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popthebutterfly's review
emotional
inspiring
relaxing
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
5.0
Disclaimer: I received this book from the library! Support your local library! All opinions are my own.
Book: A Map to the Sun
Author: Sloane Leong
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Black MC and characters, Hawaiian character, Chinese character
Recommended For...: young adult readers, graphic novel lovers, contemporary readers, sports story readers
Publication Date: August 4, 2020
Genre: YA Contemporary Graphic Novel
Age Relevance: 16+ (death, derogatory term used, bullying, parental death, language, cutting, Christianity, underage alcohol consumption, potential sexual assault, fatphobia, misogyny, drug use mentioned, child sexual assault, sexism)
Explanation of Above: Death and parental death are mentioned in the book. There is a derogatory term used in the book (spaz). There are scenes of bullying. There is some slight cursing. Cutting is shown. Christianity is mentioned. Underage alcohol consumption is shown. There is a potential sexual assault mentioned and child sexual assault shown and mentioned in the form of a scene shown where teacher kissing a high schooler and an implication that they are having more illegal physical relations. There are scenes of fatphobia, misogyny, and sexism. There is also drug use mentioned.
Publisher: First Second
Pages: 368
Synopsis: One summer day, Ren meets Luna at a beachside basketball court and a friendship is born. But when Luna moves to back to Oahu, Ren’s messages to her friend go unanswered.
Years go by. Then Luna returns, hoping to rekindle their friendship. Ren is hesitant. She's dealing with a lot, including family troubles, dropping grades, and the newly formed women's basketball team at their highschool. With Ren’s new friends and Luna all on the basketball team, the lines between their lives on and off the court begin to blur. During their first season, this diverse and endearing group of teens are challenged in ways that make them reevaluate just who and how they trust.
Sloane Leong’s evocative storytelling about the lives of these young women is an ode to the dynamic nature of friendship.
Review: I really loved this book so much. The graphic novel has some of the most beautiful and colorful artwork that I’ve ever seen in my life. The story is also so beautifully told as well. I loved the friendship between the characters and it reminded me a lot of Gotta Kick It Up! The pacing was well done, the world building was stupendous, and I could just devour more of this story.
That being said, I’m kinda sad to not see a second book in this world. I would love another story and I want to see the girl’s stories continue. The book could have also been longer, there was definitely enough material for 200-300 more pages easily. The book also kinda ended on a cliffhanger. Where’s the next one please??
Verdict: I love it, the author needs to write more of this story, and please read this book and talk about it with me please.
Book: A Map to the Sun
Author: Sloane Leong
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Black MC and characters, Hawaiian character, Chinese character
Recommended For...: young adult readers, graphic novel lovers, contemporary readers, sports story readers
Publication Date: August 4, 2020
Genre: YA Contemporary Graphic Novel
Age Relevance: 16+ (death, derogatory term used, bullying, parental death, language, cutting, Christianity, underage alcohol consumption, potential sexual assault, fatphobia, misogyny, drug use mentioned, child sexual assault, sexism)
Explanation of Above: Death and parental death are mentioned in the book. There is a derogatory term used in the book (spaz). There are scenes of bullying. There is some slight cursing. Cutting is shown. Christianity is mentioned. Underage alcohol consumption is shown. There is a potential sexual assault mentioned and child sexual assault shown and mentioned in the form of a scene shown where teacher kissing a high schooler and an implication that they are having more illegal physical relations. There are scenes of fatphobia, misogyny, and sexism. There is also drug use mentioned.
Publisher: First Second
Pages: 368
Synopsis: One summer day, Ren meets Luna at a beachside basketball court and a friendship is born. But when Luna moves to back to Oahu, Ren’s messages to her friend go unanswered.
Years go by. Then Luna returns, hoping to rekindle their friendship. Ren is hesitant. She's dealing with a lot, including family troubles, dropping grades, and the newly formed women's basketball team at their highschool. With Ren’s new friends and Luna all on the basketball team, the lines between their lives on and off the court begin to blur. During their first season, this diverse and endearing group of teens are challenged in ways that make them reevaluate just who and how they trust.
