Take a photo of a barcode or cover
katharine_opal's reviews
492 reviews
Pixels of You by Yuko Ota, Ananth Hirsh
3.0
(Rating is 3.5)
I have mixed feelings about this. I liked many things, such as the world-building, the character designs, and the art style. I liked the small blurbs about how programmers can program prejudices into their AI, and how an AI can create racist algorithms, neither of them being on purpose. If you use any site that uses an algorithm, there are countless creators of color talking about how algorithms will suppress them, just because they're POC. It reminded me of the quote by Samuel R. Delany; "Science fiction is not about the future; it uses the future as a narrative convention to present significant distortions of the present." But the thing I didn't like is that the entire story felt like it never dove that deep, into either the characters or the plot. It only brushed the surface, when I really wanted it to go deeper. Like, how did the AI robots come to be? Why are they able to be self-governing, and I assume be counted as full citizens? [If they have the option to either look more robotic or to look more human, why do so many of them choose to still look robotic?]* Is there a class system among AI because it seemed like might be? If the AI have a class system within themselves, do the humans ALSO still have a class system? How do AI and human class systems intersect? I know these are all considered superfluous questions, but if you raise the point then you can't expect me to ignore it! Also, I would like to point out, I did not realize Fawn is an AI with a "human chassis" until it was explicitly stated in the story. Which affects how I viewed Fawn and Indira's first interaction. I was confused why Indira was being so rude to her for no reason, and why Fawn was being so bratty. I also feel like they didn't go too deeper into the characters and their motivations. Unless I am very dumb and didn't understand it? There are several scenes of Indira...hallucinating? Is she actually hallucinating or is it an artist's representation of chronic pain and anxiety? *[Also, I just reread the GR blurb and noticed that it says "Fawn is one of the first human-presenting AI". Uh. I don't recall that fact being mentioned in the book, at all. That also answers my previous questions of why I didn't see any other "human presenting" AI in the book, and why Fawn is called a "spoiled rich kid" in one scene.] Which baffled me, because they showed her home, and it's fairly modest. Its major perk is that it does have some nice art and that it has some nice representation. Overall, I felt like I was skimming through the book when that's just how the plot is written. I really wanted to like it more, but I just can't. Pity, since I love the artists and authors' other works!
I have mixed feelings about this. I liked many things, such as the world-building, the character designs, and the art style. I liked the small blurbs about how programmers can program prejudices into their AI, and how an AI can create racist algorithms, neither of them being on purpose. If you use any site that uses an algorithm, there are countless creators of color talking about how algorithms will suppress them, just because they're POC. It reminded me of the quote by Samuel R. Delany; "Science fiction is not about the future; it uses the future as a narrative convention to present significant distortions of the present." But the thing I didn't like is that the entire story felt like it never dove that deep, into either the characters or the plot. It only brushed the surface, when I really wanted it to go deeper. Like, how did the AI robots come to be? Why are they able to be self-governing, and I assume be counted as full citizens? [If they have the option to either look more robotic or to look more human, why do so many of them choose to still look robotic?]* Is there a class system among AI because it seemed like might be? If the AI have a class system within themselves, do the humans ALSO still have a class system? How do AI and human class systems intersect? I know these are all considered superfluous questions, but if you raise the point then you can't expect me to ignore it! Also, I would like to point out, I did not realize Fawn is an AI with a "human chassis" until it was explicitly stated in the story. Which affects how I viewed Fawn and Indira's first interaction. I was confused why Indira was being so rude to her for no reason, and why Fawn was being so bratty. I also feel like they didn't go too deeper into the characters and their motivations. Unless I am very dumb and didn't understand it? There are several scenes of Indira...hallucinating? Is she actually hallucinating or is it an artist's representation of chronic pain and anxiety? *[Also, I just reread the GR blurb and noticed that it says "Fawn is one of the first human-presenting AI". Uh. I don't recall that fact being mentioned in the book, at all. That also answers my previous questions of why I didn't see any other "human presenting" AI in the book, and why Fawn is called a "spoiled rich kid" in one scene.] Which baffled me, because they showed her home, and it's fairly modest. Its major perk is that it does have some nice art and that it has some nice representation. Overall, I felt like I was skimming through the book when that's just how the plot is written. I really wanted to like it more, but I just can't. Pity, since I love the artists and authors' other works!
The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland
4.0
Thank you to GoodReads and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review as part of their giveaway program!
This is technically a story of a vampire, but it honestly could have been about any type of immortal. Her being a vampire is integral to the plot, but it honestly barely focuses on it. In fact, I don't remember if the word "vampire" was used at all. Collette, while appearing like an elegant and cheery person to the public, is honestly a deeply cynical and withdrawn person internally. Her cynicism feels justified when the reader is shown Collette's past. The flipping between past and present was very well done, and something I enjoyed. Each glimpse into her past explains how and why she behaves how she does in the present in an effective way. The switches were also done well enough that you never got bored of either time period. I also liked that the looks into her past show up how she "grew up" over the course of several hundred years as a new immortal. The overall writing is very poetic and deeply quotable. Certain parts felt like snippets of poetry rather than prose.
