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lauradoesnothing's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Hits different on a reread, for sure. First read-through (before WicDiv had even started) it was a very self-consciously cool story about a time in music that I was old enough to remember but too young to have Experienced. That was part of the charm for me, the awkward and performative way we wear our first fandoms on our sleeves is probably the only thing that could close the generation gap.
On a re-read, it feels less like young people trying to belong and worried that they're not following all the right rules to belong better than anyone else, and more obviously a bunch of adults who really ought to know a bit better. In retrospect, the whole climax revolves around making sure the beloved Britanniastays dead , which isn't in any way subtle so not sure how I missed it on the first go. I blame the folly and ego of youth.
David Kohl is the most despicable fuckboy to ever have graced a page, Emily Aster is an icon and I really have to stop seeing her as a role model. One star deducted because I have the greyscale version and I've seen what McKelvie's art looks like with colour. I guess that means I'm technically penalising them for being too low-budget to afford a colourist. How very Emily Aster of me.
On a re-read, it feels less like young people trying to belong and worried that they're not following all the right rules to belong better than anyone else, and more obviously a bunch of adults who really ought to know a bit better. In retrospect, the whole climax revolves around making sure the beloved Britannia
David Kohl is the most despicable fuckboy to ever have graced a page, Emily Aster is an icon and I really have to stop seeing her as a role model. One star deducted because I have the greyscale version and I've seen what McKelvie's art looks like with colour. I guess that means I'm technically penalising them for being too low-budget to afford a colourist. How very Emily Aster of me.
laurafd's review
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
emrodav's review
1.0
This book was just...yikes.
I love The Wicked and the Divine, and I had to read a book with a "music theme" for a summer reading book bingo, so I thought this would be the perfect read. But oh was I disappointed.
First, I'm not British, and not a British music fan really, so I felt like I didn't know what was going on at all. I feel like I'd need footnotes to make sense of it, but (luckily maybe) other things frustrated me and made me quit reading this before that became a huge problem.
The main character is a gross dude bro who says some really shitty thing about women, especially feminists and bi/lesbian women in a way that is so much like so many awful dudes both fictional and real. I was immediately not interested in reading any more. It's just the epitome of every gross dude who hates women but writes bad comics about them. And it's bullshit to be honest.
I tried to stick through for a bit longer to see if it got better or if the main character got better, but I just couldn't do it. It was a pain to read any of this, and I didn't even make it a third through this first volume. And why bother when there are so many other things out there that are actually enjoyable?
I don't know, maybe it gets better, but I'll never find out.¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I love The Wicked and the Divine, and I had to read a book with a "music theme" for a summer reading book bingo, so I thought this would be the perfect read. But oh was I disappointed.
First, I'm not British, and not a British music fan really, so I felt like I didn't know what was going on at all. I feel like I'd need footnotes to make sense of it, but (luckily maybe) other things frustrated me and made me quit reading this before that became a huge problem.
The main character is a gross dude bro who says some really shitty thing about women, especially feminists and bi/lesbian women in a way that is so much like so many awful dudes both fictional and real. I was immediately not interested in reading any more. It's just the epitome of every gross dude who hates women but writes bad comics about them. And it's bullshit to be honest.
I tried to stick through for a bit longer to see if it got better or if the main character got better, but I just couldn't do it. It was a pain to read any of this, and I didn't even make it a third through this first volume. And why bother when there are so many other things out there that are actually enjoyable?
I don't know, maybe it gets better, but I'll never find out.¯\_(ツ)_/¯
thepaige_turner's review
1.0
DNF'd.
I wanted to like this because it had a great set up for things that I LOVE (Britain, music, records, etc.) but I absolutely HATED the main character, couldn't figure out what the hell was going on with the magic and the rules of this world, and just didn't understand what was going on. You're thrown into this story with little to no information backing it, and maybe it comes up later, but I was too bored and confused to stick around to find out.
I wanted to like this because it had a great set up for things that I LOVE (Britain, music, records, etc.) but I absolutely HATED the main character, couldn't figure out what the hell was going on with the magic and the rules of this world, and just didn't understand what was going on. You're thrown into this story with little to no information backing it, and maybe it comes up later, but I was too bored and confused to stick around to find out.
tiarala's review
5.0
I can't imagine reading this unless you're starting with a love of Britpop, but I loved this so much that I devoured it in a single sitting. I'm going to spend the next few days listening to nothing but Britpop…but maybe not Kula Shaker.
fleur_de_lisa's review
3.0
Pretty cool concept but a little hard to follow at times. I probably would have enjoyed it better as well if I had a better working knowledge of some of the bands referenced in this, but I do at least appreciate the glossary at the end to try to help break it down.
the8th's review
3.0
3.5, is what I'd give, if I could do a .5 here. Fun read. Really like art style as it kind of reminds me of Adrian Tomine in his later days. Very clean drawing style, but definitely stylistic. The story is very fun if you are at all a brit pop fan, intermingled with magic of course. Looking forward to the next part.
ratgrrrl's review
1.0
CW: Misogyny, Homophobia
It's only fair to acknowledge it's no longer 2006 and this just isn't for me. Even worse, it's so nearly for me that it's so much less for me.
What if magic was focused through music and there were gods of periods, movements, and vibes?
It's an interesting question that other things, including Neil Gaiman's American God's answers better, but there are definitely some cool concepts and swings here, but it's all a bit incel hipster Constantine who's the lovechild of Stewart Lee and Mark LeMarr with very little self awareness in a nightmare High Fidelity.
I'm the right age for the references and I was/ am into a whole lot of the things referenced, but not in a way that this does anything for me. I'm also the wrong gender and sexuality to not find the trying to do a send up of the thing by having a protagonist who does the thing without engaging with it, so it's just doing the thing.
I get that they set the guy up as being the worst, but he's not really treated like that and saves the day like any other comic character, so it falls flat in celebrating an awful person with about as much self-awareness and lack or telegraphing it as Rick and Morty.
Maybe I'm missing something about it being so on the nose and exercise in epic cringelord hipster dudes rockness actually being good and clever, but it was just pretentious, annoying, and problematic for me.
It's only fair to acknowledge it's no longer 2006 and this just isn't for me. Even worse, it's so nearly for me that it's so much less for me.
What if magic was focused through music and there were gods of periods, movements, and vibes?
It's an interesting question that other things, including Neil Gaiman's American God's answers better, but there are definitely some cool concepts and swings here, but it's all a bit incel hipster Constantine who's the lovechild of Stewart Lee and Mark LeMarr with very little self awareness in a nightmare High Fidelity.
I'm the right age for the references and I was/ am into a whole lot of the things referenced, but not in a way that this does anything for me. I'm also the wrong gender and sexuality to not find the trying to do a send up of the thing by having a protagonist who does the thing without engaging with it, so it's just doing the thing.
I get that they set the guy up as being the worst, but he's not really treated like that and saves the day like any other comic character, so it falls flat in celebrating an awful person with about as much self-awareness and lack or telegraphing it as Rick and Morty.
Maybe I'm missing something about it being so on the nose and exercise in epic cringelord hipster dudes rockness actually being good and clever, but it was just pretentious, annoying, and problematic for me.