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adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
I have more lengthy opinions on this than my brain can think on the fly but let me say this: most of the negative reviews of this book did not understand what this book was going for at all in my humble opinion (Global South immigrant experiences contrasted and paralleled with alien superhero experiences as well as with Starfire herself, what my Chinese friend would call "freeaboo-ism" and believing they're exceptional because they tried hard, vs second generation immigrant alienation from both the culture they were raised in and general American culture represented by Metropolis) and arguably this book made me feel EXCITED from start to finish. Arguably up there with Galaxy: The Prettiest Star (both are the best in the DC YA imprint I've read but in divergent ways, with this book having a more down to earth tone that's probably heightened by Mariko Tamaki's equally down to earth writing style probably present in her YA novels, while Jadzia Dax's writing for Galaxy is more surreal, blending fantasy with sci-fi and reality). If I had it my way, Mandy Anders/Mandy The Destroyer would be canon to the DC Universe (and besties with Taelyr. PLEASE I need this.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Racism
Minor: Slavery
There are instances of racism through the way both Mandy (a mixed Tamaranean/American) and her friend Lincoln (a Vietnamese American) are treated but is treated like a bad thing. Mandy gets called fatphobic names a couple times by bullies and it's implied Starfire used to police Mandy's body because of her being fat. Brief textual description of Starfire formerly being a slave due to Blackfire's coup on Tamaranea.