timefliesaway's Reviews (588)

Jetzt will ich gleich mein eigenes Fahrrad ausbauen! Hatte das tatsächlich schon länger vor, das war also eine perfekte Inspiration, das mal endlich umzusetzen. Generell kurbelt der kunterbunte Zeichenstil aber auch meine Kreativität an, erinnert mich grad, dass ich mal wieder mein Skizzenbuch öffnen sollte … 

 

Ich find sehr toll wie kreativ die ganzen Fahrräder sind. Vor allem das Natur-Fahrrad gefällt mir besonders! Da frag ich mich natürlich auch – ist das Buch ein kleines Memoir, ist Engstfeld all den Leuten und ihren Fahrrädern wirklich begegnet oder sind sie frei erfunden? Wäre natürlich sehr cool, wenn es den UFF-Club wirklich gäbe. ^^ 

 

Im Prinzip ist das Buch ein Zine – zumindest vom Stil, Thema, Format sowie der Länge her –, mit dem Unterschied, dass es bei einem Verlag veröffentlicht sowie als Hardcover gedruckt wurde. Dennoch für alle Zine-, aber auch generell Bilderbuch- und Comic-Fans zu empfehlen. Und natürlich alle DIY- und Fahrrad-Fans. :D 

 

~ 

 

Lieben Dank an den Ankerwechsel Verlag für ein digitales Reziexemplar. 

 

-08.04.2025 

Wanted to rate this 5 stars, but after doing some digging on the illustrator (Ekaterina Mironova), who isn’t credited anywhere except in the legal notice (which I found sus), I’ll have to rate it less, unfortunately. It turns out they're a GenAI user and it’s hard to tell whether GenAI (aka art theft) was involved in the process of these illustrations.

What's even more sus: neither the author nor the publisher (Yorkshire Publishing) have it listed on their website. Is it supposed to be some secret book until the release date or what exactly is going on here?

~

As for the story:

Wonderful!

A friendship between a mouse and an owl that already started with differences (Alex likes to zip and zoom in the air, while Maya likes to leap and jump through grass), though they managed to have fun together doing these activities without any problems.

And while Maya’s sickness caused a bit of a misunderstanding, they talked about it, resolved it pretty quickly, and then found something to have fun together with, which fits Maya’s needs. So sweet I shed a tear.

Perfect for children – and adults alike – to learn about disabilities and inclusion.

I’ve never heard of Crohn’s disease actually, so it’s cool how there’s a short description at the end (and Maya explaining it to Alex).

~

Thank you to the author on BookSirens for an eARC. The book is set to be released on June 24, 2025.

-Ayxan Solongo, 01.05.25

More review platforms: Pending Plays | Instagram | YouTube 

My dog’s my best friend, so obviously I had to check this out when it popped up in my home feed. 

 

I commented on every page/observation and reflected whether I can relate to with my Amy, and there were quite a few insights among them. A lot of these are very stereotypical and I don’t agree with all, but overall very fun. Would make a good gift for any dog parents. 

 

As for the art style, the dogs are really cute, whereas the humans have a very heavy newspaper-caricature style. But it’s not that big of a deal. Still amazing how there are 119 drawings. Quite diverse, too. 

 

Also, the adoption story of a rescue dog in-between (like a show break) was really sweet. 

 

~ 

 

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing on Netgalley for a digital review copy. The book was released on April 29, 2025. 

 

-Ayxan Solongo, 30.04.25  

More review platforms: Pending Plays | Instagram | YouTube 

(English below.)

Die deutsche Übersetzung kombiniert Band 1-4 des aus den USA-stammenden Grafikromans, der auf englisch am 12.06.24 veröffentlicht wurde, und bei CrossCult auf deutsch am 17.03.25. 
Ich habe die deutsche Ausgabe von CrossCult durch Netgalley als digitales Reziexemplar erhalten. (Vielen Dank dafür.) Die Meinung ist meine eigene und wurde davon nicht beeinflusst.

~

Nicht ganz was ich erwartet habe (das violette Cover hat mich an den Weltall erinnert, dachte, es spielt dort; und die Würfel an eine Minecraft-ähnliche Welt :P, vielleicht also ein fremder Planet oder auch die Erde, die in der Zukunft so geworden ist – ungefähr wie in den ersten paar Seiten). Aber letztendlich nicht schlecht. Der Titel ist gut. 

