I’ve always asked why there is so little attention on slave revolts from people of African descent, hmm... I really enjoyed the level of research Hall has compiled, and the digging she did to find the little that was documented. Then, she had to look between the lines. I also like the focus on female-led revolts. Society often underestimates black women and we see here how it led to many of these slave monster's demise.

I wasn't familiar with Pencilmation, but in comic form, the artwork is chaotic and expressive. Kids will find the fast-paced wackiness fun/ny. I could see the full appeal in seeing this animated, but this is a good adaptation.

This was very simple, but I enjoyed it. Very relevant in a time where "revisionist history" abounds. Lovely artwork. I wouldn't mind seeing these creatures in another story either.

The dialogue is still stilted at times and the pacing is too fast, but the artwork is wonderful. Shoutout to Picolo! The Max and Damian connection happened too quickly on Max’s part for me. 

But what did I enjoy? Damian’s strained relationship with Dick Grayson. I think it’s a fun dynamic to explore. Damian is Bruce’s biological son, but Dick is the one he actually raised and loved. And Dick just wants to be a good older brother to Damian who is absolutely repulsed by him. Give me that family drama! 

Y’all we got Starfire coming next!

Cute. The artwork has a charming storybook quality to it. Easy to read, but I don’t see myself reading volume two.

This story felt like it was a video game speedrun from the plot, the dialogue, and the character interactions. It needed to breathe a little more though I understand the choice of jumping right into the action. 

We’ve a typical shonen big bad, evil rich dude and the main character has a dream to become a hokage- I mean Bash player. His mysterious father is also missing. Everything just felt too flat. These tropes have worked a million times and will continue to work if the characters are engaging enough to withstand it. But that didn’t happen here.

The artwork carried this big time! It’s heavily inspired by manga and gives an overall nice aesthetic. The story’s thin though, and I couldn’t get a grasp on the worldbuilding. Perhaps, this story doesn’t aim to be plot heavy or character-centered. If it just wanted to showcase fun, dynamic basketball shots, then it succeeded. 

 Still, kudos to this story for doing a whole anime tournament arc with basketball. Kids who like basketball (and anime) may enjoy this one.

I think the writer had a blast with the language/writing. You can just feel it, but I also feel like it hindered the flow of the story. There were points where I just started skipping through rather than reading through the olde English speech. The illustrations were charming though. 

 [Reread 11/19/24 Just as good as the first time! This book is so fluffy! 5/5] 

I enjoyed the couples and this story from beginning to end. The cover is beautiful, especially with yellow being my favorite color.

The romance is fluffy and slow-paced though the initial relationships are fast. The three Davenport siblings, family friend Ruby, and the maid/another family friend Amy-Rose (is the author a Sonic fan?) all get their trials with love. 

Very little gets resolved in this book to make way for the next in the series. But I ate up every bit of it! The cute banter, the childhood friends, the parental expectations, the backdrop of civil rights in the US, and the EXTRAVAGANT BALLROOMS!

Toni Morrison was so right. If there's a book you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, you must write it (I feel like she was speaking this to creators). I'm so happy Marquis wrote this book for herself and other young readers because I had the joy of reading it. :) The author’s note was very informative and lovely.

I already want book two. I need more of the Davenports!