sunshinestark's Reviews (376)

Who doesn’t love a possibly haunted and definitely creepy house in the bayou that seems to be hiding some very dark, very bloody secrets? Like Kenny, you know from the start something is off but the atmospheric art and story draws you in and makes you want to keep turning the page until the end. 

The content warnings at the beginning of this book should be taken very seriously. Howl is a story about a boy suffering in the aftermath of being attacked by a monster and Virgil’s trauma could be easily mistaken for sexual assault at a glance. His memories of it are likely to trigger some who read it. Having the story unfold this way was an interesting choice paired with Virgil’s fear he would become a monster himself and while I enjoyed parts, I’m not sure it worked for me as a whole. Perhaps that’s due to how strongly it mirrored PTSD from sexual assault which hit a little too close to home. Aside from that, I liked Virgil’s friendship with Astrid and Tripp, which really kept me going even through the harder parts, and I found the writing style compelling - I will definitely be checking out other books by this author. 

This was such a good read, with such beautiful art! I love all of the characters and worldbuilding. That cliffhanger! I can’t wait to read more about Zuli and her quest to save the souls of not just birds, but all living things. 

What a wonderful story about friendship, family, finding yourself amidst your doubts, and learning to take into account what you want rather than simply doing what you think is expected of you. 

Jacey’s story unfolds in a nonlinear way, weaving her past traumas with her current task of hunting down the man who took her brother away. At her side is a man who is sometimes a dog and sometimes a monster, but no matter what is always there for Jacey. Ultimately I Walk With Monsters is a story about trying not to drown in your past and finding a way to become someone new amidst all that pain without becoming truly monstrous. 

This was such a refreshing take on Cinderella. I loved everything about it from start to finish even though I was continually nervous her seemingly nice stepfamily would turn on her.

When they didn’t, it just made me so happy. I’m all for retellings that make awful things like that go away while altering the story.

This is among my favorite new retellings for a multitude of reasons, but a plus size main character and taking place on a reality dating show are at the top. 

This one is great for horror fans. I highly recommend if you are into slasher horror especially. My favorite part of this was getting backstories for the final girls and being like yep that’s definitely based on a specific horror franchise. 

Perfect for cat lovers. I adored it.

Like Volume 1, Volume 2 has a lot of transphobia, deadnaming, and homophobia (so read with caution!) but the ultimate message is acceptance - of yourself and others - and how you are your most powerful when you truly allow yourself to shine as the person you are, not who others think you should be. 

What happens when a fairy and a beast both find a human baby but don’t trust the other to not hurt her? Pretend to be married and raise her together, obviously! Life of Melody is such a charming queer story about love and family, I didn’t want it to end.