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fernthepanda's review against another edition
2.0
I received an eARC courtesy of Random House Graphic via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
This feels super choppy. The premise is good, but after all of that I don't feel any attachment to Mel or her adventure.
This feels super choppy. The premise is good, but after all of that I don't feel any attachment to Mel or her adventure.
lawbooks600's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: N/A
Score: Four points out of ten.
What a disappointment. I saw Mel the Chosen in a library shelf so I picked it up after missing it the first time. I then wanted to read it after glancing the blurb, which made me think I would enjoy the book. I was wrong. The low ratings warned me to avoid the novel. When I finished it, it was so underwhelming.
It starts with the first character I see, Mel, wanting to grow up and be free from the restrictions of living as a child. She suddenly stumbles across another world called the Here and Now where she can have only one wish come true, and for her, that is to instantly mature into an adult. I liked the art of Mel the Chosen as it's all in watercolour. However, my most prominent gripes lie in the titular character, Mel. She's unlikable in more ways than one. She can sometimes whine when a guardian acts like an adult (responsibly, of course. I don't want Mel's guardians to neglect her so why did she whinge about them?) She is also naïve when she trusts antagonists too easily, especially the leading one, Malcape. He grants Mel's wish much to her eventual detriment as she soon regrets that and wants to escape the Here and Now. I couldn't connect or relate to the other people either.
To summarise, Mel the Chosen initially looked promising, but after finishing the text, it dissatisfied me. It could've been a huge hit if the author improved some aspects of her fictional composition, particularly the characters. Instead, it was a miss.
Trigger warnings: N/A
Score: Four points out of ten.
What a disappointment. I saw Mel the Chosen in a library shelf so I picked it up after missing it the first time. I then wanted to read it after glancing the blurb, which made me think I would enjoy the book. I was wrong. The low ratings warned me to avoid the novel. When I finished it, it was so underwhelming.
It starts with the first character I see, Mel, wanting to grow up and be free from the restrictions of living as a child. She suddenly stumbles across another world called the Here and Now where she can have only one wish come true, and for her, that is to instantly mature into an adult. I liked the art of Mel the Chosen as it's all in watercolour. However, my most prominent gripes lie in the titular character, Mel. She's unlikable in more ways than one. She can sometimes whine when a guardian acts like an adult (responsibly, of course. I don't want Mel's guardians to neglect her so why did she whinge about them?) She is also naïve when she trusts antagonists too easily, especially the leading one, Malcape. He grants Mel's wish much to her eventual detriment as she soon regrets that and wants to escape the Here and Now. I couldn't connect or relate to the other people either.
To summarise, Mel the Chosen initially looked promising, but after finishing the text, it dissatisfied me. It could've been a huge hit if the author improved some aspects of her fictional composition, particularly the characters. Instead, it was a miss.
mary_sh's review
2.0
Mi piacciono molto i disegni e si nota un certo potenziale creativo ma la sceneggiatura la trovo troppo immatura per i miei gusti.
hellocookie's review against another edition
5.0
A beautifully illustrated story with a wonderful message for kiddos about trying to grow up too quickly.
cosy_novel_niche's review
4.0
Bellissima storia e disegni accattivanti e ricchi di colori vivaci. Una storia preziosa da condividere con grandi e piccini.
sierra_color's review against another edition
3.0
I love the art within this graphic novel-- it's bright, colorful, and the style is charming and unique. The quirky settings are what really made it stand out for me, but unfortunately the story was a bit.. lacking.
I couldn't get invested in Mel. Or her character, rather. Because there's no emotional background to relate to. Or there's no reason WHY I should care about her journey. She's just.. the chosen one. Okay.. and what else? Is she clever, kind, compassionate, smart? Is that what makes her the chosen one?
Oh.. no.. because a bee loved her so much?
Oh, okay I guess. I mean it's a cute concept.. but.. come on.
Okay, I'm being too mean.
This book is unique, and the author (I feel) has a lot of potential. But the characters in here are so lack luster! Mel isn't given time to shine, nor do we get to see her normal everyday life. Show me (besides one argument) what the rest of her life is like. Why doesn't she have friends? Is it because she's suffering from the loss of her grandparents? Is it because she doesn't know how to make friends? Is it a combination of those things?
How does Mel feel about making friends across this journey? How does that impact her? Oh, and how do Mel's friends feel KNOWING that.