Hiding the rest since I'm going to blatantly talk about spoilers near the end of the book.
There were also SEVERAL questions I have about the world in relation to how the other vampires work, and none were answered. It's mentioned, a few brief times, that there IS a vampire society and that Collette refuses to join it. But...why? Wouldn't vampire society have the answers she needed? Wouldn't her issues of finding food be solved? Wouldn't being around other vampires reduce her terror of accidentally killing a human when she sleepwalks? Also, if there IS a vampire society, you're telling me that over the course of roughly 200 years she hasn't run into another vampire, even once? How reclusive are these other vampires?! Collette has been in multiple countries over the course of 200 hundred years, and she never meets another vampire again. The only vampires she knows are her Grandfather, Agoston (Her grandfather's friend), and Ehru (a boy in the care of one of Agoston's friends). No others. I find this incredibly odd. Enough vampires to make a society yet so few one wouldn't stumble upon another one in the course of 200 hundred years.
All in all, these are technically minor things that don't really affect the overall story. But god, they distracted me the entire time I was reading.
This is technically a story of a vampire, but it honestly could have been about any type of immortal. Her being a vampire is integral to the plot, but it honestly barely focuses on it. In fact, I don't remember if the word "vampire" was used at all. Collette, while appearing like an elegant and cheery person to the public, is honestly a deeply cynical and withdrawn person internally. Her cynicism feels justified when the reader is shown Collette's past. The flipping between past and present was very well done, and something I enjoyed. Each glimpse into her past explains how and why she behaves how she does in the present in an effective way. The switches were also done well enough that you never got bored of either time period. I also liked that the looks into her past show up how she "grew up" over the course of several hundred years as a new immortal. The overall writing is very poetic and deeply quotable. Certain parts felt like snippets of poetry rather than prose.
Hiding the rest since I'm going to blatantly talk about spoilers near the end of the book.
Spoiler
The ending deeply confused me. Maybe it shouldn't, because Collette is shown again and again having a deep love for children and for protecting them. But...your solution was to turn a neglected kid, who was your student, into your vampire child? You've been hallucinating, sleepwalking, doing crazy stuff like eating your own cats, as well as the class bird and accidentally killing a neighbors cow, all whilst being terrified and confused as to WHY you're doing all of that AND thinking you're being chased by a Slavic god of death. But somehow the answer to everything is...vampire child. I don't know, maybe my prejudice against the trope of "She had a baby, so it's happily ever after, the end!" is showing really hard. But god, why did you have to end with "the answer is to have a vampire child"... Thinking deeper about this, I think I figured out the reason WHY she turned Leo into her vampire child. They showed us the relationship she had in the past with another child, Malla, and how after Malla dies pretty violently, how much she regrets not taking her away to France as Malla begged. Then there's a scene where Malla comes to Collette in a dream vision, accosting Collette for not taking her body and turning her into a vampire right before she makes the choice to turn Leo. This makes me assume that Collette only turned him because she felt guilty about not turning Malla. Which... is such a wild decision? We're shown that Collette was angry at her Grandfather for over 200 hundred years for turning her and "dooming" her to eternal life against her will. It's mentioned near the end that she's STILL angry at him 200 hundred years later! Yet...she turned around and did the same exact thing as her Grandfather by turning Leo against his will. Now that I think about it, he had bad pneumonia but like...if she just handed him to the hospital, he could have possibly recovered. She literally just killed him in his sleep so she can have a vampire child of her own. I'm just so baffled by her turning Leo and that being the "this is what it was all building up to!" type of ending. Just...it made me sit there going "What the fuck was THAT?"There were also SEVERAL questions I have about the world in relation to how the other vampires work, and none were answered. It's mentioned, a few brief times, that there IS a vampire society and that Collette refuses to join it. But...why? Wouldn't vampire society have the answers she needed? Wouldn't her issues of finding food be solved? Wouldn't being around other vampires reduce her terror of accidentally killing a human when she sleepwalks? Also, if there IS a vampire society, you're telling me that over the course of roughly 200 years she hasn't run into another vampire, even once? How reclusive are these other vampires?! Collette has been in multiple countries over the course of 200 hundred years, and she never meets another vampire again. The only vampires she knows are her Grandfather, Agoston (Her grandfather's friend), and Ehru (a boy in the care of one of Agoston's friends). No others. I find this incredibly odd. Enough vampires to make a society yet so few one wouldn't stumble upon another one in the course of 200 hundred years.
All in all, these are technically minor things that don't really affect the overall story. But god, they distracted me the entire time I was reading.
