Reviews

Not what I thought it would be -- its the story of a boy and his mother told through the lens of various fairy tales. I love that it shows the intersection of some of the fairy tale archetypes across cultures and the fact that this is not just about a young person's struggle with identity, but also an ADULT's challenge in finding her place in the world. Sad I missed the Read the Rainbow for this!

Content Warnings

hb_bookworm's review against another edition

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5.0

ahhh, this made my heart so happy. a lush and lovely little story, gorgeously illustrated and with a beautiful message that made me tear up at my desk on my lunch break! i really appreciated getting to see the author's notes at the end - the explanation about the different styles for each of the three storytellers was really interesting and added a depth to the story. i hadn't really thought about global fairy tales through an immigrant lens, but seeing how the story "changes as needed" was enlightening. it felt like such a gut punch reading about the homophobia Tiến experienced, both by seeing it on tv and by being subjected to conversion therapy, but i'm so glad Tiến has a happy ending (or beginning?) in terms of acceptance from his friends and family. such a beautiful graphic novel - i'll be very happy to share this title with patrons and friends!

chaosweib's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This was beautiful.
The ending did feel a bit abrupt, though, I wish there would have been a bit more to close it off a bit more softly but otherwise, this was great

roeckitcody's review against another edition

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5.0

Absolute all time favorite.

chibiloki's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

jaydiebug's review against another edition

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5.0

Filled with magical realism and breathtaking illustrations, this is in contention for the best graphic novel I've read this year (yes it's early to tell, but it was THAT good!).

Tien is struggling to tell his parents that he is gay. The language barrier between them makes it difficult to express how he feels, and fairytales a good solace for the family. Blending past and present, and the lives of Tien and his mother through different colorful illustrations, Trung has created a masterpiece.

The story is emotionally intense, although I wouldn't say it's overly sad. The author has done a wonderful job of telling Tien's story in a feel-good way.

marker_yippee's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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

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