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cadence99's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed the journey we took with Ro, who is processing her grief through reflections on her grandmothers life. her attempt to understand her grandmothers actions and attitudes is deeply relatable to anyone who has ever experienced a complex relationship with a family member. My one detractor here is that a big portion of the text is written in a font that was very difficult to read (at least on my iPad, not certain if this would be improved in print). The font is aesthetically pleasing, but very small, smushed together, and cursive, which had me zooming in to the point of pixelation, even as someone with relatively good eyesight. I would still recommend this read (at least the portion I was given, it seems maybe netgalley didn’t provide the whole book from looking at other reviews?) despite this issue but would be amiss if I didn’t point out the accessibility issue there.
Thank you to Netgalley and Fantagraphics for this ARC
Thank you to Netgalley and Fantagraphics for this ARC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Rape
Moderate: Transphobia, Death, Miscarriage, Sexism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Infertility, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Outing, War, Domestic abuse, and Deadnaming
caitandthelibrary's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The art was beautiful and the storylines heartbreaking. Using a dual timeline format Mothballs tells the stories of Ro who has just moved into her grandmother's old house and the pressure she's experiencing from those closest to her in parallel with her family history centered around her grandmother. Ro had a complicated, and overwhelmingly not positive relationship with her grandmother and over the course of the book evaluates how the misdeeds of her grandmother's life may have shaped her. Ro is trying to ask an age old question - can you forgive mistreatment if the methods have been taught? A little bit heavy, but incredibly relatable, this book explores grief, regret, anger and sadness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Rape, Alcoholism, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: War
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