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nerdinthelibrary's Reviews (926)
1) Saga, Vol. 1 ★★★★
2) Saga, Vol. 2 ★★★★
3) Saga, Vol. 3 ★★★★★
content warnings: violence, gore, murder, graphic sexual content, drug usage, discussions of forced underage prostitution
representation: main and side characters of colour, main interracial relationship, side bisexual character of colour, side sapphic character
I am in love with this series. Plot-wise, this volume is more of a slow one, but I loved how much character stuff we got in it.
Usually whenever a couple needs to be split up (whether physically or emotionally) it feels really contrived, like the author just did it for drama as opposed to further the story. But in this instance, the way it all goes down feels very real to both Alana and Marko's relationship as well as a clever way to advance the plot. On the whole, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples just keep blowing me away with how great the plot of this series is.
Also, the character design keeps getting better and better. There are so many different alien species and usually when there are so many, artists/designers run out of ideas and start to have some who look fairly similar. But the artists/designers of this aren't afraid to go weird with their designs and honestly they just keep getting weirder, which I love.
I actually liked Prince Robot IV in this, probably because he's pretty broken down and that tends to be when I start to like characters I previously didn't. Not only does the Brand continue to be hot, but they're also a really cool character who's giving me Peter Nureyev vibes. And finally, my sweet child Izabel talking about her girlfriend and her death made me real emo.
Really, the only thing I didn't like is that there wasn't enough Gwendolyn and Sophie in this one for my liking, but it seems like it's setting up to give them a bigger part in Volume 5. I'm dying every single second it hasn't come in from my library.
2) Saga, Vol. 2 ★★★★
3) Saga, Vol. 3 ★★★★★
content warnings: violence, gore, murder, graphic sexual content, drug usage, discussions of forced underage prostitution
representation: main and side characters of colour, main interracial relationship, side bisexual character of colour, side sapphic character
I am in love with this series. Plot-wise, this volume is more of a slow one, but I loved how much character stuff we got in it.
Usually whenever a couple needs to be split up (whether physically or emotionally) it feels really contrived, like the author just did it for drama as opposed to further the story. But in this instance, the way it all goes down feels very real to both Alana and Marko's relationship as well as a clever way to advance the plot. On the whole, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples just keep blowing me away with how great the plot of this series is.
Also, the character design keeps getting better and better. There are so many different alien species and usually when there are so many, artists/designers run out of ideas and start to have some who look fairly similar. But the artists/designers of this aren't afraid to go weird with their designs and honestly they just keep getting weirder, which I love.
I actually liked Prince Robot IV in this, probably because he's pretty broken down and that tends to be when I start to like characters I previously didn't. Not only does the Brand continue to be hot, but they're also a really cool character who's giving me Peter Nureyev vibes. And finally, my sweet child Izabel talking about her girlfriend and her death made me real emo.
Really, the only thing I didn't like is that there wasn't enough Gwendolyn and Sophie in this one for my liking, but it seems like it's setting up to give them a bigger part in Volume 5. I'm dying every single second it hasn't come in from my library.
content warnings: violence
representation: main or side characters of colour
I now understand why people were saying that The Backstagers is like Lumberjanes but indoors and with boys. And luckily, I like this more or less just as much as The Backstagers!
This series follows five girls - Molly, Mal, April, Ripley and Jo - who are at a summer camp, Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady Types, where they're trying to become Lumberjane scouts. The five girls find some whacky magical beasts on their adventures, and it's just a good time.
I love all the characters, not only the main girls but also the side characters, with Molly and April probably being my favourite at this point. The story is weird and probably not what someone would expect going in, but I think if you go in with no expectations then you'll enjoy it.
A lot of people apparently weren't fans of the art style, but I really enjoyed it. I think that my thing with art styles is that as long as it fits the story, I generally don't care whether it's my personal taste or not, and the bright, sometimes rough art of this graphic novel definitely suited it. I also loved that the title page of every chapter would be a description of a different scout badge, and that at the end of every chapter there were polaroids of the characters in the chapter that had just been scattered over the page.
Noelle Stevenson is now one of my favourite creators, period, between this, Nimona, and the She-Ra reboot (which you guys should all check out if you haven't already). I'm really excited to see where this series goes, especially because I know that there's explicit LGBTQ+ rep in future comics.
representation: main or side characters of colour
I now understand why people were saying that The Backstagers is like Lumberjanes but indoors and with boys. And luckily, I like this more or less just as much as The Backstagers!
