moonyreadsbystarlight's reviews
576 reviews

The Rocky Horror Picture Show : The Comic Book by Kevin VanHook

funny fast-paced

Giving this a star rating would be very difficult. You can't come at <i>Rocky Horror</i> from a technical standpoint without completely missing the point of it. From an enjoyment standpoint, the novelty is what brought the enjoyment. Would I have liked this comic without any prior knowledge of the movie? No, I would have been quite confused. But, as someone who appreciates the movie and what goes on around it, I thought it was neat. The comic alone was okay. It didn't bring anything new to the story and I thought the actual comic would be longer. The historical backdrop was interesting to read. The idea of having the music and the audience participation info was super cool. 

Over all, this is a cool novelty comic for lovers of the show. I would love to own a copy personally. But, it's not technically a good comic by itself. I wouldn't recommend it to people who don't know anything about <i>Rocky Horror</i>, but if you're a fan, you might get something out of it.

Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light by Apryl Stott

hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.5

Really wholesome story with an important lesson and great art.

Abbott by Saladin Ahmed, Sami Kivelä, Jason Wordie

dark mysterious medium-paced

4.75

I went into this not knowing much of what to expect, but I was thoroughly impressed. This took the whole journalist/detective type story and elevated it in an unprecedented way. The fantastical elements were so interesting and integrated well. There were also a number of interesting characters and I appreciated the varying relationship dynamics that were present. Thematically, there was so much that, not only fit the time period, but is incredibly timely and important for so much of what is going on today. This first volume really pulled me in more than a lot of series that I've ended up loving. I cannot wait to read more.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 completely adored this book. The characters were lovable, the plot was engaging, and the writing made me feel a whole range of emotions. The first half of the book was really good and it was so refreshing to see all of the mundane details included about being trans. But the second half of the book went even further, bringing me in and making me feel all of the things. It was a complete joy to read and I immediately wanted to reread it and find fanfiction of the couple living in every conceivable universe together. This is such a gem -- it deserves all they hype that it got and more.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

This was a really good read. I was surprised at how much depth there was, considering that it was a young readers book (I would put it at 3rd-5th grade). It tackled really serious issues without being overwhelming and balanced showing and telling when it came to the big issues very well. This is set in the 1930's as the main character, Esperanza, and her family has to move from a place of wealth in Mexico to work in the United States. It tackles issues of classism and racism, including the issue of mass deportations of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans at the time.

Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Peter Brown, Aaron Reynolds

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

Creepy Carrots! by Peter Brown, Aaron Reynolds

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is simply incredible. It was not what I was expecting in the best of ways. Ari's voice is so distinct, not just in style but in how emotions are portrayed through the writing style. While a number of things happen plot-wise, they all relate to each other in interesting and nuanced ways. I am astounded at how well put-together this was. 

I am also completely emotionally wrecked. The parts about grief have me Feeling Some Ways. And just so many things about Ari's character, I found personally relatable. But the relationship between Ari and Dante, there was just SO much in there.

The way that their interactions were written from the beginning were just so incredibly well-done. It wasn't so overtly romantic but the subtle ways that you could see them falling even when they didn't know... It was so well done. It was scarily accurate and I just... have a lot of feelings

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime

Moderate: Death

Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language by Amanda Montell

informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

This was a really interesting look into sexism and language that is very accessible to most readers. It includes the etymology of quite a number of gendered terms and slurs, why the meaning has changed, and how sexist ideas have been worked into our language (thus, perpetuating itself). Montell also mentions how parts of queer history and queer culture impact (and are impacted by) language. There is also quite a lot of discussion about reclamation and changing language, as well as appropriation. 

The writing style is quite informal, which did rub me the wrong way at first, but after getting into (and being reminded of how obnoxious prescriptivism is), it grew on me and ultimately works well. I would have liked to see more about language and the queer community. She does mention this and has a chapter on queer language, but does focus mostly on gay male culture. She does talk about how there has been less research on lesbian linguistics, so it is understandable -- but still an area I would have liked to see more of (the same goes with trans linguistics -- which I know from first-hand research is even harder to come by).

She also mentions several times that she did informal polls to gather some of the information. While she absolutely made a distinction between these polls and academic research, I do think that it would have been nice to see some that expanded more. (Though I do understand that it would be quite a bit more work -- and money -- to do this. However, it would have made parts stronger.). But, to be clear, she does also site quite a bit of research and even talks about the dangers of postulating without the numbers to back you up (as some linguists have done before).

Saga, Vol. 9 by Brian K. Vaughan

challenging emotional fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence