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A review by mariahistryingtoread
A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong
3.0
Literally every review I seem to write now starts of with 'it was nice' or 'it was fine'. I don't mind an average read, but jeez I need to break out more somehow.
This is a graphic novel which I do not generally read much any more. It's not from lack of interest, it's just how my reading habits have trended since I picked up reading regularly again.
And yeah, it was fine.
Presented as a tale of two former friends possibly reconnecting after years apart, this was actually more of a character study of a friend group. It reflected on a lot of hardships teenage girls face emotionally if not specifically. For example, a lot of people may not have relatives who are addicts however they'd still be able to connect with Ren because her expression of her feelings on the subject were universal; it's just the situation that might not be relatable.
That being said, as much as I enjoyed each girl getting their own little spotlight to reflect on an issue the book bit off more than it could chew. Outside of Ren, none of the other storylines are properly resolved.
A lot of what's going on with the girls is serious enough that it could take up a book on its own. So it's frustrating that these topics are either not revisited after being thrown out there or abruptly end after very little focus. Once it became clear the author had no intention of focusing more deeply on certain aspects it started to feel like she was just throwing things at the wall to see what stuck.
It would be different if this book was going for a more ambiguous, bittersweet 'this is how it is for some people' tone. But, it's clearly supposed to be happy go lucky by the end which just does not match the 300+ pages beforehand.
Count me as part of the flock who had trouble with the art style. I actually loved the changing color palettes. I found it an effective means of showcasing mood. However, I'd say the character designs needed to be a lot stronger because it was very difficult to tell a lot of the characters apart because of how similar they looked. I don't think people would have minded the colors as much if it was just more clear who was who.
I needed a light read after some heavy life stuff. Despite some of the material being heavier than I anticipated I found this to be exactly what I needed. I'll recommend this because it's a quick read. If it were any longer I wouldn't.
This is a graphic novel which I do not generally read much any more. It's not from lack of interest, it's just how my reading habits have trended since I picked up reading regularly again.
And yeah, it was fine.
Presented as a tale of two former friends possibly reconnecting after years apart, this was actually more of a character study of a friend group. It reflected on a lot of hardships teenage girls face emotionally if not specifically. For example, a lot of people may not have relatives who are addicts however they'd still be able to connect with Ren because her expression of her feelings on the subject were universal; it's just the situation that might not be relatable.
That being said, as much as I enjoyed each girl getting their own little spotlight to reflect on an issue the book bit off more than it could chew. Outside of Ren, none of the other storylines are properly resolved.
A lot of what's going on with the girls is serious enough that it could take up a book on its own. So it's frustrating that these topics are either not revisited after being thrown out there or abruptly end after very little focus. Once it became clear the author had no intention of focusing more deeply on certain aspects it started to feel like she was just throwing things at the wall to see what stuck.
It would be different if this book was going for a more ambiguous, bittersweet 'this is how it is for some people' tone. But, it's clearly supposed to be happy go lucky by the end which just does not match the 300+ pages beforehand.
Count me as part of the flock who had trouble with the art style. I actually loved the changing color palettes. I found it an effective means of showcasing mood. However, I'd say the character designs needed to be a lot stronger because it was very difficult to tell a lot of the characters apart because of how similar they looked. I don't think people would have minded the colors as much if it was just more clear who was who.
I needed a light read after some heavy life stuff. Despite some of the material being heavier than I anticipated I found this to be exactly what I needed. I'll recommend this because it's a quick read. If it were any longer I wouldn't.