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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
starfire was out of character, and mandy was just the author’s self insert
I wanted to give this book a fair chance, since so many old school comic nerds were poo-pooing it so hard, but yikes. This book deserves a lot of the criticism.
Mandy is Starfire's only child, so a look into what it's like to be raised in the shadow of a super hero should be interesting, right? Right, but with the right character, which Mandy is not. Mandy is ~not like other girls,~ so she slut shames her own mother, and is "above" school. She doesn't even want to go to college, imagining instead a life in Paris. How will she pay for this? That doesn't matter to her. The level of privilege she has is mindblowing. There are alt girls who are relatable characters but Mandy was not it.
The story mostly centers on the fact that Mandy resents her mother. For what? For being a superhero and trying to be a supportive mother. But she's not supportive in the "right way," so yeah, Mandy craps all over her mom's efforts to be involved. She turns this toxic attitude toward her love interest as well. Cutting her off after Claire takes a picture with the Titans while at her house, like???? She doesn't bother to try and understand Claire and her personality and lifestyle. She is expected to adapt to Mandy's expectations.
The ending is so rush that there is no good resolution to Mandy's character. She realizes she's not the "anti-Starfire," but there's no addressing her anti-feminist, slut shamey ways. The only redeeming factors for this book was having a plus size main character (just wish she wasn't such a B) and Yoshitani's art. It's beautiful and colorful and perfect for YA graphic novels.
Mandy is Starfire's only child, so a look into what it's like to be raised in the shadow of a super hero should be interesting, right? Right, but with the right character, which Mandy is not. Mandy is ~not like other girls,~ so she slut shames her own mother, and is "above" school. She doesn't even want to go to college, imagining instead a life in Paris. How will she pay for this? That doesn't matter to her. The level of privilege she has is mindblowing. There are alt girls who are relatable characters but Mandy was not it.
The story mostly centers on the fact that Mandy resents her mother. For what? For being a superhero and trying to be a supportive mother. But she's not supportive in the "right way," so yeah, Mandy craps all over her mom's efforts to be involved. She turns this toxic attitude toward her love interest as well. Cutting her off after Claire takes a picture with the Titans while at her house, like???? She doesn't bother to try and understand Claire and her personality and lifestyle. She is expected to adapt to Mandy's expectations.
The ending is so rush that there is no good resolution to Mandy's character. She realizes she's not the "anti-Starfire," but there's no addressing her anti-feminist, slut shamey ways. The only redeeming factors for this book was having a plus size main character (just wish she wasn't such a B) and Yoshitani's art. It's beautiful and colorful and perfect for YA graphic novels.
emotional
lighthearted
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
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The beautiful art is what made me buy this book! I'm super oblivious to the DC universe and at first didn't even realize Starfire is an established character. But still I enjoyed this queer coming of age story! I think Mandy is quite relatable to teens, which is who this story is geared towards. Some of the characterization is a bit shallow because there's not a lot of time in the story to establish nuanced personality, but it's not a complete deal breaker. Aesthetically loved this book!
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
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
the art was good
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes