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kevub's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
emily_mh's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I loved the art style of this one and thought the way that the three stories came together was clever and meaningful. However, I thought the ending was a little rushed and I would have liked to see more in Jin’s perspective.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Body shaming, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
anniefwrites's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-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
This is such a unique graphic novel; the twists are surprising and work on multiple, complex levels. It’s a really interesting exploration of identity and internalized racism, though I wish there was more narrative past the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
robinks's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
3.5
I liked the illustrations and how the three stories came together in the end. As a biracial Taiwanese person, it was really hard to read through all the racism and slurs used in this graphic novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Vomit
Minor: Antisemitism
readingthief's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs
ymziegler's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
morganperks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, and Violence
Minor: Drug use
rnbhargava's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
I related to this book so much as someone who’s mixed race of two separate Asian ethnicities but it really does an excellent job of showing being of color in spaces that are mainly white. The ending portions are a bit hasty but I still enjoyed the absurdity of everything jumbling together.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use and Xenophobia
lily1304's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
I love the interwoven stories, I love the art style, I love Jin and Wei-Chen, I love the way it switches between realistic and fantasy. It's about Asian-American adolescence, but the broader themes of identity and acceptance are relatable.
What bugged me though was the Christian-ness throughout, maybe because for the first few pages it doesn't seem like a Christian novel. When I first read this for a class, my European classmates didn't even realize. But at one point a character just directly quotes a Psalm, at another point the Holy Family literally appear, etc. I read that Yang used to work for InterVarsity, which is one of several youth/college ministries known for using bat-and-switch tactics to try to convert people. It just makes me seriously question Yang's motivations and opinions and wonder if he still has some seriously bad evangelical takes.
Yang uses Chinese stories and mythology to support the story, but also weaves in Christianity until I'm not sure anymore what's Chinese culture and what Yang made up. Is Tze-Yo-Tze (God) actually a character in Chinese mythology, or just Christian God thrown in? Of course, the book is really about Asian-Americans and authenticity, and there's a strong evangelical Asian-American subculture... maybe these are the exact questions Yang intends to provoke.
What bugged me though was the Christian-ness throughout, maybe because for the first few pages it doesn't seem like a Christian novel. When I first read this for a class, my European classmates didn't even realize. But at one point a character just directly quotes a Psalm, at another point the Holy Family literally appear, etc. I read that Yang used to work for InterVarsity, which is one of several youth/college ministries known for using bat-and-switch tactics to try to convert people. It just makes me seriously question Yang's motivations and opinions and wonder if he still has some seriously bad evangelical takes.
Yang uses Chinese stories and mythology to support the story, but also weaves in Christianity until I'm not sure anymore what's Chinese culture and what Yang made up. Is Tze-Yo-Tze (God) actually a character in Chinese mythology, or just Christian God thrown in? Of course, the book is really about Asian-Americans and authenticity, and there's a strong evangelical Asian-American subculture... maybe these are the exact questions Yang intends to provoke.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racial slurs, and Racism
cgbr's review against another edition
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia