onamoonbeam's reviews
193 reviews

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

adventurous

3.75

so famous that i feel kind of weird rating this with the same system that i rate anything else? but a lot more fun to read by myself than in middle school. i was surprised how much i understood without looking at the sidebar (my version had a "plain english" side) one of my favorite things about reading is going hey look at how people have had similar thoughts across ages and some of those thoughts are definitely. madness of the night and woods and submission and delirium

Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

dark lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes

3.75

very charming and i can understand why this became a beloved story in italy then the world. it's a lot darker than i expected, having only been exposed to the disney and del toro versions. i specifically had this really cool annotated copy that outlined how they translated everything. it even had a running tally of how many times pinocchio lied but his nose didn't grow, citing that collodi seemed to say that lies out of embarrassment are acceptable but lying about one's character isn't. the hanging is. insane. i find it funny how little gepetto is in the book, like he's definitely important in the beginning but most of the book is pinocchio getting back. anyway his little piteous rants are somehow funny and not annoying, and the quaint fairytale-esque writing overall. except the ending. even tho this was so fast-paced, the ending managed to feel rushed.

Maze by Thiago Souto

slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.25

 a weird sweet trip. most memorable part is 

hearing a slur come out of nowhere in the middle of this beautiful fantasy world and the kid... saying to leave it alone. i'm normally ambivalent about imaginary friends and the fantasies kids make to keep themselves sane because it can be done in so many ways, often vague or cheesy. this falls just a bit into both those categories, unfortunately.

 
literally just skim this thing for the art and color design

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia

The Spire by Simon Spurrier

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.25

fun art, a little off reading a lesbian written by men, wish worldbuilding was simplified and explained a little more bc yes vastness immersion but at several points i didn’t know what was happening, like shouldn’t there be implications of

a skew and a human making a human kid? this is never addressed

weird ass ending but i kinda like it. very very good paneling and art and i like all the species and the way a bunch of facts come together in the end. 

Dionysos: The New God by George O'Connor

3.0

aw fuck my review disappeared. anyway simple fun time i like osps more historical approach better but you can’t really do that in a kids book read this series years ago and never got around to finishing it i wish there was more emotion from dionysus other than grief and determination more motivations maybe

Pardalita by Joana Estrela

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.25

another one to add to the foreign lesbian comic collection. meandering story of lesbian in small town. i like the tidbits of raquel’s life but would’ve loved to see them resolved in some way. also many good uses of one thing’s lines shifting into something else like a movie transition, helped by the simplistic brushy style. oh and the irregular verbs! 

Kisses for Jet by Joris Bas Backer

reflective

2.5

ngl around a week later i remember nothing from this book. solid graphic memoir but can drag at times like many of its kind

Sunhead by Alex Assan

lighthearted

• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

the twilight to queer girlie pipeline. writing this at least a week after reading and the art was cute but the conclusion kinda came out of nowhere

Walk Me to the Corner by Anneli Furmark

reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

wow sure hope this random library book isn’t remarkably relatable and timely to me

uh oh

old woman yuri sweep. rough art style fits the subject matter imo

In Utero by Chris Gooch

dark mysterious medium-paced

2.5

good vibes but unfortunately the book is mainly that. reminded me of nimona in. shapeshifting monster and parenthood