hflh's reviews
57 reviews

No One Else follows a family after the death of a grandfather/father. It creates an outside-looking-in experience, focusing on short moments and interactions within the family rather than deeper explorations of each person's feelings (each person's differing response is highlighted, but it's more surface level through their actions and a few flashbacks).

This is a heavy but quick read, touching on the complexity of loving an abusive parent, the toll of caring for an elderly family member, and the unfair pressure and stress that gets put on kids within a family. The narrative is more surface level, focusing on creating an overall mood while characters and conflicts are relatively basic. It definitely feels like a story meant to make you reflect on your experience vs. sitting with a character in their experience. The art complements this well, focusing more on mood with simple drawings and monochrome colouring.
 
I absolutely loved the art. Both the simple drawings and colouring did a good job of making this family's experience of grief feel muted. Panels also emphasized distinct actions within moments rather than a cohesive narrative which I thought did a good job of captured the feeling of running-through-the-motions after a traumatic family event. 

I really liked the simplicity and detached, outside-looking-in reading experience. But, the simplicity did happen at the cost of nuance. The characters and conflicts felt stereotypical and, at times, exaggerated. It worked, but I do wish the novel had been a longer so it could have included a little more nuance. 

NOTE: The death of the grandfather/father is pretty intense (not graphic, just cause of death) and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. It definitely adds a layer of weight, but I'm not sure if it adds value to the reading experience or was just a way to add additional drama/conflict.

I absolutely adore this webcomic to the ends of the universe and back so I reread it to give it a review that does it justice. 

TL;DR: everything I look for in a comfort read – emphasis on friendship, whacky adventure, fun fellowship vibe, satisfying queer representation! 
 
Summary
Dare Crilley is the best bike messenger in the world. So, naturally, when the universe is doomed to collapse because the gods won’t talk to each other, the gods turn to her for help. Dare must reopen the lines of communication between the gods by delivering messages between them. If she fails, the universe will collapse. 

Dare spends part-time in the whacky and dangerous world of the gods and part-time navigating her personal relationships in and outside of work. This comic does everything right and everything you don’t expect and it’s wholesome, fun, refreshing, surprising, etc. etc. etc.. The art style is also very compelling - unique, fun, and colourful!

Review
This is a whacky, and playful story with a loveable cast of recurring characters. The plot is very fast-paced but there are still tender moments and a running theme of showing up for your friends. 

Because of the fast and action-focused plot, there are time skips and a lot of the relationships develop behind the scenes, but it still feels organic. Also sometimes things felt unrealistic but we’re literally dealing with gods so it didn’t impact my experience. What did impact my experience - sometimes the world-building felt heavy-handed and there are some overdone gags (particularly in the second half) but overall a very entertaining read! 

I usually don’t like books about gods, but I have never been more pleasantly surprised. I usually don’t like love triangles, but this is the only satisfying love triangle I’ve ever read and probably the most satisfying relationship dynamics I’ve seen for a bisexual woman protagonist in a love triangle. I don’t want to spoil any of these things, but check my spoilers section if you want the tea* 

On first read, I rated the whole thing 5 stars; on reread I would rate S1 5 stars and S2 4.5 stars. S2 flounders a bit in the beginning, focusing a more on characters partying and being ridiculous (which worked much better when it was in moderation) and less on a tight plot, but it finds its feet again for a satisfying end. Regardless, I am honouring my first impression rating because these issues didn't bother me. 

*My spoiler loves on the world of the gods and the love triangle:
World of the gods:

These are not your traditional gods. There are gods you’d expect: fire and war gods, nature gods. But, there are also mundane gods like gods of café napkins and internet browsing history. The world they’ve built is a really fun take on gods-among-us stories.

Love triangle:

I also really loved how they handled the relationship between Dare, her girlfriend, and the male god who develops feelings for Dare. In S1, I almost thought Dare’s girlfriend was going to be killed off so Dare could end up with the male god but was very pleased with how it was resolved. In S2, the god confesses his feelings and the comic hints at Dare having some feelings as well but Dare only ever emphasizes how she loves her girlfriend and wants to stay with her and it's clear she has no second thoughts. The god is never jealous, he treats Dare first as a friend, and their story concludes with a healthy friendship and I cannot get enough of it.

Summary
After learning her MS is progressing, Mel discovers that new research shows she only has 6 orgasms left. The novel is written in a diary style as it follows Mel figuring out what to do with her last orgasms while navigating increasing mobility challenges, finances, and personal relationships. Mixed with magical realism and humour, Mel’s life rarely takes the turns you’d expect. 

