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sarrie's review against another edition
4.0
This was very cute. I especially love how they represented her feelings of anxiety coming up on her as a dark shadow. The art style was very bright and colorful, my type of art and the story was simple. If you want something nice and sweet for a quick read, this is a great one for that.
racheldida's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
This really didn't work for me. I'll echo the other reviews that touch upon the racism, gentrification, fat shaming, ignorance of another's cultural norms that permeate this story. Also, the panel where Brianna snaps at Suzan for reading a "girly book" - really could have done without that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Racism
brokenfiction's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Adorable art and characters, but like others have said having Brianna come into a new culture and chef-splain to them why they should like her cooking is odd. It should have been 8 issues at least. More Suzan!
wanderingwordsmith's review against another edition
4.0
I've never heard about this one before, but when I read the synopsis I immediately wanted to pick it up. Brianna wants to make a name for herself, initially to win a competition her father has set up between she and her 15 brothers, and finds herself in Monster City. She's alone in an unfamiliar environment and has a steep learning curve. With the help of her new friends she has to try and navigate running her own restaurant.
Trigger warnings for self doubt and low self esteem should definitely be included, but it's great to see Brianna work through those negative feelings. I also really appreciate the way her negative thoughts and self doubt were visualized through the art, representing the way those feelings can take over. It's definitely a good story with some quirky twists and was really fun to read.
Trigger warnings for self doubt and low self esteem should definitely be included, but it's great to see Brianna work through those negative feelings. I also really appreciate the way her negative thoughts and self doubt were visualized through the art, representing the way those feelings can take over. It's definitely a good story with some quirky twists and was really fun to read.
bookishrealm's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Yike's ya'll! I really wanted to like this one, but it didn't do it for me. I remember reading the single issues and really enjoying the first two which explains why I enjoyed the first half but the not the second. This had food and monsters which I thought was going to be an interesting mash-up. But alas, no. CW: self-deprecation
Brave Chef Brianna seems to be a single volume comic that centers around Brianna who is competing against her brothers to acquire whatever her father is leaving behind related to his cooking business. Each of them is required to start a business and the person with the most successful business wins. The premise seemed really interesting and the art was fun; however, I was not pleased with the execution. There were so many plot holes. When Brianna makes it to Monster City she struggles a lot with self-doubt/self-hatred. What's weird about this self-doubt is that it manifests itself into this dark creatures that only Brianna seems to notice. THIS IS NEVER EXPLAINED. I don't know what purpose they served, whether it was an indication that Brianna was part monster, none of it made sense. It also felt as though Brianna wasn't fully developed as a character. She had some serious things that she needed to work through and it didn't feel as though she truly ever worked through those things. Then there was the fact that Brianna came to Monster City and felt as though it was completely and totally appropriate to disregard the rules and regulations set forth because she needed to make money. IF THERE WAS A RULE FOR THEM NOT TO EAT SUGAR, FLOUR, OR MILK WHY DO YOU FEEL JUSTIFIED IN DOING SO?!? It was obvious that there was a cultural reason why this rule was in place and the writer felt like it was okay to send the message we can go against peoples cultural values if it's for our benefit. There was also some failed character development with the antagonist who appears to be "out" to ruin Brianna's business; however, she has some good reasons as to why she doesn't trust humans and those reasons were never fully explored. That was particularly disappointing. Let's not fail to mention that this character was also darker in skin tone than the rest of the characters (I'm so tired of people subtly attempting to use skin tone as a way to denote good and bad -- it's gross). This character went through some pretty traumatic experiences related to being a monster and having to deal with humans, BUT as a result she's made to be the villian. It doesn't make sense and I'm not really sure what the author was intending, but it didn't add up when it's all said and done. I usually enjoy comics like these, but I don't know how it started so well and ended up going down hill. The comments related to culture and discrimination were not good and I'm not sure if the publisher or the writer even realized the message they sent out by publishing this.
