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sarahelisewrites's review
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
katelyn_peabody's review
inspiring
relaxing
slow-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
jwinchell's review
3.0
I was able to keep the two main characters separated but everyone else looked the same to me. And there were pages and sections where I did not know what was going on. Caroline’s inner voice is so negative and unsure; it reminded me of how I sound to myself when I’m down. I like that the ending was nebulous because the entire story minus the tutoring and the crush was nebulous. I liked that there was actual Korean language and lettering in this book.
geo81's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
thearieslibrary's review against another edition
4.0
Firebird examines the power of resilience and reinvention, following the lives of Caroline and Kim, two queer, Asian American teenagers growing up in the suburbs of the San Francisco Bay Area, as they forge an unexpected connection.
This is my first graphic novel and I don’t know why I waited so long to pick one up. Shoutout to my book club for choosing this one to read!
I really loved both Caroline and Kim. I related to them both a lot. I loved how this graphic novel used colour to highlight the different important topics that it discussed, such as glimpses of gender and sexuality exploration. However, I wish that we did get more of this as I would’ve liked for these topics to be explored more. I love the diversity of the characters - there were non-binary side characters as well as queer main characters.
I definitely think that this would’ve been better read in one sitting rather than multiple sittings, which is what I did. I do wish that there was more from the ending, and that it was expanded upon, especially as it was Caroline‘s and Kim‘s first queer relationship and it would’ve been nice to see the relationship further develop.
⚠️ CWs: fatphobic, body shaming, homophobia, mental illness, emotional abuse, panic attack, toxic relationship, transphobia, religious bigotry, abandonment and lesbophobia ⚠️
emily_claire11's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
whitneymouse's review
4.0
**Thank you to Another Chapter Bookstore for providing an ARC of this title. This in no way changed my rating**
Firebird reminds me a lot of Himawari House in the best way, so if you liked that title, I think you would like this one. I am really excited to see a finished copy because many of the illustrations in the ARC copy are rough sketches, but the finished art from Sunmi in the first few chapters was very aesthetically pleasing. I'm sure the finished art will be beautiful, too. Firebird follows Caroline Kim, who is a sophomore questioning her identity. She is Korean and lives with her mother in California while her father lives and works back in South Korea. It was nice to see a character who is queer questioning (as of the ARC, it's unclear whether she is nonbinary or maybe questioning trans, but she is attracted to women. Since the character is referred to as a girl and it's left in the air what Caroline will decide, I'm using she/her pronouns in this review), as well as plus-size. There is a shopping scene where she mentions she's always been drawn to men's clothing and dressing in a masc way, but she can't figure out clothing that fits her and looks good. She is successful during this trip in finding clothes that fit both her body and identity. Caroline is tutoring and starting to develop a crush on her classmate, Kim, who is Filipino-Korean. She is a very well-rounded love interest. We learn about her family, her job, her interests, and she gets her own POV chapters. It's nice to go back and forth and see that both characters are well developed, but it's still mainly Caroline's story.
There is a secondary conflict with her mother that doesn't get fully resolved, but was still very well-written. Caroline's mom speaks to her almost entirely in Korean and the text reflects that, showing both a Korean speech bubble and an English "translation" bubble. It was nice to see Caroline is bilingual and I think it will be appealing to kids who live that experience to see it reflected, as well as a window for kids who don't live that experience. The conflict basically breaks down to her mother having one plan in mind for Caroline and Caroline having a different plan she's figuring out as she grows up. The story was excellent and would make me interested in more of Sunmi's work.
Overall, I would recommend this title. I could see it being nominated for some YALSA awards. The title is indicative of the firebird myth, but Kim also drives an old firebird, so it works on multiple levels. The book, as well, works on multiple levels of representation while also portraying universal themes of teenage coming-of-age stories.
4/5 stars
Firebird reminds me a lot of Himawari House in the best way, so if you liked that title, I think you would like this one. I am really excited to see a finished copy because many of the illustrations in the ARC copy are rough sketches, but the finished art from Sunmi in the first few chapters was very aesthetically pleasing. I'm sure the finished art will be beautiful, too. Firebird follows Caroline Kim, who is a sophomore questioning her identity. She is Korean and lives with her mother in California while her father lives and works back in South Korea. It was nice to see a character who is queer questioning (as of the ARC, it's unclear whether she is nonbinary or maybe questioning trans, but she is attracted to women. Since the character is referred to as a girl and it's left in the air what Caroline will decide, I'm using she/her pronouns in this review), as well as plus-size. There is a shopping scene where she mentions she's always been drawn to men's clothing and dressing in a masc way, but she can't figure out clothing that fits her and looks good. She is successful during this trip in finding clothes that fit both her body and identity. Caroline is tutoring and starting to develop a crush on her classmate, Kim, who is Filipino-Korean. She is a very well-rounded love interest. We learn about her family, her job, her interests, and she gets her own POV chapters. It's nice to go back and forth and see that both characters are well developed, but it's still mainly Caroline's story.
There is a secondary conflict with her mother that doesn't get fully resolved, but was still very well-written. Caroline's mom speaks to her almost entirely in Korean and the text reflects that, showing both a Korean speech bubble and an English "translation" bubble. It was nice to see Caroline is bilingual and I think it will be appealing to kids who live that experience to see it reflected, as well as a window for kids who don't live that experience. The conflict basically breaks down to her mother having one plan in mind for Caroline and Caroline having a different plan she's figuring out as she grows up. The story was excellent and would make me interested in more of Sunmi's work.
Overall, I would recommend this title. I could see it being nominated for some YALSA awards. The title is indicative of the firebird myth, but Kim also drives an old firebird, so it works on multiple levels. The book, as well, works on multiple levels of representation while also portraying universal themes of teenage coming-of-age stories.
4/5 stars