TITLE: Garlic and the Vampire
AUTHOR: Bree Paulsen
GENRE: Fantasy
AGE RANGE: Middle Grade
PAGES: 160pg
Garlic feels as though she’s always doing the wrong thing. No matter how much her friend Carrot and kindly Witch Agnes encourage her, Garlic just wants to tend her own garden, where it’s nice and safe.
But when her village of vegetable folk learns that a bloodthirsty vampire has moved into the nearby castle, they all agree that, in spite of her fear and self-doubt, Garlic is the obvious choice to confront him. And with everyone counting on her, Garlic reluctantly agrees to face the mysterious vampire, hoping she has what it takes.
After all, garlic drives away vampires . . . right?
This was genuinely one of the most precious, wholesome, delightful things I’ve ever read in my life. If you enjoy cute, fluffy graphic novels featuring magical creatures, witches, vampires, beautiful artwork, and sweet, authentic anxiety rep, you absolutely, 100% need this in your life. Oh, and the main character’s best friend casually uses they/them pronouns, and frankly, I would fight for Garlic and Carrot without hesitation because they’re both flawless, soft little beans who deserve only happiness. No, you’re emotional over fictional produce-people.
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
WARNINGS:
anxiety, mild bullying
Garlic has anxiety, Carrot uses they/them pronouns
TITLE: Oddball (Sarah’s Scribbles, #4)
AUTHOR: Sarah Andersen
GENRE: Humor
AGE RANGE: Adult
PAGES: 112pg
The fourth book in the enormously popular graphic novel series, the latest collection of Sarah’s Scribbles comics explores the evils of procrastination, the trials of the creative process, the cuteness of kittens, and the beauty of not caring about your appearance as much as you did when you were younger. When it comes to humorous illustrations of the awkwardness and hilarity of millennial life, Sarah’s Scribbles is without peer.
I really love Sarah’s Scribbles a lot, so I don’t say this lightly: Oddball is 100%, hands down, no questions asked, my favorite Sarah’s Scribbles collection so far. I laughed out loud through so much of this and am still giggling over a couple of the comics. I’m not sure this will have a ton of appeal for anyone who isn’t a millennial or maybe Gen Z, because a lot of the humor is very millennial-specific, and as usual for Sarah’s work, a lot of it is also specific to cat lovers, people with anxiety and depression, and introverts. Nobody who knows me is surprised to hear that I immensely related to every comic in this collection and it was, in a nutshell, completely perfect for me. ♥
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
WARNINGS:
mentions of anxiety and depression
the author (“protagonist”) has anxiety and depression
TITLE: Sea of Thieves Collection
AUTHOR: Jeremy Whitley
GENRE: Fantasy/Action
AGE RANGE: Adult
PAGES: 112pg
Follow a crew of adventuring pirates as they sail the Sea of Thieves! Voyaging to far islands in search of legendary buried treasure, our heroes (or villains, depending on how you look at things) will face rival thieves, the wrath of undead hordes guarding their riches, and the worst that the vast sea has to offer! Can they work together to survive long enough to cash in their reward? Or will they end up as ghosts on the Ferry of the Damned…?
If you’re a Sea of Thieves player who’s ever wanted more back story on the Pirate Legend and his children, you’ll definitely want to pick up this super fun graphic novel! It tells the story of how DeMarco and Lesedi came to the Sea of Thieves, following their infamous father’s footsteps in search of not only his treasure, but his legacy, too. DeMarco and Lesedi are both lovable characters for sure, as are most of their crewmates, and the whole story plays out in typical Sea of Thieves fashion with a lot of laughs, a bit of violence, and a few knives in unsuspecting backs.
I can’t finish this review without also mentioning that this graphic novel featured some lovely canon queer rep for characters players will be familiar with from the game, and that warmed my heart. I’ve been in the gaming community a long time, and it still makes me so proud to see popular games embrace the reality of a diverse world. Give me all the chaotic bisexual pirate icons, please. ♥
WARNINGS:
violence, death
most characters are BIPOC (Indian, Japanese, Pacific Islander, possibly more non-specified) and multiple characters are queer (bi/pan, possibly lesbian)
— destiny ♥
1 Comment