Scan barcode
iffer's review
2.0
I'm glad that this title exists, to provide a variety of stories available (contemporary Iranian woman, Iranian woman of legend), but this lacked depth and wasn't particularly polished. The script seemed too blatant/simplistic with the messages of feeling yoked under Iran's morality police. In my opinion, the story merely alternated between the myths and the present, without meaningfully tying the two together. Both timelines lack forward momentum, and the end was abrupt and hand-wavey. Overall, I liked the art, but it felt stiff.
finesilkflower's review
2.0
This was obviously a labor of love. The art is uneven, sometimes lovely, sometimes rough and sketchy. It has the unpolished quality of someone self-taught trying really hard. I'm not trying to say that as a burn--the art isn't bad, sometimes it's quite good! It just doesn't look effortless the way a professional artist's work does. You just know that some of these pages are the artist's best work ever. Some of the pages he probably had to redraw eighteen times because the stupid HANDS WOULD NOT COME OUT RIGHT while other pages came out so alarmingly well the first time that he didn't dare redraw them because he's still not quite sure how it happened. (I may be projecting.)
I love the vibrant inks for the fantasy parts and the crisp black and white for the modernday parts. It divided the two "worlds" very effectively. The fantasyland art was, appropriately, more adventurous, and the dream sequence was especially well-done.
I only read the first book, which is a bit like only reading the first chapter of a novel, so I guess I can't complain that the story seemed unfinished, but I would have liked the first book to have more of its own arc. The fantasy parts launched the hero on her quest well enough, but the modernday parts zipped around in flashbacks that built backstory but didn't form an actual story of their own. It felt like the character pre-writing, not the first book of the series. I also would have liked the fantasy and modern parts to touch on more of the same themes, too, although all the issues that were raised were interesting, and I could see them all coming together in a commentary on the clash between the longing for/ideals of Persian mythos vs. the realities of the modern day.
Not their fault, exactly, but I was a bit disappointed to learn that this was written by two men. Dealing as it does with the experience of being a woman in Iran, it loses some authenticity in my mind by not being written by a woman. It does explain why her boobs were so big.
I love the vibrant inks for the fantasy parts and the crisp black and white for the modernday parts. It divided the two "worlds" very effectively. The fantasyland art was, appropriately, more adventurous, and the dream sequence was especially well-done.
I only read the first book, which is a bit like only reading the first chapter of a novel, so I guess I can't complain that the story seemed unfinished, but I would have liked the first book to have more of its own arc. The fantasy parts launched the hero on her quest well enough, but the modernday parts zipped around in flashbacks that built backstory but didn't form an actual story of their own. It felt like the character pre-writing, not the first book of the series. I also would have liked the fantasy and modern parts to touch on more of the same themes, too, although all the issues that were raised were interesting, and I could see them all coming together in a commentary on the clash between the longing for/ideals of Persian mythos vs. the realities of the modern day.
Not their fault, exactly, but I was a bit disappointed to learn that this was written by two men. Dealing as it does with the experience of being a woman in Iran, it loses some authenticity in my mind by not being written by a woman. It does explain why her boobs were so big.
libraryanned's review
3.0
3 1/2 stars. I didn't love the art, but I liked the contemporary story set in Iran a lot. I'm not sure about the other part of the story, which seems to be in ancient Persia, but I assume it will be revealed what is going on at some point. It isn't bad, I just don't get it yet.
nuztorad's review
1.0
The over-sexualisation of the female character gave away the fact that this was written by a man. What can I say... Typical romanticised nonsense of "glorious" ancient Persia, coupled with a big dose of Islamophobia, and essentialisation of Iran's current and historical socio-political realities. Just urgh.
dustyloup's review
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
As I've known the illustrator for over 25 years, I won't give a star-based rating this time, but I liked it even though it's not the kind of thing I would normally read and I will have to get volume two to see how it ends!
Strengths
Informative in both time periods, grounded in reality, even during the "fantasy" part
Identifiable characters, both in terms of drawings and Minoo's struggles
2 distinct styles appropriate for the two time periods.
Strong female main characters
The detail in some of the ancient Persia scenes is just stunning!
Parallel stories about leaving home and adventure
Weaknesses
Overly ambitious and rushed at times
Always difficult for men to convincingly tell women's stories
Strengths
Informative in both time periods, grounded in reality, even during the "fantasy" part
Identifiable characters, both in terms of drawings and Minoo's struggles
2 distinct styles appropriate for the two time periods.
Strong female main characters
The detail in some of the ancient Persia scenes is just stunning!
Parallel stories about leaving home and adventure
Weaknesses
Overly ambitious and rushed at times
Always difficult for men to convincingly tell women's stories
More...