Sloane Leong’s evocative storytelling about the lives of these young women is an ode to the dynamic nature of friendship.
Review: I really loved this book so much. The graphic novel has some of the most beautiful and colorful artwork that I’ve ever seen in my life. The story is also so beautifully told as well. I loved the friendship between the characters and it reminded me a lot of Gotta Kick It Up! The pacing was well done, the world building was stupendous, and I could just devour more of this story.
That being said, I’m kinda sad to not see a second book in this world. I would love another story and I want to see the girl’s stories continue. The book could have also been longer, there was definitely enough material for 200-300 more pages easily. The book also kinda ended on a cliffhanger. Where’s the next one please??
Verdict: I love it, the author needs to write more of this story, and please read this book and talk about it with me please.
thecolourblue's review
emotional
reflective
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
3.75
The. Art. Is. So. Gorgeous.
The story is a nice female-friendships-slash-coming-of-age story based around a girls basketball team. It's well-written and has good characters, but the stand out factor is absolutely the artwork.
The story is a nice female-friendships-slash-coming-of-age story based around a girls basketball team. It's well-written and has good characters, but the stand out factor is absolutely the artwork.
franchang's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
3.75
bookishly_laura9813's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
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
4.25
payshens117's review
3.0
I didn't really feel that connected to the story or the character, but I love the art and the representation and the found family
kelly_ddd's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
laurel00's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I picked this graphic novel up mainly for the colour scheme which not only captured my attention from the very beginning, but remained just as beautiful and evocative throughout the entire story.
Leong has a true talent, and you can tell how intentional her artistic choices are. There are so many moments during my reading experience where I kind of just sat back and appreciated the illustrations. I would also often flip back and forth throughout the pages to see the way she specifically picked out certain colours to represent certain emotions or feelings, which goes to show how invested I was in the art style itself. It is a stunning book through and through.
I also really appreciated the found family aspect of the storyline. The girls feel very realistic as characters, the fights made sense when you consider their ages and their individual situations. I was sometimes really frustrated with them, but I could tell that was precisely the point of the book or the scene. I loved following them through the ups and downs of their friendship and seeing the way they grew together as young girls who have far too much being throw at them all at once.
The thing that got the most in my way was the fact that their individual storylines aren't developed enough. Ren's is probably the most detailed, as she sort of takes on the role of the main character. So I really did feel like I connected to her, in a way that I didn't get to experience with the others. Leong kind of touches on some super interesting or heartbreaking aspects of the other girls' lives that I would have loved to explore further. But a lot of those secondary character arcs didn't really go anywhere, which I think that was a bit of a shame because there really was so much potential and I feel like certain elements of the overall story remain unresolved.
That being said, it is still a wonderfully crafted novel and I think it is absolutely worth the read!
Leong has a true talent, and you can tell how intentional her artistic choices are. There are so many moments during my reading experience where I kind of just sat back and appreciated the illustrations. I would also often flip back and forth throughout the pages to see the way she specifically picked out certain colours to represent certain emotions or feelings, which goes to show how invested I was in the art style itself. It is a stunning book through and through.
I also really appreciated the found family aspect of the storyline. The girls feel very realistic as characters, the fights made sense when you consider their ages and their individual situations. I was sometimes really frustrated with them, but I could tell that was precisely the point of the book or the scene. I loved following them through the ups and downs of their friendship and seeing the way they grew together as young girls who have far too much being throw at them all at once.
The thing that got the most in my way was the fact that their individual storylines aren't developed enough. Ren's is probably the most detailed, as she sort of takes on the role of the main character. So I really did feel like I connected to her, in a way that I didn't get to experience with the others. Leong kind of touches on some super interesting or heartbreaking aspects of the other girls' lives that I would have loved to explore further. But a lot of those secondary character arcs didn't really go anywhere, which I think that was a bit of a shame because there really was so much potential and I feel like certain elements of the overall story remain unresolved.
That being said, it is still a wonderfully crafted novel and I think it is absolutely worth the read!
samagra's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
allielovestoread's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0