I don’t know why the story didn’t click for me. It’s a lovable homage to 90’s fashion and slang and New Jack Swing, but the story jumped very erratically, and I didn’t always care for the dialogue. I kept waiting for it to finish.

lol all that just so the white man can scam them.

Interesting!

This magician trial caught my interest. The MC's certainly the underdog who is way above the age he should taken his coming of age magic trial. I was bit surprised at the language. Might read the full volume later

3.5

This is too dry and the characters are too flat for me.

I felt bad for Henri with all the pressure he had on his shoulders, but I also wanted to strangle him at one point. Overall, he was a lovely character. But I enjoyed Corinne too; she was awkward, smart-mouthed, sexual, and quirky. I liked this more for the college admission shenanigans and Henri’s family (his mom’s a firefighter!) more so than the romance.

I can imagine the majority of this story might be stressful for students sending in college applications or doing SAT prep too lol

4.5

This was good though the narrative’s messy. Virginia really speaks to the stubbornness of teenagers who are determined but can’t see the error of their ways until hindsight sets in. The tough realities of taking two kids into post-apocalyptic zones is fully-there and heavy. All of this storytelling was very bleak and I wouldn’t reread for fun, but I’m invested enough to read a sequel. I also like the pinkish peach color scheme.

2.5

I was so prepared to call this quirky and tryhard, but it’s actually charming. I love the conversations about being afraid of how the world is going (look, we’re in a worldwide pandemic right now) but fighting to see the beauty in it. Of course, I also enjoyed the conversations about the different methods of art, controlled and poised and explosive and combative, etc. Payne is really rough around the edges, but she added a fun layer to the plainness.

I’m glad Jane’s PTSD and anxiety after the incident are treated realistically, and I liked her mom’s development. The “evil adults” who wanna ruin all artistic expressions trope felt a bit cliché here, but it works, I guess. The Janes are all flat archetypes, but that also works I suppose. The book feels like a conversation-piece to me more so than a character or plot-driven story, but I liked it.

3.5

This is weird, and the art style isn’t conventionally attractive. The art style shifts slightly with each character’s pov, which further shows how each kid sees the world.

When I first started reading this, I didn’t know what to make of it. It begins like a coming-of-age tale with the kids having finished primary school and getting ready for high school. We get a good grasp of the character dynamics early on and see some of the group is excited to grow up while others are hesitant and afraid their friendships won’t last. The sibling relationship here is harsh, and I don’t know if they even care for each other.

I also suspect Lily has feelings for Amanda, but don’t quote me on that.

Then, this story turns into an isekai! Basically, the kids fall into another world filled with strange creatures. The creatures they meet are adorable (and give me Studio Ghibli vibes) and imaginative. But the creatures wrongfully think they are spirits (read: saviors) summoned to help them in a war.

I didn’t like any of the kids, and I found David obnoxious though I liked that he wanted to go home. I enjoyed the worldbuilding much more than any of the characters. Nothing is truly explained, so readers are as clueless as the group. I liked that!

Home has my attention, especially, because I already have volume two. The author is showing a realistic look at a bunch of kids in some unknown world. Their clothes get very worn out, and some adapt to the new environment better than others. This story also has some unexpectantly bloody scenes and a drug trip(?), by the way. I don’t know if this would even appeal to young kids, but it certainly has my interest.

Home is actually very dark. There’s a lot that’s confusing, unsettling, and maybe off-putting here, but I’m super invested now.

There's a lot going on here, some of it crazy, confusing, and anti-climatic. Still, I enjoyed every minute of it, especially the Peaches resolution.

4.5