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typedtruths's Reviews (1.8k)
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#2) Moonstruck, Vol. 2: Some Enchanted Evening ★★☆☆☆
If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times before but I simply adore pastel fantasy worlds: the aus that blend modern technology with traditional mythology. You know the ones that have witches drinking their potions from Starbucks thermos and vampires that cannot take selfies? You can imagine my excitement the moment I learned Moonstruck existed. Lesbian werewolves in a pastel uf coffee shop AU? A dream come true!
From the very first page, I fell in love with the world and its characters. The blossoming relationship between Julie and Selena was wholesome and sweet but still captured the awkwardness and anxiety of developing a crush on someone. Julie’s relationship with Chet, her best friend, was also super sweet. They supported each other through some really difficult times and all the bad puns made my heart burst. Cass was probably my favourite character out of the whole series, though. I cannot wait to see more of her in the next volume!
The storytelling and worldbuilding, however, were far from perfect. Some panels were downright confusing. Chapters four and five were a little haphazard and I really hope that the next volume will feel more cohesive and fluid. Elements of the world need more fleshing out. I am still unsure how humans fit into this world and the werewolf discrimination was never really explained. It has so much potential. I hope that Ellis and Beagle are able to tap into it.
The scope of diversity really made a difference. Attention to detail for small things - like having wheelchair-accessible seats for sirens in the background of the theatre scenes - was wonderful. I also loved that identity and labels were briefly discussed. It was mainly around Chet’s situation with body dysphoria but there was also an interesting moment between Julie and Selena that I wish had been expanded.
Overall? This was a sweet graphic novel with a lot of potential and amazing artwork. I loved the world and the characters. The world needs a little more detail and the plot needs to be streamlined a little better but damn, its potential has me excited.
➸ Trigger warnings for
▷ Representation: Julie (mc) is a plus-size latina lesbian; Selena (li) is a plus-size black lesbian; Chet (sc) uses they/them pronouns; queer, poc & disabled scs.
◯ Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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#2) Ten Thousand Skies Above You ★★★★☆
#3) A Million Worlds with You ★★★★☆
A Thousand Pieces of You was fun. I know it isn’t the highest of praises but the fact that I got through this in the middle of one of the worst reading slumps of my life should speak for itself.
The premise of A Thousand Pieces of You was right up my alley. I love time travels and parallel worlds. I love books about agencies that govern them. The fact that this story combined this to create a dimension-hopping science-fiction adventure with elements of an Anastasia-inspired historical romance, a mega-corporation conspiracy, and an apocalyptic underwater dystopia was so exciting. The different dimensions were creative and fascinating, and the science tying it together felt futuristic but not unbelievable. I wish the antagonist had been a little less of a caricature but I have hope for their development too. As a whole, it was undeniably engaging. I didn’t want to put it down.
With the being said, I am a reader who has to care about the characters to care about anything else. I did warm to the cast but I wanted more. Marguerite was a solid protagonist and Paul a softly spoken, sweet, geeky gem of a love interest. I genuinely look forward to seeing how their relationship progresses in the sequel. The secondary characters could have done with some more fleshing out. I found Marguerite's family hard to picture - especially her mother and sister - and Theo was a bit of an asshole at times.
The romance did also leave a sour feeling in my stomach. I appreciate that the uncertainty of the consent was addressed and challenged in the text but I don’t think it would have hurt to make it a little clearer that Marguerite's actions were not okay. There was an emphasis placed on open and honest communication, which is a massive must-have for me; and the fact that Marguerite didn’t hide it from Paul - they actively talked about it - was very much appreciated. It could have easily been used to create unnecessary drama but it is still a sticky situation. I caution readers to proceed with care if sexual assault/rape are triggers for you.
Overall? A Thousand Pieces of You surprised me. It was fun and different and right up my alley. I will definitely be continuing with the series because I found myself immediately craving more of the characters and the world. *Fingers crossed* that the author uses its potential well.