Brave Chef Brianna seems to be a single volume comic that centers around Brianna who is competing against her brothers to acquire whatever her father is leaving behind related to his cooking business. Each of them is required to start a business and the person with the most successful business wins. The premise seemed really interesting and the art was fun; however, I was not pleased with the execution. There were so many plot holes. When Brianna makes it to Monster City she struggles a lot with self-doubt/self-hatred. What's weird about this self-doubt is that it manifests itself into this dark creatures that only Brianna seems to notice. THIS IS NEVER EXPLAINED. I don't know what purpose they served, whether it was an indication that Brianna was part monster, none of it made sense. It also felt as though Brianna wasn't fully developed as a character. She had some serious things that she needed to work through and it didn't feel as though she truly ever worked through those things. Then there was the fact that Brianna came to Monster City and felt as though it was completely and totally appropriate to disregard the rules and regulations set forth because she needed to make money. IF THERE WAS A RULE FOR THEM NOT TO EAT SUGAR, FLOUR, OR MILK WHY DO YOU FEEL JUSTIFIED IN DOING SO?!? It was obvious that there was a cultural reason why this rule was in place and the writer felt like it was okay to send the message we can go against peoples cultural values if it's for our benefit. There was also some failed character development with the antagonist who appears to be "out" to ruin Brianna's business; however, she has some good reasons as to why she doesn't trust humans and those reasons were never fully explored. That was particularly disappointing. Let's not fail to mention that this character was also darker in skin tone than the rest of the characters (I'm so tired of people subtly attempting to use skin tone as a way to denote good and bad -- it's gross). This character went through some pretty traumatic experiences related to being a monster and having to deal with humans, BUT as a result she's made to be the villian. It doesn't make sense and I'm not really sure what the author was intending, but it didn't add up when it's all said and done. I usually enjoy comics like these, but I don't know how it started so well and ended up going down hill. The comments related to culture and discrimination were not good and I'm not sure if the publisher or the writer even realized the message they sent out by publishing this.
basicallyhades's review against another edition
1.0
I wanted to love this but in the end I can't give it more than 1 star regardless of its lovely artwork.
Other reviews have explained this better than I will, but I was blown away about how blatant the themes of gentrification and completely disregarding the cultures of a region were in this. The blonde white main character did absolutely no research about where she was moving to and broke the laws to suit herself. The villain was a snake woman with darker skin than any of the other characters who objected to the human character disregarding their ways and encroaching on a place for monsters. This wasn't even all the problems with the book but it's where I'm going to stop.
I'm so disappointed that something that sounded right up my alley ended up being so problematic.
Other reviews have explained this better than I will, but I was blown away about how blatant the themes of gentrification and completely disregarding the cultures of a region were in this. The blonde white main character did absolutely no research about where she was moving to and broke the laws to suit herself. The villain was a snake woman with darker skin than any of the other characters who objected to the human character disregarding their ways and encroaching on a place for monsters. This wasn't even all the problems with the book but it's where I'm going to stop.
I'm so disappointed that something that sounded right up my alley ended up being so problematic.
rhiannonafternoon's review against another edition
5.0
I thought this series was so cute! I could definitely see this continuing past the 4 issues, but I thought the ending was sweet and didn't leave me too disappointed with Madame Crom and Brianna's relationship.
I ship Susan and Kevin so hard.
I ship Susan and Kevin so hard.
defectivedetective's review against another edition
1.0
The art style is cute but holy crap. Anybody reading this book deeper than surface level would read it as some kind of pro-gentrification propaganda. And kinda racist. Don’t waste your time, there’s better comics out there.
veewren's review against another edition
2.0
I feel torn on this.
On the one hand, Brianna is likable and her shortcomings are relateable. There is a feel-good story in here about believing in yourself and doing things because they make you happy, not to impress someone else (even if that someone else is your celebrity chef father.)
On the other hand, there's kind of a weird undercurrent of racism and gentrification in here that left an unpleasant taste in my mouth. The monsters were persecuted and basically forced into this ghetto called Monster City, where they make their own society apart from humans. The top chef there (Madame Cron) is a monster who remembers the days of persecution, being driven from their homes, etc. (She's also the brownest character in the book.) Now this rich, blonde human comes in and starts a restaurant that ignores their laws, takes business away from monster businesses, etc. And Madame Cron doesn't like it. And I get why she doesn't like it! There's a little bit of lip service paid to her background explaining why she hates humans so much, but she doesn't manage to escape her role as the bad guy, trying to take Brianna (and her restaurant,) down.
I'm not saying that the author is a racist, or that Brianna is an unlikable character, or that she's doing something bad on purpose, but the story IS problematic IMO. Maybe Sam Sykes meant to flesh out Madame Cron more and make her more sympathetic and less of a villain, but just didn't end up doing that. I don't know. But I found myself agreeing with her throughout the book, and feeling like all the people (and monsters) telling her to get over the subjugation of their people (because it was so long ago) were being total jerks. And Brianna should have had to realize that she was at least somewhat in the wrong here.
THAT ALL BEING SAID. It was otherwise fun. And cute. The art is colorful and eye-catching. But it could be better. 2 1/2 stars.
