kaistephan's reviews
49 reviews

Monster Lands thoroughly answers the questions left at the end of Crossline Plains, and then some. Even though most of the story takes place in our world, Gibson still manages to convey an impressive scope and depth of the griffin world, and never once breaks her commitment to viewing the humans as alien monsters. That does tend to muddle the story thematically, however; with the recurring thesis that humans are uniquely terrible, Gibson never quite manages to show the griffins or other sentients as being uniquely noble, instead giving them a casual brutality that is shocking to most human readers. Nor does any character seem aware of this dissonance, calling into question whether or not it is deliberate or not. In addition, though the story is full of fast-paced action, many of the scenes in the middle grow repetitive after a time. The action is the core of the book, while moments that are supposed to be emotional have little or no buildup and end up feeling hollow. Altogether it is an interesting world with a story that doesn't quite know what it wants to do.

A delightful look into some of the less-explored parts of the Wings of Fire world. Also a wonderful commentary on the importance of paying attention to who is telling a story. The fact that this series is so popular gives me hope for the future.

A sweet story with fun magic, though the coming out metaphor was a bit heavy at times. I'm not entirely convinced that it's a healthy relationship for a twelve year old to have a best friend who is also her only friend and also her girlfriend, or the plausibility of them ending up as a functioning romantic couple, but I do appreciate that Emma does in fact make other friends in the epilogue. There is room for sequels so I look forward to watching Emma grow into her powers and into herself. 

It has Gene Luen Yang's signature style all over it, a heartfelt personal journey of self-acceptance with the help of an imaginary friend. Leyuen Pham's illustrations are gorgeous and evoke such a range of places, from Chinatown to Rome. But there were just too many details that rubbed me the wrong way to really get into it. The idea that one needs romantic love to be complete. The best friend used as a mere plot accessory without exploring the importance of other types of love. A queer character introduced only as a way to cut off a straight romance. The core was good, but the sides were half baked. 

Except the aunties. The aunties and grandma were absolutely perfect. 

An unflinching pandemic novel that faces grief and trauma head on; it's not just zoom school and social distancing, people are dying. Yet despite using a story within a story to show how storytelling is used to process trauma, the ultimate thesis is that the child needs to abandon the story and face reality, which muddles the theme a bit. Overall, the two stories synthesize very well, though, with both supporting each other instead of one acting as a framing device.

Came for the queer horse girls, stayed for the high intensity drama that still feels grounded in reality. Burkhart has no need to resort to over-the-top melodrama, instead masterfully capturing the depth of emotions of everyday conflicts from rivalry and mistakes. The romantic aspects are the least dramatic parts, actually, which is refreshing to find both in a tween story and a queer story.