Barbarous, Chapter 1 by Ananth Hirsh
4.0
(This is technically a reread! I'm binge-reading it instead of page by page like I did the first time to see how the story flows!)
I forgot how abrupt of a start Barbarous has with its first chapter. Many character elements about Percy are implied through her actions, rather than directly telling the reader. Her magic snafu on the subway shows you that she's some sort of clumsy magic user. Her actions make her out to be a very abrasive type of person, who distrusts pretty much everyone. In the very first chapter, Percy is pretty unlikable with how aggressive she can be, but something hints that her defensive nature is not just her being an asshole for no reason. Her getting hired by Celia is extremely sudden, but even Percy points that out, so I think the story is well aware of how quick it is. There isn't much in this first chapter, but it shows you just enough of the characters and the world-building to get your interest piqued. All first chapters are to set up the story, and this is no different.
I forgot how abrupt of a start Barbarous has with its first chapter. Many character elements about Percy are implied through her actions, rather than directly telling the reader. Her magic snafu on the subway shows you that she's some sort of clumsy magic user. Her actions make her out to be a very abrasive type of person, who distrusts pretty much everyone. In the very first chapter, Percy is pretty unlikable with how aggressive she can be, but something hints that her defensive nature is not just her being an asshole for no reason. Her getting hired by Celia is extremely sudden, but even Percy points that out, so I think the story is well aware of how quick it is. There isn't much in this first chapter, but it shows you just enough of the characters and the world-building to get your interest piqued. All first chapters are to set up the story, and this is no different.
Barbarous, Chapter 2 by Rachael Cohen, Yuko Ota, Ananth Hirsh, J.N. Wiedle
4.0
(This is technically a reread! I'm binge-reading it instead of page by page like I did the first time to see how the story flows!)
In this chapter, we get more insight into both Percy and Leeds backstories, as well as meet a few of the other tenants. We find out that Percy has a strained relationship with her father and that she's also a college dropout. She's basically a prime example of a burnt-out former gifted kid. I do like that Percy is slowly trying to redeem her previous rude behavior from the first chapter. You can also see how Leeds and Percy are slowly getting to understand each other as well. This chapter is a step-up from the first chapter. There's not a ton of world-building though, asides from snippets.
In this chapter, we get more insight into both Percy and Leeds backstories, as well as meet a few of the other tenants. We find out that Percy has a strained relationship with her father and that she's also a college dropout. She's basically a prime example of a burnt-out former gifted kid. I do like that Percy is slowly trying to redeem her previous rude behavior from the first chapter. You can also see how Leeds and Percy are slowly getting to understand each other as well. This chapter is a step-up from the first chapter. There's not a ton of world-building though, asides from snippets.
Barbarous, Chapter 3 by Rachael Cohen, Yuko Ota, Ananth Hirsh, J.N. Wiedle
4.0
(This is technically a reread! I'm binge-reading it instead of page by page like I did the first time to see how the story flows!)
We see more into Percy's back story, and at this point, she's become way more of a likable character than in her first introduction. She's a clumsy and awkward person, but you can tell she has a genuine desire to help other people. We get a bit more in the world-building, such as learning a little bit more about the Academy. We also see that Percy and Leeds have grown a little bit closer in their time working together. Also, in that one scene, the artist's AMAZING way of using color to elevate a scene gets shown. I've read the full-color edition of Lucky Penny, so I'm already familiar with their excellent use of color, so it's so nice to see it here as well. Something about the vibrant colors just makes the scene feel out of this world!
We see more into Percy's back story, and at this point, she's become way more of a likable character than in her first introduction. She's a clumsy and awkward person, but you can tell she has a genuine desire to help other people. We get a bit more in the world-building, such as learning a little bit more about the Academy. We also see that Percy and Leeds have grown a little bit closer in their time working together. Also, in that one scene, the artist's AMAZING way of using color to elevate a scene gets shown. I've read the full-color edition of Lucky Penny, so I'm already familiar with their excellent use of color, so it's so nice to see it here as well. Something about the vibrant colors just makes the scene feel out of this world!
Barbarous, Chapter 4 by Rachael Cohen, Yuko Ota, Ananth Hirsh, J.N. Wiedle
4.0
Oooh, the end of the chapter gives us a little bit of juicy intrigue, that I am so interested in! A glimpse more into the Pillars, and why the Pillars might not be what Percy thinks them to be. We also see a bit more into Percy's past; she used to be a top student in her class and was one of the elites and a former rich kid. Also, this chapter has less of, but still some pages with that gorgeous unconventional color palette! I like that Leeds and Percy's relationship is slowly growing as each chapter goes by. It's nice to see two clashing personalities slowly get to know one another and understand each other.