Clark’s writing style is consistent but the book changes drastically from start to finish which (mostly) works well mirroring the progression of Mel’s MS. The book starts with a light-hearted, Bridget Jones style tone as you follow Mel and her last orgasms through her mess of a life and takes on a more serious note as Mel’s MS progresses. 

I loved seeing a queer, disabled, sex-positive protagonist who actually loves herself (and a middle-aged woman with a sex life!) I also loved the portrayal of sex work in a positive light. The bare bones, antics-focused writing style made it hard to attach to Mel at first but left me smiling at the funny and wild ride. As the story started focusing more on Mel and less on her orgasms, I became invested in Mel and her relationships and even got a little heartbroken. 
 
The biggest thing I struggled with was the ending. The ending was great - taking a lighthearted start and an emotionally challenging middle to a hopeful but somber end – until a plot twist in the last three pages. The twist made sense in the logic of the story and characters, but it was less satisfying. This may have been intentional to have a conversation about living with disability in today’s society, but it either went over my head because I don’t live with a physical disability, or it wasn’t clear enough in the writing (see end for spoiler thoughts). 

I also struggled with the portrayal of consent. CW: unwanted advances

At one point, Mel is on a date where the person makes unwanted advances. Mel is distressed in the moment and is able to get away, but it does not come up again. I can understand this scene portraying a marginalized person not giving situations like this a second thought because it’s a regular experience. However, part way through the book, Mel loses control of one of her hands which results in her regularly grabbing men’s crotches without meaning to. It is explained within the story and Mel apologizes and feels bad but because of the general silliness surrounding the situation, it is hard for it to not come across as a gag. There is also a moment where Mel experiences sexual advances she does not seem comfortable with at first but after enduring it for a bit, she eventually becomes into it. I think it would have been okay if the writing showed a thought process where Mel felt uncomfortable but wanted to engage to see if she'd enjoy herself but the scene happened so fast that it left me a little uncomfortable

 

Spoiler review on ending 

Plot summary:

Towards the end, Mel’s able-bodied friend dies in a bus accident while on vacation. In his will, he’s left everything to Mel. Mel uses his life insurance and his property to build an affordable, assisted-independent living community for people with mobility-related disabilities. In the last three pages, you find out that one woman who moved into the community is the man who died. The bus accident left the friend half paralyzed so, instead of returning home, he feigned memory loss and let everyone believe he had died. He returned with a new identity after finding out about Mel’s assisted living community. Mel is obviously upset about the huge lie but (in the span of a paragraph) she decides she has no choice but to live with it because he gave so much to her. The twist makes the emotions surrounding the character’s death and Mel building something positive out of it meaningless and the surprise reunion isn’t even satisfying because it sets up a weird, toxic relationship dynamic where Mel’s friend completely broke her trust and she knows she can’t forgive him, but she feels obligated to him for the rest of her life.

 

Thoughts:

I am not sure if it’s meant to be a larger conversation about disability being so shamed in society that someone would rather everyone they know think they’ve died, or about the relationship challenges related to having to rely on people when you live in an inaccessible world, or that you can only have a bittersweet ending if you’re a disabled person living in a world not built for you. If it is meant to have a nuanced conversation, the twist was covered in so short a time that it’s hard to unpack. If it was meant to be a whacky happy ending for a whacky story, the somewhat toxic relationship dynamic makes it hard to enjoy.

I know this review goes hard but you can't stop me from saying web comics are real literature.

Summary
After a meteor hits the Earth and sets civilization back several decades, the last man on the moon believes he is the last man alive. But! People on Earth have survived and NASA has just enough remnant technology to broadcast surveillance footage from the moon live to the world (without sound). While "Moon Yoo" bides his time as the last man alive, the world watches his every move as they recover from their collective trauma.

The Truman Show with a sci-fi twist, Moon You is an absurdist take on the apocalypse with very human themes of hope, loneliness, and connection in times of need. While there are some weaker chunks in the middle, Seok does what they set out to do within WEBTOON's episodic format. I would recommend this to readers who want a not-too-serious read, enjoy absurdism, and don't need every part of a story to make sense. Moon You is a compelling and humorous comic that often feels like a fever dream, but in the best possible way.

In-Depth Review
This is a well-done comic that largely keeps to its dominant themes and tone, but it can get away from itself at times.

