Reviews

Boxers & Saints Boxed Set by Gene Luen Yang

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nssutton's review

4.0

Masterfully executed work of historical fiction, combining the realities of the Boxer Rebellion with larger realities of what it means to be human, protect what you believe in, and find yourself. The artwork is as stunning as the storytelling.

Although the two are meant to compliment each other, Saints will stick with me a little more. Vibiana's story is so heart-wrenching compared to the violence of Little Bao's choices. Both stories touch upon what is lost in the fight to try and save something, and when the two characters finally intersect.. well.. it's best left unsaid.

I felt deeply ashamed about how little I know on the Boxer Rebellion while reading these books. I can tell you exactly when we learned about them in high school, but little else. I am left with so many questions.

mattycakesbooks's review

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4.0

Really great. I got this as a Christmas present and read it within a day. The reason I'm giving it a 4 instead of a 5 is the second volume was slightly anticlimactic after a pretty much perfect first volume. It was good, but I think the story would have been better served if Vibiana had been a little more serious about the religion, and had actually embraced it rather than being a part of it for the cookies. Not that I have any stake in Christianity itself, but emotionally, it would've provided more impact in the face of the Boxer rebellion if she actually believed the stuff she was being taught, rather than embracing it because she thought she was a devil and it was the religion of the foreign devils.

Anyway, still incredible. So like, a 4.5, probably?

kteddycurr's review

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5.0

I love Yang, and this set had a subtlety in its view of Chinese religion and Christianity.

obnorthrup's review

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5.0

Each volume alone warrants 4 stars, but the two stories mirror one another in a really nuanced and impressive way.

wonderfool77's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative tense

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

zeeky63's review

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3.0

These two books put together are very interesting. I want to start with the artwork on the covers. It matches both in the box and if you lay them down side by side. I find this to be very unique and I loved looking at it when I wasn't reading. The story itself was quite interesting. I am not sure which order the books should have been read, but I read Saints and then Boxers. It made sense this way, but I believe it would also make sense the other way. I think Saints gives a bit of background information for Boxers. I liked how it talked about Chinese culture and ideas. The idea of it all going back to the "opera" was different, but it was easily understood by readers that may not have previous background information.