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A review by shanaqui
Breaks: Volume One by Emma Vieceli, Malin Rydén
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Breaks (Emma Vieceli & Malin Rydén) is for some reason being marketed with comparisons to Heartstopper, and the similarities are basically: queer British boys in a Sixth Form setting, there's some sport, there's bullying, and someone's got to come to terms with his sexuality. That's it -- and that might sound like a reasonable amount, actually, but it's the tone that's most important, and that's worlds apart. Breaks is much grittier -- even where Heartstopper deals with difficult topics, there's a general sense that things are going to be okay, because they have each other and they're both good boys.
Cort and Ian are not particularly great people (nor particularly likeable), there's a good deal of violence, and we certainly don't get to see them cuddling adorably. The art is also a touch closer to realism, which also reduces the cuteness factor.
It didn't help the book at all that the reading experience via the Kindle version is bad, and while it's also available free online (https://tapas.io/series/BREAKS/info), that also has its problems: the choice of background colour doesn't provide a great contrast, and it's difficult to know what part numbers correspond to which volumes. Really irritating.
That said, on its own merits it's... alright? I think it's ultimately not my thing, but I enjoyed the supporting characters like Amilah and Rennie, and I'm kind of curious about Harvey and where things are going between Cort and Ian.
Cort and Ian are not particularly great people (nor particularly likeable), there's a good deal of violence, and we certainly don't get to see them cuddling adorably. The art is also a touch closer to realism, which also reduces the cuteness factor.
It didn't help the book at all that the reading experience via the Kindle version is bad, and while it's also available free online (https://tapas.io/series/BREAKS/info), that also has its problems: the choice of background colour doesn't provide a great contrast, and it's difficult to know what part numbers correspond to which volumes. Really irritating.
That said, on its own merits it's... alright? I think it's ultimately not my thing, but I enjoyed the supporting characters like Amilah and Rennie, and I'm kind of curious about Harvey and where things are going between Cort and Ian.