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anneweaver9's review against another edition
4.0
Girl recovering from mother's cancer death. Lot of comicbook references. Good example of turning points ie. her revenge on Fanboy. Would have liked a bit more depth with this choice, rather than relying so much on circumstances.
oceangal56's review against another edition
5.0
Author: Barry Lyga
Title: Goth Girl Rising
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Edition: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0-547-07664-5
Price: $17.00
Number of pages: 390
***** 5 stars
Kyra is the type of girl I wanted desperately to be. Take no shit, shave my head, wear Elec-trick blue lipstick and do what I want, when I want. I wasn’t Kyra, in any way shape or form. I was good, I listened to my parents, I did as I was told, always, in school. Kyra, the Goth Girl, spoke to the other side of me, the rebellious side. The side that defied authority, no matter the price. In Kyra’s case the price was steep. After her mother dies of lung cancer Kyra becomes DCHH…Daddy Can’t Handle Her…. She spends all of summer vacation in the local mental hospital. After Kyra is released she is in black and ready to catch up with the one person that understands her-Fanboy. But, much to Kyra’s surprise things have changed. How will Kyra change to keep her friends?
She fuels the fires of jealousy with a smear campaign in order to show Fanboy that she is the one for him. Her friend’s reactions aren’t what she expects. Eventually she learns that
“…That’s what I do. I tell people shit they need to know.”
And he said “I know that. You are not polite about it, but I
know that’s what you do. And that’s fine. And someday, you’ll
find someone who appreciates not just what you do, but how you
do it.”
In this sequel to Fanboy and Goth Girl Barry Lyga’s lyrical writing style evokes the pain of being the outsider looking in, and all of the pain and anger that comes with being in that position. Lyga intersperses Kyra’s poems to her dead mother and letters to her hero, Neil Gaiman. This book is a must-purchase for the high school library.
Title: Goth Girl Rising
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Edition: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0-547-07664-5
Price: $17.00
Number of pages: 390
***** 5 stars
Kyra is the type of girl I wanted desperately to be. Take no shit, shave my head, wear Elec-trick blue lipstick and do what I want, when I want. I wasn’t Kyra, in any way shape or form. I was good, I listened to my parents, I did as I was told, always, in school. Kyra, the Goth Girl, spoke to the other side of me, the rebellious side. The side that defied authority, no matter the price. In Kyra’s case the price was steep. After her mother dies of lung cancer Kyra becomes DCHH…Daddy Can’t Handle Her…. She spends all of summer vacation in the local mental hospital. After Kyra is released she is in black and ready to catch up with the one person that understands her-Fanboy. But, much to Kyra’s surprise things have changed. How will Kyra change to keep her friends?
She fuels the fires of jealousy with a smear campaign in order to show Fanboy that she is the one for him. Her friend’s reactions aren’t what she expects. Eventually she learns that
“…That’s what I do. I tell people shit they need to know.”
And he said “I know that. You are not polite about it, but I
know that’s what you do. And that’s fine. And someday, you’ll
find someone who appreciates not just what you do, but how you
do it.”
In this sequel to Fanboy and Goth Girl Barry Lyga’s lyrical writing style evokes the pain of being the outsider looking in, and all of the pain and anger that comes with being in that position. Lyga intersperses Kyra’s poems to her dead mother and letters to her hero, Neil Gaiman. This book is a must-purchase for the high school library.
flawlesswreck's review against another edition
5.0
This book's setting in Brookdale, Maryland, USA. It takes place at South Brook High. The main character is Kyra Sellers. She is around 15 to 16 years old. She smokes and sneaks out of the house constantly. She has cut once in her lifetime;she liked it. She also had tried to commit suicide twice; both failed. She has very low self-esteem but she is proud. She doesn't care about what people say about her. She does what she wants. Her dad doubts her constantly and is very tired of her spontaneous and disrespectful behavior. Her mom died of lung cancer because of smoking when she was around the age of 13. This gave her a reason to what she wants. The conflict begins when Kyra returns from the Maryland Mental Health Unit after trying to commit suicide. Everything is normal when she back her usual black. Her dad is pain in the rear end and her two best friends, Jecca and Simone, are still doing their thing. She was ready to make up with the only person that ever appreciated her, Fanboy (That's not his real name. She calls him that because he fan-girls all over graphic novels and comic books). When she gets to school, she sees him. He has completely changed from a neglected geeky boy to the most popular kid in school. He also posted his secret graphic novel in the school's literary magazine, Literary Paws. When Kyra absorbs this, her anger and thee memories came flooding back. Time for revenge.
I really love this book because it is entertaining and the way the character thinks is clearly shown. This book is not confusing and is very easy to read. It has extensive vocabulary and a great structure. In the book, it's not really feeding into the detailed way of writing. Kyra isn't afraid of anything so there is no "my heart starts beating fast" or "i start to tremble". None of that is in there. I like it that way because it shows how a bad girl behaves, per say, than a girl on an emotional roller coaster. This book wasn't predictable at all. I didn't like the ending because it seemed out of place, like it needed a another piece to it. My favorite part was still the end because we got to learn Fanboy's real name, Don. Some connection I made was with the Prequel The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl and with some people in my life that has gone through the same thing. I rate this 5 stars because it's relatable to the teenage mind and it's really good. A quote from Kyra is, "You can't rely on love. Love will let you down every time. Every. Single. Time.
I don't love Jecca. I don't love Fanboy.
But...
God, the buts in life will kill you absolutely every time, won't they.
I don't love. But I need. I can admit that to myself."
