I got this book through the Amazon Vine program to review. I was very excited to see a new middle grade graphic novel series being released and hoped that this would be in the same vein as the âAmuletâ series by Kazu Kibuishi or the âCleopatra in Spaceâ series by Mike Maihack. The story ended up being okay but I felt like the writing was awkward and dumbed down. I also wasn't a huge fan of the curvy illustration style; additionally it's a bit hard to follow what is going on at points.
I will note that the review copy I got was mostly in black and white (there were only a few pages of color) and I felt like the black and white portions were really lacking in depth. I think having the review copy in black and white made it a lot harder to follow.
I also think too many characters were introduced too rapidly (and then in some cases we never saw the characters again). You get a pretty good feel for Oona (out main heroine) and her background but everyone else's introduction is pretty quick. The story just felt so shallow despite the increasing complexity as it continued.
Overall this was an okay middle grade fantasy novel but I didn't love it. I just thought it was too hard to follow and that the story and characters weren't engaging enough. Additionally I wasn't a huge fan of the artwork. I wouldn't recommend and won't be continuing with the series.
I will note that the review copy I got was mostly in black and white (there were only a few pages of color) and I felt like the black and white portions were really lacking in depth. I think having the review copy in black and white made it a lot harder to follow.
I also think too many characters were introduced too rapidly (and then in some cases we never saw the characters again). You get a pretty good feel for Oona (out main heroine) and her background but everyone else's introduction is pretty quick. The story just felt so shallow despite the increasing complexity as it continued.
Overall this was an okay middle grade fantasy novel but I didn't love it. I just thought it was too hard to follow and that the story and characters weren't engaging enough. Additionally I wasn't a huge fan of the artwork. I wouldn't recommend and won't be continuing with the series.
