bitsandbobsdivination's reviews
217 reviews

This books is one that I feel I will over time forget a lot of what happened but some very deep and very key moments, lines, and characters will stick with me. I’ll be thinking about Evelyn and her life while out and about living mine and be more honest, more brave, more myself, or more complexly flawed as human because of her and those around her in this story. Not all books stick like that so that’s pretty special…

Also, it just makes me want to reread it like ten years from now and see how my perspective in a new life stage changes my point of view of Evelyn. It also makes me want to reread Malibu Rising with Mick. 

Overall, a beautiful and deeply complex book that really shows how there are always multiple sides to every story. 

I really love what this book stands for in it’s message, and it’s commentary on war, duty, history, allegiance, patriotism, empires, propaganda, and lost stories over time. I also loved the art and enjoyed the ink colors, beautifully done spreads, and the story within them! 

What knocked the rating down for me was just that the characters fell kinda flat. I know it’s a graphic novel so it’s not always easy to achieve such deep connections with a large cast of characters in such a sort amount of time and space on the page… but I wish I could have. I enjoyed their unique points of view on the same situation they were placed in, but I would have loved to have been able to go deeper. 

Overall, I enjoyed reflecting on the themes of this book, but less so the individual character’s stories themselves because they fell flat at times. Still would recommend though! 3.75 stars 🌟

What do I EVEN say?! This book completely surprised me! 

I started out unsure how to feel about the book for the first two parts, but by part three, it really captured my attention in a way I wasn’t expecting nor have experienced in the same way before. 

The writing style of this book is what put me off at first as it is written in 3rd person and repeats character names (or lack there of) constantly as if you have forgotten who they were referencing. Seeing as it’s a children’s storybook at heart (and translated) I can see that being useful for younger readers to stay in the story and understand, but as an adult it felt really wordy when things could have been more streamlined. 

That said, it was only at the beginning as later on the storybook quality to the writing, because of my previous points and more, really charmed me and got me invested especially after things picked up with solid characters and a much fuller cast and story growing within part three and the rest of the book. 

I absolutely fell in love with a specific young character in the book and the friendships that were built within these pages. So many beautiful lessons were shared and I feel like I have traveled so far with them all!

Excited to jump back in with the next book and back into this world! Huge thanks to my best friend for sharing this story with me! Took me awhile but I’m so happy I’ve read it! 🥰✨

Gah! I’m gonna really miss these characters and their lives together. 

These books were so much fun and full of such adventure which I needed right now, but beyond that they all really had this deeper thread beneath them that really spoke to me in very personal ways. 

Adrian’s story was no exception, as I share many of the tendencies he does and in ways that I feel are never shown in books with stories so adventurous as these are! Typically anything to do with mental health is stuck in stories only for those who are too unwell to be fit for more than contemporary storylines or deep tragedies. Sometimes you get love stories that make them this ‘fun cute quirk’, but then it’s not honest or feels shallow in character development. 

Anyways all this to say, Adrian, and the other characters as well, really explored the honesty of mental health and illness without sugar coating it but also showing that adventure and a whole full life can be apart of it. These were definitely things I needed to see right now reflected back to myself and am very grateful. 

Overall, this book and all the rest have had this deep impact on me and my life around mental health, queerness, feminism, and others while also having me practically die of laughter in the best bantering ways possible. Excited to read these again and again as the years go on… 🌈🥹✨

I mean, I just love these two. 🌈🥹😂✨

Can’t go wrong with Patrick Ness, honestly such a beautiful flip on such a tale!

I will say the only reason it was 4.5 for me was because it was so short it was a bit predictable. I didn’t mind that too much because some tales really are kinda predictable, but that’s their charm. In this, I just think it could have been expanded to be a much bigger story and spin off from the original tale. 

Overall, I loved the message as it’s a good reminder to use your own discernment, your own mind, and to always see more than one side. That prophecy is to follow blindly when you think you follow truth, that tales can grow from mere myth to become what we think to be truth, and to always listen with a grain of salt… or the Devils we create  will run wild…

I’m not huge into literally fiction, but I do read a few of them and it’s typically a hit or miss for me. In this case, it’s more difficult to explain how I feel.

