Snotgirl: California Screaming

Summary:

In this second volume of O’Malley and Hung’s project, our favorite green-haired protagonist finds out Coolgirl’s real name, but the rest of Caroline’s is shrouded in mystery. While Lottie toes her way through her new best friend’s strange antics, Snotgirl’s ex-boyfriend Sunny Day struggles with his new girl Charlene, who is slowly awakening from a coma. With questions floating and secrets straining, the Haters Brunch may not survive their annual trip to Thankstravaganza in one piece.

Review:

Where Green Hair Don’t Care failed, California Screaming soared. With spectacular artwork and coloring, hilarious turns of events, and even more mystery than the first volume, this sequel intrigued me and kept my interest from the start. I found myself sympathizing with Charlene, who Lottie demonized in Vol. 1, which surprised me. Even Meg (Normgirl) and Misty (Cutegirl) are fleshed out, with the latter given a surprising backstory and the former admitting a flaw in her perfect-seeming life. As a whole, this volume both surprised and impressed me with its improvement of skill and talent from the first volume to now.

Conclusion: 5/5

While I gave a less favorable review for Green Hair Don’t Care, it’s worth a read to reach California Screaming.  I mark this book a PLEASE READ and hope you’ll pick it up.

Snotgirl: Green Hair Don’t Care

Summary:

“Snotgirl” is the self-given misnomer of Lottie Person, a fashion blogger extraordinaire who struggles to keep her allergies and friendships in check. In this volume, Lottie meets someone new, interesting, mysterious…and dangerous. As time goes on, this “Coolgirl” proves to be more than Lottie can handle while our green-haired protagonist’s life spins out of control. Who is Lottie’s copycat? What’s going on with friend Normgirl’s boyfriend? And what really happened in that bar bathroom? Only time (and readers) will tell in this 5-chapter collection.

Review:

This volume stands out from some of my reads due to the inner thoughts of the protagonist throughout the novel. Lottie isn’t a relaxed, level-headed MC: she jumps to conclusions, freaks out over nothing, and reacts over-the-top to everyone’s behaviors. Her inner dialogue proves amusing and at times off-putting, but it makes the reading experience overall more original.

Despite this enjoyable characterization, I felt the work as a whole lacked polish. The characters’ designs fluctuate after every chapter, which can be expected since they are individually released, but within the volume it added up to a lack of cohesiveness. In addition, some characters acted unrealistically for the context, and the “over the top” attitude of Lottie’s thoughts ran over into others’ actions, meaning for an exaggerated read that pulled me out of the story at times.

Conclusion: 4/5

While this book did have its flaws, I still enjoyed the plotline and didn’t hesitate to buy the next volume. I mark this as a CONSIDER READING if you’re a fan of co-writer O’Malley like me and want a taste of something more unconventional of his.

Snotgirl Vol. 2 Review Coming Soon!