Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Snapdragon

Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

huntress's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.75

Content Warnings

this one was so fun! i honestly had no idea what to expect, but it was such a great time. the illustrations were really good, the representation was fantastic, and the story was interesting!

⚠️: animal death, bullying, transphobia, domestic abuse, animal cruelty, homophobia, car accident, toxic relationship

Content Warnings

averyronan's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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? Yes

5.0

This book is such a lovely read if you're wanting something sweet and peaceful that you can knock out in a day. The art is great, the themes are lovely, and the pacing is perfect.

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rtaire's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted 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? No

5.0

Content Warnings

lizlikesfrogs's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing 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? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

sweetsxrrxw's review

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted 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? No

4.0

this was a super cute and wholesome book <33 it's been a while since i read a graphic novel and a friend recommended this so i decided to give it a try! it follows snapdragon, a young girl who befriends an alleged witch who sells animal bones online. it might sound kinda weird but i promise you it's worth it to read. the artsyle and the inclusion of queer bipoc characters are also a bonus point!

i love that, even though they were both hesitant at the beginning, they let their friendships flow easily and got invested in each other. it was so cute to see snap's interest in animals' bones and jacks trying to learn how to be a good teacher.

and the fact that jacks' former lover was snap's grandma, and the way they got to meet again at the end is just so<33

lu was also a super nice side character and im glad that her transition was accepted by her friends and family. maybe im just a bit dumb but i didnt realize what was going on until the fight scene. btw, i hope the bullies stopped being mean after that :/
anyways, i cant move on without talking about vi. she is a great mom, imo. i love that she decided to dump her abusive ex and take care of her daughter and her dog by herself. and also, during the story, she seems to be studying in order to get a better job which is so cool from her.

i guess what i disliked was the rushed pacing. i understand that this is a graphic novel and they're usually short. but what harm would it make to add a hundred pages more and dig deeper into character development or other plot details? there are lots of things that i would have loved to see addressed such as

some kind of explanation for the magic, snap's grandma and jacks' relationship, more about lulu and her family, etc

but overall it was a nice fun read that anyone can enjoy!

Content Warnings

finesilkflower's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

I was disconcerted by the mix of bubbly, cartoony, Steven Universe-ish art with a goth subject matter (witchcraft centering around animal ghosts and reanimating animal bones). Style is my favorite part of spooky stories, and I would have liked to see a more goth style for this spooky subject matter. That's not to say that the art isn't sometimes spooky, including mystical forests (which were my favorite part).

Love that this is a friendship/mentorship story between a young queer and an older butch. It's like if Karate Kid were about queer witches.

Snap's best friend is a trans girl who is initially introduced as a boy but who comes into her own throughout the book, changing her name and presentation. This is generally well handled by the main characters, who are accepting and supportive without making a big deal about it, but toward the beginning we see more transphobic bullying. I'm of two minds about this, because I think it's important and validating to reflect kids' world back to them instead of denying that they're dealing with the things they're dealing with and presenting them a sugarcoated fantasyland, but I also think it's a bit heavy to be thrown in without a lot of unpacking. Similar to the rest of the story, it feels like an uneasy mix of darkness and light.

Content Warnings