Reimena Yee

This was a cute little story about growing up. I liked the ghost character a bit more than the girl, but both were fine. This was a very quick read to me and although the art was fine, I didn't love all of the page layouts and thought some of the other magic at the end (not the ghost) felt sort of random and confusing. The overall message here was nice, but overall this just fell a bit flat for me. It all felt a bit too fast and some of the messages felt forced. Maybe if I was a bit younger show more I would have liked it more, but as somebody who reads a lot of graphic novels, this one just didn't stick out to me which is a bummer since it has such a cute name.

Also, I may just be annoyed because I used to live in Salem and my birthday is on Halloween so when the book started with her in a Salem sweater, I was sort of annoyed. Luckily, she wasn't from Salem (which is a huge pet peeve of mine since everybody just turns it into a witchy stereotype when it's not like that at all). I was sort of turned off anyways though and then when her birthday was on October 30th and she was into all of this witchy stuff I just kind of rolled my eyes... I guess that's on me. I just think it's annoying to give characters a Halloween birthday just because they like spooky stuff. I know all of that is totally unfair though so I'm not letting that judge my actual opinion of the book. I don't even fully know why it bothered me, it just does. show less

In 17th-century Istanbul, shy young scholar Zeynel and aspiring carpet merchant Ayşe enter an arranged marriage and find themselves falling in love—only to find that love tested after several years when Zeynel is turned into a vampire. Reimena Yee's art is lovely, drawing clear inspiration from early modern Turkish carpets and manuscripts in terms of her style and her panel layouts. The book's origins as a web comic show, however, in its slightly meandering and occasionally confusing show more structure, and I found the first part (Zeynel and Ayşe reflecting on love, faith, and storytelling via women's craft) more compelling and clearer in its narrative thrust than the second (Zeynel realising he's a vampire and angsting over it.) Still a quick and pleasant read and I'll keep an eye out for the second volume. show less

children's middlegrade graphic novel - 11/12 y.o. introvert misfit Lori Xi's best friend Bobby (a queer Black boy trying to fit in himself) starts to drift apart from her, but Lo meets a new ghost friend Alexa whilst playing with a ouija board one day. (takes place over September thru Halloween (Lo's birthday falling on 10/30), Christmas, spring, and another birthday. Set in modern day (with a ghost from the 70s discovering the information available through a wifi-connected tablet) in an show more unnamed location (author is Malaysian/Australian).

beautiful and super-cute digitally-penned artwork with plenty of middlegrade appeal. I missed some details on my first reading (Bobby forgetting to wish Lo a happy birthday), but I love how Lo's character and her imagination are captured on the page, her reluctance to let go of childhood as easily as the other (suddenly boy-and fashion-obsessed) girls seem to do, the awkwardness of being caught in an uncertain, in-between age. show less

A one-time adventurer has become a recluse in a mansion on a hill, bitter and lonely, until a visit from a sibling's child reopens their eyes to a life of adventure. With its echoes of Uncle Scrooge McDuck's first appearance in "Christmas on Bear Mountain" with his nephew Donald Duck (for DuckTales enthusiasts, there's even a housekeeper with a mysterious background and special skills), I was primed to like this book.

The characters and their relationships are good, with the lead being a show more blind girl who yearns for travel and adventure, but I only wish less time was spent on the ocean cruise to the actual adventure (nearly half the book!) and more time on the action finale.

I'd certainly like to see the sequel hinted at in the closing pages. show less