howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)

Kim Reaper is a positively adorable story about two college girls falling in love and fighting baddies! Becka is an innocent baker looking for a fun date with her crush, only to find out that her crush, Kim, is a part-time grim reaper! Antics ensue, and the entire ordeal is precious, hilarious, fun, and diverse! While the writing was cheesy and young at points, I had so much fun reading Kim Reaper and would totally pick up the next volume.

Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Well, that was officially one of the cutest things I've ever read.

Taproot follows the stories of two boys who fall in love: the catch is, one's a ghost! Blue has been stuck in between the world of the living and the great beyond for a while when he meets the first human who's ever seen him, a gardener named Hamal. When a Reaper informs the boys that Hamal is actually an accidental necromancer, they're given a very specific task: restore order to the local forest, or suffer the consequences of an imbalanced world.

Seriously, this graphic novel is so adorable and sweet, and the art is full of whimsy. It's a little creepy and a whole lotta cute, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good, sweet-hearted queer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was pretty cute! The artwork was adorable and so colorful and pretty, and I enjoyed the characters. The whole premise is sad, of course, but I thought things went as well as they could have until the ending. I personally didn't love the ending of the story in general, which is the only reason I couldn't bring myself to give this a full 5 stars, but I definitely still thought it was a sweet, quick read that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for romantic graphic novels (especially queer ones!).

I was so excited to read this graphic novel, and it did not disappoint in the slightest. This is honestly my favorite graphic novel I have read all year—probably in the last two years, even—and I know it is one I would reread again and again in the future. The artwork is beautiful, the story is so sweet, and I just loved every single bit of it from start to finish.

I know a lot of reviewers have said they're hesitant to call this a queer story, because Sebastian never specifically calls himself trans, nonbinary, gender-fluid, etc. I understand the hesitation with how open-ended it feels, but at one point in the story, Sebastian specifically says that some days, he feels like a prince, and some days, he feels like a princess. When I showed this panel to a loved one of mine who is nonbinary, he immediately said that it resonated very strongly with him, and frankly, that's good enough for me to recommend this as a must-read, beautiful queer story. ♥ I know not every experience is the same, but I would just like to ask my fellow cisgender reviewers to take cautions before implying that this story "isn't queer enough".

That tangent aside, seriously, this book is gorgeous, Jen Wang is ridiculously talented, and I truly hope there is more on the way in the veins of The Prince and the Dressmaker, because this warmed my heart and gave me all of the fuzzy feelings. Even if you don't like graphic novels typically (but especially if you do!), I strongly recommend picking up a copy of this one and giving it a try, if for nothing other than how much Sebastian and Frances will snuggle their way into your heart.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Please be aware that there is a scene of forced outing in this book, which is challenged and not presented as a healthy situation for Sebastian to be in, but I know could still be very hurtful to many individuals on the trans spectrum if they were unaware of it in advance. Please practice self-care and know that you are beautiful, loved, and valid. ♥

#1 The Raven Boys ★★★★★
#2 The Dream Thieves ★★★★★
#3 Blue Lily, Lily Blue ★★★★★
#4 The Raven King ★★★★★
#4.5 Opal ★★★★★

How could I possibly, in any way, shape or form, give this less than 5 stars? I've become so obsessed with this series and these wonderful characters, and all this did was make me crave the Ronan trilogy even more than I already was.

Opal is precious, bizarre, hilarious, and a legitimate treasure. That said, the real gem in this story is watching Ronan and Adam interact and try to muddle their way through coping with their respective traumas and futures. Every soft little moment made me want to cry and protect them. Maggie could captivate my heart and soul with five pages or less, so you can only imagine how much I cherish these 38, and how desperately I wish she could/would release more short stories to hold us over during these dark, Pynch-less times.

That was absolutely adorable. I love Katie O'Neill's stories and artwork so much, and this one is no exception. I love that she's creating these beautiful stories full of diverse characters (queer girls, QPOC characters, fat rep, and more) that readers of any age can fall in love with, and I have to say I especially loved Captain Amira and little Oliver. ♥

I don't know why or how I waited as long as I did to pick up Bloom, because this has to be one of my new favorite graphic novels of all time. The art is stunning, the characters are so precious and lovable, and I adored the rep (a Greek gay MC, a Samoan gay love interest, and multiple side characters of color).

This is definitely a more character- than plot-driven story, so if you're like me and you prefer character-driven reads, this one will be right up your alley; not a ton of drama or conflict goes on, but it's more focused on Ari coming to terms with what makes him happy and who he wants to be, and his slow-budding relationship with Hector.

I honestly cannot recommend this soft, sweet little queer romance highly enough. I adored these two and know I'll be revisiting Bloom many times in the future just because I'm already missing Ari & Hector a little bit!

Thank you so much to the publisher & Amazon Vine for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!

A must-read for any fans of the Dream Daddy game!

This was absolutely adorable, hilarious, and so heart-warming. It follows the different dads of Dream Daddy - sometimes in relationships with one another, sometimes as rivals or friends - and is unapologetically diverse, queer as hell, and gorgeous, to boot. I love Dream Daddy so I was absolutely ecstatic to see this graphic novel's existence, and I'll definitely be purchasing a finished copy for my shelves when it releases!

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This guy. How did I ever not have him in my life?

This was my first Anyta Sunday read, and I immediately can recognize why her work is so well-loved, because this was an absolutely precious slow-burn and I loved these characters to no end. Ben is such a soft little sweetheart, Jack is so wholesome and caring, and Milo — bless his little reckless heart, this kid deserves nothing but good days ahead of him.

I've never read a romance story that featured a kid this heavily, but Ben's little brother Milo is definitely front-and-center in the whole tale, and I enjoyed that a lot. He offers a little bit of drama and tension, but mostly, he allows for a syrupy sweet family bond forming between the three of them. As a parent, nothing meant more to me in the entire story than when Jack finally accepts how much he wants to play a role in Milo's upbringing and to be there for the kid, no matter what.

There's a lot of angst in this story and it's a really healthy, pure depiction of an age gap romance (Ben's 24 and Jack's 39), so if you're a fan of either of those elements, this is definitely going to be the book for you. This was also probably the least steamy m/m romance I've ever read: it's definitely there in the end and there are a lot of jokes made throughout the whole thing, but if you like your slow burns to truly feel slow, this one's for you.

Finally, I loved how real and authentic these characters felt! They bicker, they argue, they joke, they make up stupid nicknames for each other and play board games and go on legitimate family outings. It's not all drama and tension; there's a lot of domestic scenery going on that's so fun and soothing. This was just a really solid, comforting read and I can't wait to pick up another Anyta Sunday title.

Thank you so much to the author for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’ve loved everything I’ve read from Katie O’Neill so far, and this was, of course, no exception. It was so lovely to return to the world of the tea dragons, and I can’t even describe how pleased I was that, despite mostly following new characters, we get to spend a little more time with (much younger versions of) Erik and Hesekiel. ♥

This was every bit as precious as I thought it would be, and it added in something new: sign language! Some of the characters actually use a mixture of spoken word and American Sign Language when they talk, and there are even ASL resources in the back of the book. It was such a sweet, lovely form of inclusion for Katie to add and just made me love her work that much more.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!