wolfiegrrrl's reviews
241 reviews

A few flubbed words here and there, but overall a cozy vibe to listen or read along to. I love Gildart Jackson's dedication to the costume, play acting, and character voices. His reading has all the energy of a grand theatrical performance in the comfort of a grandparent's living room. The warm dim glow of the set is really calming and sweet.

The thing I found most curious was the seemingly deliberate decision to alter one word in the second to last chapter. I suppose whoever made that call thought the mention of "slaves" popping up in the middle of a cozy fireside Christmas story would be a downer for the kids listening, so they changed it to "servants" but then left all of the surrounding context in that scene untouched. Bit of an odd choice, but it is better than a completely "clean" and censored version being passed off as the original.

And this story sure is something alright. Was it all a fever dream? A child's dying delirium? A desperate escapist fantasy as the one feasible act of rebellion a 7-year-old could manage against an oppressive imagination-throttling environment trying to force her into a "proper" adulthood so early? Or truly some fantastical adventure about the powerful magic of believing in what the eyes do not see and the reward for staying true to your principles. You decide!

This first book in the Wings of Fire: Legends series presents us with a collection of extremely (dangerously) powerful dragons and asks us to consider what makes someone a "bad guy." Is it the nature of the power they possess? Were they just born that way? Or perhaps it is more complicated than that.

Once again, the narrative sticks true to the through line of the series: while absolute power corrupts absolutely, it is ultimately the choices one makes with it - how they choose to help or hurt the world - that determines who they are and how they will be remembered. Some "bad guys" do bad things for what they think are good reasons or because they're hurting. That doesn't make their actions right, but it's important to always remember that everyone is human - even if they stand in your way, even if you don't like them - because the moment you start to think yourself above anyone else or that any one type of person is all bad and deserving of death/punishment/suffering is the instant you have lost your humanity and become the very thing you claim to despise. Evil begins when you start seeing people as objects and Darkstalker shows us how easy it can be to fall into that self-righteous mindset... and how much of a conscious effort it takes to make responsible choices!

Forge Your Dragon World is a fun guide that walks fans through the process of creating their own characters, worlds, and stories using examples from the graphic novels to demonstrate.

The author begins by reassuring readers that there is no exact order in which anyone has to fill out these pages for the creative process to be successful, as inspiration comes in waves and different styles for every individual. Included is a section offering tips for how to take healthy breaks and brainstorm through creative blocks if they do get stuck.

The workbook format is an effective way to show readers the process of adapting a novel into a graphic novel and help them to decide which format resonates best with their skills and interests. There's even a breakdown of how to craft a title and design the cover of a book!

The Wings of Fire plot comes full circle in an incredibly satisfying way!

This original 5-book arc began with a dragon who didn’t want to be part of some great prophecy and ended with a dragon who feared that no prophecy would mean no happily ever after or greater purpose to the horrors of war and the suffering they had to face to get here. And yet the conclusion they both come to in their own ways is that it’s not silly to believe in a story if it gives you hope because at the end of the day fate is what you make of it. Your nature and the circumstances of your birth do not dictate who you are or who you choose to be.

"We’re not doing this because some prophecy told us to, but because it’s the right thing to do and there has to be a better way."

After a lifetime of being told that fighting and killing are equivalent to bravery and strength and watching the rest of his friends naturally be brave in their own ways, it's Starflight's turn to discover that being brave doesn't mean not being afraid. It means being afraid and doing the right thing anyway! At the end of the day, he provides a valuable element of his own to their team in the form of diplomacy and thinking smarter instead of bloodier to outwit his opponents.

Learning more about the NightWings shows us that not only is desperation no excuse to toss aside your humanity by treating other living beings like objects but bigotry and self-supremacy is a learned bias, not an inherent truth.
 

While the solution was always going to be a lesson in how coexistence and working together is possible if you are willing to try, given that this is a very bold allegory for racism and colonialism, it was pretty difficult for me to digest back in 2022 when I first read it. But viewing it from a different perspective in 2024, it seems to be saying that civilians are not responsible for the actions of their government and therefore should be afforded the opportunity to learn and grow. Some digs are still thrown at RainWings, but at least now it seems like that's more an effort to show that learned biases take time to correct than an attempt to still be racist in spite of knowing better.

For a middlegrade book, The Dark Secret does a decent job of showing that war criminals should take responsibility for their actions, accept the punishment they deserve for their crimes, and then make reparations and do better. Plus, it certainly doesn't try to paint the situation as black and white. Meeting others with hatred instead of understanding breeds more war and we certainly don't need anymore of that!

