of random nonsense, with a germ of an idea that went nowhere interesting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, War, Classism, and Deportation
Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
3.0
Short enough to read in one sitting, which is probably ideal as the chapters swap between Nick and Charlie's perspective (while remaining entirely linear); each chapter informs what was REALLY going on with the other person in the previous chapter, and maintaining this is vital to the flow of the narrative.
For fans of the series, this one has some shocks - but by the end you'll realise it's still good wholesome stuff that would be good to put in the hands of someone facing similar emotional experiences. It's almost a fictional handbook in illustrating how not everything is always the way it appears - especially when you are catastrophising!
This isn't a graphic novel like most of the Heartstopper series to date (although there are a few sweet panels), and at first it seems like it doesn't translate well to prose: Nick and Charlie's voice seems off, and Charlie sounds way too mature - until I realise, this is their inner monologue and not the way they present themselves to the outside world. Sure enough, when they talk or text - same old Nick and Charlie. While in no way a criticism of the excellent graphic novels, this book definitely enriches their characters in a way the graphic novels were never going to - and that's more down to the creative decision to have almost every thought in the graphic novel presented in a conversational way.
For fans of the series, this one has some shocks - but by the end you'll realise it's still good wholesome stuff that would be good to put in the hands of someone facing similar emotional experiences. It's almost a fictional handbook in illustrating how not everything is always the way it appears - especially when you are catastrophising!
This isn't a graphic novel like most of the Heartstopper series to date (although there are a few sweet panels), and at first it seems like it doesn't translate well to prose: Nick and Charlie's voice seems off, and Charlie sounds way too mature - until I realise, this is their inner monologue and not the way they present themselves to the outside world. Sure enough, when they talk or text - same old Nick and Charlie. While in no way a criticism of the excellent graphic novels, this book definitely enriches their characters in a way the graphic novels were never going to - and that's more down to the creative decision to have almost every thought in the graphic novel presented in a conversational way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Eating disorder