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phantastic's reviews
79 reviews
Gleanings by Neal Shusterman
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Gleanings is a collection of 12 short stories (and 1 poem) from the Arc of a Scythe universe, featuring characters both new and old. While the book serves as a great way to get readers interested in the Arc of a Scythe universe again, the stories vary in quality: ranging from must-reads for all fans of the main series to stories that teeter between boredom and occasional amusement.
Rankings:
- The Mortal Canvas
- A Martian Minute
- Anastasia’s Shadow
- A Dark Curtain Rises
- Cirri
- A Death of Many Colors
- Perchance to Glean
- Unsavory Row
- Formidable
- Meet Cute and Die
- The Persistence of Memory
- Never Work with Animals
The Mortal Canvas is a story with vast emotional depth with great emphasis and respect for artistic value. Under the pressure of a scythe, four students have to compete with one another to create “the best art piece,” yet struggle to understand how to truly create from the soul due to the freedom of immortality. Each character had personality and uniqueness that made their interactions with one another rich and memorable. I found myself rooting for every one of them throughout the story, and the reveals at the end leave an impact that will not be forgotten soon.
A Martian Minute serves as the selling point of Gleanings, being both backstory for Goddard and a reveal of how the Mars colony was sabotaged. Although it was the longest story of the book, it didn’t feel like it dragged on at any point, with it always remaining tense and exciting. You get wonderful insight into Goddard’s upbringing and how it shaped him as a person - perhaps developing a twinge of empathy for the person he used to be. Additionally, this story gives us far greater insight into Xenocrates’ mind than seen throughout the main series. This story is a must-read for any fans of the series as a whole.
Perchance to Glean uncovers many mysteries relating to the RossShelf charter region and its communal dreaming experiment, following two dreamers and their desperate escape from a pursuing scythe; however, the rules in dreams are less harsh than reality’s, leading to one of the most explosively fantastical adventures, featuring many creative elements that never failed to grip my attention. Despite that, the ending took a sudden shift in tone that was jarring, abrupt, and felt like it destroyed everything that the story was building up toward. Had it ended differently, Perchance to Glean could’ve easily landed in 1st or 2nd place on my rankings.
Overall, Gleanings offers a decently enjoyable selection of narratives from the Arc of a Scythe universe. Not every story will be a hit, but most will leave you feeling satisfied with your read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Injury/Injury detail
Fangs by Sarah Andersen
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Ableism and Self harm
The List by Patricia Forde
Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.
I thought it was frustratingly confusing.
There were too many details that didn’t advance the plot. In-depth descriptions were included when it wasn’t necessary, and it felt like the writing was dragged down by it. For example, the entirety of the four-paragraph-long prologue was focused on a scavenger’s struggle to pick up a canister from the ocean. The writing went into detail about how the sun glistened against the metal canister and how it drifted in and out on the waves, yet didn’t explain who the scavenger was or why he was picking up the canister in the first place.
The story did not explain the basics of the world before handing you new information to digest. While it was a nice change of pace for the main character to not explain information that they already know, it makes it confusing for the reader, as they’d have to take time to process the information that they received. As more and more information gets introduced, it gets increasingly frustrating to keep up with the story when you’re boggled down by unexplained worldbuilding.
There were too many details that didn’t advance the plot. In-depth descriptions were included when it wasn’t necessary, and it felt like the writing was dragged down by it. For example, the entirety of the four-paragraph-long prologue was focused on a scavenger’s struggle to pick up a canister from the ocean. The writing went into detail about how the sun glistened against the metal canister and how it drifted in and out on the waves, yet didn’t explain who the scavenger was or why he was picking up the canister in the first place.
The story did not explain the basics of the world before handing you new information to digest. While it was a nice change of pace for the main character to not explain information that they already know, it makes it confusing for the reader, as they’d have to take time to process the information that they received. As more and more information gets introduced, it gets increasingly frustrating to keep up with the story when you’re boggled down by unexplained worldbuilding.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
The artwork is absolutely stunning and innovative; I appreciated the creative decision to make some artwork depicting important scenes be unrestricted by the panel boxes. Sometimes the art and/or speech bubbles don’t follow a linear path, which I thought added a nice touch to the way the story was told.
The writing can feel clunky at times, but that’s not to the detriment of the overall story or message. I recommend it to anyone looking to read a deeply personal, heartfelt story; This is a beautiful graphic novel about the struggle of immigration—being stuck between your old life versus your new life—and coming to terms with your identity.
The writing can feel clunky at times, but that’s not to the detriment of the overall story or message. I recommend it to anyone looking to read a deeply personal, heartfelt story; This is a beautiful graphic novel about the struggle of immigration—being stuck between your old life versus your new life—and coming to terms with your identity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, and Outing
Straight Punch by Monique Polak
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, and Pregnancy
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Outing
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing
Restart by Gordon Korman
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- 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 book was an enjoyable read; it made me feel happy to see Chase discover who he used to be and figure out who he will be in the future.
The plot was predictable at times and I personally disagreed with one of the romantic pairings, but I didn’t find those to be issues.
Overall, I recommend this book if you’re interested in something simple and relaxing.
The plot was predictable at times and I personally disagreed with one of the romantic pairings, but I didn’t find those to be issues.
Overall, I recommend this book if you’re interested in something simple and relaxing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Injury/Injury detail