April 2019 – The Wandering Wordsmith

Nanami is a story about a teenager who seems adrift in her life, who is dealing with a number of different issues that a teenager would (and often do) deal with. It isn’t hugely apparent just what factors are contributing to her listlessness (there are small signs, but no clear situations presented as to the original cause). One day she finds a strange book and decides to return it, which kicks off her journey.

I love the colors and art style used in this comic. They are really dynamic and quickly draw in the reader. The different scenes and locations are easily discerned. I applaud the artist in creating individuals and settings that will stand out. The concept also sounded amazing when I first heard about it, it definitely had Neverending Story vibes.

My only real issue with this is that I wish more attention was paid to the backstory. Why is Nanami struggling so much? Why does she only have one friend (who honestly doesn’t seem like the best of friends to me, but she tries)? I’m assuming and hoping that this is expanded upon in future issues/volumes, which I would definitely check out.

If you’re looking for a graphic novel that has portal fantasy and Neverending Story vibes, then check this one out! It comes out today, April 17th, in the United States from Europe Comics.

Happy Reading!

Since picking up Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill earlier this year I was eager to check out her previous book, Wild Embers and see if I enjoyed it as much. Spoiler alert, I did. Wild Embers was an amazing collection of modern poetry. The subject matter was a touch more raw than her other work, and there are definite trigger warnings for talk about abuse of all kinds. This collection explores not only what the abuse may do to someone, but also what it feels like to come out of it. That is by far not the only subject matter as it touches on stereotypes, misogyny and more, but it was some of the most poignant of the collection.

“You are a myth born to the wrong age. You are the kind of book that has magical stories trapped in every single page.”

While many of the poems are hard to read and tug at the heart, just as many of them are also empowering and encouraging. I’ve said many times that I am not a major fan of modern poetry, which holds true, but Nikita Gill has become an auto-buy author of mine. I have loved everything of hers that I have read, perhaps because it resonates so much with me, but the content is important and I feel would resonate with many people.

What have you read lately that has made an author an auto-buy author?

Happy reading!