This series follows five girls - Molly, Mal, April, Ripley and Jo - who are at a summer camp, Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady Types, where they're trying to become Lumberjane scouts. The five girls find some whacky magical beasts on their adventures, and it's just a good time.
I love all the characters, not only the main girls but also the side characters, with Molly and April probably being my favourite at this point. The story is weird and probably not what someone would expect going in, but I think if you go in with no expectations then you'll enjoy it.
A lot of people apparently weren't fans of the art style, but I really enjoyed it. I think that my thing with art styles is that as long as it fits the story, I generally don't care whether it's my personal taste or not, and the bright, sometimes rough art of this graphic novel definitely suited it. I also loved that the title page of every chapter would be a description of a different scout badge, and that at the end of every chapter there were polaroids of the characters in the chapter that had just been scattered over the page.
Noelle Stevenson is now one of my favourite creators, period, between this, Nimona, and the She-Ra reboot (which you guys should all check out if you haven't already). I'm really excited to see where this series goes, especially because I know that there's explicit LGBTQ+ rep in future comics.
content warnings: infidelity
representation: gay main character, chinese main character, side character of colour
God, I love reading surprisingly-good things. I know the Scott Pilgrim series almost entirely because of the movie, and I'd heard that movie!Scott was a garbage allocishet white boy so I wasn't interested to say the least. But I guess I should've listened to my friend who would never shut up about how good the series was because I ended up really enjoying this first volume.
This first volume follows Scott Pilgrim, a twenty-three year old who is 'between jobs' and has just started dating a seventeen year old girl. Soon after, he literally meets a girl in his dreams. He thinks nothing of it until he sees her in real life. From there, he starts to become romantically interested in the mysterious Ramona Flowers.
First of all, you need to know that Scott highkey sucks. He's with Knives (his girlfriend) and Ramona at the same time, he treats his friends like trash, and doesn't seem to want to go anywhere in life. Ordinarily I would hate a character like that, but I'm aware that he gets some pretty sweet character development as the series goes on so it doesn't bother me as much because I know that his shittiness isn't permanent. Bryan Lee O'Malley also just seems to have a knack for writing characters that are kind of awful but still interesting and engaging so you end up kind of caring about them.
The plot in this first volume is almost entirely set up - Scott's relationship dramas, the first evil ex-boyfriend, the beginning exploration into the wacky world, etc. - but it's entertaining set-up so it doesn't feel so much like a prologue. From what I know about the rest of the series, there's also some pretty damn good foreshadowing in this as well as some solid laying the groundwork for future plots.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the humour. There were several times when I laughed out loud, something which I don't normally do when reading. O'Malley is also very good at his fourth-wall breaking. He doesn't do it too often and some of it is surprisingly subtle, which makes it even more rewarding and funny.
Sorry for ever doubting you Zac, you were right, this was great. I wasn't expecting to be excited about continuing but now I'm glad that I borrowed the first three volumes from the library.
representation: gay main character, chinese main character, side character of colour
God, I love reading surprisingly-good things. I know the Scott Pilgrim series almost entirely because of the movie, and I'd heard that movie!Scott was a garbage allocishet white boy so I wasn't interested to say the least. But I guess I should've listened to my friend who would never shut up about how good the series was because I ended up really enjoying this first volume.
This first volume follows Scott Pilgrim, a twenty-three year old who is 'between jobs' and has just started dating a seventeen year old girl. Soon after, he literally meets a girl in his dreams. He thinks nothing of it until he sees her in real life. From there, he starts to become romantically interested in the mysterious Ramona Flowers.
First of all, you need to know that Scott highkey sucks. He's with Knives (his girlfriend) and Ramona at the same time, he treats his friends like trash, and doesn't seem to want to go anywhere in life. Ordinarily I would hate a character like that, but I'm aware that he gets some pretty sweet character development as the series goes on so it doesn't bother me as much because I know that his shittiness isn't permanent. Bryan Lee O'Malley also just seems to have a knack for writing characters that are kind of awful but still interesting and engaging so you end up kind of caring about them.
