As always, a cute collection of comics featuring two sisters, a moody older one and an annoying younger one. There is a barrage of American pop culture references/easter eggs this volume (Disney's Tangled, Hannah Montana, Spongebob, Calvin and Hobbes, Gorillaz, etc) and some are a bit dated like Wendy being obsessed with prepubescent Justin Baby (a.k.a Justin Bieber).

Excellent and relatable with a good message without being preachy. Real friends don’t put you down and talk you into reckless things. Peer pressure, anger issues, toxic masculinity/macho-ness (I guess? Bryan hates being called soft), and idolizing the wrong people are touched on expertly. Sometimes, the dialogue sounds the slightest bit cheesy, but I’m not super used to NYer-lingo.

I liked Bryan’s narrative. I understood his feelings and how badly he didn’t want to disappoint anyone. Yooo, that drama with Little Kev had my heart beating faster for real!

I hate how Bryan never told his parents about the train-surfing and Little Kevin mess … But then again, most kids wouldn’t tell something that guarantees trouble with your parents and the police.

Of course, with a setting in New York, there’s some nice diversity: Bryan’s Puerto-Rican, Mike is black (AfrAm (?)), and adorable Kamau is Kenyan. There’s a whole cast of black and/or latino characters.

I definitely recommend this! This is geared toward kids, but some adults need to learn this lesson! Also, it's packed full of Marvel superhero facts/trivia.

"Truth is a hungry thing." (pg 29)

"There are moments when sharing silence can be more meaningful than filling a space with empty chatter." (pg 123)

A thrilling story with a crisp narrative that makes you think and demand change. Patron Saints of Nothing masterfully tackles the bystander who looks at injustice and says nothing. Of course, there are many gut punches and some of the best family moments/dynamics I have seen.

I wholeheartedly recommend and definitely would reread. I adore the character Jun. Just read the story you will too.

this also acknowledges not to idolize a person/have unrealistic expectations. Jun was basically a good Samaritan/arguably a truly Christlike person yet he was still human. Every character felt so realistic because people aren't just black and white. A part of me wishes Jun would've died the upstanding radical activist, but him succumbing to drugs is also an interesting angle

Also, best love story that never was

Pfft... Not Mia and Jay *rolls eyes* I'm talking about Jun and Reyna. ;___;

The cover drew me in, but the story kept me here.

Y'know it's weird because I like even the tiniest dash of romance, but I didn't care at all about Alaine and her love interest. It wasn't bad I just didn't feel anything for them.

Instead, I enjoyed Alaine's narrative, her family, and the whole curse business. Alaine has some real powerful women in her life, and it's a joy to read. Very little of the Haitian Creole is translated, but if you have any background with romance languages or Google translate handy you can figure it out. Of course, some things you just know with context. I think the language added a nice layer.

Sure, I would recommend. Some may find the ending lackluster,  but it was fine with me.

Some excellent artwork but many stories are hit or miss.

I think this story prides itself on its quirkiness. Because of that, the dialogue is a bit corny at times such as, "Jane, are you a can of Pepsi or a can't of Pepsi?" Ugh.

Jane is the straight man/super serious and Heather is the manic-pixie girl who won't leave her alone. To be honest, Heather bugged me with basically always throwing in Jane's face how boring she is and how she'll end life at a dead-end job and/or married. I get Jane's unfulfilled but gosh what type of friend are you? I might be overthinking it, but I feel like the author's going to touch on Heather manipulating Jane into adventures. I think the ending hinted at Heather's selfishness when she lets Jane down again. There's probably some elaborate backstory as to why they fell out.

I was not expecting the volume to focus so much on Heather's dad who I found uninteresting.

Ehh, good fun with a cute style nonetheless, but I'm not likely to read volume 2.

2.5

"I knew you talked to books. I didn't realize they listened."

Well, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Silas was by far the most interesting character. I love those morally-gray characters. I liked Nathaniel too. Elisabeth was fine though you can argue she doesn't have much agency (

y'all this girl is basically half-book. ._. lol

).

The grand elaborate libraries, grimoires, and the demon business kept the pages turning quickly! I didn't feel bored or like the story was dragging at all. Now, the romance was sappy but okay with traces of instalove. I think it was building up perfectly. Nathaniel was intrigued by her from day one, Silas knew what was up, Nathaniel desperately wanted to keep her away but to no alas wanted her to stay too... but then their love hit a speed bump and they were practically soulmates.

Anyway, I want this as an animated movie. I'm getting anime vibes from this (like Howl's Moving Castle).
4.5 stars