Barbarous, Chapter 5 by Ananth Hirsh
5.0
Okay, I absolutely love mind-bending stuff, and this chapter delivers. The one downside is that the start of the chapter feels extremely abrupt and very random since it drops us smack dab in the middle of a scene. This chapter showed a magical version of the concept of the self and different self-states and was a fascinating way to show us the different sides of Percy being at war with herself, and her eventual acceptance of who she is now. Also, I'm struck with love for the art of this again, with some lovely psychedelic-style art on some pages! The bit of world-building that shows that magic is viewed as more of a type of science and that there are two types of magic users was very enjoyable. I love good world-building and interesting magic systems. I've forgotten to mention it in previous chapters, but Percy's magic manifesting as her manipulating threads in order to "cast" is a very interesting type of magic.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Vol. 1 by Hiromu Arakawa
5.0
So I might be a little biased, seeing as Hiromu Arakawa is my favorite manga artist of all time. I'm pretty sure I've read everything she's ever put out. So I was so hyped to find out she was making a new series, and it was a fantasy adventure like FullMetal Alchemist! This first volume met my expectations, and more! The first chapter is absolutely insane; the bait and switch completely threw me off. Also, Ms. Arakawa is back at it again with absolutely amazing sibling dynamics. She has always written excellent siblings, and this series is no expectation. After the first chapter, the action slows down a bit and gets more into the meat of the plot. There is still a good balance of action and exposition. It never feels like information is being thrown at you, it feels like you're slowly learning it as the characters do. This volume sets up so many questions that hopefully will be answered in the next volumes. An amazing start to what I hope is a long series!
The Sprite and the Gardener by Rii Abrego, Joe Whitt
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
The Sprite and the Gardener is short and sweet, and full of whimsy! The plot is simple but such a sweet read. A little sprite, feeling a bit like an outsider amount her sprite counterparts, discovers she has a love for gardening. The plot lovingly espouses the joys of community, togetherness, and nurturing plants. I do love how the opening ties in so beautifully with the ending. I don't want to say a lot, for fear of spoiling the plot. I am so in love with the art! The characters all have such wonderful designs, and I love the fashion of the sprites. The vibrant colors are gorgeous as well! I remember seeing the original inspiration for this comic years ago and adored it, so I'm so happy it got made into a full book!
The Sprite and the Gardener is short and sweet, and full of whimsy! The plot is simple but such a sweet read. A little sprite, feeling a bit like an outsider amount her sprite counterparts, discovers she has a love for gardening. The plot lovingly espouses the joys of community, togetherness, and nurturing plants. I do love how the opening ties in so beautifully with the ending. I don't want to say a lot, for fear of spoiling the plot. I am so in love with the art! The characters all have such wonderful designs, and I love the fashion of the sprites. The vibrant colors are gorgeous as well! I remember seeing the original inspiration for this comic years ago and adored it, so I'm so happy it got made into a full book!
Hustle & Heart: Foretold by Heath Amodio, Cullen Bunn
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
The plot blurb made the story seem interesting, but sadly the felt flat for me. I think the reveal near the back half is what took me out of it. I couldn't take it seriously after that reveal. The plot is okay on the surface, but the dialogue is a bit cringe at certain parts. Reminds me A LOT of Supernatural's dialogue in the early seasons. Honestly, it made this book feel like the plot of a new CW show. I also couldn't connect the characters, at all. The way Derek is written feels like every "single Dad who is a bit of a mess and is struggling with [Insert Thing] but he loves his daughter" character in every piece of media that's come before him. The different plot lines also felt somewhat disconnected? In an attempt to build suspense and intrigue, it felt like there was too much going on. I logically understand how it's connected, but didn't feel it emotionally. The art style is fine. It's a very classic American comic style, reminiscent of 1980's comics. The characters do feel a bit flat with how they're drawn. Something about them having very muted expressions just made me dislike it a little bit. It's a pity, on paper, the plot is exactly something I'd love to read, but in practice, just fell flat.
The plot blurb made the story seem interesting, but sadly the felt flat for me. I think the reveal near the back half is what took me out of it. I couldn't take it seriously after that reveal. The plot is okay on the surface, but the dialogue is a bit cringe at certain parts. Reminds me A LOT of Supernatural's dialogue in the early seasons. Honestly, it made this book feel like the plot of a new CW show. I also couldn't connect the characters, at all. The way Derek is written feels like every "single Dad who is a bit of a mess and is struggling with [Insert Thing] but he loves his daughter" character in every piece of media that's come before him. The different plot lines also felt somewhat disconnected? In an attempt to build suspense and intrigue, it felt like there was too much going on. I logically understand how it's connected, but didn't feel it emotionally. The art style is fine. It's a very classic American comic style, reminiscent of 1980's comics. The characters do feel a bit flat with how they're drawn. Something about them having very muted expressions just made me dislike it a little bit. It's a pity, on paper, the plot is exactly something I'd love to read, but in practice, just fell flat.