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jazzcone's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
shoohoob's review
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? No
5.0
so sweet 🥺 resonated with me so much as queer child of immigrants. one of my faves :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and War
risten's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Outing
rtaire's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
bethsreading's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Homophobia
emily_mh's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? No
4.75
This graphic novel was so incredibly clever. The way the fairytales Tiến and Helen tell each other are tied into the narrative not only to reflect particular events but, as the author points out, more overarching themes of immigration. The way the fairytales are used to communicate ideas between the characters - this really highlighted the power of stories. And the fairytales were fantastic in and of themselves! The author also explains so many layers of meaning that I missed my first time reading, so I think this is one of those books where you’ve got to reread to pick up on all the nuances. For example, he discusses how imagery of the fairytale being told changes based on who is narrating, which blew my mind when I flicked back through the book. I could just tell that so much thought and detail went into expressing the story.
At its core this book is about a mother-son relationship which it displays impeccably. The love and the care Tiến and Helen had for one another! Their desire to understand and be understood! I especially loved that Helen was included as a character in her own right, as it is rare for a mother-figure to have this. This inclusion brought the theme of a two-sided relationship to life as both sides of the story were shown.
The art was gorgeous. There was super effective use of colour in that only three were used (in different tones) so as to demarcate parts of the book: red for the present, blue for fairytales, and yellow for the past. The detail of the clothing and hair of the characters was wonderful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Torture, Medical content, and War
Moderate: the refugee experience, sick loved one, loss of a loved one, forced separation from family, death of pet Minor: child bride, drowningwilliamgideon's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
An extremely well-crafted and touching story. I love the intertextuality with the fairytales woven through the main story. I loved the mother-son relationship and the main characters supportive friends. And most of all, I adore the art! This book makes me wanna become a graphic novelist!! Excellent!! Literally 0 complaints!!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Homophobia and Blood
lilybear3's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I loved the use of fairytales in this story and I loved reading the Vietnamese version of them. It is a tearjerker, happy and sad tears. It is a beautiful story with beautiful illustrations. The colors lend themselves when they are in the real world and when they are telling a fairytale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Grief
Moderate: Blood
marissab's review
emotional
hopeful
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Death, Homophobia, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
rosie_valadez's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Blood, and Cannibalism