➸ Trigger warnings for
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#1) A Thousand Pieces of You ★★★☆☆
#3) A Million Worlds with You ★★★★☆
Blog • Goodreads • Twitter • Instagram
#1 A Thousand Pieces of You ★★★☆☆
#2 Ten Thousand Skies Above You ★★★★☆
➸ Trigger warnings for
Blog • Goodreads • Twitter • Instagram
Reread #1 (2019): ★★★★☆
My favourite story is still His Face All Red.
Original Read (2015): ★★★★☆
I enjoyed the colours and style of this artist. I even read more of her works since finishing this because it is so deliciously beautiful. All of the female characters' faces were kind ofweird though - the facial expressions, maybe? - so some stories, like the first one, were a little off-putting.
In its entirety, this was a rather spooky, eerie and somehow beautifully haunting collection, just like we are promised. Obviously, there were some stories that stood out more than others, but they were all enjoyable. However, I wasn't a big fan of the way that they all ended on cliff-hangers and we never got to find out what happened or the truth (depended on the story, of course). The first story's cliffhanger and the unresolved ending still sticks with me. I want to know who was in that bloody house and what happened to the father!
My favourite stories were A Lady's Hands are Cold and His Face All Red.
➸ Trigger warnings forblood/gore, dismemberment, body horror, death of a mother & brother, murder, gun violence, animal death & dead bodies and hunting .
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My favourite story is still His Face All Red.
Original Read (2015): ★★★★☆
I enjoyed the colours and style of this artist. I even read more of her works since finishing this because it is so deliciously beautiful. All of the female characters' faces were kind ofweird though - the facial expressions, maybe? - so some stories, like the first one, were a little off-putting.
In its entirety, this was a rather spooky, eerie and somehow beautifully haunting collection, just like we are promised. Obviously, there were some stories that stood out more than others, but they were all enjoyable. However, I wasn't a big fan of the way that they all ended on cliff-hangers and we never got to find out what happened or the truth (depended on the story, of course). The first story's cliffhanger and the unresolved ending still sticks with me. I want to know who was in that bloody house and what happened to the father!
My favourite stories were A Lady's Hands are Cold and His Face All Red.
➸ Trigger warnings for
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If anyone doubts me when I say that a dodgy ending can ruin an otherwise good book, I’ll give them this book and let it proves its point. I have no idea how to convey the extent to which I am crushed by this book’s ending. It started so well! From the very first page, I was drawn in by the writing style. The deliciously gloomy atmosphere was so palpable you could feel the stormy weather seeping off the pages. It gave me the chills! Normally, I would mock a movie that relied on conveniently timed rainstorms to create tension but Winters? She knew how to weave the weather into the story without it being too purposeful.
I became quickly attached to our main character, Alice Lind, and her struggle to gain acceptance in the male-dominated field of psychology. It was really interesting to see how the story focused on the general public’s apprehension toward psychologists and the idea of therapy. I was rooting for Alice as she faced down all the obstacles that came in the way of her dream job. How was I meant to resist such a feminist story?
... but that’s when things started going downhill.
Janie, a seven-year-old mathematical genius, is introduced in the opening chapters. Alice is sent to help Janie's teacher extend her schooling but it turns out there's a lot more to the story. Since the age of two, Janie has been speaking about her ‘before life’. She claims to have chosen to be born again, that she is a reincarnation of a drowning victim named Violet Sunday. Creepy, right? You would think this story would go one of two ways from here: either the gloomy atmospheric writing style was setting us up for one hell of a horror story or it was going to keep its psychology theme and explore the treatment of mental illness in the 1920s. Unfortunately, it went neither of those two ways... and that’s where all of my problems stem from.
Yesternight’s storyline became a detective story instead. Alice investigated the possibility of Violet Sunday being a real person, not a figment of Janie’s imagination. I wish I could sum up how unnatural this turn of events felt within the story. You know how nails on a blackboard make you feel edgy and uncomfortable? It was kind of like that. There was no consistency and it was so… boring?
