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jstilts's reviews
55 reviews
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
On paper his next actions appear psychotic, but watching events unfold through his eyes and with his narrative it almost seems inevitable. A touching and tense tale.
The minimal art style and narration is very effective, and the decision to put only a single panel on each page of this small volume is essential to the pacing of this perfectly formed short story.
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
There are interesting and sometimes distressing themes introduced, including the deportation of refugees and minorities, forced institutionalisation and medical experimentation - all new to this book, which for a final is very welcome.
As for the ending, it kept me on my toes right to the very finish - I've not read much fantasy for a very long time, and while I think this pretty much played to it's own rules there was a lot introduced in the final half of this book, so I can't honestly say I feel completely happy there was a through-line from the first to the last book... and looking back there are perhaps a few rather convenient coincidences along the way. Still, I highly recommend the series as a whole!
Graphic: Confinement, Deportation, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Body horror, Dysphoria, Infertility, Ableism, Murder, and Death
Minor: Terminal illness
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Each chapter follows Farida through a different day in her life, revealing to us only what she understands and revelling in the small details that grab her attention. A sense of foreboding hangs over the book, I think partly because as an adult I am uncomfortable with not understanding everything that is happening, whereas for Farida that is just life as a child: not always comprehending, and rarely getting explanations from adults - Farida takes a lot on trust, and to be fair her trust is well placed.
Nevertheless that sense of foreboding is eventually borne out - this is a turning point in Sudan's history after all - and it's an emotional few days only made more intense by feeling it through Farida.
It's hard to believe this is Junior Fiction - while in theory very accessible for young readers, they may have trouble sticking with what would seem like an aimless plot. As an adult, these are beautiful slices of life and a fascinating insight into Sudanese culture, even if the final chapters brings tears to the eye.
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Death, Kidnapping, and War
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It's absolutely spot-on to where the characters are at that point in their lives and their interpersonal relationships - yes, including the tense love/hate/frenemy triangle between Adora, Catra and Scorpia. Catra and Scorpia especially are given some space to have some moments that ring true and tug at the heartstrings.
Once the first few pages of info-dump are done it's fun, it's funny, it's touching, and while it slots in perfectly with the show the final few pages still manage to give Adora a deft bit of character development that wasn't ever quite addressed in the show so explicitly, but doesn't contradict anything either.
The art style is very close to the cartoon - my only complaints are the lettering is hard to read and the speech balloons sometimes have two people's words but only one pointer. Minor niggles!
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
The art style is at first somewhat gristly but otherwise aimed at hormonal teens, then swaps artists to become simply a bit rubbish instead.
Cannot recommend this book at all.
Graphic: Gore, Cancer, Animal cruelty, Body horror, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Self harm, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Child abuse
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
James Lovegrove delivers a novel that eschews the steampunk and supernatural conceits that often blight this series, instead promising a tale that puts Watson in the spotlight as the duo investigate a missing persons case. The case leads them to a commune of sorts where Ancient Greek society and mythology is revered, including it's more macabre aspects. It doesn't really put Watson in the spotlight much more than usual - there were plenty of missed opportunities for that, even to the point of sidelining out heroes for a Holmes stand-in for much of the tale where instead Watson could have been written in - but everything on the page was good, so no complaints here.
It's not quite the mystery I was hoping for - the plot is relatively straightforward and solved before the third and final part, leaving the rest of the book as something of a thriller, but one where Holmes uses his brain to ensure their survival.
Lovegrove writes nicely in the expected style, and has created a very engaging page-turner that's generally quite good fun. A little lacking in the criminal deductions department, but this was too enjoyable a read for me to complain.
Graphic: Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Murder, Confinement, and Kidnapping
Minor: Suicide attempt, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
1.0
Frankly half the time this reads like a Wikipedia page, and while many of the subjects covered are worthy they are sped over. The book is supposedly narrated by one of the characters, but there is scant opportunity to experience anything from his point of view.
It's no "Charley's War" but I'm sad to say it does seem to borrow very freely from some of it's highlights - but without any of the character or depth that singular series excelled at. Very disappointing.
The art is passable.
Graphic: War
Moderate: Gun violence and Death
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This Czech play from the 1920s is famous for coining the term "Robot" from the Czech words for serf labour. The titular Robots (human in appeance but much simpler on the inside) are being manufactured with the lofty goal of entirely freeing humans from labour - while making a lot of cash for the manufacturer, and saving lots of cash for the purchasers in unpaid labour. However, as this social revolution is set to take decades, the human workers faced with suffering unemployment through this lengthy change take arms against the robots - and so both Industry and Goverments arm the robots against the humans.
The play covers before, during and after the war - all from the perspective of those running Rossum's Universal Robots, and some of the robots themselves. It's a darkly comical play that critiques Capitalism, Industrialisation, Slavery, and to my surprise Misogyny - although it could be mistaken as only a reflection of the times it was written in depending on how the play is performed (however playwright Karel Čapek' politics point to it as a critique).
The epilogue is fascinatingly dark, and while the last lines became a mid 20th Century sci-fi cliche hoary enough to make my eyes roll, be aware this play was probably the very first to do it - and probably only did so to rescue the play from being utterly bleak, although I imagine people at the time found it so anyway!
Moderate: Body horror, Slavery, Misogyny, Sexism, War, Classism, and Death
- 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
4.0
This tale is about an elderly employee of a book store who has been hand-delivering books around his German town for decades, and absolutely lives for the job. Circumstances put his ongoing employment in doubt, just as he is joined on his rounds by a disruptive but sweet schoolgirl - and it's as much their story as it is about the people they deliver books to.
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol, and Grief
1.0
The plot is an incoherent mess, the art style is variable (even between characters in the same panel), and there's that crushing sense that a very worthy subject has been squandered. It tries to be reverential - ironically while critiquing such reverence - it's almost offensive in it's failure.
Additionally, I can't imagine who this book is aimed at. Perhaps it hopes to encourage those who have never read Anne Frank to do so, but I think they'll be baffled. For those who have read Anne Frank, I think they'll find this much as I did - an unworthy addition full of random nonsense, with a germ of an idea that went nowhere interesting.
Moderate: Hate crime, Kidnapping, Murder, Confinement, Deportation, Classism, Genocide, Antisemitism, Grief, War, Child death, Death, and Racism