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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
It was actually kind of a cute story. It’s a YA book for sure but it was cute yeah. Not like immensely compelling but it was fine.
I really really love the idea that she’s writing a comic in this book. I have been wanting to make a comic I’ve had in mind for years!…but just nobody seems to want to help me or is too busy.
This book does so many things right, in fact it fixes what problems I had with the previous book I read “Fangirl” (exception of one which was still hinted at and done better than Fangirl). About a quarter or so in I got really sucked in and decided to just say “screw the one chapter a day” thing because I was loving it and the chapters vary in length. I had a dream about it the one night I was that sucked in. I don’t think I ever felt that way about a book, it’s really inspiring as an introvert, writer, comic book artist, you name it. Whenever the characters (Wallace and Eliza) got mad at each other or something, I would feel it too, like “No don’t be mad, don’t do that, that’s stupid of you, you’re becoming just what you’ve feared” and then it will fix it somehow and I’ll be like “Yes! Now just do this thing and we’ll be all good” I had an idea that they were going to end with a certain question of the book but I didn’t expect it to be like that, it scared me, it was pretty well done and dramatic despite me wanting it all to work out.
The author actually understands modern kids and introvert problems pretty well (again with the exception of one thing) but it’s still pretty spot on.
This book does so many things right, in fact it fixes what problems I had with the previous book I read “Fangirl” (exception of one which was still hinted at and done better than Fangirl). About a quarter or so in I got really sucked in and decided to just say “screw the one chapter a day” thing because I was loving it and the chapters vary in length. I had a dream about it the one night I was that sucked in. I don’t think I ever felt that way about a book, it’s really inspiring as an introvert, writer, comic book artist, you name it. Whenever the characters (Wallace and Eliza) got mad at each other or something, I would feel it too, like “No don’t be mad, don’t do that, that’s stupid of you, you’re becoming just what you’ve feared” and then it will fix it somehow and I’ll be like “Yes! Now just do this thing and we’ll be all good” I had an idea that they were going to end with a certain question of the book but I didn’t expect it to be like that, it scared me, it was pretty well done and dramatic despite me wanting it all to work out.
The author actually understands modern kids and introvert problems pretty well (again with the exception of one thing) but it’s still pretty spot on.
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
As much as I liked reading this book, I was never, at any given time in the book, was ever attached to Eliza at all. This may have come from my lack of understanding of Eliza's character. Because I never entirely understood from where her anxiety stems from? Her parents are very plain. They aren't the best but nor are they the worst. They seemed very normal. And her siblings where just... sibling like. I would, on the other hand, understood Eliza's anxiety if it was due to her bullying, childhood trauma or domestic abuse (Abuse can be more than just physical) or from generally being treated badly once in her life. But to me, Eliza's anxiety just felt clinical and it did not make any sense to me (to me!) since it seemed like she had the potential to be normal but....she didn't.
HOWEVER, Wallace was just beautiful. His entire character arc and his development, was so amazingly put together. It hard to believe that the same person wrote Eliza.
This entirely book was only perfect is because of Wallace.
HOWEVER, Wallace was just beautiful. His entire character arc and his development, was so amazingly put together. It hard to believe that the same person wrote Eliza.
This entirely book was only perfect is because of Wallace.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have not read Zappia's first book, Made You Up (but now I want to) or anything else that she has written, so I had almost no idea how I would feel about Eliza and Her Monsters. I had expected a fairly average read, and instead found something that I really connected with and enjoyed.
Eliza Mirk is a socially awkward, highly introverted high school senior. She is also LadyConstellation, the anonymous, hugely internet-famous creator of a web comic called Monstrous Sea. Eliza is content with living her days at home, only recognized for her work online. Then she is circumstantially forced to befriend Wallace, a new student and raving Monstrous Sea fan. She wants to tell him who she is, but as the lies begin to stack up, she finds it easier to pretend to be just another fan. But what happens when a mistake is made and Eliza's identity is revealed not just to Wallace, but to the whole world?
