Scan barcode
alexisgarcia's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wow wow wow. this was so heartbreaking. the art style was the best part in my opinion. it was absolutely beautiful and added to the story. i just wish we got more of a resolution to the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Murder, and Child death
sallytiffany's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Wow. Such a powerful book. I felt the anger, sadness, and mystery of this book so acutely. The art was amazing and really gripping. I adored this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Self harm
tigger89's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the first graphic novel adaptation I've ever read that I've actually liked. I don't know if it's because it's also the only time I haven't read the original novel(I've heard of it and I know what it's about, but I've never read it) or if it really is just that good, but I was blown away by the quality. In my mind, there's three things that go into a good graphic novel adaptation: the art, whether or not it made use of the strengths of the visual medium, and faithfulness to the original.
Starting with the art, this book was drawn and painted in a beautiful watercolor style by Danica Novgorodoff. The softness of the art was a perfect contrast to the difficult subject matter, providing a cushion for the reader. When moments became sharper the art changed to reflect that, with some parts shown in stark silhouette or drawn as black-and-white sketches. I have nothing but compliments about the art, and I'm glad they didn't choose to go with a more traditional comics-inspired style, because I believe that would have cheapened the violence.
This book also made excellent use of the visual medium to enhance Reynolds's verse. When Will describes the territories in his neighborhood, the thoughts are scattered over a map taking up an entire two-page spread. Lingering effects reach from one panel into another, and silent panels provide a moment for the reader to stop alongside the characters and reflect. Monochrome vs full color is also used to great effect, signifying what's past and present, even as the time periods blur together in the same image.
I can't speak to the faithfulness of the adaptation, because as I said I haven't read the original novel. I did peek at the preview on Amazon, and recognized much of the text. From what I can tell, my conclusion is that this adaptation is different — particularly, the addition of some dialogue to the graphic novel version — but not necessarily unfaithful. I'll leave it to others who have read both to judge for certain, though!
Starting with the art, this book was drawn and painted in a beautiful watercolor style by Danica Novgorodoff. The softness of the art was a perfect contrast to the difficult subject matter, providing a cushion for the reader. When moments became sharper the art changed to reflect that, with some parts shown in stark silhouette or drawn as black-and-white sketches. I have nothing but compliments about the art, and I'm glad they didn't choose to go with a more traditional comics-inspired style, because I believe that would have cheapened the violence.
This book also made excellent use of the visual medium to enhance Reynolds's verse. When Will describes the territories in his neighborhood, the thoughts are scattered over a map taking up an entire two-page spread. Lingering effects reach from one panel into another, and silent panels provide a moment for the reader to stop alongside the characters and reflect. Monochrome vs full color is also used to great effect, signifying what's past and present, even as the time periods blur together in the same image.
I can't speak to the faithfulness of the adaptation, because as I said I haven't read the original novel. I did peek at the preview on Amazon, and recognized much of the text. From what I can tell, my conclusion is that this adaptation is different — particularly, the addition of some dialogue to the graphic novel version — but not necessarily unfaithful. I'll leave it to others who have read both to judge for certain, though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Violence, and Grief
pika_chuu's review
emotional
sad
tense
4.75
Powerful read. Illustrations and words were amazing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Blood, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Death of parent and Gun violence
strawberrytheauthor's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I feel like the ending didn’t really have a resolution. I like to think Will broke the rules, but I have no clue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Blood
bookworm247's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Murder
marissasa's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This outstanding, raw graphic adaptation of a novel originally written in verse was very quick to make me cry. The poetry and the story are deeply emotional and rooted in so much pain, anger, and sadness. The watercolor art direction was a perfect choice for this work, and I was breathless when big moments in the verse were paired with a full two page spread. The concept of the main parts of the story taking place all in a 60 second elevator ride alone is genius, but the execution went above and beyond with layers of complexity that I know I will be thinking about for days.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
saraellenme's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Drug use, Death of parent, and Grief
robinks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Such a powerful story. The illustrations really emphasized the flow of the words too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Death, Drug use, and Murder
Moderate: Child death and Grief
memorable's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Wow! I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when picking this up. I had goosebumps all the way through it!
Reynolds has done an amazing job picking the right words. And Novgorodoff has done an amazing job creating the paintings that make this story unbelievable and give it even more meaning.
Definitively a must read for everyone!
Reynolds has done an amazing job picking the right words. And Novgorodoff has done an amazing job creating the paintings that make this story unbelievable and give it even more meaning.
Definitively a must read for everyone!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, and Violence
Toxic masculinity