Reviews with content warning for Self harm - A Map to the Sun

The coloring was gorgeous and I liked the concept. however, none of the characters were super likeable. I wanted to like them but they all acted weird and like jerks to the people they are supposedly friends with. The worst part was that I could not tell the difference between characters. I cannot count on my hands how many times I thought it was one character saying something when it turned out to be another.

this is most notable when one of the girlsis caught sleeping with a the boys basketball coach- i could not tell which one it was, thinking it was their girls basketball coach and was so confused for a few pages

The coloring was a slight detriment in this way- no way to tell who someone is based of hair, skin, clothing color, etc. It was so hard to keep track of the story due to this.

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smilagros's review

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dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I really did not like this graphic novel. I felt that it wanted to tell a ton of stories and honestly, it was messy. I wish that there was an attempt to do one story line and show little of each friends lives but it just did not work. Also, while the color blocking was beautiful, there were some words that I could barely read because of the color of the background.

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escapinginpaper's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-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

3.5

A coming-of-age story about the angst of teenage-hood, following a group of friends who struggle with their separate difficult home lives and traumas, and how they bond with each other and find commonality through playing together on their basketball team. The story focuses on two girls in particular:

Ren, an LA native, whose older sister struggles with drug addiction, and whose parents just got divorced over it.
Luna, a free-spirited girl from Hawaii, who has to return there suddenly when her mother becomes very ill.

Ren and Luna become fast friends one summer before high school starts, they bond over their mutual love of basketball and the ocean. Ren is upset with Luna's sudden departure back to Hawaii, and her lack of communication. When Luna returns later, she's ready to pick up where they left off, but Ren, not so much. They find themselves flung together when their impoverished high school starts a basketball team, and both they and others in their friend group all join.

The narrative in this story felt a bit disjointed, and I had a hard time following it at times because of all the different plotlines, and sometimes, because of the art style, it was difficult to tell the characters apart. I also felt the resolution was too quick and simple, especially considering the main problems that took up the majority of the story.

I did enjoy the tenderness of the coming-of-age aspects, which felt realistic and relatable despite the experience of being a teenager is getting to be a while ago for me. Also, 10/10 for use of color in the artwork, this book is a scream of color and I really loved just flipping through. Color definitely acts as a divider for the story – as a scene or as the plot shifts, the colors change and I really enjoyed that.

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raelin's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

3.5

I am having a hard time trying to figure out what exactly I want to say about this, or how much I liked It.

Because it was good. But so unsatisfying. I think that it was such a great high school slice of life, look everyone has really really heavy stuff going on, but we can still find light moments to enjoy. But it felt like such an untethered end where literally not a single issue is dealt with directly, resolved in any manner, or appropriately debriefed.

So many CW triggers to review before reading.

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ilana_banana's review

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inspiring reflective 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? Yes

3.75

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mrsdarcylynn's review

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dark emotional inspiring 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

4.0

This comic looks at girlhood with a loving lens- all the ups and downs of being a teenager, in all its many different forms. This book is dark, but it’s also sweet. The author explores themes impacting teenage girls through her five protagonists. She explores body image, misogyny in sports, self-harm, predatory relationships, and not being in control of your life. She explores substance abuse and abusive relationships through these girls families. All of it done with a loving hand for the girls. Girls are precious and we need to do better for them. I really enjoyed this book.

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gigireadswithkiki's review

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emotional funny 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

4.0

Gotta love a great story with a cast comprised entirely of POC! The racially diverse characters--Ren (who is Black), Luna (who is Hawaiian-Chinese), Jetta (who is Native-American and Latinx), Nell (who is Jamaican), and So-Young (who is Korean)--were such a breath of fresh air, with each and every character distinct and multi-faceted. In line with diversity, this book also helped me realize the stark absence fat characters were from sports-centered stories until this book, and I appreciated the inclusion of Nell for this, and many other, reasons.

Sloane Leong's use of bright vibrant hues was great, although at times it does make it difficult to differentiate between some of the characters. Additionally, some of the action-based basketball scenes were a little difficult to follow, but the thought bubble snippets are really nice for helping keep pace with all the games.

Overall, I really liked that this story is ultimately built around the idea of meeting people where they're at. I think it's an important topic for readers of all ages and I would recommend it to others, but, as always, definitely check out the content warnings beforehand as there are a couple scenes that aren't for the faint of heart.

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almckay's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

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