On one side, I felt the writing itself was done really well and if their writing was winning awards on creating a visceral and ‘real life’ response from you, then it definitely done it’s job. 

On the other hand, this story didn’t really go anywhere in that there was no resolution and just was kinda faltering from one subject to another. Not all stories have to have a resolution, but usually even then there is a bit of a development in the story or character growth in at least one of the characters. In this story, I felt no one grew, only explored more of their pain in an unhealthy way or lost themselves more to it. 

To me, this story showed us some very important, difficult, and painful topics that deserve to be shared... This I don’t disagree with and again, was done very well in expressing them, and at the same time they were shown and felt by us the readers, but never explored to show any way of challenging these topics…

No way of showing the reader any hope, any growth, or to show the that the narrative of Wallace’s life could improve or deviate from the snowball event it has been and seems to continue to be. Also the side white characters never growing either which is not on Wallace to fix, but them (myself included) to learn and do better. 

I suppose for some, ‘real life’ really can be and is that painful and this story shows that, and I respect that. We all live life with our own array of pain and trauma and heartache and suffering and it’s difficult to compare or ever really understand, and this story shows one voice in one ‘real life’.

I think for me it was pretty painful to see Wallace continue to suffer and never get any real help, resolve, or real support, only more to add to his already painful list, including the other character’s lists as well. 

Overall, this story left me feeling like I learned from his perspective as well as the others, but also left me a bit at odds with my feelings towards it as my personal view of life is quite an optimistic or hopeful one! This although is coming from my own personal perspective with heartaches and challenges as someone who is a woman and lgbt+, but also a cis, white, and lower middle class Midwestern. 

I want to hope that his life does improve with the right people and support around him in time beyond this one weekend, and that that can be ‘real life’ as well. 

3.75 / 5 Stars

This books was one I listened to almost all in one day and then took a month to finish the last like twenty minutes 😂 … 

This isn’t because the book was bad, I just got busy and kept not getting back to it, but!! That all to say! It was a beautiful book and one that tackles quite a few important issues such as biphobia, xenophobia, lesbiphobia, and family dynamics when it comes to a parents expectations and a child’s dreams, wants, and needs. Also horrible toxic friendships and how when you are that young you sometimes don’t know they are toxic because you’ve never known anything else. 

Overall a beautiful read, would have only liked to have more in the end as there is definitely room for a sequel. 

I’ve been trying to read this book and finish it ‘once and for all’ for yearssss, but the beginning always got me in how slow it is and how deeply I didn’t care about these random character’s weddings… but, that all being said, listening to the audiobook it hit differently while I was paper making. I had time to truly get immersed in the story not stumble through it. It was refreshing since I’d tried so many time to read it!

I’m glad I did read/listen to it when I did though, because I think it wouldn’t have hit as deeply or I wouldn’t have been able to connect to the deep loss she felt as empathetically when I first tried to read it. 

The scene with her and the school shooting waiting for news on her phone to hear from him was heartbreaking. With so many mass shooting here in America happening more days a year than not, I feel almost numb to it all. I know this is horrible to say, but it is also the only way for me to process or to protect myself from the fear and grief of it all. When reading this book it reminded me just how deeply I do work so hard to escape from it all,  not just shootings, but Covid, the pandemic, hate crimes, queerphobia, etc. I still vote, I still speak up, try to make changes happen, but I’m also constantly having to be numb to even talk about it sometimes or I just get so frustrated, upset, scared, worried, and grief stricken. So many innocent lives… this book has reminded me in ways I think I needed even if that means I have to feel it.

Beautiful book, and one that maybe wasn’t perfect, but did leave a mark on me. Would recommend. ✨

I love how deeply this book was rooted in friendship and creating true, real, and very raw connections with others. I really enjoyed the first half as well as was very nervous for the characters in the second as things blew up to the point I wasn’t sure which way it would go. 

Beautiful story as a reminder that we do have a choice in the end and there is always another way if we allow ourselves to seek it. 🗝✨