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bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
I'm really pretty confused about this book. I've heard so many good things about it that I wonder if I missed something? While it was refreshing to see a different sort of protagonist, and while I did appreciate the diversity, I'm left wondering what the book was all about. Spoilers to follow.
In the end, my big question is: am I supposed to root for Nimona? If so, why? Okay, so she's a tortured soul who obviously had a hard past, but so what? She does a lot of really, really terrible things in this book, and that makes me less than sympathetic to her cause. I kept wondering if Ballister would teach her something--for all his "evilness", he has a highly developed sense of morality--but, as far as I can tell, he didn't. To me, it's a real shame that Nimona apparently didn't learn anything from Ballister, though she clearly could have benefited from his wisdom.
I did like the relationship between Ballister and Ambrosious. It was interesting and unconventional, and not just because it's a depiction of a male/male relationship. Their past is complicated, and Ambrosious is clearly not the hero everyone makes him out to be--much like Ballister isn't the villain everyone makes him out to be. I appreciated these shades of gray as they made the characters more complex and interesting. I may be in the minority, but I appreciated that Ambrosious owned his pettiness and that he tried to do something about it in the end. I found his story a well-done redemption arc.
The real winner for me, though, was Ballister, which is why it's such a shame that this book leaves so much unresolved. I like Ballister's taciturn nature, and I like that, while he hated an institution, he possessed enough nuanced wisdom that he understood that everyone who works for the institution is not necessarily a problem. I liked the empathy that he had for Nimona as well, and his willingness to try to forgive her even when she didn't deserve his forgiveness. He has a great deal of compassion, and I was disappointed that I felt his compassion was unmerited.
Maybe it's not a flaw of the book, maybe it's just my take on it, because, while I don't want this to sound After School Special, I did want to see Nimona grow in the end, and the fact that she didn't contributed to my overall disappointment with the book, despite how much I liked Ballister and Ambrosious. Even so, I was happy to see something different, something that broke most of the common tropes of fantasy narratives. It's nice to see characters who aren't all good or all bad. I enjoyed this author's style and hope to get more out of her future books.
(One last note--why was this classified as YA? It is no way strikes me as fitting into the genre.)
In the end, my big question is: am I supposed to root for Nimona? If so, why? Okay, so she's a tortured soul who obviously had a hard past, but so what? She does a lot of really, really terrible things in this book, and that makes me less than sympathetic to her cause. I kept wondering if Ballister would teach her something--for all his "evilness", he has a highly developed sense of morality--but, as far as I can tell, he didn't. To me, it's a real shame that Nimona apparently didn't learn anything from Ballister, though she clearly could have benefited from his wisdom.
I did like the relationship between Ballister and Ambrosious. It was interesting and unconventional, and not just because it's a depiction of a male/male relationship. Their past is complicated, and Ambrosious is clearly not the hero everyone makes him out to be--much like Ballister isn't the villain everyone makes him out to be. I appreciated these shades of gray as they made the characters more complex and interesting. I may be in the minority, but I appreciated that Ambrosious owned his pettiness and that he tried to do something about it in the end. I found his story a well-done redemption arc.
The real winner for me, though, was Ballister, which is why it's such a shame that this book leaves so much unresolved. I like Ballister's taciturn nature, and I like that, while he hated an institution, he possessed enough nuanced wisdom that he understood that everyone who works for the institution is not necessarily a problem. I liked the empathy that he had for Nimona as well, and his willingness to try to forgive her even when she didn't deserve his forgiveness. He has a great deal of compassion, and I was disappointed that I felt his compassion was unmerited.
Maybe it's not a flaw of the book, maybe it's just my take on it, because, while I don't want this to sound After School Special, I did want to see Nimona grow in the end, and the fact that she didn't contributed to my overall disappointment with the book, despite how much I liked Ballister and Ambrosious. Even so, I was happy to see something different, something that broke most of the common tropes of fantasy narratives. It's nice to see characters who aren't all good or all bad. I enjoyed this author's style and hope to get more out of her future books.
(One last note--why was this classified as YA? It is no way strikes me as fitting into the genre.)
bettysbookishworld's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
sad
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
4.75
maximumboogie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
4.0
Unfortunately the film is on another level entirely, but this was still very fun!
zombiewilhelm's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
uutopicaa's review against another edition
2.0
Tengo una opinión impopular: no me gustó ni un poco.
No digo que sea una mala historia, sino que no era para mí. Quizás el género gráfico no es para mí en su totalidad porque no es la primera vez que me pasa que compro algo así y que no lo disfruto.
La historia en sí me pareció... ridícula, pero no en un buen sentido de la palabra. No entendí a qué clase de público apuntaba porque presentaba humor como para preadolescentes junto con escenas llenas de sangre y de muerte exagerada. Es como si tomaran una caricatura tipo El increíble mundo de Gumball y le añadieran escenas de Evil Dead.
Los personajes son todos muy goofy (no sé cómo decirlo en español), todos son un chiste andando. No me pude tomar en serio ni la historia ni la trama, no pude empatizar con los personajes ni nada. Es más, se me hicieron tontos e insportables desde el inicio.
Supongo que el final me gustó. Fue lo mejor de la historia.
De nuevo, repito, no es un mal texto. No era para mí, nada más.
No digo que sea una mala historia, sino que no era para mí. Quizás el género gráfico no es para mí en su totalidad porque no es la primera vez que me pasa que compro algo así y que no lo disfruto.
La historia en sí me pareció... ridícula, pero no en un buen sentido de la palabra. No entendí a qué clase de público apuntaba porque presentaba humor como para preadolescentes junto con escenas llenas de sangre y de muerte exagerada. Es como si tomaran una caricatura tipo El increíble mundo de Gumball y le añadieran escenas de Evil Dead.
Los personajes son todos muy goofy (no sé cómo decirlo en español), todos son un chiste andando. No me pude tomar en serio ni la historia ni la trama, no pude empatizar con los personajes ni nada. Es más, se me hicieron tontos e insportables desde el inicio.
Supongo que el final me gustó. Fue lo mejor de la historia.
De nuevo, repito, no es un mal texto. No era para mí, nada más.
queerandtalkative's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
reflective
tense
shylfgoe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
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
5.0
I love them so much omg
gillianalice's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Ok, so this was cute. As with most short graphic novels, I would have loved to have more details about Nimona's past, but they gave me enough that I wouldn't be confused. I really want to watch the show now!