I found the beginning of this book very confusing, but it's worth it to hang on and keep going even if you're not very sure what's going on. This seems like a book that people will either love or hate. Although it's fantasy, it doesn't really offer any escapism, and the characters don't make it easy to get to know them. I completely loved it though - the story, characters and artwork all blew me away. ( )

I requested “I Kill Giants” from the library after seeing Ink and Paper Blog booktuber Russell recommend it on his channel. I wasn’t expecting to get emotional while reading this graphic novel, but I did. “I Kill Giants” is about a young D&D obsessed girl who fancies herself to be a giant killer…in a world where there are no such things as giants.

At first, it’s really hard to like self-proclaimed giant killer Barbara Thorson. She’s emotionally immature, closed-off, cruel and prone to abrupt and shocking acts of violence. Alternatively, Barbara has a lot to deal with, she’s virtually friendless and the victim of relentless bullying. Later in the book, things come to a head, and although I felt her coping mechanisms were slightly overblown and dramatic, I can also remember what it’s like to be a preteen when most things feel overblown and dramatic.

By the end of the book, I was nearly moved to tears when Barbara faces off with her giants, figuratively and literally. ( )

The art kind of confused me in places, but it was an amazing read. I cried at the end. It's a really moving story, and I definitely recommend it. ( )

While not apparent at first, the end gave me very heavy A Monster Calls vibes: a young kid dealing with their mother's cancer who has to conjure up a more literal monster to fight. Except, I guess, that Barbara's was... real?

The characterization of Barbara, as a kid going through so much, was heart breakingly accurate. She's angry and mean and wants to isolate herself, at at a certain point, it's just easier to let her be do that. But thanks to Sophia (who is the sweetest!), who's determined to be her friend, and Mrs. Molle, the new counselor (who is... a terrible counselor. She pushes too fast too quickly, and gets inappropriately involved with Barbara's family), Barbara manages to find her way again.

While there were some things I loved (mainly Sophia, who's so earnest and genuinely cares about Barbara, Coveleski, and the visual effect of blacking out anything Barbara doesn't want to hear) I did have a few issues: something that really bothers me is the unnecessary gendering of interests, ex. "boy" books and "girl" books. I know that kids themselves tend to see things in that binary though, so I can excuse Sophia's peers for teasing her, but what I can't excuse is the author's condoning this viewpoint. To show that, at the end, Barbara is now well-adjusted, she's shown reading a typical "girly" book. She can be a girl and well-adjusted and like giants and monsters, guys!! Also, the connection with her mother and baseball was never really explained - why is it such a trigger for her?
I was also a little thrown by the titan; obviously Barbara needs to attempt to fight this giant unknowable unbeatable monster to accept her mother's death, but the fact that it is apparently a real monster who does real damage is curiously unremarked upon. No one realizes that Barbara wasn't crazy? No one's freaking out because there's now undeniable proof that monsters exist? They are also apparently in elementary school, which is not reflected at all in the language or design of the characters.

For such a celebrated book, I was disappointed. As graphic novels go, it's pretty average, in execution and content. ( )

The beginning is a bit slow, and the main character isn't instantly likeable. But it picks up after the fourth issue and the plot twist is freaking amazing. The ending makes it all up for me! Excellent read. ( )