Reviews tagging 'Death'

My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Vol. 1 by Emil Ferris

13 reviews

mlovesbooks's review

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Antisemitism, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Death, War, Xenophobia, and Sexual assault

orlagal's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective relaxing tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, Cursing, Classism, Chronic illness, Rape, Misogyny, Mental illness, Gun violence, Gore, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Hate crime, Grief, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, Genocide, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Excrement, Transphobia, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Deportation, Cultural appropriation, Alcoholism, Trafficking, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Torture, Stalking, Drug abuse, War, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Child death, Antisemitism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Cancer, Racial slurs, Pedophilia, Medical content, Confinement, Colonisation, Child abuse, Body horror, Blood, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Drug use, Violence, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Xenophobia, Slavery, Racism, Physical abuse, and Murder

kananineko's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Oh my god, this was amazing. I’ve had it on my shelf for like 8 or so years and I’m so glad that I finally decided to read it! The art is amazing and I love the way the story was told! I really loved how although it was definitely an adult-audience story, not children’s or YA, it was told from the perspective of a 10 year old girl. I’ve never read a book like that before and it made it all the more interesting. 

Rating it 4 stars instead of 5 just because at some points I was a little confused, but I’m sure everything will be explained and wrapped up in the second book (which I definitely want to buy when it is released). Highly recommend!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Antisemitism, Cancer, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, Violence, Blood, Classism, Lesbophobia, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Bullying, Genocide, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Grief

Minor: Child death, Vomit, Abandonment, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, and War

owlribbon's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Blood, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Violence, Racism, Chronic illness, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Racial slurs and Rape

paigicus's review

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Sexual assault, and Trafficking

Minor: Homophobia

nmcannon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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? No

5.0

 Back in…2019…I read this amazing blog post by Casey the Candian Lesbrarian about the best books she’d read that year. My Favorite Thing is Monsters was on it, and I put it on my TBR, so future!Natalie would remember. Future!Natalie came through.

Karen Reyes is a ten year old girl obsessed with horror movie monsters. With bullies, a best friend lost to homophobia (still alive, but heavily forced into the closet by parents), and the stress of working class ‘60s Chicago, she has a A Lot to process. And that’s before her upstairs neighbor Anka is murdered, her older brother becomes the prime suspect, and her mom gets a cancer diagnosis. Trusty sketchbook and fedora in tow, Reyes decides to figure out whodunit. What she doesn’t bargain for are tapes of Anka telling her life story in Nazi Germany, rife with parental abuse, rape, and pedophilia.

The entire, hefty book of My Favorite Thing is Monsters is styled as Reyes’ journal and sketchbook. The art is GORGEOUS. The book is art and art is the book. I was reminded of coffee table books, which are set out to entertain guests. Then again, the subject matter is not for the light of heart. Ferris pulls no punches, and her heroine’s lives are dark. A serious dead dove; don’t eat situation. I thought the story would focus more on the intersection of queerness and horror, and it does to a certain extent. There’s just a whole lot more. Anka’s flashbacks take up more pages, which makes sense because Reyes is ten and Anka died in her fifties. While Anka and Reyes are twin pole stars, the other characters aren’t neglected at all. The depth of character is truly incredible and incredibly colorful.

Despite the grim subject matter, there’s a thread of youthful hope throughout the story. If you can grasp it and hold tight, I highly, highly recommend Ferris’ masterwork. My Favorite Thing is Monsters is a beautiful, heart-wrenching magnum opus.

Casey’s blog post: https://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.wordpress.com/2019/01/08/my-2018-year-in-reading-favourite-books-of-the-year-most-memorable-character-best-cover-and-more/

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Murder, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Rape, Outing, Misogyny, Mental illness, Grief, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Deportation, Death, Death of parent, Cursing, Child abuse, Antisemitism, Alcohol, War, Vomit, Violence, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Terminal illness, Cancer, Medical content, Dementia, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, and Classism

I'd say the majority of the CWs are period-typical considering the setting is pre-Holocaust, Holocaust, and 1960s working class Chicago. Reyes is a young, queer woman of color, and she experiences period-typical racism, lesbophobia, classism, and misogyny.

rudy's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Death, and Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Racial slurs, Rape, Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual content, and Trafficking

Minor: Blood

amazelan's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Genocide, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Gun violence, Violence, Cancer, Death of parent, Murder, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Deportation, Body horror, Bullying, Grief, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Death

tangleroot_eli's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

This book isn't perfect, but it's perfectly captivating, and now I'm among the legions of fans (im)patiently dreaming of Book 2. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Gore, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Bullying

Minor: Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Suicide, and Child abuse

jqnewman's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Violence, and Racism