Everything On A Waffle is a quirky story where things just happen and then the main conflict neatly resolves itself on the last few pages. I think it was so charming to me as a kid because it reads like Primrose wrote it herself, so it feels like the story came straight from a child's imagination. As an adult, the nuance of each event is easier to pick up on and I started to understand the more realistic perspectives of the other adults in the story who tried to help her understand that maybe her mother's motives for leaving in that storm didn't necessarily come from a deep love for her child. Overall, this is a book that makes you think - no matter what age you are when you read it - and I appreciate that a whole lot.

For a book wrapped in plastic at the bookstore, I had been bracing myself for something a bit more graphic than boobs and a sprinkle of tastefully censored sex, but this was just my speed. Persephone: Hades' Torment is yet another webcomic that was compiled into a physical volume, which is noticeable right away due to its episodic nature and rather abrupt ending. And yet, regardless of how it left me wanting more development, the art style is beautiful to look at and the story itself is very wholesome!

The world around the budding Persephone x Hades dynamic is inhabited by allusions to characters from other Greek myths that may confuse you if you don't happen to know them already, but the references aren't so obscure that you would get lost in the plot if you had never heard of them. If you frequent online spaces where people talk about Greek myths - particularly concerning the titular pair - you pretty much already know this adaptation and everything else is just a delightful bonus.

I personally appreciate that Persephone has friends she can rely on outside of the developing romance, that Hades makes a point of admonishing Apollo for using magic as an excuse for his lack of self-control, and that Demeter isn't portrayed as the one-dimensional "controlling mom" character she is so often interpreted as in other retellings. The original myth about Persephone's abduction reflected an all too common practice at the time, so it might have felt like an acknowledgment of women's pain to those who heard it. Rewriting the story to be about Persephone's choice, the importance of self-control, and respecting women's boundaries and autonomy works out surprisingly well here. Demeter isn't a helicopter mom who wants to control her daughter; she is a concerned mother who knows the dangers of the world they inhabit and how important her daughter's role in it really is... and maybe doesn't always choose the best way of keeping her daughter safe or informed. At the end of the day, she is still flawed, but she is given the dignity of nuance and I can respect that.

If any of that sounds good to you, I'd say this is a story that's worth checking out.

The preschooler I read this book to said I should read it to my dog. His favorite part was the sounds the toddler makes while trying to use the potty.

Charlie gaslight, gatekeep, girlbosses his sister into eating her vegetables. Imagination is power!

Overall, this is not a bad start to the series. Anyone who has ever lived with a child who turns their nose up at the mere thought of trying new things can relate to Charlie's situation here. The art style is reminiscent of paper dolls occasionally interacting with with photorealistic objects in their hand drawn world, which will likely be eye-catching to the kids this series is for.

There's no point in beating around the bush. Everything was great until chapter 4.

Sure, there was a singular incident where one character kissed another character without asking and that didn't feel too good to read, but it led to a conversation about biphobia and bi acceptance which I felt was pretty solid despite how rushed it was. Honestly, the pacing isn't super great in general, but I was willing to accept that for the first three chapters simply because I can understand the limit to telling a whole story in that short amount of time and what I did get to see caught my interest.

And then chapter 4 starts with a character stating upfront that he doesn't want to consume alcohol. Great! A boundary has been established! But unfortunately, his partner is horny and anyone who is familiar enough with the tropes of the genre knows exactly where this is going. His partner makes the entirely grotesque decision to spike some chocolates with the specific intention of getting him drunk enough to coerce him into sex. That did not have to be the plot of this chapter. They could have had a conversation about it. Heck, if the spiked chocolate had been a mutually consensual part of their foreplay, even that would have been fine! While I can't say that the way this trope was executed here is as bad as other BL my eyes have had the misfortune of seeing, I also can't say it's excusable and it spoiled the experience of an otherwise sweet relationship for me.

Aside from that, the characters are mostly fun and likeable, the art style is very cute, and the sweets really make me wish I could see those pages in color! Even the few side characters we see are pretty enjoyable. My favorite is Miyamori, who seems super invested in his boss' life and well-being. The plot of the first three chapters and the bonus one-shots at the end is cute, mostly sweet, and a good balance of light angst and fluff. It cannot be overstated just how jarring the tonal shift of chapter 4 really is. So, brace yourself... or just skip it and enjoy the lighthearted story beats leading up to and following it like I plan to do upon any further rereads.