604 reviews by:

lavenderscribes


I really love the whole series and I know that the characters can get very... cruel at times but they are all damaged and they are all trying to get better and move on from the past.
I don't actually know what to say. I just really love this series and it really means a lot to me.

I adored this graphic novel. The art is beautiful, the world Jen Wang creates realistic. I loved all the characters
-- but especially the King and Queen. It's so rare to see supportive parents, that I nearly cried.
As the plot progresses, I was shaking with anticipation as to what was going to happen.
This is such a sweet, innocent story, how could I not give it five stars?

The art style in this is absolutely adorable. I definitely experienced the plot twist. I feel like there could've been a little more on the story line with Dima, but otherwise everything is very well resolved. As usual with graphic novels, I feel like the characters weren't developed enough and I would love a more in-depth look at all of the characters. Also, there were some instances of girl hate and slut-shaming which was not appreciated at all. Otherwise,a good, lesson teaching story.

When Larry (an awkward man who still misses the old punk scene) inherits an old house (which comes along with a strange list of demands) he decides to renovate it and rent it. The three women who move in couldn't seem to be more different but when a nearly indecipherable note arrives, they all assume it's for them. They start to get closer and as things unfold it's starting to become more and more apparent that one of them is keeping secrets -- and that the house has ghosts.

At first I was a bit annoyed at the writing style of this book -- it's a bit more simplistic (at least at the start) than what I'm used to -- but I eventually stopped noticing it and started to appreciate it. There's definitely some points at which I laughed -- and that's great.
The pacing was a bit slow and the action doesn't start until were about half-way through the book, so quite a lot of backstory. I thought that the PoVs were a bit unevenly in favour of characters that weren't Maude, and I still don't quite understand why Larry was one of the favoured ones.
On the topic of characters, I think they were all quite well developed. I didn't really like Sunna that much but that's because I don't generally like people who behave like her in real life. They were all quite life like and easy to sympathize with.
There were some romantic subplots but they were very, very subtle and well executed in their subtleness. Therefore, I can't really talk about them without being spoilery. I feel like this was a much more mystery driven novel than I expected just by reading this blurb.

Overall, a very enjoyable read and my advice to you is to just get until fifty percent if you feel like this book is slow.

Amira doesn't want to just be a princess and Sadie doesn't think she deserves to be Queen. On their journey they befriend a hero who couldn't quite succeed in his adventures. Amira also has an awesome unicorn that loves cookies and Sadie's pet dragon Oliver is the cutest thing I've seen in a while.

This was a very short, heartwarming story with great art. Both of our main characters are well developed and have backstories that are there, but weren't quite detailed enough for me. They also both have a nice sense of humor. The story did feel like i jumped from one thing to another at times, but it was still enjoyable. I really liked the ending but I feel like the romance was kind of sudden. Just a bit.

Overall, I recommend it for anyone looking for a short lighthearted story.

Bad Things:
-I liked Richard at first but as the book progressed a feeling of mounting horror towards him and at the disgusting things that were being revealed was established
-I occasionally felt sympathy for Camellia and Francis but I did not like or care for anyone else at any point.
-There were endless, endless monologues that were so convoluted they made me feel like crying. Pages upon pages of references to Greek and Ancient Roman history.
- Oh and also? If you were expecting friendship you have come to the wrong place.
- Actually, there was just. So much drug use.
- TW:
incest, violence, murder, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, suicide (on page), major character death, gun violence


Good Things:
-The writing was beautiful
- I have an entire page of research about praire oysters and their variations due to this book. This is not a bad thing.
- Charles's little explanation of using ice cream floats as hangover cures.
- It was funny, at times
- I learned what anatoxins and atropines are.
- 'braying hee-haw'
- A child wrapping some chicken in Francis's scarf
- The opportunity to make this joke:
Richard a Secret History of drug abuse (budum - tsss)


I didn't dislike dislike this book, there was just some little things that really bugged me through out it.

First thing, the characters really bugged me. Sure, they were okay most of the time but both Noah and Ammy were so snobby. Like the whole thing they had with 'its figuratively, not literally!' was very annoying. And Ammy made fun of The Hunger Games, as well as bringing up the whole 'physical books, not ebooks!'. That debate really annoys me, because, what, am I somehow less of a reader because they rarely sell books that I want to read where I live?

There was also the whole thing with
how Rina is actually Kat. And I didn't really like the way it was being handled, because if Kat was really that important to Ammy, shouldn't she have just let it her thing with Noah go?


The whole premise of the book is insta-love and I knew that but it still really bugged me that Noah literally said that he was crazy about Ammy eight hours after he met her. He couldn't have possibly gotten attached that fast.

So yeah, I didn't really like it, but it wasn't bad.

The characters were interesting ones to read about -- the emotional journey January went through was very well written. There was one thing that bugged me:
Gus's name. I understand the charactarization that went into his dilemma with his name, but just. Why Gus. Gus will forever be Cinderella's rat friend in my mind.