phantastic's Reviews (85)

I thought it was frustratingly confusing. 

There were too many details that didn’t advance the plot. In-depth descriptions were included when it wasn’t necessary, and it felt like the writing was dragged down by it. For example, the entirety of the four-paragraph-long prologue was focused on a scavenger’s struggle to pick up a canister from the ocean. The writing went into detail about how the sun glistened against the metal canister and how it drifted in and out on the waves, yet didn’t explain who the scavenger was or why he was picking up the canister in the first place.

The story did not explain the basics of the world before handing you new information to digest. While it was a nice change of pace for the main character to not explain information that they already know, it makes it confusing for the reader, as they’d have to take time to process the information that they received. As more and more information gets introduced, it gets increasingly frustrating to keep up with the story when you’re boggled down by unexplained worldbuilding.

The artwork is absolutely stunning and innovative; I appreciated the creative decision to make some artwork depicting important scenes be unrestricted by the panel boxes. Sometimes the art and/or speech bubbles don’t follow a linear path, which I thought added a nice touch to the way the story was told.

The writing can feel clunky at times, but that’s not to the detriment of the overall story or message. I recommend it to anyone looking to read a deeply personal, heartfelt story; This is a beautiful graphic novel about the struggle of immigration—being stuck between your old life versus your new life—and coming to terms with your identity. 

This book was an enjoyable read; it made me feel happy to see Chase discover who he used to be and figure out who he will be in the future. 

The plot was predictable at times and I personally disagreed with one of the romantic pairings, but I didn’t find those to be issues.

Overall, I recommend this book if you’re interested in something simple and relaxing.