Hi bookworms! Today I have a very exciting review to share with you all! But first I would like to thank Penguin Teen Canada for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Make sure to check out The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen when it comes out on October 13th! The Magic Fish is a graphic novel all about family and storytelling. We follow Tiến, a boy who loves fairytales and stories and uses them to communicate with his immigrant parents. As his mother and father struggle with English, Tiến struggles to tell them how he feels. But how can he when there isn't even a word in Vietnamese to explain that he's gay? This was an absolute pleasure to read. The Magic Fish tells such a heartfelt tale of love, family and fairytales. I loved our main character Tiến and his devotion to books and written word. He was incredibly relatable with a unique sparkle of a personality. His friends and family were also amazing to see and read about. The formatting of this book is also something I thoroughly enjoyed. The photo below is of the first page of the book. The artwork is incredible! It is so detailed and intricate. I would love to have an art print of any of the scenes! I wanted to show you the first page in order for you to get a glimpse of the artwork but also to talk a little about the formatting I mentioned. The book has a colour scheme of three colours, pinkish red, golden yellow, and a deep indigo purple. The way the graphic novel is told is also through the colour scheme. When the scenes are pinkish red they are about the present with Tiến. When they are golden yellow they are of his parents’ past and their story of immigration. And finally the indigo purple is of the fairytales that Tiến reads to his parents. The artist limited the scenes to varying shades of these colours and it brought out the true beauty in the drawings. I was immediately sucked into this immersive story as soon as I read the first page. The entire book was beautiful, that is the word I would use to describe it best. I cannot begin to talk about how much I loved the art style, but the story itself was very touching to read. Seeing Tiến struggle against hardships like his teachers’ homophobia but also being able to enjoy himself at a school dance, showed his strong character. At many points I wanted to give him a hug, this book definitely brings out a lot of emotions. I may have teared up a bit when I read the ending. This book has definitely reignited my love of graphic novels and even fairytales! I’ve always been interested in how fairytales change depending on culture and I found it captivating as I saw them played out in front of me. It almost felt like a collection of mini stories throughout the bigger graphic novel which I enjoyed immensely. I left this book feeling very happy and content. Which I think so many of us need right now! With that said I have to tell you that this has become one of my favourite graphic novels of all time. Between the artwork, heartfelt story of family, and fantastic fairytales, this is a book you cannot miss! I gave this book 5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I hope you enjoyed my review of The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen! I had so much fun reading and reviewing this book. I recommend this to everyone! What’s one of your favourite graphic novels? Let me know in the comments below!
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AuthorPaige is a bookstagrammer and blogger who loves all things bookish. From fantasy to mystery she can’t get enough! She’s always ready to recommend you a book and she can talk about her favourites all day. When she’s not reading, you can find her watching Marvel movies, playing video games, and taking bookstagram photos. Visit her on Instagram and Twitter for more updates. CategoriesArchives
May 2024
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