Wendy Xu (2) (1987–)

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley/Edelweiss. Content warning for child abuse.)

--4.5 stars --

Clementine Chang is thrilled to be on Mars - and working for her idol, Dr. Marcella Lin, at her shop, the University City Robotics Repair. After a rather traumatic upbringing on Earth, Clem is ready for a fresh start. With her AI SENA (Sentient Empathic Neurobonded Animatronic) by her side (or riding on her head or shoulder, to be more precise), Clem hopes to learn show more all she can from Dr. Lin. But you know the old adage about never meeting your idols.

Dr. Lin has her own custom build, a humanoid AI named Kye, who she uses (read: exploits) as a personal assistant. Though they were a popular avenue for experimentation fifty years ago, humanoid AIs have since fallen out of favor - not so much because of the uncanny valley factor, but rather people prefer their besties/servants to be cute, cuddly, and totally nonthreatening. While AIs are much more common on Mars than Earth, Kye remains an anomaly. An anomaly who starts glitching almost as soon as he meets Clem.

As Clem surreptitiously tries to help Kye behind Dr. Lin's back, the two begin to fall in love. But can a being who was created as a tool find - and claim - his own voice?

There are so many things I love about THE INFINITY PARTICLE (and just one thing I kinda hated). Set about five hundred years in the future, Clem's world is both recognizable, and yet so different from our own. Modeled after Earth, Mars feels comfortably familiar - and yet there are the little differences that remind us that we aren't in Kansas anymore (the preponderance of AIs chief among them). Xu's artwork is absolutely enchanting, especially in the variety of AI companions (I love that the archives has an owl!). Clem, SETA, and Kye are all charming, as is the case of supporting characters: Nadiya, Mykael, and Dr. Ada Han - in her own, social hermit kind of way.

As a supporter of nonhuman rights (both animal and sentient AI - I'm Team Cylon all the way!), I really enjoyed how Xu engaged with the ethical dilemmas surrounding AI. While there are people, like Dr. Lin, who see AI (even sentient ones) as resources to be exploited, thankfully this doesn't seem to be the dominant POV in the 2500s. Clem, Nadiya, Dr. Han - all of the "good guys" in this story treat AIs with respect, honoring their humanity and autonomy. (Dr. Han's story especially tugged at my heartstrings.) "Conscious" AI are not legally obligated to stay with their creators, and can even file legal paperwork to become their own guardians (which makes Dr. Lin's actions both morally and legally abhorrent).

The only cringe moment came when, enjoying a meal with eggs, Clem exclaims, "I'm so glad they figured out ethical space chicken husbandry." This is the same ongoing issue I have with SPACE BOY - five hundred+ years in the future, we're living on Mars, creating sentient AIs, but we can't figure out how to make plant-based, lab-grown, or 3D printed animal products? UGH. Dare we imagine a world without animal agriculture please?

I'm deducting half a star for this, but THE INFINITY PARTICLE is still going down as a favorite. show less

So. Freakin. CUTE! Give me witches, and werewolves, and forest creatures, and horse demons, but make it queer - I am so in, because magic has no rules! Xu and Walker waste no time throwing us into the deep end with this magical little graphic novel, starting off with the unexpected return of werewolf Tam into the life of witchy teen Nova. The pair were besties in their childhood, but Tam’s family made them move away, yet in true fairytale style the forces of evil can’t keep them apart! show more Well, maybe a possessed horse (and the cult who raised it) can try, but together these two harness the power of the forest creatures, Nova’s grannies, and Tam’s unexplored wolf magic to vanquish the demon. Well, technically they didn’t so much as vanquish it as defeat the cult and discover that the demon wasn’t so demonic when it had a little understanding, but that’s kind of the whole point. Throughout, the author and illustrator play with many of the magical tropes that we all know and love, but they give it their own unique twist. Nova’s deafness actually has some interesting magical side effects (much to the dismay of the cult leader), their bevy of forest creatures are absolutely adorable, and I thought their themes around werewolves and nonbinary states of being was extremely well thought out. Illustrate the story with a careful blend of artwork that is cute without falling into the underwhelming tropes of cartoons, and we have a perfectly well-rounded addition to the magical-teen genre of graphic novels! show less

A super cute and charming graphic novel with excellent representation (bisexuality, non-binary identity, disability, Chinese heritage), a genuinely sweet romance, and refreshing take on witches and werewolves (it's amazing to me that with how often werewolves are used as LGBTQ metaphors, next to none are presented as non-binary/gender-fluid... despite the werewolf literally being a creature whose body is non-binary/in flux... you've already committed to this metaphor, folks, give me some show more non-cis werewolves, please!). Tam, Mooncakes' non-binary werewolf is accordingly a nice change of pace and easily the most interesting character in the novel.

It was indeed Tam who initially sparked my interest in this graphic novel, as my dissertation is on recuperation of the figure of the monster in queer YA and I'd been dying for more texts with non-cis rep (especially for werewolves). Mooncakes seemed a timely answer to my little grad student prayers. It did not disappoint and I would love to see more with these characters.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. show less

Tidesong follows the story of young witch, Sophie, as she leaves her mom and grandma to go and train a year with her Great Auntie in hopes of being accepted in a prestigious magical academy the next year. But Sophie’s Auntie is very strict and Sophie can’t seem to do anything correctly. When trying to prove herself one night, her magic accidently gets tangled with a sea dragon, Lir, and transforms him into a human. Now the duo must figure out how to get him back into his dragon form show more before his father destroys the island out of rage.

The artwork of Wendy Xu is adorable and I loved it so much. Everything is just soft, beautiful, and clear… I could look at it all day to be honest.

The lessons in this middle grade book are numerous but the one that of course stuck out to me was the battle everyone faces with their inner critic. Because boy, did the inner voice of Sophie repeat the phrases my own inner voice shouts at me constantly. I may have very well shed a tear when Sophie and Lir had this interaction:

“But you’re more than one mistake”
“And you’re more than on audition”

Just, wow - punch me in the feels.

There is also a lesson on generational trauma and expectations elders can push down onto younger generations. Sophie brings up a good point that, “Everyone needs to apologize when they’ve hurt other people… just because you’re a grown-up… doesn’t mean you’re perfect.” That’s something I feel like adults really need to remember, especially when it comes to apologizing to someone younger than they are.

Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel! It was pretty fast paced, and I did finish it in one setting - and that was with me taking time to really stare at the panels and pages to see the art. Though this is aimed at the middle grade level, I think it would still be enjoyed by all, especially those who enjoy Studio Ghibli and The Tea Dragon Society. show less