Look, I know I sound like an English teacher, but I'm saying all this stuff because I know this book can be better! The charm, the whimsy-- all of it, yes ALL of it, has so much potential! But we don't get to see that whimsy elevated/ be impactful because the characters themselves fall short. There's not only no emotional connection between them, but there's no emotional depth to them!
What sort of insecurities/ obstacles does Mel have to over come? How does this help her defeat the villain? She has to be more mature, you say?
Okay, SHOW that. Don't say it. SHOW it.
Show Mel acting childish-- selfish, spoiled, like a know it all, not being understanding, etc-- and then show her overcoming those traits, and realizing her mistakes. Bam. Maturity.
Oh, you're saying she has to understand that growing up is important?
What I said still implies. Mel doesn't grow up within the book, she more so just goes on a quirky quest that really doesn't hold any value.
I think that this story/ world is so cool and whimsical but it falls flat on its face because the characters are so one dimensional! We don't see Mel grow, or change, we don't see her make any good friendships, etc. Instead, we just see her go on cool adventures. Which is nice, but this book is trying to be more, but failing. I don't get to see how Mel's loss of her grandparents impacts her, or how her everyday life impacts her, nor do I get to see WHY she's worthy of being the chosen one.
Look. I've rambled enough. I just hope the author's next work is better, and for the lack of a better word, more mature. This book is cute, and fun, but nothing more. It could've been more if more time had been put into the characters in story. I hope to see more from this author, since they're very talented, and have so much potential. I do hope their next work is better.
I couldn't get invested in Mel. Or her character, rather. Because there's no emotional background to relate to. Or there's no reason WHY I should care about her journey. She's just.. the chosen one. Okay.. and what else? Is she clever, kind, compassionate, smart? Is that what makes her the chosen one?
Oh.. no.. because a bee loved her so much?
Oh, okay I guess. I mean it's a cute concept.. but.. come on.
Okay, I'm being too mean.
This book is unique, and the author (I feel) has a lot of potential. But the characters in here are so lack luster! Mel isn't given time to shine, nor do we get to see her normal everyday life. Show me (besides one argument) what the rest of her life is like. Why doesn't she have friends? Is it because she's suffering from the loss of her grandparents? Is it because she doesn't know how to make friends? Is it a combination of those things?
How does Mel feel about making friends across this journey? How does that impact her? Oh, and how do Mel's friends feel KNOWING that.
Look, I know I sound like an English teacher, but I'm saying all this stuff because I know this book can be better! The charm, the whimsy-- all of it, yes ALL of it, has so much potential! But we don't get to see that whimsy elevated/ be impactful because the characters themselves fall short. There's not only no emotional connection between them, but there's no emotional depth to them!
What sort of insecurities/ obstacles does Mel have to over come? How does this help her defeat the villain? She has to be more mature, you say?
Okay, SHOW that. Don't say it. SHOW it.
Show Mel acting childish-- selfish, spoiled, like a know it all, not being understanding, etc-- and then show her overcoming those traits, and realizing her mistakes. Bam. Maturity.
Oh, you're saying she has to understand that growing up is important?
What I said still implies. Mel doesn't grow up within the book, she more so just goes on a quirky quest that really doesn't hold any value.
I think that this story/ world is so cool and whimsical but it falls flat on its face because the characters are so one dimensional! We don't see Mel grow, or change, we don't see her make any good friendships, etc. Instead, we just see her go on cool adventures. Which is nice, but this book is trying to be more, but failing. I don't get to see how Mel's loss of her grandparents impacts her, or how her everyday life impacts her, nor do I get to see WHY she's worthy of being the chosen one.
Look. I've rambled enough. I just hope the author's next work is better, and for the lack of a better word, more mature. This book is cute, and fun, but nothing more. It could've been more if more time had been put into the characters in story. I hope to see more from this author, since they're very talented, and have so much potential. I do hope their next work is better.
sierra_color's review against another edition
3.0
I love the art within this graphic novel-- it's bright, colorful, and the style is charming and unique. The quirky settings are what really made it stand out for me, but unfortunately the story was a bit.. lacking.
I couldn't get invested in Mel. Or her character, rather. Because there's no emotional background to relate to. Or there's no reason WHY I should care about her journey. She's just.. the chosen one. Okay.. and what else? Is she clever, kind, compassionate, smart? Is that what makes her the chosen one?
Oh.. no.. because a bee loved her so much?
Oh, okay I guess. I mean it's a cute concept.. but.. come on.