The first chunk begins by following Moon Yoo building his lonely life on the moon while NASA struggles to broadcast him live and the world looks for meaning in his weird antics. This part is delightfully absurd and full of humour but still engages with darker themes of isolation and mental health.

When Moon Yoo creates a doll with two popsicle sticks and yells at it to talk to him, priests see him waving around a cross and become more resolved in their faith; when he starts hanging nooses around the moon base, close-up views of the ropes and knots make his female fans think he's making them hearts

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There are also spooky elements as weird things start happening around the base and you are left wondering whether Moon Yoo is losing his mind or there is more to the base than it seems. As these plotlines develop, the world of the comic becomes bigger and the circumstances of how Moon Yoo was left on the moon begin to unravel. Seok does a good job of using these elements to build suspense and create a downright creepy atmosphere in some of the episodes.

The final chunk continues the absurdism and humour, but surprises you with some really tender moments that hit you in the feels. Seok does a good job of incorporating the above mentioned themes in a way that you can still read casually for some laughs and a healthy dose of the absurd.

It's the middle chunk where I had some problems. Part way through, there are a handful of episodes that seem meaningless to the story. While Seok has episodes that do not relate as closely to Moon Yoo as others, they still engage with the main themes and are enjoyable, funny, or interesting to read. Others either feel so random that they stand out against even the inherent randomness of the story or are just pointless filler that present no content beyond d**k jokes. There are a also some big, multi-episodes plotlines that are introduced but never fully resolved. The story recovers at the end, but these middle episodes did negatively impact my reading experience though I doubt they will be a big drawback for most readers.

Ultimately, I am rating this 4 stars. The weaker episodes still fit in with Seok's approach and, as the story was written and published in episodes, these parts were very likely filler content while Seok was developing the rest of the comic and figuring out where the story would go. 

TL;DR: This rating would be 3-stars if it weren't for Madeleine Olivia's irresponsible use of facts and skincare advice. I do recommend this book as it's a quick and easy intro to sustainable living and the overall presentation is endearing. BUT, be very critical of the claims Madeleine Olivia is making and what areas she is qualified to give advice on (e.g. consult a dermatologist or esthetician before using essential oil in your DIY skincare)

ON CLAIM-MAKING:  When reading, be mindful and critical of which claims are cited and which are not. Madeleine Olivia regularly cites facts about the environmental impacts of consumption, but makes other claims with no sources at all. This is concerning when the claims are surrounding health advice like specific benefits of DIY skincare ingredients or how aluminum in deodorant apparently alters estrogen receptors in breasts (pg. 154).

The latter claim, especially, is something that should not be thrown around without reputable scientific sources. This was the only fear-mongering type claim that stood out to me, but it's still concerning that so much research went into educating the audience about environmental impacts compared to how flippantly health advice was provided. Madeleine Olivia simply states it is important to avoid aluminum in deodorant because of it's impact on estrogen receptors, but does not acknowledge that research suggests the amount of aluminum being absorbed in the body is too minimal to have an impact on your health. The American Cancer Society has a page talking about this claim if it had you worried: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/antiperspirants-and-breast-cancer-risk.html

ON DIY SKIN-CARE: There is a big DIY skincare and clean beauty push in the sustainable living realm of the internet, but sometimes DIY/clean beauty is worse for the environment, ineffective, or unsafe. For example, pure essential oils are often irritating to your skin and lots of DIY recipes don't really do what they claim because they haven't been specifically formulated for that purpose. Using an overripe avocado on your face won't cause you any harm, but it probably won't do much good (but please don't do this with food that's still good to eat -- it's just a waste). Other ingredients like lemon could seriously harm your skin.

I'm not against DIY skincare. Non-comedogenic oils work as great alternatives to expensive, package heavy makeup removers (if followed by an actual cleanser) and certain raw ingredients will actually do what they say. But, definitely be critical of this section and do your own research on what will be good for your skin. Especially if you have serious skincare concerns, a DIY routine will likely not address them in the way you need (speaking from experience :()

If you don't have access to a skincare professional (same :(), there are plenty of dermatologists and estheticians on YouTube who provide more qualified advice. I would recommend Cassandra Bankson - she is a medical esthetician that uses cruelty-free/vegan skincare and is more eco-conscious than some others.

ON "MAKING A POINT" ABOUT PLASTIC USE: At one point, Madeleine Olivia recommends unwrapping produce and leaving the plastic in the store to make a point. This is just rude to service workers and likely won't make its way up the ranks of the store to be able to actually make a point. Similarly, she recommends sending your empty packages to skincare companies to make a point. The only point this makes is that you are willing to buy the product despite the plastic. A better way to make a point to brands is sending emails or letters expressing your concerns -- this has a better chance of making it to the ears of the people who matter.

