Scan barcode
mstowers's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood and Murder
emily_dunn's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, and War
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Grief, and Death of parent
lightningmc_logyn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
I am blown away. This is now one of my favorite books of all time. The visual and textual story are breathtaking. The author really understands the medium and the power of graphic novel storytelling, as self-stated in the authors note end of the book. It’s woven together so beautifully. It is heartbreakingly profound and emotional. I was very moved by Tiên and Helen’s stories. The bond they have is beautiful. It was so raw and vulnerable. The art was simply beautiful, the line and color work amazing. It is powerfully delicate. It is inviting and detailed. The composition of each panel was purposeful and communicated the story perfectly. I particularly loved when only a sliver of something was shown in the panel-a wonderful use of spacial storytelling. I was shocked, moved, filled with joy and fear and tenderness and love while reading this book. I borrowed it from the library but I know I must own it someday. I wish I could put this book in the hands of every person on earth and have them read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia and War
Minor: Hate crime and Colonisation
All the listed content subjects are handled seriously and with care in the book. The tone is very much one of accepting painful life experiences and turning to loved ones to guide eachother.pheebabeeba_'s review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
beautiful art. touching story. I loved the fairytales in between as well. I found them magical and dark but also very beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia and Blood
Minor: Cannibalism and Murder
i_like_books123's review
slow-paced
1.0
It was a looooooooot darker then I thought, see my contact warnings to see what I mean.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Murder, and War
Moderate: Violence and Blood
a_little_teacup's review
emotional
hopeful
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Murder
Minor: Death of parent
tinysierra's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Beautiful storytelling.
I loved the use of color!
Past = yellow
Present = red
Fairytale = blue
If you like The Magic Fish, you might also like Lunar New Year Love Story which features Vietnamese characters and also uses color in an interesting way.
I loved the use of color!
Past = yellow
Present = red
Fairytale = blue
If you like The Magic Fish, you might also like Lunar New Year Love Story which features Vietnamese characters and also uses color in an interesting way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Religious bigotry
tinkeringcheck's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.5
Beautiful and surprisingly layered intergenerational story woven between fairy tales and a real family, but I personally should've minded the content warnings. All of the fairy tales have a more Grimm than Disney edge (and the author's note in the end about their influences was fascinating), but one in particular went pretty dark with animal death, cannibalism, abuse, and murder. Still, the art and story are gorgeously done even if it didn't end up being for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Homophobia, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Violence, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Outing
Minor: War
piperclover's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
4.25
The art is beautiful and gives the whole story a whimsical fairytale feel. I appreciate that the stories being told inside the story are in a different color- pink/red for the boy and his mother and purple/blue for the stories told within. This helped me follow the different stories better and differentiate between them. I admit I don't quote understand how all the stories told within relate to the boy and his mothers story but they were compelling and beautifully drawn.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, and Murder
tinyjude's review
dark
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
A really beautiful book that focuses on the relationship between a mother and her son, language barriers, feeling isolated and not truly belonging to one place due to forceful migration and colonisation; and how they are able to understand and support each other through fairy tails such as Cinderella and The Little Mermaid. It was beautiful and fascinating to see the different depictions of the same tale depending on the cultural context. The colour palette was used with such creativity, helping the reader identify the past (yellow), the present (red) and the stories within the main story (blue) with complexity and beautiful details. I found myself instantly attached to the characters and the story. It was beautifully crafted and it couldn't come to me in a most precious and sad time to help me too.
The tale she narrates to her child at the end couldn't have been better. I was sobbing and wrecked. So touching.
The tale she narrates to her child at the end couldn't have been better. I was sobbing and wrecked. So touching.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Homophobia, Murder, and Outing
Moderate: Genocide, Xenophobia, Grief, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Gore and Blood