The plot in this first volume is almost entirely set up - Scott's relationship dramas, the first evil ex-boyfriend, the beginning exploration into the wacky world, etc. - but it's entertaining set-up so it doesn't feel so much like a prologue. From what I know about the rest of the series, there's also some pretty damn good foreshadowing in this as well as some solid laying the groundwork for future plots.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the humour. There were several times when I laughed out loud, something which I don't normally do when reading. O'Malley is also very good at his fourth-wall breaking. He doesn't do it too often and some of it is surprisingly subtle, which makes it even more rewarding and funny.
Sorry for ever doubting you Zac, you were right, this was great. I wasn't expecting to be excited about continuing but now I'm glad that I borrowed the first three volumes from the library.
1) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life ★★★
content warnings: infidelity, fatphobic language
representation: gay main character, chinese main character
I continue to be surprised at how much I don't hate this series!
This second volume continues to follow Scott with his relationship with Ramona, his band, and his fight against the evil ex-boyfriends. There's a lot more world building in this volume, with more video game aspects being incorporated and further explanation of the evil ex-boyfriends provided.
After finishing this volume, I will say that I think it was a mistake for this to be adapted into a single movie. Edgar Wright was the perfect choice for a director but I think this story would have benefited more from the adaptation being a mini-series with each volume being an episode.
Also, no one in this series is straight.
content warnings: infidelity, fatphobic language
representation: gay main character, chinese main character
I continue to be surprised at how much I don't hate this series!
This second volume continues to follow Scott with his relationship with Ramona, his band, and his fight against the evil ex-boyfriends. There's a lot more world building in this volume, with more video game aspects being incorporated and further explanation of the evil ex-boyfriends provided.
After finishing this volume, I will say that I think it was a mistake for this to be adapted into a single movie. Edgar Wright was the perfect choice for a director but I think this story would have benefited more from the adaptation being a mini-series with each volume being an episode.
Also, no one in this series is straight.
1) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life ★★★
2) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 2: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World ★★★
content warnings: infidelity, violence, death (not permanent)
representation: gay main character, chinese main character, gay side character, interracial side relationship
Apparently all third installments in comic series are bound to be a step up from the previous volumes, and I'm not mad about it.
This is definitely more of an action-packed volume, which is a large reason why it was an improvement upon the previous ones. There's not just the now-obligatory evil-ex-boyfriend fight (for one thing, there's more than one fight), but there's also a Ramona v. Envy fight that was probably my favourite of the series so far based on aesthetic alone.
As well as containing more action, this volume also has a lot of great character stuff. There's some good stuff with Scott and Knives and a lot of the side characters get to shine, but easily the best bits are the ones that focus on Envy. We get a lot of gaps filled in for her and Scott's backstory, and it's really interesting to read about as those moments are being split up with present-day Scott and Envy interactions. I'm really excited to see where that dynamic goes in future volumes!
This might also be the funniest of the volumes so far. The Vegan Powers and everything surrounding those in particular had me cracking up.
2) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 2: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World ★★★
content warnings: infidelity, violence, death (not permanent)
representation: gay main character, chinese main character, gay side character, interracial side relationship
Apparently all third installments in comic series are bound to be a step up from the previous volumes, and I'm not mad about it.
This is definitely more of an action-packed volume, which is a large reason why it was an improvement upon the previous ones. There's not just the now-obligatory evil-ex-boyfriend fight (for one thing, there's more than one fight), but there's also a Ramona v. Envy fight that was probably my favourite of the series so far based on aesthetic alone.
As well as containing more action, this volume also has a lot of great character stuff. There's some good stuff with Scott and Knives and a lot of the side characters get to shine, but easily the best bits are the ones that focus on Envy. We get a lot of gaps filled in for her and Scott's backstory, and it's really interesting to read about as those moments are being split up with present-day Scott and Envy interactions. I'm really excited to see where that dynamic goes in future volumes!
This might also be the funniest of the volumes so far. The Vegan Powers and everything surrounding those in particular had me cracking up.
Review can also be found on my blog.
1) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life ★★★
2) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 2: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World ★★★
3) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness ★★★★
content warnings: violence, use of the r-word
representation: bisexual main character, gay main character, chinese main and side characters, gay side character, lesbian side character
From what I've seen this is probably the most divisive volume of this series, so I'm genuinely surprised that I enjoyed it so much.