I really love this book and I'm hoping for a Third. XD XP c:
I really love this book because it is entertaining and the way the character thinks is clearly shown. This book is not confusing and is very easy to read. It has extensive vocabulary and a great structure. In the book, it's not really feeding into the detailed way of writing. Kyra isn't afraid of anything so there is no "my heart starts beating fast" or "i start to tremble". None of that is in there. I like it that way because it shows how a bad girl behaves, per say, than a girl on an emotional roller coaster. This book wasn't predictable at all. I didn't like the ending because it seemed out of place, like it needed a another piece to it. My favorite part was still the end because we got to learn Fanboy's real name, Don. Some connection I made was with the Prequel The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl and with some people in my life that has gone through the same thing. I rate this 5 stars because it's relatable to the teenage mind and it's really good. A quote from Kyra is, "You can't rely on love. Love will let you down every time. Every. Single. Time.
I don't love Jecca. I don't love Fanboy.
But...
God, the buts in life will kill you absolutely every time, won't they.
I don't love. But I need. I can admit that to myself."
I really love this book and I'm hoping for a Third. XD XP c:
theuntitleddocument's review against another edition
4.0
Story: 3
Writing: 5
I actually enjoyed this book much better than the first one. Never have I ever liked a sequel.
Barry Lyga's writing is so GOOD. So simple yet compelling.
Writing: 5
I actually enjoyed this book much better than the first one. Never have I ever liked a sequel.
Barry Lyga's writing is so GOOD. So simple yet compelling.
delz's review against another edition
5.0
Goth Girl was a powerfully written story of Kyra, a teenage girl dealing with the loss of her mother to lung cancer. We met Kyra in The Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, where she befriends Fanboy and helps him to see the opposite sex as more than just an object which in turn helps with the development of his comic book. At the end of the story though Fanboy is frightened that Kyra may try to take her life, so he makes an anonymous call to her dad to warn him. Goth Girl Rising starts with Kyra being released from the "hospital" after a 6 month stay. She ended up there as a direst result of Fanboy's phone call, so she's angry with him and she plans different forms of revenge. She's also reconnecting with her friends and doing a lot of fighting with her father. She has many confrontations with the teachers and vice-principal, but really she's just trying find her way back into the world to what's normal. A few of the chapters are actually letters to Neil Gaiman, because she's made a connection to his Sandman comics, the character, Death especially. She's looking for answers and just feels all alone. This story is a sensitive look at a teenage girl dealing with all that life has to throw at her and Barry Lyga does it so well.
myllady's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed Goth girl Rising way more the the precedent book. The story of Kyra really worked for me, her character feels rich and complete and she evolves through the book, I like her voice, her musing, her efforts to find herself and her anger. I also like the glimpses of Fanboy we are getting, finding him actually more interesting now that he has evolved too and that we are out of his head ;)
Something about the writing does not work for me though, but I can't pinpoint what. That's why this book didn't get a 5 stars.
Something about the writing does not work for me though, but I can't pinpoint what. That's why this book didn't get a 5 stars.
missusb21's review against another edition
5.0
I love the way Lyga writes. It flows so well, and even though sometimes there are soapboxes in the narrative, they are issues deserving of thought. So, good on him. I love this cover.
soulwinds's review
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny
horrorghoul's review against another edition
3.0
What happened to the cool Kyra I liked from Fanboy? I feel like these were two different books. Many parts I skipped because I might one day read Sandman. I don't know if this was a book about Kyra & Fanboy, or a whiny girl who I don't understand why she's upset, or cliff notes for Sandman. I missed Fanboy!!
cpliego's review against another edition
5.0
I was happily surprised to find out that The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl had a second book since the first book left me wanting more. It has also been one of my favorite reads of the year, so I was excited to read this one.
This book is through Kyra a.k.a. Goth Girl's POV instead of Fanboy, and six months have passed since the ending of TAAFGG. I have to admit that Kyra can be tough character to like sometimes because of her attitude, but I think she's great. Lyga created this foul-mouthed, badass, emotionally unstable girl who thinks and talks like some girls today and I really liked that I was finally able to know what she was thinking.
Although Kyra is great, what bothered me most about the book was the absence of Fanboy. He was there, but mostly in Kyra's thoughts. His character didn't show up as much in the book as I would've wanted to, and one of the best scenes that really has them together is towards the end. I was a bit sad to see it end and not have heard from him much. I did miss him even though I liked Kyra.
I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the first one. There were a few times that Kyra just frustrated me, and again, I was disappointed that Fanboy wasn't around.I would recommend reading TAAFGG first, but this book can also be read on its own since Lyga adds enough background information so that you aren't completely lost. I would recommend everyone to give this a try, but there is some rough dialogue and some sexual references.
This book is through Kyra a.k.a. Goth Girl's POV instead of Fanboy, and six months have passed since the ending of TAAFGG. I have to admit that Kyra can be tough character to like sometimes because of her attitude, but I think she's great. Lyga created this foul-mouthed, badass, emotionally unstable girl who thinks and talks like some girls today and I really liked that I was finally able to know what she was thinking.
Although Kyra is great, what bothered me most about the book was the absence of Fanboy. He was there, but mostly in Kyra's thoughts. His character didn't show up as much in the book as I would've wanted to, and one of the best scenes that really has them together is towards the end. I was a bit sad to see it end and not have heard from him much. I did miss him even though I liked Kyra.
I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the first one. There were a few times that Kyra just frustrated me, and again, I was disappointed that Fanboy wasn't around.I would recommend reading TAAFGG first, but this book can also be read on its own since Lyga adds enough background information so that you aren't completely lost. I would recommend everyone to give this a try, but there is some rough dialogue and some sexual references.