Scan barcode
lanternheart's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
3.5
I'm writing a review and updating it after a reread of this book, having found it again on my bookshelf and realizing I didn't fully recall the story. As with the first time I read Little Bird, the story told is a grim and dark one, and filled with blood — North America a future wasteland of the frozen Canadian wilderness, seemingly largely uninhabited, and a brutal, theocratic "United Nations of America." Our main character, the titular Little Bird, is the daughter of a known Canadian rebel against this new America, called by them a terrorist, who strikes her daughter into the cause of bringing down that brutal government with her every wish. What ensues is a brutal quest of revenge, travel, and horrific family history unraveled.
As I reread, my first thing I wish could have improved this book is simply better pacing — it runs quite quickly for how deeply Van Polgeest clearly cares about its characters, and for all we can see what the Axe is meant to be for Little Bird, his death feels all too soon, all too brutal, to be as meaningful as it might be. A reread did make the tangled family web at the heart of the story clearer, which I will say I did appreciate. Gabriel's gambit and sacrifice come to the fore of the ending, even if his murder of his and Little Bird's own mother cannot be washed from his hands (or psyche). The villainous Father is a truly dark man, and easy to have as a villain — we never sympathize with him, we never see anything other than sheer desperation and violence, sheer desire to cloak every desire in the smoke of a brutal theology.
I came away, though, wanting more explanation as I did the first time, more space to breathe and absorb the world Van Poelgeest so clearly thought out — what happened to make this world like this? Why is genetic modification so despised? What about people whose modification was not quite so superheroic as the Axe or Little Bird? Who are the Elders, and what connection lives within Little Bird and the land that she so deeply wants to protect? These questions aren't all necessary to be answered, only that I wish they were to help us see the stakes better, to understand what spurs a story of such escalating violence, such deep hatred and war.
There is a grim hope at the end of this book, but it is one that comes at a high cost for Little Bird — that of having lost over this book her mother and grandfather, and forced to rebuild her life in ash. That the theocratic dictator is dead offers only slim hope, since we have no promise of what the United Nations of America will do in response with this change, some rebels having pulled down a massive stone cross while it seems a new bishop has risen. I read this book quickly once more, but I do wish it explored its world, even a dark one, more deeply.
As I reread, my first thing I wish could have improved this book is simply better pacing — it runs quite quickly for how deeply Van Polgeest clearly cares about its characters, and for all we can see what the Axe is meant to be for Little Bird, his death feels all too soon, all too brutal, to be as meaningful as it might be. A reread did make the tangled family web at the heart of the story clearer, which I will say I did appreciate. Gabriel's gambit and sacrifice come to the fore of the ending, even if his murder of his and Little Bird's own mother cannot be washed from his hands (or psyche). The villainous Father is a truly dark man, and easy to have as a villain — we never sympathize with him, we never see anything other than sheer desperation and violence, sheer desire to cloak every desire in the smoke of a brutal theology.
I came away, though, wanting more explanation as I did the first time, more space to breathe and absorb the world Van Poelgeest so clearly thought out — what happened to make this world like this? Why is genetic modification so despised? What about people whose modification was not quite so superheroic as the Axe or Little Bird? Who are the Elders, and what connection lives within Little Bird and the land that she so deeply wants to protect? These questions aren't all necessary to be answered, only that I wish they were to help us see the stakes better, to understand what spurs a story of such escalating violence, such deep hatred and war.
There is a grim hope at the end of this book, but it is one that comes at a high cost for Little Bird — that of having lost over this book her mother and grandfather, and forced to rebuild her life in ash. That the theocratic dictator is dead offers only slim hope, since we have no promise of what the United Nations of America will do in response with this change, some rebels having pulled down a massive stone cross while it seems a new bishop has risen. I read this book quickly once more, but I do wish it explored its world, even a dark one, more deeply.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Death, War, Blood, Gore, Torture, Religious bigotry, Body horror, Child death, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Medical content
aespada21's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, War, Chronic illness, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Ableism
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Suicide attempt
The fully colored graphic novel is 200+ pages of Little Bird (the protag) and her allies rebelling against an oppressive christian government. Lots and lots of blood, gore, death, weapons of war, etc. Every page has cool, stylized art depicting scenes that would be hard to look at otherwise. Not for everyone but if you can stomach gore, definitely read it!
More...