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wenwanzhao's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Minor: Cannibalism, Death, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, and Emotional abuse
tinytrashqueen's review
- 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
Graphic: Animal death and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Homophobia, Blood, and Cannibalism
phantastic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
The writing can feel clunky at times, but that’s not to the detriment of the overall story or message. I recommend it to anyone looking to read a deeply personal, heartfelt story; This is a beautiful graphic novel about the struggle of immigration—being stuck between your old life versus your new life—and coming to terms with your identity.
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Grief, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Outing, Cannibalism, Blood, and Murder
thewordsdevourer's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
the art is wonderfully detailed (the hair esp, and the dresses) and i like how nguyen uses 3 color palettes to differentiate between the settings. what amazes me the most, however, is the ingenious composition and structure that play off the art and word bubbles, flowing very smoothly.
in terms of story, the internal journeys of tiên and his mom form the crux of it, the former w/ his gay identity and the latter w/ her immigrant experience. there's not a lot going on esp interspersed w/ the fairytales (each of which is variations of a country, which is interesting), but the pace is relaxing and it's great that there's no unnecessary tension aside from the aforementioned characters' struggles. i do wish, however, that the ending - as touching as it is - was longer, as rn it's too abrupt.
all in all, this is a great graphic novel w/ both great art and story, and i certainly hope to read more of nguyen's work.
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Murder, Death, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Outing, Homophobia, and Death of parent
lifeonasofa's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Animal cruelty, Violence, Homophobia, Murder, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Death, Outing, and Suicide
idlereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Minor: Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
birdieblue's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Body horror
Moderate: War, Blood, Classism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Outing
jayisreading's review
4.75
Of course, more that happens than this basic premise. There are so many layers to this graphic novel, exploring the complexities of grief from various perspectives in Tiến‘s family as well as in the fairy tales themselves. As gentle as this graphic novel can be, it will also tug at your heartstrings as Nguyen guides the reader through Vietnamese culture and storytelling.
Lastly, I just want to say how stunning the illustrations are. Each page was absolutely breathtaking, especially when they transitioned into fairy tales. I also thought it was incredibly clever to intertwine what was happening in “real” life and in fiction based on color.
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Homophobia
Minor: Emotional abuse and Cannibalism
chrisljm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Religious bigotry, Cannibalism, Blood, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, Outing, and War
brnineworms's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Terminal illness
Minor: Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Stalking, Torture, Violence, and War