Ich frag mich bloß, ob das Werk beendet ist? Da steht schließlich kein "Volume 1". Fühlt sich mehr wie ein Anfang einer längeren Serie an. Das Ende verspricht so viel … Auch wenn es, ähnlich wie in »Long Cold Winter« relativ hervorsehend ist, wie die Menschen weiterleben werden, hatte dieser GN nochmal mehr Mystery. Gerade, was die Aliens/Roboter und deren Technologie anbelangt.
Wenn keine Fortsetzung kommt, würde mich auch ein Prolog interessieren. Besonders die Geschichte von Attis/Nana und dessen Beziehung zu der alten Frau aus dem Schloss/Dorf.

Dennoch sehr empfehlenswert. 

Zwar durchaus grafisch, was die Actionszenen und den Körperhorror angeht, also nichts für schwache Nerven. Aber, bis auf die Tiertode, fand ich das ganz gut. Kannibalismus wird viel zu selten in Post-Apokalypsen dargestellt.
Wenn dich das nicht stört, dann freu dich auf detailreiche Zeichnungen und erinnerungswürdige Charakterdesigns. Besonders Attis’ fand ich interessant (und dessen Designwandlung, wie in den Skizzen im Bonus gezeigt). 

Ich mochte auch die schlechte Grammatik in den Dialogen. Klingt selbstverständlich und logisch, dass nach solchen Ereignissen und dem Fokus aufs Überleben deren Vokabular nur noch wichtige Wörter und kurze Sätze enthält. Wird aber ebenfalls viel zu selten thematisiert. 

-Ayxan Solongo, 29.04.25

Weitere meiner Reziprofile: Pending Plays | Instagram | YouTube 

~~~

Not quite what I expected (the purple cover reminded me of space, I thought it was set there; and the dice of a Minecraft-like world :P, so maybe a different planet or even Earth, which has become like this in the future – roughly like in the first few pages). But ultimately not bad. The title is good.

I'm just wondering if the book is finished? It doesn't say "Volume 1". It feels more like the beginning of a longer series, the ending promises so much... Even though, similar to "Long Cold Winter", it's relatively predictable how humans will continue to live, this GN had even more mystery. Especially regarding the aliens/robots and their technology.
If there's no sequel, I'd also be interested in a prologue. Especially the story of Attis/Nana and his relationship with the old woman from the castle/village.

Still highly recommended.

The action scenes and body horror are certainly graphic, so not for the faint of heart. But, apart from the animal deaths, I thought it was quite good. Cannibalism is depicted far too rarely in post-apocalypses.
If that doesn't bother you, then you can look forward to detailed drawings and memorable character designs. I found Attis' particularly interesting (and its design transformation, as shown in the sketches in the bonus).

I also liked the poor grammar in the dialogue. It sounds obvious and logical that, after such events and the focus on survival, their vocabulary would contain only important words and short sentences. But that's also included far too rarely.

~

Thank you to CrossCult on Netgalley for a digital review copy. The German translation was released on March 17, 2025.

-Ayxan Solongo, 29.04.25

More review platforms: Pending Plays | Instagram | YouTube 

Very cute art by Safitri Yusuf. 

 

As for the writing, I like the subtle rhyming – didn’t notice it until a few pages in. 

 

The only page I’m not a fan of is the baking scene – animal torture shouldn’t be promoted in children’s books. Even if the possibility exists that those are artificial ingredients or have been taken with consent from the animal. (I know turtles like to eat those, but there’s a huge difference between “turtles in our world getting it fed by humans” and “anthropomorphic turtles living like humans in the forest and feeding themselves”.) 

 

Also, they’re technically tortoises. Unless it plays in a fantasy/different world … 

 

Other than that, recommended. It's inspiring me to go on an adventure myself. 

 

~ 

 

Thank you to BookSirens for a digital review copy. The book was released on March 2, 2025. 

 

-Ayxan Solongo, 29.04.25
More review platforms: Pending Plays | Instagram | YouTube 

Very cute. I loved the poetry/rhyming writing. 

 

I only found it a bit too fast-paced. I would've expected a more 'outsider-ish' plot, based on the title and the quite 'lonely' cover. While the happy end comes with no surprise (it is a kids book, after all), and I'm glad about that, there just wasn't that much about "not belonging". 

 

It's still very sweet, with lovely art by Tommy Hardman. The watercolor-like style definitely looks amazing, gives it a traditional vibe. 

 

~ 

 

Thank you to BookSirens for a digital review copy. The book was released on March 25, 2025. 

 

-Ayxan Solongo, 28.04.25 
More review platforms: Pending Plays | Instagram | YouTube 

(English below.) 

 

 

Ein trauriger, emotionaler Anfang. Doch der Twist in der Mitte war ein erleichtertes "Seufz" und das Ende wunderschön. 

 

Definitiv tolle Kunstwerke von Richolly Rosazza – ich glaube, es ist mit Buntstiften auf Papier gemalt? Auf jeden Fall sehr detailreich mit saftig grünen/natürlichen Farben, die uns daran erinnern, welches Paradies die Erde doch ist. 

 

Dazu ein sanfter, leicht poetischer Schreibstil. Vor allem die letzte Seite mochte ich besonders. 

(Da ich die deutsche Übersetzung gelesen habe und italienisch nicht verstehe, kann ich nicht bestätigen, ob Nadia Al Omaris Stil 100% übernommen wurde. An manchen Stellen klang es etwas zu "übersetzt" – was mir als Erwachsener zumindest aufgefallen ist, Kinder werden das sicher nicht merken.) 

 

~ 

 

Vielen Dank an den Thienemann-Esslinger Verlag für ein digitales Reziexemplar. Das Buch wurde am 24.04.25 veröffentlicht. 

 

-Ayxan Solongo, 28.04.25 

Weitere meiner Reziprofile: Pending Plays | Instagram | YouTube 

 

