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mediaevalmuse 's review for:
On a Sunbeam
by Tillie Walden
I enjoyed Spinning so much that I figured hey. Why not check out Tillie Walden's other stuff? And I'm glad I did because there was so much about this graphic novel that I loved. The colors, the found family, the world - it was all lovely. My only criticism is that I think some character aspects could have been fleshed out more, but I loved being in Walden's world so much that I didn't much mind.
WRITING/ART: The art in this book is similar in style to that of Spinning in that it's stylized and easy to follow from panel to panel. It differs, however, in level of detail and color. I liked that Walden didn't so much focus on making the world feel industrial or technical; there were some great architectural shots, but most of the panels felt very organic for a space-themed story (for example: the ship is shaped like a fish!). It was a nice change.
I also loved the colors in this book. While Spinning was largely purple with a bit of yellow, On a Sunbeam makes use of rich reds and desaturated blues. The effect is that the world feels colorful and magical without being overwhelming - I never felt like my eyes were being bombarded or my attention pulled in a million different directions.
PLOT: The plot of this book follows a girl named Mia in two timelines: in the past, we see her attending boarding school where she meets a mysterious student named Grace. In the present, we follow Mia at her construction job, which allows her to travel widely. We quickly learn that Mia has taken this job in order to search for Grace, who had to abruptly leave school 5 years prior.
The dual timelines were really effective for showing Mia's character and interiority. I liked how we learned about her motivations but also about her various quirks and flaws by seeing how she acted in the past.
I also loved how so much of this book is focused on connection. In the past, Mia and Grace fall in love amidst relentless bullying. In the present, Mia makes friends with her crew and grows to love them as family. In that, this book is less about worldbuilding or space politics and more about finding your people, which I loved.
That isn't to say the worldbuilding is unimportant, but it doesn't overshadow the human story. I loved the way Walden imagined space boarding school as well as the different sites where Mia is tasked with restoring old buildings or clearing out rubble. Even the area known as the Staircase was interesting and I appreciated that its politics didn't take center stage.
But I do wish some things about the characters and the world had been built out a little more. For example, Ell's backstory, which is gripping, felt a little like it came out of nowhere. I would have liked to see it thematically integrated a little better. I also would have liked to see the rationale for Grace's actions at the end, as it isn't too clear why she acts the way she does when 5 years prior, she seemed to be compelled to do something else (sorry for being vague - trying not to spoil things). But even with these things, I enjoyed being with the characters so much that I wasn't too put off by the things that bothered me.
CHARACTERS: Mia, our protagonist, is fun to watch because she doesn't exactly follow the rules. She gets into all sorts of shenanigans, and at school, it's usually Grace that has to keep her on the straight and narrow. The most admirable thing about Mia, however, is the way the she cares for other people. Not only does she love Grace and spend years trying to find her, but she also supports the people on her crew and even extends compassion to her bullies.
Grace, Mia's eventual girlfriend, is mysterious without having too much of a dark past. I liked that her story was somewhat mired in the politics of her homeworld, but most of the focus seemed to be about balancing her love for her family with her desire to go to school and be with Mia. I also loved that Grace was a writer and wanted to tell stories, which Mia supported wholeheartedly.
Mia's construction crew is also delightful in all the best ways. I loved their dynamics, which ranged from admiration to annoyance, and between all the conflict and love, it truly felt like a family.
TL;DR: On a Sunbeam is a dazzling graphic novel about love and family spanning the expanse of time and space, and it's perfect for readers who want a sci fi story without being too overwhelmed by worldbuilding details.
WRITING/ART: The art in this book is similar in style to that of Spinning in that it's stylized and easy to follow from panel to panel. It differs, however, in level of detail and color. I liked that Walden didn't so much focus on making the world feel industrial or technical; there were some great architectural shots, but most of the panels felt very organic for a space-themed story (for example: the ship is shaped like a fish!). It was a nice change.
I also loved the colors in this book. While Spinning was largely purple with a bit of yellow, On a Sunbeam makes use of rich reds and desaturated blues. The effect is that the world feels colorful and magical without being overwhelming - I never felt like my eyes were being bombarded or my attention pulled in a million different directions.
PLOT: The plot of this book follows a girl named Mia in two timelines: in the past, we see her attending boarding school where she meets a mysterious student named Grace. In the present, we follow Mia at her construction job, which allows her to travel widely. We quickly learn that Mia has taken this job in order to search for Grace, who had to abruptly leave school 5 years prior.
The dual timelines were really effective for showing Mia's character and interiority. I liked how we learned about her motivations but also about her various quirks and flaws by seeing how she acted in the past.
I also loved how so much of this book is focused on connection. In the past, Mia and Grace fall in love amidst relentless bullying. In the present, Mia makes friends with her crew and grows to love them as family. In that, this book is less about worldbuilding or space politics and more about finding your people, which I loved.
That isn't to say the worldbuilding is unimportant, but it doesn't overshadow the human story. I loved the way Walden imagined space boarding school as well as the different sites where Mia is tasked with restoring old buildings or clearing out rubble. Even the area known as the Staircase was interesting and I appreciated that its politics didn't take center stage.
But I do wish some things about the characters and the world had been built out a little more. For example, Ell's backstory, which is gripping, felt a little like it came out of nowhere. I would have liked to see it thematically integrated a little better. I also would have liked to see the rationale for Grace's actions at the end, as it isn't too clear why she acts the way she does when 5 years prior, she seemed to be compelled to do something else (sorry for being vague - trying not to spoil things). But even with these things, I enjoyed being with the characters so much that I wasn't too put off by the things that bothered me.
CHARACTERS: Mia, our protagonist, is fun to watch because she doesn't exactly follow the rules. She gets into all sorts of shenanigans, and at school, it's usually Grace that has to keep her on the straight and narrow. The most admirable thing about Mia, however, is the way the she cares for other people. Not only does she love Grace and spend years trying to find her, but she also supports the people on her crew and even extends compassion to her bullies.
Grace, Mia's eventual girlfriend, is mysterious without having too much of a dark past. I liked that her story was somewhat mired in the politics of her homeworld, but most of the focus seemed to be about balancing her love for her family with her desire to go to school and be with Mia. I also loved that Grace was a writer and wanted to tell stories, which Mia supported wholeheartedly.
Mia's construction crew is also delightful in all the best ways. I loved their dynamics, which ranged from admiration to annoyance, and between all the conflict and love, it truly felt like a family.
TL;DR: On a Sunbeam is a dazzling graphic novel about love and family spanning the expanse of time and space, and it's perfect for readers who want a sci fi story without being too overwhelmed by worldbuilding details.