Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong

19 reviews

robinks's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

I LOVED the colors and illustrations! The stories of all the main characters are all sad but real, and they cover a wide range of issues that teens could face. The characters are also very diverse.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Death of parent and Vomit

lobstertelephone's review

emotional sad tense 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Fatphobia, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Body shaming, Bullying, and Adult/minor relationship

laurenmbud's review

emotional reflective relaxing 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? Yes

4.0

stunning illustration, well-developed characters

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Body shaming

Moderate: Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual assault

Minor: Death of parent

seawarrior's review

emotional reflective relaxing tense 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 is one of the most beautiful and striking comics I've ever read. The colors are incredibly vibrant and atmospheric, which helps draw you into the story of these girls from the very first page.

I loved that each of the main girls were written with messy, raw struggles that were shown to affect them individually, and the team as a whole. Watching them come to terms with some of the toxicity in their lives and their own mindsets and grow into stronger people was very rewarding. I also loved that the end of the book functioned like a new beginning for these characters, since they came to important realizations about themselves and their relationships but didn't neatly wrap up every issue they now knew they needed to approach. However, Ren's speech at the end of the story is inspiring, and left me with a sense of reassurance that she has developed a kinder perspective in life that will help her move forward from the trauma she has just endured and rely on others more than she was willing to previously.

All around I really loved both the writing and art of this comic. I'd go as far as to call it a masterpiece. I feel that it takes an incredible skill to write an ensemble of characters all with the complexities of real people, and to create art that sets mood and tone as well as Leong has in this work. I recommend this comic to anyone looking to experience a truly unforgettable graphic novel, and look forward to reading it again myself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

suzyreadsbooks's review

dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Self harm

Moderate: Addiction

Minor: Death of parent and Drug abuse

Student-teacher relationship, discussions of weight, voyeurism

vonni's review

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Child abuse

Minor: Death of parent

Most of these graphic and moderate content warnings are either challenged by the main characters or explored in supportive ways (towards the survivors) by various characters.

betweentheshelves's review

emotional 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

4.0

While I love how colorful this is, there are some pages that are too dark and are a bit difficult to read. I wish some of the text was made to stand out more at times. But the illustrations and the art are absolutely gorgeous. I loved it for that.

Someone looking for a plot driven book definitely won't find it here. This book is more about this group of girls, how they come together, and how they deal with different problems in their lives. Their lives are messy, like most people's lives are. Leong portrays them so well, both in story and in art. It sucks you into their little world and doesn't let go until the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Mental illness, and Misogyny

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, and Addiction

Minor: Sexual assault

There is intent for sexual assault, but it gets stopped before it happens.

emusing's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I just loved it. I read it in one evening, but I think I'll need to go back and revisit some of the more poetic parts at least. The art is beautiful and the coloring is a very cool, shifting monochromatic look in various bright colors. Some of the lettering is hard to read if you don't have good lighting, and I don't know if this is just me, but I had a hard time differentiating Jetta from some of the other characters for the first half of the book. I would be all for reading more about these characters, since many of them have deeper stories behind them, but the ending to the book was satisfying and hopeful. It didn't feel at all unfinished, and I just savored the friendships.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm and Mental illness

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, and Alcoholism

Minor: Blood, Bullying, Death of parent, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship

While I think the book deals very well with these dark topics, it portrays the character's struggles in a real and nuanced way that may be triggering for some.

laure's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Self harm

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Addiction and Drug abuse