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A review by shilo1364
Ciel by Sophie LaBelle
3.0
I was actually a little disappointed by this one. I really enjoy Sophie Labelle's comics and so I jumped at the chance to read this one early, but I had some issues with it.
The characters feel so young! They're in their freshman year of high school, so I guess they are young, and I think this is aimed at middle-grade readers, but then they talk about being in love and dating for two years and like, they're children.
Also, it's like one long stream-of-consciousness (with multiple topic jumps per paragraph) of a 12-13 year-old on a massive sugar high. It's a bit hard to get into because of that. It also... meanders without a clear plot. It's more of a this happened, then this happened, then this happened, the end. So it feels both authentic to the experience of a young teenager but also not the most satisfying thing to read as nothing really wraps up and not much changes. I think it would have actually worked better as a series of comics.
The thing I really like about this book is that it deals with some important issues: what it's like to be trans and nonbinary when a freshman in high school and how to decide whether to be visibly out or not. The different ways Stephie and Ciel approached that were interesting to explore. And the message I got from it of being your authentic self and not being afraid of standing out is a good one. It also deals well with the topic of subtle and more overt transphobia.
I would definitely give it to middle-grade and high school kids who are questioning their gender identity - and really any kids in maybe 6th-12th grade who could use a broadening of perspective. I do think it wouldn't be as jarring to read for them as it was for me since it's been a while since I was in high school.
*Thanks to Netgalley and Second Story Press for providing an e-arc to review.
The characters feel so young! They're in their freshman year of high school, so I guess they are young, and I think this is aimed at middle-grade readers, but then they talk about being in love and dating for two years and like, they're children.
Also, it's like one long stream-of-consciousness (with multiple topic jumps per paragraph) of a 12-13 year-old on a massive sugar high. It's a bit hard to get into because of that. It also... meanders without a clear plot. It's more of a this happened, then this happened, then this happened, the end. So it feels both authentic to the experience of a young teenager but also not the most satisfying thing to read as nothing really wraps up and not much changes. I think it would have actually worked better as a series of comics.
The thing I really like about this book is that it deals with some important issues: what it's like to be trans and nonbinary when a freshman in high school and how to decide whether to be visibly out or not. The different ways Stephie and Ciel approached that were interesting to explore. And the message I got from it of being your authentic self and not being afraid of standing out is a good one. It also deals well with the topic of subtle and more overt transphobia.
I would definitely give it to middle-grade and high school kids who are questioning their gender identity - and really any kids in maybe 6th-12th grade who could use a broadening of perspective. I do think it wouldn't be as jarring to read for them as it was for me since it's been a while since I was in high school.
*Thanks to Netgalley and Second Story Press for providing an e-arc to review.