~~~ 

 

 

A sad, emotional beginning. But the twist in the middle was a sigh of relief, and the ending was beautiful. 

 

Definitely great artwork by Richolly Rosazza – I think it's drawn with colored pencils on paper? Definitely very detailed with lush green/natural colors that remind us what a paradise Earth really is. 

 

Plus, a gentle, slightly poetic writing style. I especially liked the last page. 

(Since I read the German translation and don't understand Italian, I can't confirm whether Nadia Al Omari's style was fully adopted. In some places, it sounded a bit too "translated" – at least that's what I noticed as an adult; children certainly won't notice.) 

 

~ 

 

Thank you to the Thienemann-Esslinger publisher for a digital review copy. The book was published on April 24, 2025. 

 

-Ayxan Solongo, 28.04.25 
More review platforms: Pending Plays | Instagram | YouTube

The beginning was rather disappointing. If anyone had told me, while reading volume 1, that that’s how volume 2 starts, I’d not have believed it. I mean, it's a valid reason to act that way, kinda, but still seemed pretty out of character for Gribblet. And so cliche. 

 

I did like the two new supporting characters, a genie child and a wishborn, although it was difficult for me to guess her age at first. She looks like a teenager, but was described as a woman, so that's odd. Personality- and design-wise she's really cool, though. 

 

And again, the art style in this volume was just as great, with various character designs for so many different creatures. Loved that part. Especially the Noks and them helping frog-like creatures out of confinement. 

 

While I got a bit bored in the middle with so many cliche tropes thrown about – I had more expectations from Jeff Victor, based on volume 1 –, it was still interesting and I loved the ending. Very sweet. 

 

Looking forward to volume 3. 

 

~ 

 

Thank you to IDW Publishing for an eARC. 

 

-24.04.25 

Didn’t expect there to be magic and sci-fi. Not that it’s bad, but was very random. 

 

Would’ve given it 5 stars, if the laser storyline had been properly resolved. Dude just cuts off a tree, potentially killed a beehive and several bird eggs, and goes home as if the tree was just taking a nap? What? Not even a “sorry didn’t want to destroy nature”? 

 

Other than that it is cute. Something different from the typical children’s fiction adventures for sure. 

 

I love the pigeons and Lucy (the genius). 

 

Looking forward to volume 2. 

 

~ 

 

Thank you to Worthy Publishing for an e-RC. Was released on April 1, 2025. 

 

-23.04.25 

Very cute.

Usa, the main character is very autism-coded – no labels were used but he has many traits. Not in a bad way though, and not very stereotypical either. Either the mangaka is autistic themselves or they’ve done genuine research. I could relate to Usa a lot at least.

I love how the mangaka is providing helpful examples how autistic(-coded) people could easier navigate through life. And how one doesn’t need to be neurodivergent to do things a little differently or get oneself a Gedankenstütze, like writing notes down when starting a new job; as shown with Koba, the second main character. 

It’s also cool how the space theme isn’t just used as an “I feel like an alien in this world” metaphor/analogy, but that Usa is actually into astronomy and the two also join an astronomy club.

Very friendship-focused, and I love the healthy relationship of the guys. Quite feminist. (Could be considered CBDCT, perhaps?) Sets a well example for young boys – not only, though. Anyone can learn a thing or two from this.

It also has some funny bits.

Definitely looking forward to volume 2!

~

Thank you to Kodansha on Netgalley for an eARC.

-20.04.25