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A review by aprivateislander
Koko Be Good by Jen Wang
3.0
The main thing this book has going for it is the art, which is really outstanding.
Jen Wang comes from an animation background and you can definitely tell; the characters always look like they're about to burst into movement and every page is interesting and full of life. Her pages are laid out interestingly, and everything is dynamic and really fantastic.
That said, the story in this one is a little lacking -- a lot lacking. It's about a guy named Jon who is about to pack up and move to Peru with his older girlfriend to do good. He comes across a MPDG named Koko and her silent friend Faron, and you know, growing up and finding yourself ensues in a cliched, rushed manner. I couldn't begin to care about the characters and everyone felt like stock artistic quirky 20-somethings, with the most interesting character was the one that the story barely danced over. Everything goes as you might expect it to, but the story bounces around so much that it's difficult to really get attatched or invested in the characters.
Perhaps I would have enjoyed this more if I'd read less with similar premises, but I've read a lot better in the genre.
But while that sounds harsh, I must admit that the art is well worth the book and I'm happy with my purchase and read. I hope Ms Wang will continue to write stories, because this is a fine debut and I would happily get the next.
Jen Wang comes from an animation background and you can definitely tell; the characters always look like they're about to burst into movement and every page is interesting and full of life. Her pages are laid out interestingly, and everything is dynamic and really fantastic.
That said, the story in this one is a little lacking -- a lot lacking. It's about a guy named Jon who is about to pack up and move to Peru with his older girlfriend to do good. He comes across a MPDG named Koko and her silent friend Faron, and you know, growing up and finding yourself ensues in a cliched, rushed manner. I couldn't begin to care about the characters and everyone felt like stock artistic quirky 20-somethings, with the most interesting character was the one that the story barely danced over. Everything goes as you might expect it to, but the story bounces around so much that it's difficult to really get attatched or invested in the characters.
Perhaps I would have enjoyed this more if I'd read less with similar premises, but I've read a lot better in the genre.
But while that sounds harsh, I must admit that the art is well worth the book and I'm happy with my purchase and read. I hope Ms Wang will continue to write stories, because this is a fine debut and I would happily get the next.