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annoyedhumanoid's reviews
166 reviews
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
the story itself was thought provoking, really no flaws, it just wasn’t the most engrossing thing i’ve ever read, but i want to talk about the introduction. at first i was reluctant to read it because i thought it would contain spoilers (it kinda did) and because it’s as long as the short story itself. but after finishing the story i needed some context and explanation, and the introduction came through (without offering some “definitive answer”). it was interesting and insightful and made me appreciate even more the ever-purposeful Toni Morrison (this is her only short story?!), and the excerpt from her speech listing the steps for a racist society really resonated with me. most of all, i enjoyed the new perspective it gave me on the story: the “somebody” in everybody, the value of racially-defined experiences, and the commonality we all share as humans. here’s my take, for what it’s worth: the point is that Twyla’s and Roberta’s respective races are not meant to be concluded (that much is obvious), but overtly interchangeable—not just that readers may interpret it either way, but they should interpret it both ways, in every scenario, and see how the meaning changes. very good
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
there were some reflections that i liked though, like how the meaning of one's life is the difference between this universe and a parallel universe in which one never existed. maybe you haven't changed the world but your friends and family's lives would all be very different; you may be insignificant to the universe at large but you're important to so many individuals.
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Medical content
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Genocide, Incest, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Excrement, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, War, and Classism
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Dementia, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes really is the main character, no i will not elaborate
Ben must be a Greek god or something because why
speaking of Jess, sometimes she was irritating too when she's supposed to be our protagonist—like when she walks into a riot because "it sounded like a street party 😊" and just stands there as people run away from the approaching tear gas. come on now.
it's prob because i'm queer & we gotta look out for each other & i crave positive representation, but i wish
characters aside, the plot had some unexpected twists and was generally interesting, but i was mostly unimpressed. it had such a promising, atmospheric concept: murder in Paris, ooh la la, and all the apartment tenants are suspects; i think i heard it described as a locked room mystery, though i may be confusing it with another book. and then it just, wasn't and my hopes were let down.
cover design review: ★★★★☆. i like the background image, the symmetry, the colors for the most part (i think the background could be less green and more blue), and all the text, but other than that it's kind of bland.
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Confinement, Gore, Infertility, Self harm, Vomit, and Abortion
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
cover design review: ★★★☆☆. intriguing at first glance, i like the yellow background and the texture and shadows of the paint strokes within the face, but other than that it's eh. this is not representative of the book i just read
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Fatphobia, Infertility, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Abortion, Death of parent, and Cultural appropriation
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
edit: started reading the webcomic and wow that's definitely its superior format! with the graphic novel i was frequently confused over the order in which to read cells, but the webcomic is literally a one-cell-wide vertical stream that leaves no room for ambiguity. this in mind, i'd say my main issue with this book is that it was a mediocre graphic novelization, but i'd be willing to overlook these flaws in a webcomic. obv it's good that it's been published, for accessibility, publicity, author revenue, etc., but for a reading experience i recommend just sticking with the webcomic.
Graphic: Bullying, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Ableism, Drug use, Gore, Alcohol, War, and Classism
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
cover design review: ★★☆☆☆. yikes, it's just overwhelming. let's count the different typefaces: author name (1), bestselling author (2), title (3), "a novel" (4), Q line symbol (5), and tagline (6). all the different colors, three shades of purplish pink that don't go well together, the "S" is higher than the "TOP" in "STOP", Jane's posture looks stiff and unnatural, just very disappointing. the Spanish edition is gorgeous 😭 and the Portuguese edition is good too, love the art style and the easter eggs from the story but i think the character design is somewhat juvenile
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Grief, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Violence, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0