The last quarter of the book was icing on the cake. It was so weird and unnecessary! Alice made decisions that seemed to go against her core personality and the whole thing had a distinctive lack of realism and logic. The epilogue did nothing but infuriate me. You know when you get so angry that you actually get physically sick to the stomach? That? Yeah, that’s what happened to me. I was so darn furious. I hate when stories do things like that and it… it honestly made me Hulk rage.
After finishing the book and letting myself stew in my misery, I also realised that while the writing was certainly atmospheric, it never really captured the 1920s period quite right. Everyone knows that this is such a rich period of history but somehow Winters missed the mark. The characters and dialogue felt too modern. There were few attempts at slang and hints at the Prohibition and WWI but they were never organically incorporated into the story. It’s like the author had to remind us when this book was set because it wasn’t obvious otherwise.
I did love that time was spent exploring women’s sexual and reproductive rights during this time period but it wasn’t enough to bring the 1920s to life in my opinion.
I was also annoyed by Janie’s lack of character development. For someone so central to the storyline, she had literally no personality.
Overall?
If you couldn’t tell, I was completely disappointed with Yesternight. For such a strong beginning, this story’s plotline and the ending was just dull. While the writing was definitely atmospheric, I didn’t think that it captured the time period well. I have heard fantastic things about Winters' other books so I may give her a second chance in the future.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
I became quickly attached to our main character, Alice Lind, and her struggle to gain acceptance in the male-dominated field of psychology. It was really interesting to see how the story focused on the general public’s apprehension toward psychologists and the idea of therapy. I was rooting for Alice as she faced down all the obstacles that came in the way of her dream job. How was I meant to resist such a feminist story?
... but that’s when things started going downhill.
Janie, a seven-year-old mathematical genius, is introduced in the opening chapters. Alice is sent to help Janie's teacher extend her schooling but it turns out there's a lot more to the story. Since the age of two, Janie has been speaking about her ‘before life’. She claims to have chosen to be born again, that she is a reincarnation of a drowning victim named Violet Sunday. Creepy, right? You would think this story would go one of two ways from here: either the gloomy atmospheric writing style was setting us up for one hell of a horror story or it was going to keep its psychology theme and explore the treatment of mental illness in the 1920s. Unfortunately, it went neither of those two ways... and that’s where all of my problems stem from.
Yesternight’s storyline became a detective story instead. Alice investigated the possibility of Violet Sunday being a real person, not a figment of Janie’s imagination. I wish I could sum up how unnatural this turn of events felt within the story. You know how nails on a blackboard make you feel edgy and uncomfortable? It was kind of like that. There was no consistency and it was so… boring?
The last quarter of the book was icing on the cake. It was so weird and unnecessary! Alice made decisions that seemed to go against her core personality and the whole thing had a distinctive lack of realism and logic. The epilogue did nothing but infuriate me. You know when you get so angry that you actually get physically sick to the stomach? That? Yeah, that’s what happened to me. I was so darn furious. I hate when stories do things like that and it… it honestly made me Hulk rage.
After finishing the book and letting myself stew in my misery, I also realised that while the writing was certainly atmospheric, it never really captured the 1920s period quite right. Everyone knows that this is such a rich period of history but somehow Winters missed the mark. The characters and dialogue felt too modern. There were few attempts at slang and hints at the Prohibition and WWI but they were never organically incorporated into the story. It’s like the author had to remind us when this book was set because it wasn’t obvious otherwise.
I did love that time was spent exploring women’s sexual and reproductive rights during this time period but it wasn’t enough to bring the 1920s to life in my opinion.
I was also annoyed by Janie’s lack of character development. For someone so central to the storyline, she had literally no personality.
Overall?
If you couldn’t tell, I was completely disappointed with Yesternight. For such a strong beginning, this story’s plotline and the ending was just dull. While the writing was definitely atmospheric, I didn’t think that it captured the time period well. I have heard fantastic things about Winters' other books so I may give her a second chance in the future.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