Okay, I'm being too mean.
This book is unique, and the author (I feel) has a lot of potential. But the characters in here are so lack luster! Mel isn't given time to shine, nor do we get to see her normal everyday life. Show me (besides one argument) what the rest of her life is like. Why doesn't she have friends? Is it because she's suffering from the loss of her grandparents? Is it because she doesn't know how to make friends? Is it a combination of those things?
How does Mel feel about making friends across this journey? How does that impact her? Oh, and how do Mel's friends feel KNOWING that.
Look, I know I sound like an English teacher, but I'm saying all this stuff because I know this book can be better! The charm, the whimsy-- all of it, yes ALL of it, has so much potential! But we don't get to see that whimsy elevated/ be impactful because the characters themselves fall short. There's not only no emotional connection between them, but there's no emotional depth to them!
What sort of insecurities/ obstacles does Mel have to over come? How does this help her defeat the villain? She has to be more mature, you say?
Okay, SHOW that. Don't say it. SHOW it.
Show Mel acting childish-- selfish, spoiled, like a know it all, not being understanding, etc-- and then show her overcoming those traits, and realizing her mistakes. Bam. Maturity.
Oh, you're saying she has to understand that growing up is important?
What I said still implies. Mel doesn't grow up within the book, she more so just goes on a quirky quest that really doesn't hold any value.
I think that this story/ world is so cool and whimsical but it falls flat on its face because the characters are so one dimensional! We don't see Mel grow, or change, we don't see her make any good friendships, etc. Instead, we just see her go on cool adventures. Which is nice, but this book is trying to be more, but failing. I don't get to see how Mel's loss of her grandparents impacts her, or how her everyday life impacts her, nor do I get to see WHY she's worthy of being the chosen one.
Look. I've rambled enough. I just hope the author's next work is better, and for the lack of a better word, more mature. This book is cute, and fun, but nothing more. It could've been more if more time had been put into the characters in story. I hope to see more from this author, since they're very talented, and have so much potential. I do hope their next work is better.
I couldn't get invested in Mel. Or her character, rather. Because there's no emotional background to relate to. Or there's no reason WHY I should care about her journey. She's just.. the chosen one. Okay.. and what else? Is she clever, kind, compassionate, smart? Is that what makes her the chosen one?
Oh.. no.. because a bee loved her so much?
Oh, okay I guess. I mean it's a cute concept.. but.. come on.
Okay, I'm being too mean.
This book is unique, and the author (I feel) has a lot of potential. But the characters in here are so lack luster! Mel isn't given time to shine, nor do we get to see her normal everyday life. Show me (besides one argument) what the rest of her life is like. Why doesn't she have friends? Is it because she's suffering from the loss of her grandparents? Is it because she doesn't know how to make friends? Is it a combination of those things?
How does Mel feel about making friends across this journey? How does that impact her? Oh, and how do Mel's friends feel KNOWING that.
Look, I know I sound like an English teacher, but I'm saying all this stuff because I know this book can be better! The charm, the whimsy-- all of it, yes ALL of it, has so much potential! But we don't get to see that whimsy elevated/ be impactful because the characters themselves fall short. There's not only no emotional connection between them, but there's no emotional depth to them!
What sort of insecurities/ obstacles does Mel have to over come? How does this help her defeat the villain? She has to be more mature, you say?
Okay, SHOW that. Don't say it. SHOW it.
Show Mel acting childish-- selfish, spoiled, like a know it all, not being understanding, etc-- and then show her overcoming those traits, and realizing her mistakes. Bam. Maturity.
Oh, you're saying she has to understand that growing up is important?
What I said still implies. Mel doesn't grow up within the book, she more so just goes on a quirky quest that really doesn't hold any value.
I think that this story/ world is so cool and whimsical but it falls flat on its face because the characters are so one dimensional! We don't see Mel grow, or change, we don't see her make any good friendships, etc. Instead, we just see her go on cool adventures. Which is nice, but this book is trying to be more, but failing. I don't get to see how Mel's loss of her grandparents impacts her, or how her everyday life impacts her, nor do I get to see WHY she's worthy of being the chosen one.
Look. I've rambled enough. I just hope the author's next work is better, and for the lack of a better word, more mature. This book is cute, and fun, but nothing more. It could've been more if more time had been put into the characters in story. I hope to see more from this author, since they're very talented, and have so much potential. I do hope their next work is better.