As the title suggests, this volume is about Scott getting it together... or trying to, at least. He's being forced to Adult due to several things happening in his life and decides to get a job while struggling to say the L-word to Ramona. There's also another evil ex who shows up and some guy with a samurai sword who wants to murder him.
I continue to have a really good time reading this series. There are some moments when I'm reminded of certain things that were seen as acceptable to say in the early 2000s (the r-word, for example) but considering that it was written in the early 2000s I'm more willing to let it slide than I am if it were written now.
Scott being forced to Adult for the first time in his life paired with a person from high school showing up again leads to some serious character development which I loved. There's also something very satisfying about seeing everyone around Scott be exasperated with him the entire time and generally not enjoy spending time with him because I'm really tired of trash protagonists still being generally beloved.
As usual, not much to say. I still really like this series and am excited to binge the rest of it.
1) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life ★★★
2) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 2: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World ★★★
3) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness ★★★★
content warnings: violence, use of the r-word
representation: bisexual main character, gay main character, chinese main and side characters, gay side character, lesbian side character
From what I've seen this is probably the most divisive volume of this series, so I'm genuinely surprised that I enjoyed it so much.
As the title suggests, this volume is about Scott getting it together... or trying to, at least. He's being forced to Adult due to several things happening in his life and decides to get a job while struggling to say the L-word to Ramona. There's also another evil ex who shows up and some guy with a samurai sword who wants to murder him.
I continue to have a really good time reading this series. There are some moments when I'm reminded of certain things that were seen as acceptable to say in the early 2000s (the r-word, for example) but considering that it was written in the early 2000s I'm more willing to let it slide than I am if it were written now.
Scott being forced to Adult for the first time in his life paired with a person from high school showing up again leads to some serious character development which I loved. There's also something very satisfying about seeing everyone around Scott be exasperated with him the entire time and generally not enjoy spending time with him because I'm really tired of trash protagonists still being generally beloved.
As usual, not much to say. I still really like this series and am excited to binge the rest of it.
Review can also be found on my blog.
1) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life ★★★
2) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 2: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World ★★★
3) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness ★★★★
4) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together ★★★★
5) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe ★★★½
content warnings: violence, death
representation: bisexual main character, gay main characters, chinese main character, gay side characters, m/m side relationship
First of all, I know, I never wrote a review for volume five. At this point, unless I re-read, that's never going to happen. I don't remember enough of the details to give you a proper review, sorry.
Anyway, onto reviewing the final book. This volume is exactly what you would expect from the climax: there's lots of action, as well as satisfying ends to character arcs. The explanation for various things that have been happening, particularly concerning Gideon, can get a bit convoluted which I didn't love, but I was able to brush that aside pretty easily. I really liked how all the characters' arcs ended, and I'm happy with where they ultimately ended up.
My enjoyment of this series has been a massive surprise, and I'm happy it ended on such a high.
1) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life ★★★
2) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 2: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World ★★★
3) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness ★★★★
4) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together ★★★★
5) Scott Pilgrim, Volume 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe ★★★½
content warnings: violence, death
representation: bisexual main character, gay main characters, chinese main character, gay side characters, m/m side relationship
First of all, I know, I never wrote a review for volume five. At this point, unless I re-read, that's never going to happen. I don't remember enough of the details to give you a proper review, sorry.
Anyway, onto reviewing the final book. This volume is exactly what you would expect from the climax: there's lots of action, as well as satisfying ends to character arcs. The explanation for various things that have been happening, particularly concerning Gideon, can get a bit convoluted which I didn't love, but I was able to brush that aside pretty easily. I really liked how all the characters' arcs ended, and I'm happy with where they ultimately ended up.
My enjoyment of this series has been a massive surprise, and I'm happy it ended on such a high.
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content warnings: violence, murder, body horror, gore
representation: fat chinese side character
“All he cares about here on the edge of forever, is her. He does not want to die. Not because he is afraid. Simply because he cannot bear the thought of leaving her behind.”
This was like a season of Wolf 359 if Gabriel Urbina suddenly lost of all his talent. I genuinely have no idea why this was, and continues to be, one of the most hyped YA sci-fi series.
