Reviews

Through the first 50 pages or so I thought I was going to love this. Unfortunately the remaining 350-odd pages were a major disappointment. The writing becomes very shoddy, and the artwork, which can be so impressive, deteriorates as well. I can't believe this gets glowing blurbs from both Chris Ware and Alison Bechdel, two of the greatest writer/artists in comics. It's ultimately a bit of a mess despite its intriguing initial premise.

howardgo's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Originally published at myreadinglife.com.

I am a big Cory Doctorow fan, of both his fiction and his technology and privacy advocacy. I follow and read his blog. On that blog, he will occasionally recommend a book to read. Recently, one of those books as My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book Two. It is the sequel, naturally, to My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book One by Emil Ferris. After reading Doctorow's glowing review of Book Two, I immediately requested Book One from my library and took it with my on a recent vacation.

The book is a graphic novel about and told by a young girl who wants to be a monster. She is picked on at school and feels like an outsider. Her logic is that if she was undead, she could get back at those who pick on her or her family. One day, a neighbor woman who was always kind to the author is found dead in her bed. She was apparently shot in her living room but found in her bed. And the apartment was locked from the inside. The police call it a suicide and close the case. But the author isn't so sure and begins to try to figure out what happened.

The art in this book is beautiful. Each "chapter" opens with the cover of an old horror magazine. In fact the whole book has that feel of something dark and ominous that the art communicates masterfully. The murdered woman was a holocaust survivor and much of the book is learning of her experience. Another focal point is the author's relationship with her brother who is much older that she is. They were close once but he has become more distant recently. The book ends on a cliff hanger that leaves the reader reaching for the sequel. I am so lucky that it is available now from my local library. This book was originally published in 2017 but the sequel didn't come out until this year. I can't image having to wait so long to find out what happens next!

My rating: 4/5

mikaelaw's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

I’m astonished by this book: the artwork is breathtaking and unreal, the characters so lovable and curious and painfully flawed, the scope of the story overwhelming and affecting. After finishing this morning, tears streaming down my face, I couldn’t shake the experience of sadness and wonder and loss and possibility. 5/5, read for graphic novel book club

booksencouraged's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Perfection.

More...