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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail
My Heart in Braille is a cute fast-paced love story about two teenagers living very different lives. I know some people will see this book as a bad representation of blindness and people losing their vision, but I don't necessarily see that as the case. Marie isn't upset that she is going to be blind soon; she is more so upset that her parents will treat her and her dreams differently because of it. I think the story is cute in how Marie helps Victor grow more as a person, though I feel like it skips some steps and left some loose threads at the end. I also feel like Victor's change in character at times feels a little drastic even though it takes place over a school year, we don't see that much of it. The band is made out to be a major part of his life in the beginning of the book, but then that just kind of dissipated. I wish we delved more into what happened with the band since he damaged his hand in order to avoid doing it, but we never got anyone's reaction to it afterwards.
Besides those issues, I felt like the story was very cute and showed different struggles that teens can go through. I do think it is something that the intended audience would thoroughly enjoy.
Besides those issues, I felt like the story was very cute and showed different struggles that teens can go through. I do think it is something that the intended audience would thoroughly enjoy.
emotional
hopeful
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:
No
This was such a cute little story. I really enjoyed the visuals of Marie’s step counts to all the different locations, and I LOVE a musical-based story. I highly recommend reading this whilst listening to some cello for the full experience. I will say, I wanted to know about the band and I wish Victor hadn’t given everything up for Marie. It’s sweet, but I wanted him to have a success of his own!
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
What a cute, lovely, and heartwarming story about two teenagers struggling in different aspect of their lives and striking up a friendship-to-relationship that rescues them in ways they don't expect. MY HEART IN BRAILLE by JORIS CHAMBLAIN & ANNA-LISE NALIN follows Victor, a teenage boy that struggles with school and often says the wrong things but enjoys his band and excels at his knowledge for cars, when he decides to start sitting up front in his classes. In many of those classes, he shares a desk with Marie, a girl that excels in school and playing the violin but is gradually losing her vision and altering the way she moves in her life accordingly. As the duo strikes up a friendship, they help each other blossom and navigate the world with more confidence in themselves.
I loved the hard-of-hearing/deaf representation included in the story. It was enough for those unfamiliar with the disability to learn about but wasn't too overwhelming or confusing to understand. I am not visually impaired so I can't speak to the accuracy of the accuracy but I did feel the disability was treated with care. I also really loved Marie and Victor's relationship, especially their devotion and support for one another to do excel. Despite my enjoyment of the story, I do wish the story had maybe another 50 pages to flesh out some aspects of the story that were left open-ended and show more of Victor growing into himself, not just his love and relationship with Marie.
I loved the hard-of-hearing/deaf representation included in the story. It was enough for those unfamiliar with the disability to learn about but wasn't too overwhelming or confusing to understand. I am not visually impaired so I can't speak to the accuracy of the accuracy but I did feel the disability was treated with care. I also really loved Marie and Victor's relationship, especially their devotion and support for one another to do excel. Despite my enjoyment of the story, I do wish the story had maybe another 50 pages to flesh out some aspects of the story that were left open-ended and show more of Victor growing into himself, not just his love and relationship with Marie.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I was really torn between 2 and 3 stars for this book. I absolutely adored the art; I felt like it really utilised the potential of the medium and did some really cool things. The premise and overall story was also super heartwarming, and I did like the feel it evoked. Unfortunately, the actual execution of the story and the character developments didn't work very well for me. Considering I'm rating this moreso as a book/story rather than an art collection, I had to err on the lower side of the rating.
The story felt not only very fast-paced, but also disjointed at times. The ups and downs of Victor and Marie-Jo's relationship felt very abrupt, and while I understand that the pacing needs to be fast for a comic of this length, I do wish there had been some more moderation.Marie-Jo saying she's in love with Victor, then saying she never wants to see him again, then going back to saying she'll never love anyone as much as she loves him and that they're linked forever felt inorganic.
I also felt like the comic struggled to explain certain things correctly. Sometimes there was an overexplanation or overexposition, especially in the beginning. Other times, I was really lost in what was going on and had to go back over some scenes multiple times to really get what was going on.
The comic is visually absolutely gorgeous and I did really enjoy this part of reading it, but the execution of the story could have used a lot more work.
I was really torn between 2 and 3 stars for this book. I absolutely adored the art; I felt like it really utilised the potential of the medium and did some really cool things. The premise and overall story was also super heartwarming, and I did like the feel it evoked. Unfortunately, the actual execution of the story and the character developments didn't work very well for me. Considering I'm rating this moreso as a book/story rather than an art collection, I had to err on the lower side of the rating.
The story felt not only very fast-paced, but also disjointed at times. The ups and downs of Victor and Marie-Jo's relationship felt very abrupt, and while I understand that the pacing needs to be fast for a comic of this length, I do wish there had been some more moderation.
I also felt like the comic struggled to explain certain things correctly. Sometimes there was an overexplanation or overexposition, especially in the beginning. Other times, I was really lost in what was going on and had to go back over some scenes multiple times to really get what was going on.
The comic is visually absolutely gorgeous and I did really enjoy this part of reading it, but the execution of the story could have used a lot more work.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
I adored this graphic novel. It was a heartwarming love story, rich as a warm stew. I couldn't help but root for the two leads, both singly and especially together--they were characterised so beautifully, both via the writing and the simply stunning illustrations. I particularly enjoyed how much of the French background came through. The emotional core of the story, though simple, was powerful and resonant; I finished it in one sitting with a huge smile on my face.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This was a very cute graphic novel! I loved the art style, Marie-Jo and Victor were adorable together, and the story was pretty cute. It's fairly short, but I had a fun time reading.
Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
J'avais lu le roman et les souvenirs me sont revenus en lisant la BD
Très belle adaptation, elle m'a fait pleuré aussi
Very cute love story
Très belle adaptation, elle m'a fait pleuré aussi
Very cute love story
Too cheesy
Plot was thin and so spread out that it was slogging
Didn’t believe the romance
Nothing memorable
Wish I could’ve liked it
Plot was thin and so spread out that it was slogging
Didn’t believe the romance
Nothing memorable
Wish I could’ve liked it
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I absolutely adored the art style and the sweet romance, but the storytelling itself was not effective at all. The dialogue feels stilted, the pacing is uneven, and the story beats all over the place. I feel like the writing did not do the art justice.