I am immeasurably glad that I ended up reading Eliza because I enjoyed it so, so much. It is about so much more than the will-they-won't-they of the love interest. It's about mental health and how to care for it. It's about online friends versus "real" friends and the differences between the two. It's about what it means to create something that has a hoard of fans, each with their own expectations. It's about the generation gap between extroverted parents and their introverted, online social media children. And ultimately, it's about the power of creativity and the role it takes in our lives.
The two themes in Eliza that struck me most were mental health, and the rights and relationships of artists and their fans. The former grabbed me because I struggle greatly with anxiety. It is a never-ending battle that is illogical and frustrating, but neither of those things make it any less potent. This portrayal of anxiety is so important because it is so real. While my case is certainly not as severe as Eliza's, or as many real people, reading such an accurate portrayal was powerful. The latter was interesting from a writer's, or from any artist's I'm sure, perspective. What right do fans have to something that they love, something that they spend so much time and energy on? What right does the artist have once fans run wild with it? Where is the balance, or does it even exist. This is a complicated, thought-provoking situation that was explored very nicely in Eliza.
A side note: I read in her review of Eliza here on Goodreads that the author actually wrote the story Monstrous Sea and integrated into this book later, and that all of the story snippets and artwork were done by the author for this larger story. Very cool, and definitely something that I would read if it ever became its own book.
Eliza and Her Monsters is a story for the here and now. It is a tale of forums and fandoms and the social climate of the internet, and how one girl tries to navigate it while simultaneously trying to re-join the offline world. Highly recommended not just for readers of contemporary fiction, but also for the real kids just like Eliza, who have trouble with anxiety and fully connecting with people without the protective barrier of a screen. Zappia has written a hero for the millennial age.
Eliza Mirk is a socially awkward, highly introverted high school senior. She is also LadyConstellation, the anonymous, hugely internet-famous creator of a web comic called Monstrous Sea. Eliza is content with living her days at home, only recognized for her work online. Then she is circumstantially forced to befriend Wallace, a new student and raving Monstrous Sea fan. She wants to tell him who she is, but as the lies begin to stack up, she finds it easier to pretend to be just another fan. But what happens when a mistake is made and Eliza's identity is revealed not just to Wallace, but to the whole world?
I am immeasurably glad that I ended up reading Eliza because I enjoyed it so, so much. It is about so much more than the will-they-won't-they of the love interest. It's about mental health and how to care for it. It's about online friends versus "real" friends and the differences between the two. It's about what it means to create something that has a hoard of fans, each with their own expectations. It's about the generation gap between extroverted parents and their introverted, online social media children. And ultimately, it's about the power of creativity and the role it takes in our lives.
The two themes in Eliza that struck me most were mental health, and the rights and relationships of artists and their fans. The former grabbed me because I struggle greatly with anxiety. It is a never-ending battle that is illogical and frustrating, but neither of those things make it any less potent. This portrayal of anxiety is so important because it is so real. While my case is certainly not as severe as Eliza's, or as many real people, reading such an accurate portrayal was powerful. The latter was interesting from a writer's, or from any artist's I'm sure, perspective. What right do fans have to something that they love, something that they spend so much time and energy on? What right does the artist have once fans run wild with it? Where is the balance, or does it even exist. This is a complicated, thought-provoking situation that was explored very nicely in Eliza.
A side note: I read in her review of Eliza here on Goodreads that the author actually wrote the story Monstrous Sea and integrated into this book later, and that all of the story snippets and artwork were done by the author for this larger story. Very cool, and definitely something that I would read if it ever became its own book.
Eliza and Her Monsters is a story for the here and now. It is a tale of forums and fandoms and the social climate of the internet, and how one girl tries to navigate it while simultaneously trying to re-join the offline world. Highly recommended not just for readers of contemporary fiction, but also for the real kids just like Eliza, who have trouble with anxiety and fully connecting with people without the protective barrier of a screen. Zappia has written a hero for the millennial age.
“I'm not normally one to take advice from my fictional characters, but there comes a point in every girl's life where she reaches a crossroads: a night alone with her sweatpants and her favorite television show, or a party with real, live, breathing people.”
