Name: Star Collector
ISBN: 9781427862419

Anna Backhausen

Sophie Schonhammer

Vol. 2

Star Collector

Sophie Schönhammer

Fynn's favorite activities are skipping class, smoking, and lying around. So when he's told it's time to shape up and try doing something else for a change, he has no idea where to even start. Then, on a nighttime walk around his neighborhood, he sees a stranger with a telescope up on a hill: his name is Niko, and he loves to watch the stars. Intrigued, Flynn decides to find out more about this nerdy boy and what could be so interesting about the night sky that he loves so much. This is the second and final volume of the Star Collector series.

Katerina Thorson

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Instagram | TikTok

Ugh that was such a cute wrap up to a little duology! There were definitely questions answered and the art style was stunning as always. This volume definitely dealt with a found family theme, parental abandonment (especially when it comes to having an LGBT child), coming out, first times, and acceptance. If you are into any of those themes, I definitely recommend Star Collector. 

Flynn finally has his guy and he is ready to all the cutesy, ugly couple things like all the other kids in school. However, every time Flynn gets close to Niko, Niko pulls away and puts distance between each other. Letting it slip one night, Zoe (Flynn's Ex) tells Flynn that Niko has family issues and refuses to say anything else. Struggling with Niko's keeping secrets and him not wanting to have their relationship out in public, Flynn fears that their relationship will fail. All he wants is for his boyfriend to trust him. 

What I loved most about this volume is that it introduced a lot of themes that mean a great deal too me. Especially the coming out theme. We definitely get two ends of the spectrum of coming out with acceptance on one end and being shunned on the other side. The mangaka and illustrator definitely bring these themes to life through each of the panels and the flow of the pages. As the plot gets thicker you just want to know more. 

The one thing that I wished was explained more was Niko and his father's issues. All you get is that there is an issue and part of it might be because he is gay. But there is more to that story and we aren't really given it fully. Then of course we have Niko's grandfather and there is so much going on there. Also there might be family issues between the dad and grandparent's that isn't really explained. So slight plot holes. 

And of course the romance development was so well done in this volume. The romance was slowly built whereas in the first volume it was very quick. There was that build up to the first time and then their build on the emotional side. They started to understand each others faults and strengths. They definitely are opposites but are really great together. 

I definitely wish we had another volume. There were so many things I wanted more of. I wanted more build between Flynn and Niko. I wanted more of the background with families. Especially Flynn's dad. I would have liked to meet him and how he would have reacted to his son being gay. I wanted more of the emotions between the two. And I also would love to see how they would have gone into the school year. 

But this was still cute and I really loved this manga duology! So go read it. ❤️❤️

Fynn's favorite activities are skipping class, smoking, and lying around. So when he's told it's time to shape up and try doing something else for a change, he has no idea where to even start. Then, on a nighttime walk around his neighborhood, he sees a stranger with a telescope up on a hill: his name is Niko, and he loves to watch the stars. Intrigued, Flynn decides to find out more about this nerdy boy and what could be so interesting about the night sky that he loves so much.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Instagram | TikTok

This was an absolutely adorable BL manga and I loved every minute of it. If you are looking for a cutesy romance, with innocent spice, characters that aren't perfect but are cinnamon-rolls, and an easy flowing manga with stunning artwork then this is definitely for you.

Flynn has always been the lazy bad boy type. He doesn't give a shit about school, his relationship with his girlfriend has failed and he feels like everything is crappy. In comes the cute nerdy Niko, new to his school and a lover of astronomy. The more times Flynn finds himself with Niko and the stars the more he starts to feel something. 

Star Collector is one of those manga where you just want to stare at the art all day. I love the line work, the feeling of the panels flowing with one another, and the originality of the artwork in itself. The artwork is it's own thing and personally I could never find anything that I could compare it too. What I love the most about this manga, is how clean everything felt. Sometimes, with manga, the artists try to fit so much into one tiny panel and it can become overwhelming. I am definitely a person that loves the clean style of art! So this manga hit that perfectly.

The storyline was told well, the plot didn't feel too rushed or any missing potholes, and the dialogue was never confusing. I definitely would recommend this manga as a starter manga for those are just getting into reading manga or just starting out with the BL manga genre. 

As for the romance, I loved it. I definitely like this trope of "bad boy" and "innocent nerdy boy". It was super cute and it progressed really well. The only thing I didn't like was that this definitely had the insta-love trope. Flynn and Zoe were barely broken up a few days before he goes and falls for Niko. It's not that this trope is a bad thing, but I definitely prefer the slow-burn romance type of books whether that be manga or novels. 

As for the characters, we are still learning about Niko and I hope volume 2 of Star Collector holds more of his backstory and we get to see more development with him. I would also like to see more development with Flynn. He definitely is the type of guy who just changes his personality, smoking habits, and bad school habits for a relationship. I want to see him change for himself and want to be a better person for himself.

Star Collector Vol. 2

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