omnombailey's reviews
95 reviews

 I really wanted to enjoy this book, but the shift to epistolary was really jarring for me. The actual story itself continues to be amazing and I understand why it was formatted the way it was, but it was far more of a chore for me to read than the previous two novellas. 

 I was intrigued by this book months ago thanks to its summary. Then that intrigue plummeted when I got it from the library and noticed that despite there being a woc on the cover, the author photo displayed a very white guy. Not a great way to go into a novel. It's not to say Gladstone isn't allowed to write about a woc, but it makes me way more cautious with diving into the book, like I'm walking on thin ice.

I did end up enjoying it, though not as much as I wanted to. The worldbuilding is amazing and I loved all the magic and the gods and the law system behind all of it. The mystery was good, too, and the suspense of the last 20% of the book had me turning pages like crazy.

And that was kind of it.

I did enjoy the character interactions, but I didn't care for the characters on their own, save for Elayne. Even then, half of the character interactions involve one character infodumping to another character who knows nothing, something I'm not fond of in fantasy stories. I get it; there's a lot going on and it's realistic for one character to be clueless while another who is more familiar can spout off facts. But none of that makes for an interesting read. I wish there was more depth in these characters aside from wanting to revive a dead god. Again, Elayne had a lot of mystery around her, which I enjoyed, but Tara seemed 110% devoted to work and nothing else. Does she not have any hopes or dreams or struggles of her own? At least Cat has her addiction problem, which was... weird and could have been written better. It does make me wonder if because the author is a white male that he chose to exclude anything that would be associated with being a woman or being black or being something that wasn't him.

Furthermore, the prose is really evocative, but more often than not, it gets it the way of what the hell is actually going on. Yes, good job for making a poetic description, but when I can't tell who is doing what, then it's not adding anything to the story.

I know there are other books in this series, but I'm content with just having read this one. Not horrible, but not amazing. Worldbuilding was fantastic and the prose is pretty at times, but it's mind candy that leaves you more numb than stimulated. 

Ms. Marvel continues to strike an amazing balance between witty banter and emotional issues that strike close to home. I love seeing Kamala develop both as a superhero and as a person throughout these stories. She's incredibly relatable, charming, and genuine. Each volume of Ms. Marvel hits it out of the park and I'm forever eager to dive into the next volume. 

Hands down my favorite Ms. Marvel volume so far. Touched on so many relevant issues while also presenting new challenges to Kamala. And the stuff with Bruno just broke my heart. It's been so long since I've cried while reading a comic, but here we are.

A gorgeous arc with art and dialogue to match. This is what Marvel comics is about. 

Wow what a disappointing volume.

I read some of the later Captain Marvel stuff and then back-peddled enough to go over the beginning of Alpha Flight stuff and... it's not good. Not abysmal, but it's very clearly struggling to stay afloat. The constant change of writers for Captain Marvel doesn't seem to be helping the plot at all. Yes, Carol is still Carol (for the most part; she has some odd moments that felt one-dimensional), but for something that's supposed to be the intro of the Alpha Flight? I couldn't care for any of the characters or relationships, despite having read the later volumes and knowing all of them by now. Whatever tension or bonds that are there are shallow at best. And the overall story with the space stuff was boring.

The colors throughout the volume were gorgeous, but the art itself was questionable at times. A lot of the characters just didn't look good. There were a few instances of bad anatomy, too. Not really consistent.

On the up side, the last five pages were really solid. That was kind of it.

I'm just glad I got this out of the way so I can read other Marvel volumes that, you know, read like an actual Marvel comic. 

 I'm not one who enjoys nonfiction and when I heard this was written by someone who actually is autistic, I was intrigued, even more so when it is from someone so young. The book starts off with a lot of promise and I resonated with a lot of Naoki's explanations due to my own mental illnesses. After a while, unfortunately, the answers grow repetitive. A lot of questions are answered with, "I'm not really sure," followed by some rambling that may or may not be relevant. It sadly became less and less interesting to read when I felt myself reading the same thing every page. And the short story towards the end felt completely unrelated to everything else. It does make me wonder what has been lost in translation and if there are some Japanese societal norms or phrases that make more sense if that's where you're from versus being American.

Not a terrible read, but not one I'd recommend either. 

Absolutely phenomenal. I had a difficult time putting it down once I dove in.

For something that's marketed to young adults, this felt like a mature read and touched on so many topics that speak to many regardless of age. I loved the fantastic world this took place in and all the worldbuilding gems throughout. I loved the diverse, complex female characters. I loved the plot constantly making me think one thing and leaving me pleasantly surprised with the outcome. I loved how the darker themes in the story were tastefully written and came from a place of quiet understanding and solidarity. I laughed, I gasped, I grumbled, I teared up. I loved Lei and so many other characters and related with all of them at once in an odd way.

My only complaints were that the first few chapters were a bit difficult to get into and that the story eventually ended.

I did not expect to fall so hard in love with this book as I did. Also the first time I immediately sought the second book and pre-ordered it instantly. Can't wait for November! Definitely one of the best novels I've read in a damn long time.