I didn't enjoy this one as much as [b:American Born Chinese|118944|American Born Chinese|Gene Luen Yang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1317066615l/118944._SX50_.jpg|114515]. It was still good though. I think it would have been more enjoyable for me if it was longer; it felt like it was cut short at the end. Maybe this is because it's a companion novel. ( )

A very affecting portrayal of Christianity during Boxer-era China. Boxer and Saints are both compelling reads, with wonderful graphics, that fully show how both sides to a conflict can be wrong and right. It's interesting how Gene Luen Yang made both the Boxers and the Christians sympathetic. However, I would say, in the end, the tactic that our protagonist in Saints takes, is the right approach towards dealing with such conflict. ( )

Well-drawn and well-written but I didn't enjoy it very much. I liked that it was the case of a woman finding inspiration of another woman, although it was odd that the protagonist didn't find inspiration in a Chinese religious figure, but I guess that's the point of the whole conversion thing.

The protagonist was funny and there was some good usage of child logic. It's a good graphic novel, but I don't know enough about the Boxer Rebellion to know how accurate a portrayal of the event it is. It's one of the only versions from the female perspective that I know (and I liked it a lot more than the companion "Boxers" graphic novel largely for that reason) but again, I'm very limited in my experience on the topic.

If you're going to read this or you've already read "Boxers", make sure you read both. It doesn't really matter which order they're in. They do crossover with each other but it's in a relatively minor (albeit neat) way. "Boxers" goes past the ending of "Saints", although I read "Saints" second and that order didn't make much of a difference for me. ( )

(I can't possibly review these books separately, so I am just going to copy/paste this review into both.)

Listen, did I know ANYTHING about the Boxer Rebellion before reading these books? I probably could have told you that it was in China and MAYBE that it had something to do with opium, but that's it. Now, these books aren't a history, exactly, but are the stories of two young people (each getting their own volume) caught up in the forces surrounding the conflict.

While this doesn't attempt to tell the whole story of the rebellion, these two quick reads tell compelling stories filled with context that makes the issues feel immediate, graspable, and definitely relatable. These books should be taught in schools.

The white European entitlement/compulsion to both spread Christianity and make money is one of the familiar and tragic roots here. There is so much to rave about in both the art and the story-telling that I don't know where or how to start. I loved both of these volumes with a fierceness, and will definitely be urging both of my children to read them. ( )

The genius of this duology isn't apparent until the end of the second volume and I think it a shame this wasn't published as a single book. ( )