thistle_and_verse's Reviews (299)

This was the first work of Shawl's that I've read. Enjoyed 90% of the stories and have already reread several. Top 5 for me were "At the Huts of Ajala", "Pragmatical Princess", "Shiomah's Land", "But She's Only a Dream", and "Beads of Ku". I love the imagination displayed in this collection.

I love folktales and metanarratives about storytelling, so I'd been excited for this book since I first heard the concept announced. Tristan Strong is a very endearing protagonist. I really liked that Tristan was a boxer. Aside from it being a cool hobby, it transitioned nicely into him fighting monsters. It was also nice to see a Black character with physical prowess be vulnerable and have a range of emotions. Tristan seems like a sweet kid, has a very close friendship with Eddie, and isn't embarrassed about needing therapy. Gum Baby, who has some moments of character development but mostly exists for comic relief, was hit or miss for me, but I'm too old to be the target demographic. I know some of the catch phrases and jokes that annoyed me were things I would've loved when I was in middle school. In terms of critiques, there is a central plot thread that I didn't think made sense. This is the 1st of a series, so it could be too early to tell, but it seemed unnuanced, especially considering how Mbalia was able to discuss histories and inter-community tensions without making one side seem particularly deficient. I also think it would be really cool for Mbalia to look at the fraught history of researching and cataloguing African American and West African folklore in upcoming books in this series. All in all, a fun read and great for kids.

The characters and world are compelling. Hopkinson's writing is clear and descriptive. The body horror elements are on-point, and this book introduced me to cultural elements that I will be researching to learn more about.

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Agwe is fading, and Erzulie goes to Anansi for help. Good pacing and action

I loved this book and am eagerly waiting to start the next installment. I liked that the fantasy had a scientific edge to it. The powers and world felt unique. I thought the societies of the Stillness were well thought out and developed, and I liked the variety in cultures/ ways of living. I enjoyed the romance and could have used more of it, which is a rare request from me.

I heard about this book online, and for some reason, I thought it was a graphic novel, but it's a book with illustrations and mini-comics inside. The format is almost like a collage or mixed-media piece but in written/ book form. I can tell that the authors and illustrators put a lot of heart into this book. In shows about girl groups, it's common for each girl to fill a trope, but all the characters felt fresh and real. My personal favorites were Marianna and Lonnie. Bree makes a lot of pop culture references, which I got, but I don't think it's too distracting if you didn't. I didn't realize how much I needed to see Black LBT+ women being happy and having friendships with each other. Even the side characters had fuzzy interactions. I loved Rodney and Raye's relationship and their gym. The author also did a great job of escalating the monsters and the conflicts throughout the book. The interpersonal issues she chose to address really resonated with me. I don't really watch much of the magical girl genre, but I still loved this book, and I hope to see more installments of magnifiqueNOIR.

Butler does interesting things with vampires' living arrangements and appearances and changes the canon in an impactful way. My favorite part of the book was the trial. I'm not big on race allegories because I think it's better explained directly, but I think Butler does a good job illustrating the nonsensical/ illogical/ obtuse nature of bigotry . I felt very conflicted about Shori looking like a child. It makes it difficult for me to like/ empathize with some of her symbionts. I can be fine with shocking or gross story elements if they feel purposeful, but I wasn't sure how this one enhanced or impacted the story. I think this story could really only be a novel. I wouldn't have been able to watch this as a movie or show or read it as a graphic novel.

When I heard of this book, I was very excited to read it because I enjoyed the source material and was excited to read a new take on it. I was generally meh on the book. I wasn't captivated by this portrayal of Wonderland, the plot felt a bit typical, and I didn't latch onto any of the main characters. I was pretty confused by Court and how she was very gungho about encouraging Alice's superhero life and then got angry when typical superhero unreliability and flakiness happened. It's worth noting that I'm no longer in the target age range, and I think this is a book I would've enjoyed more as a teenager. The standout parts of this book for me were Xelon-Odabeth and the Brione subplot. Xelon was just gallant and wonderful, and the effect of Brione's death on the story was very relatable. It reminded me of conversations I've had and touched on fears that I still have, and it's not something I'd seen done or acknowledged in YA fantasy before.