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moonyreadsbystarlight's reviews
576 reviews
X-Gender, Vol. 2 by Asuka Miyazaki
reflective
3.0
Part memoir, part essay. This more heavily explores death, on top of continuing themes of sexuality and gender from volume 1. This was very hit-or-miss (parts were quite good, other parts were not so much). This also felt more disjointed than the previous volume
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Excrement, and Death of parent
Minor: Biphobia and Racism
X-Gender Vol. 1 by Asuka Miyazaki
informative
reflective
3.5
This was a combination of memoir and educational bits. They discuss sexuality and gender in Japanese culture as well as other topics like menstruation and gender dysphoria, while also yelling their story of romance, friendships, and coming to their own. It was interesting and I liked seeing some of the development that the author goes through when it comes to the importance of finding a partner.
I did find the memoir component stronger than the educational component. I think the setup of some previously serialized manga memoirs is disjointed to me, which is more of a personal preference (for instance I recall feeling the same way about My Solo Exchange Diary, though I really love some other volumes in that series).
I did find the memoir component stronger than the educational component. I think the setup of some previously serialized manga memoirs is disjointed to me, which is more of a personal preference (for instance I recall feeling the same way about My Solo Exchange Diary, though I really love some other volumes in that series).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Minor: Biphobia
Explicit discussion of menstruation and gender dysphoria
The Case of the Bleeding Wall Vol. 4 by Tom Napolitano, Joe R. Lansdale, Kasey Lansdale, Daniele Serra
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.5
Over all, this series might be good if you like more action and the like. I didn't think there was much to the characters and thought some how how the plot came together was disjointed. But the art is neat and creepy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
The Case of the Bleeding Wall Vol. 3 by joe-r-lansdale, Tom Napolitano, Kasey Lansdale, Daniele Serra
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
The Case of the Bleeding Wall Vol. 2 by Joe R Lansdale, Tom Napolitano, Kasey Lansdale, Daniele Serra
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Vomit
Moderate: Infidelity
If You'll Have Me by Eunnie
lighthearted
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Adorable and sweet!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Racism
Season of Love by Helena Greer
emotional
funny
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a neat holiday romance. There was more emotional depth around the events that are described in the blurb than I thought there might be, which was a nice surprise. There was a realistic amount of mess and grieving as well as discussion of trauma. I really loved that other friendships and community were also a big part of the book, not just minor characters shoehorned in.
I liked so much about this, but there were parts of the writing that just weren't for me. I can't describe it much without spoilers or just talking for longer than a book review should be. Even still, it was a good read!
And for those who care, the spicy scenes are fade to black. So, while there's plenty of lusting, this may be good for folks who aren't super into heavy sex scenes.
I liked so much about this, but there were parts of the writing that just weren't for me. I can't describe it much without spoilers or just talking for longer than a book review should be. Even still, it was a good read!
And for those who care, the spicy scenes are fade to black. So, while there's plenty of lusting, this may be good for folks who aren't super into heavy sex scenes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Drug use, Fatphobia, and Antisemitism
These God-Forsaken Notes: An Irreverent Poet's Memory Loss Memoir by Hil Hoover
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
5.0
This is an incredible poetry collection. There is such joy alongside vivid pain. It's beautifully written and definitely one that will stick with me for a long time
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pregnancy
Junior High by Tegan Quin, Sara Quin
emotional
funny
reflective
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This is a fictionalized autobiography of Tegan and Sara's time in 7th grade, set in modern day (rather than in the early 90's, when they were 12/13). There are friendships, crushes, fights, an old guitar, and their first song. It was sweet to see the relationship between them - its not often you see a story about twins written by a pair of twins. It was pretty cute overall! I fear I'm too old to know exactly how the modernization landed for a kid audience in 2023, but I liked it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Homophobia
Mentions/depicts menstruation