Scan barcode
A review by anxious_librarian
Confetti Realms by Nadia Shammas
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s Halloween night and teens are being teens, hanging out in the cemetery, seeking the answer to the age old question…can ghosts get trashed on forties? But investigating one of the mausoleums leads to a terrifying discovery when the group is pulled into a place known as the Confetti Realms and are given until evening to complete a task or remain in the realm forever.
Now I’ve seen some comments downvoting this book for not being the “spooky read” people were hoping for and I personally see that as reader error rather than the author. This may not be horror, but it has a distinct unsettling, autumnal tone. In fact my biggest recommendation is for fans of OVER THE GARDEN WALL to pick this up. The tone is incredibly similar, as well as the art style, color pallet, and character designs.
I loved seeing the humanoid animals and the sheer detail that went into their creation. This world had a major amount of thought put into it! And the not clear distinction between animal and human provided so many opportunities for dark humor and the unexpected.
So now that we’ve acknowledged that the tone here is less Halloween-y and more rustic / vintage fantasy, let’s discuss what the story is actually about. Our four main characters - Garrett, Ty, Marissa, and Radwa - each have something to face and will need to decide if working through it is possible or if the realm offers them a better chance.
At its heart CONFETTI REALMS is about life. The things we go through, how we respond, the ways our decisions impact others and ourselves. In this sense it was very thoughtful. I appreciated how not everyone’s private matters were repealed at once, instead it was a slow release that occurred as the stress built. The desire to learn about the tension between the characters helped keep the story moving without too many “but why??” questions for readers to get frustrated over.
Even those who seemed to be handling their unexpected situation well had something weighing them down. And as a side note, I want to add that I particularly loved Ty. I’ve been getting sick of flat, no effort nonbinary characters. Ty has character and dimension, frankly these kids would have been doomed without their cool head.
One thing I did not enjoy was the ambiguous ending. I’m reallyyy bad at interpreting endings. (To be honest I’m bad at interpretation in general; I did have some trouble figuring out exactly what some of the characters were dealing with too, although I did not discount their experiences just because I didn’t understand) I’ll say the final vibe was there, it felt like a nice conclusion, but like OVER THE GARDEN WALL I would have appreciated knowing what ultimately happened to the teens.
Overall, CONFETTI REALMS was a fantastical journey! One I'm very glad to have gone on.
Now I’ve seen some comments downvoting this book for not being the “spooky read” people were hoping for and I personally see that as reader error rather than the author. This may not be horror, but it has a distinct unsettling, autumnal tone. In fact my biggest recommendation is for fans of OVER THE GARDEN WALL to pick this up. The tone is incredibly similar, as well as the art style, color pallet, and character designs.
I loved seeing the humanoid animals and the sheer detail that went into their creation. This world had a major amount of thought put into it! And the not clear distinction between animal and human provided so many opportunities for dark humor and the unexpected.
So now that we’ve acknowledged that the tone here is less Halloween-y and more rustic / vintage fantasy, let’s discuss what the story is actually about. Our four main characters - Garrett, Ty, Marissa, and Radwa - each have something to face and will need to decide if working through it is possible or if the realm offers them a better chance.
At its heart CONFETTI REALMS is about life. The things we go through, how we respond, the ways our decisions impact others and ourselves. In this sense it was very thoughtful. I appreciated how not everyone’s private matters were repealed at once, instead it was a slow release that occurred as the stress built. The desire to learn about the tension between the characters helped keep the story moving without too many “but why??” questions for readers to get frustrated over.
Even those who seemed to be handling their unexpected situation well had something weighing them down. And as a side note, I want to add that I particularly loved Ty. I’ve been getting sick of flat, no effort nonbinary characters. Ty has character and dimension, frankly these kids would have been doomed without their cool head.
One thing I did not enjoy was the ambiguous ending. I’m reallyyy bad at interpreting endings. (To be honest I’m bad at interpretation in general; I did have some trouble figuring out exactly what some of the characters were dealing with too, although I did not discount their experiences just because I didn’t understand) I’ll say the final vibe was there, it felt like a nice conclusion, but like OVER THE GARDEN WALL I would have appreciated knowing what ultimately happened to the teens.
Overall, CONFETTI REALMS was a fantastical journey! One I'm very glad to have gone on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Mental illness
Minor: Cancer