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angeldevoursliterature's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Mothballs begins with 19-year old Rocio inheriting her grandmother Vilma's house after she passed away. Struck by the low turn-out at the funeral, Ro uncovers a hidden family history of hardships and resilience. The story weaves between Italy at the beginning of the 20th century and Argentina in the 21st, drawing paralells between Vilma and Ro's lives. Despite being pressured to meet familly and societal expectations, both women remain strong-willed and yearn for independence. Ro embarks on a journey of self-discover whilst honoring her grandmother's memory.
This was a worthwhile read :D .
I couldn't put it down since page one. It was well-written. I liked how the flashbacks were weaved thoroughly in the narrative without making it confusing to read.
The illustrations are lovely and vibrant. Personally, I think it would be better if the cursive font used for the dialogues are changed. Would love to read the rest of the story.
This is a review of the first 200 pages of Mothballs provided by Fantagraphics Books on Netgalley. Thank you for the copy!
This was a worthwhile read :D .
I couldn't put it down since page one. It was well-written. I liked how the flashbacks were weaved thoroughly in the narrative without making it confusing to read.
The illustrations are lovely and vibrant. Personally, I think it would be better if the cursive font used for the dialogues are changed. Would love to read the rest of the story.
This is a review of the first 200 pages of Mothballs provided by Fantagraphics Books on Netgalley. Thank you for the copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Rape, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, and Cursing
readsforlove's review
3.0
Well, that was depressing. Story wise, this was heavy and sad and hard to get through. I'm not sure if the story was based on the real lives of the author's family, but it felt that way. I didn't like any of the characters, and while I was sad for how circumstances shaped them, everyone was so selfish and cruel to each other that I left the story feeling sick to my stomach and all around depresso-espresso.
The stars come for the art style, though. I was surprised by a few nude images, so just a heads up for readers. But this was styled so beautifully, and the colors and creativity that went into it took my breath away. I love it when graphic novels really play into their medium. This story wouldn't have worked the same if told in any other format, which is important, in my opinion, to having a great graphic novel. I enjoyed just gazing at the art work, even while the story ripped my heart out and stomped on it.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc.
The stars come for the art style, though. I was surprised by a few nude images, so just a heads up for readers. But this was styled so beautifully, and the colors and creativity that went into it took my breath away. I love it when graphic novels really play into their medium. This story wouldn't have worked the same if told in any other format, which is important, in my opinion, to having a great graphic novel. I enjoyed just gazing at the art work, even while the story ripped my heart out and stomped on it.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Physical abuse
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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