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raechsreads's review
5.0
Saints is the counterpart of Boxers. Saints tells the story of a young girl learning about Christianity and where she belongs in the world. Is she Chinese or a Chinese Christian? This she needs to discover for herself. The very end is an epilogue for both graphic novels.
a_brash's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
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? It's complicated
4.25
dead_vole_jumpscare's review
4.0
the combination of history and magic/folklore is so cool! i wish i'd had the 1st to read tho lol
sandraagee's review
4.0
It's difficult to talk about this book without also talking about it's companion, [b:Boxers|17210470|Boxers (Boxers & Saints, #1)|Gene Luen Yang|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1359199413s/17210470.jpg|23691809]. Each book presents a different perspective of the Boxer Rebellion, complete with Gene Luen Yang's signature use of myth and magic. Put together, the books give us a more complete picture of this conflict.
This second volume is much slimmer than Boxers, but it still packs quite a punch. Vibiana's character is very interesting, even if a bit more subtle than Little Bao from Boxers. I found her motives for converting to Christianity interesting and while I didn't completely buy any real spirituality from her at first, her final stand at the end of the book completely transformed my opinion of her character. I loved the use of Joan of Arc as her foil.
This book benefits especially from a variety of diverse, complex secondary characters to round out the story and present even more of the different perspectives from this time.
This second volume is much slimmer than Boxers, but it still packs quite a punch. Vibiana's character is very interesting, even if a bit more subtle than Little Bao from Boxers. I found her motives for converting to Christianity interesting and while I didn't completely buy any real spirituality from her at first, her final stand at the end of the book completely transformed my opinion of her character. I loved the use of Joan of Arc as her foil.
This book benefits especially from a variety of diverse, complex secondary characters to round out the story and present even more of the different perspectives from this time.
saralynnburnett's review
4.0
The companion novel to Boxers, Saints tells a story of the Boxer rebellion from the other side. It’s different than Boxers, more tragic, less colorful (literally and figuratively) but all of that suits the sad tale Four-Girl.
ltwardwriter's review
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
hegoodrich's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
kevinweitzel44's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this one. But I'm not entirely sure now I'd Bao died or not.
motokosmos's review
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
elizbiz's review
5.0
Yang's compelling and creative use of the dual volume for Boxers & Saints shows and prompts the reader to practice the nuance of complex socio-political-religious conflicts. From a Religious Studies perspective, and an avid graphic novel fan's, this collection is a triumph.
Although Saints is marked as #2 on Goodreads, the order does not matter—the two volumes circle a singular narrative but highlight different perspectives and fill in the pieces of the other. Boxers, following Bao of the Boxer Rebellion, and Saints, following Four-Girl/Vibiana of the Chinese Christian community, complement and complete one another.
Each "side" of the story is rich in details that show religion, particularly when mixed with nationalism and proselytizing, is more than a vehicle for violence, and how individual actors still have agency within their faith communities and commitments to stop or perpetuate that violence.
They also comment on the often perplexing notions of intercultural and interfaith dialogue. In the case of Vibiana's "conversion" to Christianity, it is still often viewed through her Chinese folk religion lens. Or, importantly, also at times when she is bored with catechism but feels a sense of acceptance in a community that will give her a name and a purpose. Sometimes religion can be a desire for ritual and/or sometimes a desire for community. The most fascinating case is in the epilogue of Saints where Bao, in an effort to save his life, mimics the Lord's prayer that Vibiana teaches him before he kills her and he is spared. Religion be used, read, and deployed for many complex reasons that are not always empirically apparent to onlookers.
Additionally, Yang crafts a fascinating system of religion in this fictional historical world. An easy and surface-level conclusion could be that religion is bad because it ended poorly, or ambiguously, or each main character. However, I don't find this to be the case. Coming away from this text, I find that Yang shows the importance of religion. It motivates, it disparages, it complicates, it heals, it accepts, it frustrates. Yang also cleverly affirms religion from both sides. Although others cannot see the popular gods that possess The Fist nor Vibiana's visions of Joan, it doesn't make their commitments or convictions inherently false. Those experiences are affirmed as real for them and have real-world consequences. Religion is real in these volumes in a way that many other media try to achieve but often result in odd theological stances (I'm looking at you MCU). Yang's craft is careful and conscious for that and I hope to find a way to teach these volumes in my classroom someday!
Although Saints is marked as #2 on Goodreads, the order does not matter—the two volumes circle a singular narrative but highlight different perspectives and fill in the pieces of the other. Boxers, following Bao of the Boxer Rebellion, and Saints, following Four-Girl/Vibiana of the Chinese Christian community, complement and complete one another.
Each "side" of the story is rich in details that show religion, particularly when mixed with nationalism and proselytizing, is more than a vehicle for violence, and how individual actors still have agency within their faith communities and commitments to stop or perpetuate that violence.
They also comment on the often perplexing notions of intercultural and interfaith dialogue. In the case of Vibiana's "conversion" to Christianity, it is still often viewed through her Chinese folk religion lens. Or, importantly, also at times when she is bored with catechism but feels a sense of acceptance in a community that will give her a name and a purpose. Sometimes religion can be a desire for ritual and/or sometimes a desire for community. The most fascinating case is in the epilogue of Saints where Bao, in an effort to save his life, mimics the Lord's prayer that Vibiana teaches him before he kills her and he is spared. Religion be used, read, and deployed for many complex reasons that are not always empirically apparent to onlookers.
Additionally, Yang crafts a fascinating system of religion in this fictional historical world. An easy and surface-level conclusion could be that religion is bad because it ended poorly, or ambiguously, or each main character. However, I don't find this to be the case. Coming away from this text, I find that Yang shows the importance of religion. It motivates, it disparages, it complicates, it heals, it accepts, it frustrates. Yang also cleverly affirms religion from both sides. Although others cannot see the popular gods that possess The Fist nor Vibiana's visions of Joan, it doesn't make their commitments or convictions inherently false. Those experiences are affirmed as real for them and have real-world consequences. Religion is real in these volumes in a way that many other media try to achieve but often result in odd theological stances (I'm looking at you MCU). Yang's craft is careful and conscious for that and I hope to find a way to teach these volumes in my classroom someday!