Kid Toussaint

Representation: Implied Black character
Trigger warnings: Physical injury, animal cruelty and attack, blood depiction, near-death experience, disassociation
Score: Six points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

I saw this at one of the two libraries I go to since the other one did not have this so I picked it up and finally read it. What I didn't realise was that this was book two in a series but I don't know where the first book is though it might be in another library; when I finished it I left feeling like I could've got so much more, it could've been so much better. Alas, it is not. How disheartening. It starts with the main character or rather characters named Elle living as normal right up until people notice something isn't right with her. Elle's personality has changed since one of them called Blue somehow took over the entirely of Elle and controlled her and that's where the other part of the book comes in. Here's where it gets confusing at best and disorienting and disjointed at worst since there are multiple POVs which didn't work out in this case, the jarring juxtaposition between the faster paced scenes of Elle's mind and the slower paced scenes of the real world was such an enigma. The ending wasn't much better since the book tried to figure out a solution to the multiple personality things but all it came up with was that the six embryos merged to form one person. What? So weird. The characters were fine since I couldn't connect to them but they didn't irritate me except Blue Elle but I think that's the entire point of her persona which is to steal and cheat and do stuff like that. That ends the book.… (mere)

I want to like this book because the art is nice and the lead character's design reminds me of Amity Blight from The Owl House, but I could never quite get comfortable with the portrayal of what seems to be dissociative identity disorder since it comes off like a sort of cool super-power. The rest of the book is fairly typical middle school fare, with friendships and romances forming and storming amongst a group of one-note supporting players: the mean girls, the ditzy girl, the girl-crazy boy, the cool girl, and the LGBTQ+ brown-skinned boy.

I might try the next volume if it shows up at my local library, but I won't be actively seeking it out.… (mere)

After a family passing and a startling discovery, Elle must face the one causing the most trouble: herself. In this volume, Elle finds herself trapped in her subconscious mind following the double shocks in her life and she must find her way out. Meanwhile, Blue, a personality with a tendency to lie, cheat, and steal, has taken full control of Elle’s life in the real world. Elle’s friends start to suspect something isn’t right, but can they find a way to help free Elle from Blue’s maze?

Well this one had some twists and turns I didn’t really see coming!

I loved the various worlds in which each color of Elle’s personalities lives in that is catered to them. I do hope they all start to team up to take down Blue!

I can’t wait for the next volume!… (mere)