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A review by laurel00
On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
adventurous
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I have slightly mixed feelings about this, because I think it was the case of me picking up a perfect book at the wrong time. This isn't to say I didn't enjoy reading this: there were some moments in here that made me genuinely emotional, I adored the characters, I thought the world-building was well done, and there are some panels in this that have definitely stuck with me. I just kept losing steam with it, so it took me longer to get through than I was anticipating, and I can't really pinpoint any specific thing that should have been improved or done differently—I think I was simply not in the right mood for it.
That being said, as I mentioned, there are some things I really loved about this, the best of which were the character designs and personal storylines. I'm incredibly obsessed with Mia and Grace, deeply in love with Alma and Char, and wholeheartedly enamored with Jules and Elliot. It was so wonderful to explore each of their relationships with one another; a found family full of lesbians and queer people sounds like an absolute dream, and their dynamics worked so well with one another.
The romances felt very realistic yet comforting. Things weren't always sunshine and roses, but it was so heartwarming to see the way that they communicated with one another, and did things for one another with all the love and care in the world. I also liked that this was very much a story about love, without being limited to romance. It looked at platonic and familial love, and I think it was beautifully executed.
The art is truly fascinating, and there were so many landscape panels that made me feel incredibly nostalgic for a universe and a world that I will never be able to access. It was kind of bittersweet, but kudos to Walden for invoking such a strong feeling within me. I will say some of the pages got a little chaotic, to a point that it actually became difficult to understand what I was looking at. I get that it's part of Walden's style to have the panels bleed into one another, and I think some of the pages were actually really well executed. But it did happen often enough that the messiness of it all got in the way of my reading experience.
Like I said, I wish I had picked this up when I was more in the mood for it, I think I would have had a much more engaging personal experience with it. But it still is a wonderful graphic novel, that I definitely recommend to those who are looking for a queer sci-fi adventure full of soft moments of sapphic love and found family.
That being said, as I mentioned, there are some things I really loved about this, the best of which were the character designs and personal storylines. I'm incredibly obsessed with Mia and Grace, deeply in love with Alma and Char, and wholeheartedly enamored with Jules and Elliot. It was so wonderful to explore each of their relationships with one another; a found family full of lesbians and queer people sounds like an absolute dream, and their dynamics worked so well with one another.
The romances felt very realistic yet comforting. Things weren't always sunshine and roses, but it was so heartwarming to see the way that they communicated with one another, and did things for one another with all the love and care in the world. I also liked that this was very much a story about love, without being limited to romance. It looked at platonic and familial love, and I think it was beautifully executed.
The art is truly fascinating, and there were so many landscape panels that made me feel incredibly nostalgic for a universe and a world that I will never be able to access. It was kind of bittersweet, but kudos to Walden for invoking such a strong feeling within me. I will say some of the pages got a little chaotic, to a point that it actually became difficult to understand what I was looking at. I get that it's part of Walden's style to have the panels bleed into one another, and I think some of the pages were actually really well executed. But it did happen often enough that the messiness of it all got in the way of my reading experience.
Like I said, I wish I had picked this up when I was more in the mood for it, I think I would have had a much more engaging personal experience with it. But it still is a wonderful graphic novel, that I definitely recommend to those who are looking for a queer sci-fi adventure full of soft moments of sapphic love and found family.