grey_jayne's reviews
758 reviews

Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I love Saga and this first volume is still really good on the reread, but the use of the r-slur and some cis assumptions prevent me from giving this a 5. I adore Fiona Staples' art but some of Brian K Vaughn's dialog is cringe here.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Minor: Ableism

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Camp Damascus is pretty great. A tale of demonic possession and a conversion camp that gets weirder as it goes. I'd love a highly stylized movie of this. There were some lulls that took me out of it at times, but overall it's a Sapphic autistic horror story with a knockout queer wrath finale so I'm not complaining at all. I highly recommend Mara Wilson's empassioned narration, she is fabulous and well matched to the story. Yaaaasss!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Animal death, Child abuse, Body horror, and Confinement

Hiding My Candy by The Lady Chablis

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Lady Chablis reads her memoir on audiobook and it is an important trans history document.  I was in awe of how candid she is here in 1996 and it's really inspirational.

Listen to it on Hoopla if you can. I don't have the words for how great it is.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Transphobia, Deadnaming, and Racism

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

challenging funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

This memoir is really good. I don't have much to say. This book delivers on its promise and then some. If you're interested at all, don't hesitate. It's well worth checking out.

Clive Barker's Nightbreed Vol. 3 by Marc Andreyko, Clive Barker

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

What a great conclusion to the continuation of the director's cut of the Night Breed film. Riveting stuff, the journey to New Midian.

Clive Barker's Nightbreed Vol. 2 by Piotr Kowalski, Marc Andreyko, Clive Barker

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

In general, this book is very good. The fractured way of telling origin stories is not my favorite but we still get to see more Midian and that's great. 

Following up with the concluding volume now.

The Closet by James Tynion IV

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This comic was just okay, going human focused psychological when there is a closet monster is not really my vibe. I love the nightmare fuel moments but centering the dad character feels like a missed opportunity for maximizing horror.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Emotional abuse

Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller

emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

3.75

I think the hype got to me on this one. It's good but I found it too meandering from the central premise at times. I did enjoy listening to it read by the author tho...and how she shared her queerness. Worth checking out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Medical trauma, Racism, Classism, Colonisation, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, and Mental illness

Moderate: Police brutality

Fruiting Bodies by Ashley Robin Franklin

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

The creeping dread of Fruiting Bodies is pretty great and it's a quick read. For how short it was, I would have liked the horror to kick in sooner but it's still worth checking out.

Harrow County Volume 8: Done Come Back by Cullen Bunn

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The finale sticks the landing and manages to be more morally and emotionally messy than ever before.  It's quite a series.