As you probably know, this is a book that uses mixed media format to tell a story about exes, Kady and Ezra, on the day that everything goes to shit. This book is nearly 600 pages but it could easily be condensed into half that amount. So many pages in this book are dedicated to useless crap that looks cool but doesn't add much to the story. It doesn't help that there are parts of this book dedicated to military reports and Not-Wikipedia articles which immediately make my eyes glaze over. Honestly, this book could have been told entirely through IM's and e-mails, and it would have had the same effect.
Almost every plot element in this book isn't bad, it's just entirely unoriginal. AI that starts to go bad, corruption at the highest levels, one of the main characters being a hacker, teenagers using weird slang even when they're having serious conversations, and on and on and on. Again, there's nothing inherently bad about any of this, but I just felt like I had seen it before.
The biggest thing that tanked this book for me, though, was the heavy focus on romance. This ends towards the latter half of the book, but for the entirety of at least the first 300 pages everything is overshadowed by Kady and Ezra's stupid love life. They broke up on the day that everything went to shit and there's so much time spent with both of them angsting over the other and pining over each other, and it is so exhausting to have to slog through to get to the semi-interesting plot.
I'm so glad this I spent over $20 on this and kept it on my shelves for nearly three years :)
representation: fat chinese side character
“All he cares about here on the edge of forever, is her. He does not want to die. Not because he is afraid. Simply because he cannot bear the thought of leaving her behind.”
This was like a season of Wolf 359 if Gabriel Urbina suddenly lost of all his talent. I genuinely have no idea why this was, and continues to be, one of the most hyped YA sci-fi series.
As you probably know, this is a book that uses mixed media format to tell a story about exes, Kady and Ezra, on the day that everything goes to shit. This book is nearly 600 pages but it could easily be condensed into half that amount. So many pages in this book are dedicated to useless crap that looks cool but doesn't add much to the story. It doesn't help that there are parts of this book dedicated to military reports and Not-Wikipedia articles which immediately make my eyes glaze over. Honestly, this book could have been told entirely through IM's and e-mails, and it would have had the same effect.
Almost every plot element in this book isn't bad, it's just entirely unoriginal. AI that starts to go bad, corruption at the highest levels, one of the main characters being a hacker, teenagers using weird slang even when they're having serious conversations, and on and on and on. Again, there's nothing inherently bad about any of this, but I just felt like I had seen it before.
The biggest thing that tanked this book for me, though, was the heavy focus on romance. This ends towards the latter half of the book, but for the entirety of at least the first 300 pages everything is overshadowed by Kady and Ezra's stupid love life. They broke up on the day that everything went to shit and there's so much time spent with both of them angsting over the other and pining over each other, and it is so exhausting to have to slog through to get to the semi-interesting plot.
I'm so glad this I spent over $20 on this and kept it on my shelves for nearly three years :)
content warnings: racism, islamophobia, violence
representation: pakistani muslim protagonist, pakistani muslim side characters
“There’s this ayah from the Quran that my dad always quotes when he sees something bad on TV. A fire or a flood or a bombing. ‘Whoever kills one person, it is as if he has killed all of mankind — and whoever saves one person, it is as if he has saved all of mankind.’”
I would die for Kamala Khan. Part of me wants to just leave my review at that but I'll say say more shit.
This first volume of Ms. Marvel is about Pakistani Muslim teen, Kamala, who ends up getting strange powers. Inspired by her hero Carol Danvers (AKA Captain Marvel, known formerly as Ms. Marvel) she decides to start superheroing.
As far as a first volume goes the plot is pretty solid. It's mostly just Kamala getting her powers, realising what that means, and deciding to become a hero. The way she gets her powers is incredibly dumb, but on a scale of how dumb a superheroes power origin is it's actually not that bad.
There are two big things in this that make it really shine: Kamala herself and her religion. Kamala is a teenage girl with overprotective parents that she loves but feels suffocated by. She's a delightful character who just wants to do good in the world and I'm such a sucker for those type of characters.
The exploration of Kamala's relationship with her faith was so interesting. Her parents have quite traditional views and a lot of their parenting choices come down to their religion. I also loved that her religion played a part in the way she conducts herself as a hero, as displayed by the above quote.
I feel like this wasn't too coherent?? But I'll repeat: I love Kamala Khan, I would die for her in a second, and if she doesn't have her own movie in five years then I'm suing Marvel-Disney.
representation: pakistani muslim protagonist, pakistani muslim side characters
“There’s this ayah from the Quran that my dad always quotes when he sees something bad on TV. A fire or a flood or a bombing. ‘Whoever kills one person, it is as if he has killed all of mankind — and whoever saves one person, it is as if he has saved all of mankind.’”
