Such a sweet little story. It felt to me like a lower stakes Inkheart, though certainly not in a bad way. Just a lighthearted fantasy with enough conflict to make it interesting and opening up a world that begs for more discovery. 

Cry. Just cry. That's it. That's the review.

The illustrations are what really pulled me in to this dark, almost unnerving story about a band of teddies bear come to life to find a child to love them. There are many mysteries that surround the bears: why are they alive, who made them, who is this voice that comes to our teddy lead, Buddy, during pivotal moments? Of course, these matters are left cryptic but this story's end, but will most likely be answered in later books. It's a bit frustrating that the books ends with the reader more in the dark than before, but I think the mystery is enough to keep me reading.

The story definitely takes some disturbing turns that it warrants the designated middle grade audience. Anyone younger will be able to understand the events, but might balk at the description of cute lil bears being accosted by gulls, facing dismemberment, and being witness to some good ol teddy bear body horror.

Also the scene of Sugar tearing out her eyes at the sight of a dead rat is particularly chilling, even to this adult well versed in horror.

Cute enough middle grade book where the genderfluid/nonbinary rep feels very genuine what with its fluctuating and chaotic nature. The use of internet slang can be a tad much at times, it seems more reminiscent of millennial online slang rather than the generation this is geared towards. 

Also that poor dog. The guy was a jerk to get rid of her the way that he did but there are some serious quality of life issues that the dog is going to face. 

The plot gets a little bit bogged down every now and again, retreading similar ground to the point where you really feel some more editing could have been used.

Still, as a possible introduction to gender fluidity, and synesthesia too wow I rarely see that in kid's books, I think it's worth at least a quick read.

A good introduction for young readers to a specific snapshot in time that I don't think receives much attention. We follow Mei, a young teen living in a logging camp during the 1800s where tensions arise between the Chinese and American workers. Looking to find some stability in this time, Mei crafts the stories of Auntie Po, a towering Chinese matriarch reminiscent of Paul Bunyan. The story is an excellent take on the transformation and reinvention of myths from mixing cultural influences. As a young immigrant, Mei knows little about her ancestral homeland, but eventually finds comfort in taking part in her family's traditional rituals while also figuring out what being an American looks like to her.

The historical aspect is the key focus, though there is some time devoted to Mei's crush on her friend, Bee. It's very lightly queer, nothing more than youthful pining for the most part. The representation is fine for younger readers though older ones may find it lacking.

The watercolor illustrations give a sort of grounded feel to the other fantastical image of Auntie Po. I couldn't tell whether I liked it or felt mostly apathetic. I think the white empty eyes of the characters made me feel a little disconnected from them. 

I think there is a good basis for a world here, but unfortunately it never really grows into itself. Our lead, Jayin, briefly scoffs at Maddix's lack of knowledge about how magic works in this world, but it feels like we're in the same boat. We're never given any insight into the magic system beyond the types of witches there are and that there's something called the Dark. 

The fact that almost every side characters feel so flat and unrealized also does little to flesh out the world. There were so many instances of "character introduction only to disappear in a chapter or less." You think that they're going to be big characters, but they unceremoniously drop off at the oddest times.

Hale and the witchhunters basically blink out of existence a little over half of the way through and it's odd that they just...disappear? Given how dead set they are on capturing Jayin and Maddix. I guess they just figure them as good as dead when they go through Kaddan? Not very thorough of an evil plan.

Nonetheless, the book had a good pace to it. Nothing ever felt rushed or dragged out. With a bit more focus and detail, I think it could have been a very promising start. It's sad that I think the series has mostly been abandoned since there's been no word on a second book in the six years it's been out and I can't find any author information. Sort of a missed opportunity.

Absolutely love everything about this graphic novel. The colors, the emotional storytelling, the message of setting boundaries and taking time for yourself, the plight of the people pleaser. I loved the weaving of Celtic myth within the story.

The writing style felt a little too fractured, which is surprising given how much I loved The Astonishing Color of After. It was one of my top reads for that year and packed such an emotional punch. But I was constantly fighting to keep any interest in this story.

I will say, it was the writing style of a folk tale, direct, to the point, doesn't really embellish. But it kind of clashed with what the story was trying to be. There were way too many perspectives, and I kept wondering why any of the family's POVs were necessary. I know the family drama was meant to give more conflict, but I really didn't care about this one mob ties or that one's infidelity. The book would have been so much stronger if it was only the two leads. Anything else just felt like dead weight.