Reviews

On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

emynemy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

5.0

boooooooooooooooooooooook's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.25

Very cool drawings 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Homophobia, Violence, and Blood

rose_marie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

A sweeping space opera of love lost and family found. 

After graduating from boarding school Mia joins the crew of a spaceship whose mission is to document and restore the floating ruins of lost civilizations. But Mia has a quest of her own, searching the galaxy for Grace, the girl to whom she never got to say goodbye. As the ship swims through the cosmos Walden expertly weaves together the past and the present to form a complex portrait of a found family born from loss who would go to the ends of the universe for one of their own. Walden is a master of color and composition and her art is (literally) out of this world. The panels expertly transition between the vast and the intimate, contrasting rich saturated landscapes set against the infinite darkness of space with close ups of the characters, rendered in Walden’s spare expressive linework. 

cassiebell's review against another edition

4.0

I thought it was great but everything at the end felt so rushed compared to the beginning. 4.5

alyfreer's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

4.75

reading_for_pluto's review against another edition

lighthearted 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? It's complicated

3.5

loosetoothfool's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? No

4.5

I really enjoyed this. I loved the world and the mystery of it at the beginning, the settings (the illustrations of the settings were very beautiful), I loved the way it went back and forth between present and past, I loved learning about Mia and Grace's story together it was very sweet, I definitely enjoyed the first half more than the second, I loved seeing the school and also the different planets/buildings the crew were fixing, I thought the environments were so unique and visually and conceptually cool. I found the characters to be alright, but mostly loved Mia and grace. the colours in here are beautiful, she always uses a refined colour palette on a page, but the colours change throughout. beautiful full page illustrations throughout. i found this to be an engrossing, sweet adventurous story, and i particularly loved the developing relationship and swapping from past to present at the beginning when I wasn't sure what was going on and loved the mystery of it. I think it got a bit too action packed and fast paced at the end for my tastes. but a beautiful book!

lefthandlou's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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

5.0

miss_majuu's review against another edition

4.0

Amazing art style and also really liked the story.
The art style also reminded me of something very nostalgic.
Can't say more than that because it is a weird/nonsensical science fiction book and I was just there for the ride without understanding most of it.

jess_mango's review against another edition

4.0

This is about the 3rd or 4th GN that I've read by Tillie Walden and they are always so layered. There is way more than just a surface story in each one.

In this tome (clocks in at over 500 pages!), we are in a universe that seemingly has no male humans. The central character in the story is Mia who has just joined a small crew that travels throughout the universe rehabbing ruins. the story flashes between present day with crew and Mia's time as a teen at a boarding school where she met her first love, Grace. Soon Mia reveals to the crew that she hopes to find Grace, who was forced to abruptly leave school.

This was a complex and layered story that was beautiful and moody. This is yet another book that I've read this month that has underlying themes of loneliness and connection. The artwork in this book is also compelling and dreamlike. Lots of wispy imagery. The story was also full of loads of beautiful moments of female friendship and love.

What to listen to while reading...
Universal Traveler by Air
Sugar for the Pill by Slowdive
Watching you Without Me by Kate Bush
Didn't Cha Know by Erykah Badu
my future by Billie Eilish
Shadow by Chromatics
Asleep on a Sunbeam by Belle & Sebastian
Honeybody by Kishi Bashi