I would die for Kamala Khan. Part of me wants to just leave my review at that but I'll say say more shit.
This first volume of Ms. Marvel is about Pakistani Muslim teen, Kamala, who ends up getting strange powers. Inspired by her hero Carol Danvers (AKA Captain Marvel, known formerly as Ms. Marvel) she decides to start superheroing.
As far as a first volume goes the plot is pretty solid. It's mostly just Kamala getting her powers, realising what that means, and deciding to become a hero. The way she gets her powers is incredibly dumb, but on a scale of how dumb a superheroes power origin is it's actually not that bad.
There are two big things in this that make it really shine: Kamala herself and her religion. Kamala is a teenage girl with overprotective parents that she loves but feels suffocated by. She's a delightful character who just wants to do good in the world and I'm such a sucker for those type of characters.
The exploration of Kamala's relationship with her faith was so interesting. Her parents have quite traditional views and a lot of their parenting choices come down to their religion. I also loved that her religion played a part in the way she conducts herself as a hero, as displayed by the above quote.
I feel like this wasn't too coherent?? But I'll repeat: I love Kamala Khan, I would die for her in a second, and if she doesn't have her own movie in five years then I'm suing Marvel-Disney.
content warnings: gun violence, murder, loss of a loved one
representation: black main and side characters
“Shawn was zipped into a bag
and rolled away, his blood added
to the pavement galaxy of
bubblegum stars. The tape
framed it like it was art. And the next
day, kids would play mummy with it.”
I love me some hard hitting contemporary that makes me want to reevaluate my life choices 👌👌
Jason Reynolds' Long Way Down is a contemporary written in verse about Will, a black teenage boy whose brother has just been murdered. Will knows The Rules; don't cry, don't snitch, get revenge. So he gets his brothers' gun and steps into the elevator, preparing to shoot the person he thinks is responsible for his brothers death. But when he's in the elevator, he sees familiar faces who shouldn't be there.
The writing in this book is absolutely beautiful. As usual with anything written in prose/poetry, it took me a second to get into, but that's entirely a me issue and didn't take away from Reynolds' incredible writing. It's quite simplistic and feels very much like the way that a teenage boy would think.
I loved the way that this book looked at its main theme, which is the cycle of violence. Will feels obligated to get revenge for his brother but as the book goes on both the reader and he realise that this isn't something he feels comfortable doing. Him meeting the various people who enter the elevator also make him realise this.
I'm not sure if this something that all copies had but mine had incredible illustrations by Chris Priestley. They were black-and-white and really simple, similarly to the writing, and they added so much to the story as a whole.
Honestly, I have no idea how coherent this was. This was wonderful and hard-hitting. 10/10 would recommend.
representation: black main and side characters
“Shawn was zipped into a bag
and rolled away, his blood added
to the pavement galaxy of
bubblegum stars. The tape
framed it like it was art. And the next
day, kids would play mummy with it.”
I love me some hard hitting contemporary that makes me want to reevaluate my life choices 👌👌
Jason Reynolds' Long Way Down is a contemporary written in verse about Will, a black teenage boy whose brother has just been murdered. Will knows The Rules; don't cry, don't snitch, get revenge. So he gets his brothers' gun and steps into the elevator, preparing to shoot the person he thinks is responsible for his brothers death. But when he's in the elevator, he sees familiar faces who shouldn't be there.
The writing in this book is absolutely beautiful. As usual with anything written in prose/poetry, it took me a second to get into, but that's entirely a me issue and didn't take away from Reynolds' incredible writing. It's quite simplistic and feels very much like the way that a teenage boy would think.
I loved the way that this book looked at its main theme, which is the cycle of violence. Will feels obligated to get revenge for his brother but as the book goes on both the reader and he realise that this isn't something he feels comfortable doing. Him meeting the various people who enter the elevator also make him realise this.
I'm not sure if this something that all copies had but mine had incredible illustrations by Chris Priestley. They were black-and-white and really simple, similarly to the writing, and they added so much to the story as a whole.
Honestly, I have no idea how coherent this was. This was wonderful and hard-hitting. 10/10 would recommend.