Reviews

Confetti Realms by Nadia Shammas

chaosandbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Poignant, spooky, and weird! Fans of Studio Ghibli will enjoy this one for sure. 

lillieslibraryy's review against another edition

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I had such high hopes going into this. I loved Nadia Shammas' previous graphic novel Squire and loved the art style of this one, however I was left disappointed. 

This just felt so messy and like it was missing pages. The story and characters were all over the place. The comic did do a decent job tackling themes surround queer identities and mental health, but there was not enough time or space to sit with these discussions and to let them breath. 

This had a really good base, I just wish it had been executed better. I feel it could have benefited from being either longer, or a series so there was more time to develop both the plot and characters. 

jackphoenix's review

adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

The book tackles many important social issues and has pleasing art, but unfortunately those are tethered to a disengaged story.

geekwayne's review

3.0

‘Confetti Realms’ by Nadia Shammas with art by Karnessa is a graphic novel about a group of teens who find themselves in a strange alternate realm.

Four friends on Halloween meet up in a diner for some creepy fun. Their travels take them to a graveyard where they meet a strange puppet who sends them to the Confetti Realms. To get back home, they need to collect a number of teeth. This leads them on a quest seeking out animals including a gambling frog. While wandering around on their strange quest, they learn that if they don’t finish, they may be trapped and transformed in the Confetti Realms forever.

I like a lot of the pieces here, but the execution is odd and confusing. Teets is an interesting currency, but it is never fully explained or developed. Angsty teen emotions are heavy, but fine for the story. The art is pretty good and the concepts are interesting. I just wish it had been fully formed.

queeerlybeloved's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

this book was fun! 

that’s like, kind of all i have to say about it though?

i loved all the different gender identities and relationships, and the adventuring was fun and mysterious!!

but i kind of had no idea what the plot was LOL and i felt like the message they were trying to point out about codependency and healthy/unhealthy relationships and insecurity and self-loathing was there but also missed the mark?

but i enjoyed it so 😂

jenns_bookshelf's review

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

This is my second Nadia Shammas read - and it was cute! But definitely not written for me; it was very much written for teens (especially queer teens). There are LOTS of big teenage feelings in this one, which is apt for such a teen-centred LGTBQIA+ read where the main point is just coming to terms with emotions and actually communicating your feelings with one another. The art is lovely, I absolutely adore the style - and I did enjoy the world Shammas created, though it did feel truncated at times. 

emburklin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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

5.0

willow_the_wisp's review

dark 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Cancer

cass_lit's review

3.75

This was beautiful and cozy and showcased the importance of compassion and forgiveness. I liked the characters and the plot. Overall though, I think it was a little too surface level to stick with me for long. There’s a lot of deep topics touched on, but that’s all they are. 

annelisegordon's review

adventurous emotional 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? No

4.0