No offense but Eliza and Her Monsters SAVED my opinion of 2017 contemporaries (along with [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give|Angie Thomas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476284759s/32075671.jpg|49638190]).
If this isn't the most soul-crushing and relatable book. Honestly. It was almost TOO relatable, which makes it really hard to review. But I'll try.
First, Eliza is one of the best contemporary MC's I've read this year. I'm sure part of it was because I related to her, but another part was just!! good writing!!! I was so interested in her life and what she was going through and it made me really sad to read about but also it was like DANG someone who really gets it. Thank goodness.
"My parents wonder why I don't have more friends, and this is why: because I don'twant to be friends with there people. Even the nice ones think I'm weird.
Also the romance!! was so cute!! what an otp!!!!
I loved the themes of this book! It strikes the perfect balance between being Internet friendship-friendly, while also stressing that what's going on outside of the Internet is important too, and that it can be overwhelming and it's okay to just step away. I loved the balance between your family loving you and trying to understand but just. Not getting it. I loved it all.
Only giving it four stars bc it took me a hot sec to get into it. I would recommend it for teens with anxiety, depression, and/or a love of fandom.
Eliza Merk is socially awkward and quiet. She doesn't have any friends at school. Instead, her friends are online, where she anonymously creates one of the world's most popular web comics.
This book was unexpectedly wonderful. I'm not sure exactly what I expected, but this book was so much better. It had so much depth to it. The book explores the different ways Eliza identifies in the real word versus online. It looks at the power of online communities to build someone up and tear someone down. It explores what it is like to dive headfirst into your work and what it's like to feel the need to meet the expectations of others. It tackles what it means to be proud of the work you make but also separate yourself from the work you make. You are not your work, and your value as a person does not come from your work. It's a reminder of the secrets everyone keeps, even sometimes from the people they care about. Plus, it includes an exploration of anxiety, with a focus on social anxiety. It also talks about depression and suicide. And this is just the start. There was so much in this book, it's hard to unpack.
It's been a while since I was in high school. And, I definitely don't make a wildly popular web comic. But, I empathized so much with Eliza. She was such a complicated and relatable character. I could easily draw parallels between her life and mine, even though our situations differ greatly. Plus, the plot was interesting and I was fascinated by the idea of Monstrous Sea. Definitely would love to read that story too.
This was a fast read. I ended up devouring the book in just two days. Overall, Eliza and Her Monsters was an all-around great read.
This book was unexpectedly wonderful. I'm not sure exactly what I expected, but this book was so much better. It had so much depth to it. The book explores the different ways Eliza identifies in the real word versus online. It looks at the power of online communities to build someone up and tear someone down. It explores what it is like to dive headfirst into your work and what it's like to feel the need to meet the expectations of others. It tackles what it means to be proud of the work you make but also separate yourself from the work you make. You are not your work, and your value as a person does not come from your work. It's a reminder of the secrets everyone keeps, even sometimes from the people they care about. Plus, it includes an exploration of anxiety, with a focus on social anxiety. It also talks about depression and suicide. And this is just the start. There was so much in this book, it's hard to unpack.
It's been a while since I was in high school. And, I definitely don't make a wildly popular web comic. But, I empathized so much with Eliza. She was such a complicated and relatable character. I could easily draw parallels between her life and mine, even though our situations differ greatly. Plus, the plot was interesting and I was fascinated by the idea of Monstrous Sea. Definitely would love to read that story too.
This was a fast read. I ended up devouring the book in just two days. Overall, Eliza and Her Monsters was an all-around great read.
I’m wrecked. Totally, completely wrecked.
This book was so good. I loved every second of it. Honestly I’m not even sure I can completely comprehend my thoughts on this book at the moment. I think I’m going to sit on it for a little bit, and come back and write a real review. If you’re reading this before then, let me just say this: READ THIS.
This book was so good. I loved every second of it. Honestly I’m not even sure I can completely comprehend my thoughts on this book at the moment. I think I’m going to sit on it for a little bit, and come back and write a real review. If you’re reading this before then, let me just say this: READ THIS.