Pixels of You

2.8/5 stars 🔷THERE CAN BE TRIGGERING CONTENT IN THIS BOOK. INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO RACISM, BLOOD, AND DEATH🔷 Update I didn't love this. It felt like it was unfinished. It felt to me as if the character arcs weren't necessarily complete. I loved the MCs and their potential as a couple, but we don't really get to see their dynamics and how they shift once they get together. In the end, I was more focused on how the world around them was being built than on their character development. The depiction of chronic pain is more accurate and well-represented in this novel than most depictions I have encountered before, as they tend to have it more as a plot device. SPOILERS AHEAD: (view spoiler)[This book felt more focused on Indira than Fawn. I think this was to justify her actions and attitude towards Fawn. Although I found it to be one of the more interesting parts of the book, I felt it was slightly overdone. By doing so, it felt as if the parts where it was focused on Fawn were rushed, which ended up leaving more questions unanswered in terms of her past. The random plack pages that included headlines definitely threw me off, leaving me confused as to why they were even added. It felt unnecessary and distracting even if they tried to explain Indira's backstory, with the cause of the accident being that the developers of the AI system were racist and deemed them less important. (hide spoiler)]

The story is short so it isn't easy to get really attached to the characters or their relationship. Even so, it was visually pleasing and a nice way to pass the time.

Rather than getting interested in the main focus of the story, I was really intrigued by the little sci fi tidbits strewn throughout. Every so often there is a black page with what appears to be a headline covering the current events in the world. They all had me thinking about the real world and how relevant the problems this future world is dealing with are to things we will soon face or are already seeing today. Topics such as the role of AI generated artworks and AI suffering from the same biases and prejudices are their programmers. Although set a bit further in the future, this story is incredibly timely and relevant for the moment we are in right now.

The main story may not have made much of an impression on me but the world made me think. Making me question, ponder and relate things to my own world is one of my favorite things to find in the sci fi genre.

it was sweet but too short

I received a super early advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review! I’m really glad I was approved for this graphic novel ARC! Despite the art not being completely final it still conveyed the right messages in the story. This book explores oppression, why we create art, loss of loved ones, trying to fit in with a little bit of LGBTQ+ sprinkled in there! I’ll definitely be getting a copy of this once it hits shelves in November! Thank you to Netgalley and Abrams Kids for sending this my way!