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gabriellecarolina 's review for:
Wires and Nerve, Volume 1
by Marissa Meyer
2.5
*spoilers abound*
My problems with the Lunar Chronicles, which simmered in the back of my mind until book four, are show-cased openly here.
The forced heterosexuality.
Iko, to me, is an easily queer-able character; to assume she is straight is to assume she was programmed to be straight, but the whole point is that Iko is inherently "defective" because she is so human. She's paired with a boy who treats her horribly! He is "racist" in this society where race is divided along human vs. non (ironic since he's a Lunar) and she wants to kiss him because she's seen girls treated badly by boys in the media! If this isn't the perfect moment for a queer-awakening I don't know what is. Besides, her relationship with Tressa has chemistry and cuteness completely lacking for our romance-queen in her forced pairing with Tressa's brother.
The plot itself is very interesting, though Meyer is very lightly addressing issues of class, race, ableism, and responding with violence. I get it for the purposes of the story, but the whole disability-parallel thing with the wolves begins to grate on the nerve, particularly as Wolf "proves" his humanity by being counter to his nature, while those faithful to their "disability" are seen as militant. Like I said, within the story it all makes sense, you apply the lessons of these books in our society and its ostracizing to "others."
Finally, the art is so lazy and so monochrome. Scarlett's hair is dark, every woman's face shape is the same, and I was greatly looking forward to seeing Iko's multi-color locs but was disappointed. Also, the fashions are the simplest, saddest things, or else the bodice has, I kid you not, squiggles drawn on it, like a child would do. All of this seems wrong for Iko's books; she has *the most* character, which should translate a bit more stupendously imho.
Iko's personality does shine through, her dialogue is the best! This was the only thing I really enjoyed.
*spoilers abound*
My problems with the Lunar Chronicles, which simmered in the back of my mind until book four, are show-cased openly here.
The forced heterosexuality.
Iko, to me, is an easily queer-able character; to assume she is straight is to assume she was programmed to be straight, but the whole point is that Iko is inherently "defective" because she is so human. She's paired with a boy who treats her horribly! He is "racist" in this society where race is divided along human vs. non (ironic since he's a Lunar) and she wants to kiss him because she's seen girls treated badly by boys in the media! If this isn't the perfect moment for a queer-awakening I don't know what is. Besides, her relationship with Tressa has chemistry and cuteness completely lacking for our romance-queen in her forced pairing with Tressa's brother.
The plot itself is very interesting, though Meyer is very lightly addressing issues of class, race, ableism, and responding with violence. I get it for the purposes of the story, but the whole disability-parallel thing with the wolves begins to grate on the nerve, particularly as Wolf "proves" his humanity by being counter to his nature, while those faithful to their "disability" are seen as militant. Like I said, within the story it all makes sense, you apply the lessons of these books in our society and its ostracizing to "others."
Finally, the art is so lazy and so monochrome. Scarlett's hair is dark, every woman's face shape is the same, and I was greatly looking forward to seeing Iko's multi-color locs but was disappointed. Also, the fashions are the simplest, saddest things, or else the bodice has, I kid you not, squiggles drawn on it, like a child would do. All of this seems wrong for Iko's books; she has *the most* character, which should translate a bit more stupendously imho.
Iko's personality does shine through, her dialogue is the best! This was the only thing I really enjoyed.