elwirax's reviews
479 reviews

Rep:Afro-Latino MC gay, Latino bi LI, non-binary SC, asexual SC. 

It was sweet, had great representation ( I was glad to see an asexual character) and it was a great story of queer POC joy. 

However, I couldn't really connect to the main characters since most of what they talked about involved comic books and video games which I know nothing of (can't blame the book too much as that was the premise but it did get excessive at times). I liked the main characters, Issac and Diego but they often came of as whiny and there was not enough character development for me to be fully invested in them. I thought they had a great friendship and a cute romance but wanted a bit more nuance in their characterisation instead of their select few traits. I loved the friendship/ family dynamics though I wish the author had given them more attention, the conflict was wrapped up so quickly. Some of the side characters were interesting but weren't established as well as they could've been 

In terms of plot, not much happened for a good 70% of the book. The writing was fine but I feel like the author was trying really hard to sound like a teenager and the dialogue came across as forced and sometimes strange. 

Overall, it was a sweet, enjoyable read. I'm in no doubt that many who read this book will love it and feel seen and I'm glad for it. Personally, I needed a bit more plot.
 

I read Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke last year and didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped. Unfortunately, I felt more or less the same about  You've Lost a Lot of Blood

There was nothing really terrifying about it (a part from the way that sex scene was written). The atmosphere and vibes were great though. I liked the story within a story more than that of Martyr and Ambrose, had that been the main plot I would've enjoyed this novella more. 

I love LaRocca's strange concepts and their writing is amazing at its best, but the executions don't really do anything for me. The characters are rarely likeable which isn't the issue rather that I'm not invested in anything that happens to them. In this novella there doesn't seem to be a distinct plot though an an attempt at explaining the disjointed nature is provided at the end. I can't say that by the end I really understood the point ( there's a line about that somewhere in the book but I need there to be a purpose as an incentive to stay invested in a story). 

Overall, I think that LaRocca might not be the author for me which is fine. I'm glad I gave their books a proper go but I'll most likely not read anything else they put out.

Rep: Mexican lesbian MC, Chinese- American lesbian LI, Mexican bisexual SC, Black gay SC.

The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School was a fun and quick read that also had its darker moments. It explored topics such as racism, homophobia, religious hypocrisy, mental illness and reconnecting with culture quite well. The characters were distinct and likeable and the writing light and easy to get into.

What I loved most about this book was the relationships between the characters. I thought the sibling/family dynamic was well developed and the romance didn't feel rushed or forced. The friendship group felt realistic and I appreciated how caring they all were ( though I do wish we got to see more of their characters). It was really refreshing to see supportive parents. Rick and Emma were fun and I loved the development of Yamilet's mum which admittedly made me a bit teary eyed. The representation in this book was amazing and the chapter titles were also *chefs kiss*. 

I wish some of the important and emotional segments weren't as quickly wrapped up. I thought that the pacing felt a bit off wherein the first half was quite slow and then way too fast at the end expecially with the topics which arose at that point. I also think that some parts felt very disjointed where it jumped from scene to scene and didn't have much of a flow. In some regard, you also had to suspend your disbelief for certain scenes but this definitely didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book. 

Overall, I really liked this one, it was light and humourous but talked about some dark topics as well. It was just a great book about self discovery, acceptance, pride and love. There's a lot to enjoy about this book and I think it's a good addition to the many wonderful LGBTQIA+ Ya novels we already have.

Rep- lesbian Asian MC, Queer SCs 

I really loved the art style in this graphic novel and how much LGBTQIA+ and bipoc characters there were. However, I didn't like the overall story/plot that was all over the place. I didn't really like Freddy as a main character, there was a scene where a character was practically forcing their boyfriend to come out which was horrible. Not to mention the multiple cheating scenes and a pedophilic side plot. It was just not my thing. 

The author aimed to comment on many topics such as toxic relationships, manipulation, abortion and cheating but because this is a graphic novel, they were not explored in the depth they deserved to be.
 The ending wrapped up too well and too quickly despite how heavy these topic were and I think making this graphic novel longer would've helped in terms of a proper discussion. 

Given how short this graphic novel was, I felt no connection to any of the characters and if I can't feel that then no matter how interesting a plot may be, I won't care enough in the end. 

Overall, not my favourite graphic novel which is a shame as I expected to really enjoy it.

Rep- Chinese-Japanese Gay MC, Latino Gay MC, Chinese-Japanese SCs, Latinx SCs, Queer SC. 

All the characters were quite unlikeable (the parents, friends and especially Theo who was mean to everyone for no good reason). The only main character I could kinda get by with was Gabriel but even he irritated me at times (that scene with the cup made me put the book down out of sheer embarrassment and annoyance). They did seem to grow as the book progressed and became a little more tolerable which was good to see but not substantially so.The characterisation overall wasn't the strongest for most of the characters, they'd change their mind quickly about things with no development which made them seem flat and forced in their actions. I also didn't think that the POVs of the two leads were distinct at all, I kept forgetting whose perspective I was in. 

The romance was not really an enemies to lovers more like one sided hatred to friends.
 There wasn't enough chemistry between the leads for me to feel invested in an actual romance and in any case I thought that Theo was too toxic at the start for me to truly root for them even when he got a bit more tolerable. 
 
 In terms of writing style, I didn't mind it, it was simple and got me through the book quicker. 

Overall, I loved the concept but it ended up being way too melodramatic for my liking. I'm also over reading books where queer characters have to suffer from homophobia, we deserve happy and fluffy books too. The ending was sweet but didn't do enough to redeem the book for me.

I loved the use of colour to differentiate between past, present and different settings, the art style is so simple yet beautiful. The characters were interesting and I liked the found family element. 

If anything, I wish some aspects of the world building and characterisation were a bit more developed. I didn't feel as invested in the characters as I'd hoped and the ending wasn't entirely satisfying. However, the romance and relationships were sweet. 

Overall, a lovely wee feminist, queer, Sci-fi graphic novel.

 

Many quotes were well though out, truthful and witty, others...questionable but overall it was a nice wee collection of Wilde's bon mots. I do wish there were citations to differentiate which of Wilde's pieces these were taken from.