On the one hand, Brianna is likable and her shortcomings are relateable. There is a feel-good story in here about believing in yourself and doing things because they make you happy, not to impress someone else (even if that someone else is your celebrity chef father.)
On the other hand, there's kind of a weird undercurrent of racism and gentrification in here that left an unpleasant taste in my mouth. The monsters were persecuted and basically forced into this ghetto called Monster City, where they make their own society apart from humans. The top chef there (Madame Cron) is a monster who remembers the days of persecution, being driven from their homes, etc. (She's also the brownest character in the book.) Now this rich, blonde human comes in and starts a restaurant that ignores their laws, takes business away from monster businesses, etc. And Madame Cron doesn't like it. And I get why she doesn't like it! There's a little bit of lip service paid to her background explaining why she hates humans so much, but she doesn't manage to escape her role as the bad guy, trying to take Brianna (and her restaurant,) down.
I'm not saying that the author is a racist, or that Brianna is an unlikable character, or that she's doing something bad on purpose, but the story IS problematic IMO. Maybe Sam Sykes meant to flesh out Madame Cron more and make her more sympathetic and less of a villain, but just didn't end up doing that. I don't know. But I found myself agreeing with her throughout the book, and feeling like all the people (and monsters) telling her to get over the subjugation of their people (because it was so long ago) were being total jerks. And Brianna should have had to realize that she was at least somewhat in the wrong here.
THAT ALL BEING SAID. It was otherwise fun. And cute. The art is colorful and eye-catching. But it could be better. 2 1/2 stars.
kukushka's review against another edition
2.0
I really don't know how to feel about this one. I absolutely love the artwork, first of all. It's colourful and expressive, and all the characters felt recognisably unique (granted, this is a little easier when so many of the characters are monsters...).
I also liked the representation of anxiety. It's shown graphically as a little black cloud that appears when Brianna is feeling overwhelmed. As her anxiety attack ramps up, the little cloud grows until it eventually obscures everything around Brianna.
Lastly, I just liked the representation of food service work and restaurant ownership. As hopping as the restaurant is, it still ends up at a slight loss (which is celebrated as a victory). The specificity of that environment added a nice touch to the story.
Unfortunately, a lot of the story just didn't sit well for me. For one thing, a central plot point is that Brianna is adding illegal ingredients to her food and then serving it to customers without letting them know. She does this knowing that it is against monster tradition to eat flour or sugar. This is on par with serving pork to Muslims while letting them assume that it's chicken. Not cool.
The other issue is that the big baddie of the story, Madame Cron, is coded as a WoC. She serves traditional, functional monster food, which loses out to Brianna's imported human food. I'm not reading this SJW stuff into it, by the way - Cron is explicitly shown as having had a history of being oppressed by humans, and having been an activist in her past. And now, the message of the story is that she needs to let go of all that resentment because monster racism is over, and she needs to just let her neighbourhood get gentrified by the nice blonde woman with her non-ethnic cooking that everyone loves.
It would have been one thing if Brianna learned a valuable lesson about respecting Monster traditions, but the lesson is all Madame Cron's (who is seen taking down a "no humans allowed" sign from her restaurant in her last panel). I just don't know what to make of all that, but it doesn't sit well with me.
I also liked the representation of anxiety. It's shown graphically as a little black cloud that appears when Brianna is feeling overwhelmed. As her anxiety attack ramps up, the little cloud grows until it eventually obscures everything around Brianna.
Lastly, I just liked the representation of food service work and restaurant ownership. As hopping as the restaurant is, it still ends up at a slight loss (which is celebrated as a victory). The specificity of that environment added a nice touch to the story.
Unfortunately, a lot of the story just didn't sit well for me. For one thing, a central plot point is that Brianna is adding illegal ingredients to her food and then serving it to customers without letting them know. She does this knowing that it is against monster tradition to eat flour or sugar. This is on par with serving pork to Muslims while letting them assume that it's chicken. Not cool.
The other issue is that the big baddie of the story, Madame Cron, is coded as a WoC. She serves traditional, functional monster food, which loses out to Brianna's imported human food. I'm not reading this SJW stuff into it, by the way - Cron is explicitly shown as having had a history of being oppressed by humans, and having been an activist in her past. And now, the message of the story is that she needs to let go of all that resentment because monster racism is over, and she needs to just let her neighbourhood get gentrified by the nice blonde woman with her non-ethnic cooking that everyone loves.
It would have been one thing if Brianna learned a valuable lesson about respecting Monster traditions, but the lesson is all Madame Cron's (who is seen taking down a "no humans allowed" sign from her restaurant in her last panel). I just don't know what to make of all that, but it doesn't sit well with me.