GENERAL REVIEW:
This book reads like a series of blog posts. I've seen reviews criticizing this, but I think this feature is the book's greatest strength. Yes, you could probably find a lot of the information online (which isn't that the case for most lifestyle books?), but this book puts everything you'd find in several different Google searches into one neat book that you can regularly reference. If you want a tips for a certain area of sustainable consumption, you can pull out this book whenever you need instead of Googling and reading a bunch of different blog posts on the topic every time you want a refresher.

Madeleine Olivia uses a very accessible, conversational tone which you will either find annoying or endearing. I found it endearing. Everything is also broken down into headings and lists. This makes the book easy to skim. If you don't want all the conversational fluff, you can easily skim the headings and lists and then read the parts that stand out to you.

Despite my critiques and low-rating, I would still recommend this book. It's simple, easy to read, and includes a variety of tips on sustainable living that will be helpful to beginners and a good reference for experienced low-wasters just looking for a reminder.

ON ECO-CONSCIOUS LIVING:
Low-waste living is a really important aspect of responding to our various environmental crises, but eco-friendly consumption is not going to change the world. If this book left you excited to take care of the environment, please take your learning further and look into the different ways you can support climate and environment action through donations, lobbying and other forms activism, etc.

Self-indulgent blog posts that hinge on pop-culture references and attempted humour over nuanced arguments. To put it plainly. 

~~~~~~~
This was gifted to me and I so wanted to love it. At first, I liked the conversational, somewhat meandering approach and enjoyed getting to know Gay through her writing. However, I grew tired after I started wondering if the collection was going anywhere. I put it down after reading other reviews citing similar experiences. 

This book wasn't for me but, if the positive reviews resonate with you, it might be for you! The pop-culture heavy and casual approach is certainly refreshing if you want something lighter and more fun. 

This is a fun, fast-paced novel that explores the behind-the-scenes of villains, the harm of heroes, and what it means to become more and more entrenched your work. While the main character isn't the most likeable (which seems to be the point), the weird world of super-business that she inhabits is both compelling and hilarious. And, if you don't like June, there are plenty of side characters who you will come to root for (but be warned it will be sad when they aren't June's priority). 

Read this book if you'd like a quick, funny read following the arc of mundane office life to full-on superhero vs. villain action OR enjoy books that follow the evolution (or devolution) of flawed characters.

Rating 4 stars because the ending of the book felt a little rushed. I liked the direction the ending went in, but it felt like it needed more than a handful of pages to unravel and there was one plot-point that felt like it could have been resolved better.

SPOILER REVIEW:

This book isn't about how heroes are the real villains; this book is about how heroes are no better than villains told from the perspective of an up-and-coming villain who can't see that. 

After being severely injured by a hero who is rescuing a child from her villain boss, June goes down a rabbit-hole of calculating the harm that heroes cause. Fueled by her desire for revenge, June eventually finds herself working for a bigtime supervillain and starts plotting the demise of several heroes in the city. The more June becomes immersed in her work, the more obsessive and villainous she becomes. As the book progresses, June becomes more aligned with her cool villain boss and more alienated from her everyday friends and coworkers. 

What starts as devious but relatively harmless efforts to bring down the heroes spirals to darker plans as June takes this journey. At first, you cheer June on as she and her team plot against the heroes. However, there comes a point where you, along with some of the side characters, go "oh shit - things just got real". This moment marks a turning point for June's path. 

I've seen many people in reviews and on reddit complain about June being unlikeable, having a lack of self-awareness, and being weirdly obsessed with her boss but I think that's the point. We follow June as she realizes the very real problem with heroes but, in her efforts to achieve justice, is seduced by revenge and becomes no better than the people she hates. Her lack of self-awareness and unlikability are key points to the story and the weird obsession and growing relationship with her boss parallels June's descent (or ascent?) into villainy. 

Towards the end of the book, Walschots introduces the Draft (the larger corporation that drafts children and turns them into the heroes and villains), leaving room for a sequel to explore heroism and villainy through a lens of systems.  In Hench, we see the personal vendettas June, Leviathan, Supercollider, and Quantum Entanglement all have for various individuals. I will be curious to see if this will change with a sequel seeing June become more self-aware as her and Leviathan work to tackle the Draft.