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augustar14's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.5
A beautiful graphic novel with a host of queer characters all over the rainbow. I appreciate that a character's LGBTQ+ identity was independent of their morality, and not questioned by any other characters. The variety in characters appearances and traits was delightful; I often struggle to remember which characters are which in stories at times, but this author did a great job of making each one distinct not just in appearance but also personality.
I love the world Blue has created and the possibilities they lead the reader to consider when reading this story.
I love the world Blue has created and the possibilities they lead the reader to consider when reading this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Gun violence, Death of parent, Bullying, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Colonisation, and Child death
Minor: Vomit
thebackcatalogue's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Across A Field of Starlight delivers a slow-burn romance and a brilliant deconstruction of the Empire vs. Rebels trope packed into a high-stakes sci-fi adventure.
Read the full review @ thebackcatalogue.substack.com
Read the full review @ thebackcatalogue.substack.com
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Gun violence, Violence, Death of parent, and Homophobia
Minor: Medical content, Bullying, and Blood
Depicted: War, Violence (Including Gun Violence), Death Of A Parent, Homophobia, Imperialism Mentioned: Medical Content, Bullying, Bloodbeforeviolets's review
adventurous
hopeful
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
Thank you so much to Random House and GetUnderlined for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
For fans of Steven Universe, this wholesome yet insightful graphic novels tells the story of two nonbinary teens who live incredibly different lives across a giant space war.
The characters were so lovable and wonderfully diverse; there wasn't a cishet person in sight, and most of the characters were POC as well. The more cartoon-ish style of the graphic novel (again, reminiscent of SU), especially within the figures, kept the content feeling accessible amid some of the darker or more difficult-to-understand moments.
Some incredibly nuanced and deep topics were brought to light amid the war themes, mostly in regards to the way that civilians and indigenous people are treated as props or disposable casualties. One of the characters also struggled with PTSD and was constantly having to live within survival mode, as the product of a war. Epic sci-fi like this, especially in YA, doesn't tend to bring up these more grounded and realistic conversations about war, and I felt this really set this work apart. However, these topics were introduced and set up in such a way that opened a lot of doors for messages and calls-to-action for the audience, yet seemed to fizzle out, and they weren't utilized to their full potential, especially in the more climactic moments of the book. Certain bits of dialogue actually seemed like it was going to bring these themes to a close, but went unacknowledged, which seemed... odd. A wonderful start, but left me hanging.
I also found this graphic novel to struggle within its own format. The author didn't seem to have a great grasp on the idea of using the panel as a camera lens, and the transitions of scenes or moments of dialogue were often clunky at best. Also, there were major inconsistencies with the speech bubbles and the formatting of their tails, which made it confusing as to who was speaking at times or how we were meant to interpret their speech. It seemed like it just needed a final editing round by someone other than the author.
CW/TW: war & war themes, parental death (offscreen), violence, gun violence, colonization, trauma/PTSD, vehicle accident, medical content (minor), blood, dysphoria (mention), emesis, bullying (brief)
For fans of Steven Universe, this wholesome yet insightful graphic novels tells the story of two nonbinary teens who live incredibly different lives across a giant space war.
The characters were so lovable and wonderfully diverse; there wasn't a cishet person in sight, and most of the characters were POC as well. The more cartoon-ish style of the graphic novel (again, reminiscent of SU), especially within the figures, kept the content feeling accessible amid some of the darker or more difficult-to-understand moments.
Some incredibly nuanced and deep topics were brought to light amid the war themes, mostly in regards to the way that civilians and indigenous people are treated as props or disposable casualties. One of the characters also struggled with PTSD and was constantly having to live within survival mode, as the product of a war. Epic sci-fi like this, especially in YA, doesn't tend to bring up these more grounded and realistic conversations about war, and I felt this really set this work apart. However, these topics were introduced and set up in such a way that opened a lot of doors for messages and calls-to-action for the audience, yet seemed to fizzle out, and they weren't utilized to their full potential, especially in the more climactic moments of the book. Certain bits of dialogue actually seemed like it was going to bring these themes to a close, but went unacknowledged, which seemed... odd. A wonderful start, but left me hanging.
I also found this graphic novel to struggle within its own format. The author didn't seem to have a great grasp on the idea of using the panel as a camera lens, and the transitions of scenes or moments of dialogue were often clunky at best. Also, there were major inconsistencies with the speech bubbles and the formatting of their tails, which made it confusing as to who was speaking at times or how we were meant to interpret their speech. It seemed like it just needed a final editing round by someone other than the author.
CW/TW: war & war themes, parental death (offscreen), violence, gun violence, colonization, trauma/PTSD, vehicle accident, medical content (minor), blood, dysphoria (mention), emesis, bullying (brief)
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Violence, Gun violence, Colonisation, and Death of parent
Minor: Dysphoria, Vomit, Bullying, Car accident, Medical content, and Blood
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