sara_m_martins's Reviews (334)

this graphic novel consists of stories inside of a story - wonderful tales with feminist tones, that talk of romantic love, sisterly love, the moon and magic pebbles. in the end they connect in the most magnificent of ways, so much so that i actually cried.
We land in Early Earth, created by a young goddess, later taken over by her father who opened Pandora's box on that humanity. We follow Cherri and her lover Hero, as Hero tells stories for 100 nights in order to prevent the plans of Cherri's husband (who's a dick) and his friend (also a dick). In this journey, she tells stories of sisters, the moon, love, loss and magic, while showing the oppression women of that world are under AND the clever, ingenious, sassy ways they use to dodge it.
lesson? the importance of representation, by having representative stories within the story

- as shown in Wood's Handmaid's Tale, in a world where women cannot read or write their repression continues; here, the told story manages to break that chain, when it retells the prosecution of the women who dared. The talented way in which Hero tells the stories changes the world they live in. Her stories spread, brings people to their side and opposite the oppressive religious order, making it vanish and start the change to a better world .
lastly, i want to say that the artwork is something else. i'm going to get my own physical copy ASAP.

Tyler said is best in the epilogue: "Some chapters were serious, some chapters were silly, most were ridiculous, and almost all of them made me cringe, but i couldn't be happier with it."

it was fascinating to see it with a few years between the release of the book and now, because it feels so much has changed in the YouTube landscape. i'd recommend it if you're a tyler fan, or just interested in all things youtube culture, like me. In many ways, it brought me back to my days... (not too long ago, i'm just being dramatic really) - In a "Where were you when Tyler was the professional fangirl of the internet?" way. Simpler times, she says with the positive distortion that nostalgia plays with memory. Maybe because my last days of being a student are inching ever near, and that makes me feel older than anything else. Anyways...

The book was very well-written, and the audiobook was also quite nice to listen to.
Now the content... Much like Tyler's videos, when i love them i love them, but when they are not for me, they really aren't for me. I almost DNFed the book in the first few chapters, but i'm glad i didn't - i did find plenty of chapters soon after that i found quite moving. I even teared up once or twice. but because the highs were highs, but those lows were low, i'm going for a 3 star, very comfortably in the middle of the scale.

Fantastic follow up to Milk&Honey

Although I understand the cultural significance of it, and I do relate to Molly's personality somewhat, it was a though read in the beginning and in the end. The middle section, with its flaws, was nice and had some compelling stories, but the first few chapters featured some unsavory scenes that just made it hard for me to want to pick the book back up. That tone returned towards the end, with (spoiler alert) a scene defending incest just outright.

THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD, YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK, READ THIS BOOK!!!!

seriously, i devoured this book, i can feel that it's one of those books that stays with you, and that im gonna be thinking about for a good while.
Hank green crafted a beautiful story, which only let you see what was about to happen when it was just about to happen. It was a wonder to read. The writing is exceptional and i have a number of passages bookmarked.
SciFi allows the author to give you a perspective into humanity that really shines on those things that make us (humans) more us (human). In this book, Hank touches on questions that populate our current social space in a remarkable way - the ridge that seems to permeate everything that becomes even slightly relevant, how radicalism forms and grows; about social media, how it unites and divides us, and we can use for good or evil, and the complexity of our relation to it. i would trust few others to handle this theme and Hank Green does it beautifully.
It also contains an exceptional playlist.
Regardless to say, i can't wait for the sequel.
DFTBA

PS. also im absolutely just seeing my dream life in the beginning, with a bi female main character in her early twenties, but who gets to live in NYC and have a girlfriend.

"He turns to June and slurs, 'Bisexuality is truly a rich and complex tapestry'"

this is the new adult content we have all been waiting for, that we need and deserve!
i'm unsure i even have the words to do this review justice. i mean:
an enemies-to-lovers, m/m, inter-racial romance with international politics playing out, a female US president where colonization, racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia are handled just brilliantly? what more could you want? oh, discussion of mental health issues? check! grief? check! strong as fucking hell women? so many checks!! sass through the roughs! comedy? do i have good news for you!! even turkeys! yes, turkeys! (read the book to find out how)
honestly, this book took me through pretty much every emotion that can be felt by the human spirit, while giving me some amazing bisexual representation (yes, chaotic, is there any other kind?) while amazing relationships in family, friends and lovers. i love all the characters (except for the obvious assholes). also every reference to queer historical (or even contemporary) figures/icons gave me absolute life, i love when i'm reminded of the tapestry of people before me.
it is sexy, sensual and a little bit (just the right amount) dirty
in conclusion: hell, yeah my dudes! the hype is REAL

The Book Where I Get Very Confused About What Is Happening