Scan barcode
sargjo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Vomit, and Grief
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
Hungry Ghost by Victoria Ying deals with difficult topics, especially eating disorders, grief, and fatphobia, but in a nuanced, well thought-out way. You can tell Ying took her time to deal with these topics carefully, being sure not to romanticize it in any way. It is one of the better teen books I've read that specifically deal with eating disorders, though it doesn't seem like as many have been published in recent years.
My absolute favorite thing about this book was the art and the color palette. The tones are kind of subdued throughout, but it matches the subject matter almost perfectly. There are some really beautiful panels throughout, and I'd definitely read something from Ying again!
All in all, an emotional, reflective, beautifully illustrated story that's sure to hit home for its teen audience.
My absolute favorite thing about this book was the art and the color palette. The tones are kind of subdued throughout, but it matches the subject matter almost perfectly. There are some really beautiful panels throughout, and I'd definitely read something from Ying again!
All in all, an emotional, reflective, beautifully illustrated story that's sure to hit home for its teen audience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Vomit and Grief
seawarrior's review against another edition
5.0
A great graphic novel about the fear and guilt that amplifies eating disorders, especially when they're trained into a young person by their parent. I appreciated that this story portrayed the thought process of a teenage girl who starts out obsessed with thinness and perceived perfection in the eyes of her mother, and later re-evaluates why she feels this way and aims to improve her fatphobic beliefs and suffocating relationship with her mother as she works towards recovery. The illustrations are colorful and dynamic; breezy in some scenes, yet display emotion clearly in tenser ones. This is a valuable book for those who've been affected by disordered eating and who are learning how to balance their love for their parents with their frustration towards their hurtful behavior. This is a difficult story to tell, yet Ying never stumbled.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Vomit
floatinthevoid's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Grief
btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Grief
Moderate: Vomit and Death of parent
adriatrees's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent
charmainelim's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.0
I think this is such an important book for young women to have, particularly in Chinese culture.
We're often thought of as petite and thin, but it's unfair and unreasonable to expect well over 500 million women in the world to all be the same size. Bodies change as hormone change and that needs to be accepted.
While I never struggled with an eating disorder or an outright unhealthy relationship with food, I did have thoughts about whether skipping meals would help me "maintain" a certain weight that was really me being underweight. It wasn't healthy, but it meant I was "thin."
I wish I had this graphic novel when I was younger. I wish my friends had it. I think some of us would be a lot better off if we'd known more explicitly that it was okay for our bodies to change and that it's nothing to be ashamed of, even if culture says otherwise. Culture is the one that's wrong here, not us.
We're often thought of as petite and thin, but it's unfair and unreasonable to expect well over 500 million women in the world to all be the same size. Bodies change as hormone change and that needs to be accepted.
While I never struggled with an eating disorder or an outright unhealthy relationship with food, I did have thoughts about whether skipping meals would help me "maintain" a certain weight that was really me being underweight. It wasn't healthy, but it meant I was "thin."
I wish I had this graphic novel when I was younger. I wish my friends had it. I think some of us would be a lot better off if we'd known more explicitly that it was okay for our bodies to change and that it's nothing to be ashamed of, even if culture says otherwise. Culture is the one that's wrong here, not us.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit
caseythereader's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent
thelittlestmermaid's review against another edition
challenging
sad
4.0
* Thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for the free ARC! *
Stories about eating disorders are hard to tell, and often are done poorly. Hungry Ghosts is not one of those stories. It is beautifully done, touching on very sensitive topics in a realistic yet careful way. It's a difficult read but also very important. I highly recommend it but please look into trigger warnings before going into it. The artwork is lovely and suited the story.
TW - body shaming, fatphobia, death of a parent, grief
4 stars
Stories about eating disorders are hard to tell, and often are done poorly. Hungry Ghosts is not one of those stories. It is beautifully done, touching on very sensitive topics in a realistic yet careful way. It's a difficult read but also very important. I highly recommend it but please look into trigger warnings before going into it. The artwork is lovely and suited the story.
TW - body shaming, fatphobia, death of a parent, grief
4 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, and Death of parent
jfontaine's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
This graphic novel by Victoria Ying is a beautifully told story of Val, a senior in high school who's spent all of her life trying to be good. Her mother constantly makes snide remarks about her weight; it's no surprise that Val has a eating disorder. No one knows about Val's disordered eating, including her crush and her best friend. This story is very much about learning to love oneself and letting people in as part of your healing. A must-have for any library that serves young adults.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Grief