Tag: graphic

Review: Days of Sugar or Spice

DeAnneLeave a comment

Rose is not a happy young woman; she is closed off and angry and she hates her job. But her life changes drastically when she inherits her father’s bakery in a small town in Brittany. Returning to a place that brought her both joy and grief forces her to confront painful memories of her past and find the courage to open her heart to a new, happier life that awaits her if she will just let it. A story about new beginnings, filled with small town charm, delicious pastries and the warmth of home and friends.

Going into this I thought this was going to be a cute story about a woman inheriting her father’s bakery and while it was that, it was so much more. There is a ton of depth to what Rose goes through during the story and what she realizes about her past and present. It’s really a story of her evolving and finding herself, as well as discovering what her place in life in and what makes her truly happy.

At first I was a little worried that the subtle color palette and art style, but it fit the story and setting perfectly. It made the small village come to life and the characters were so whimsical. Each of them had individual identities that complimented each other.

Overall it was a beautiful story and I truly enjoyed reading it. Happy reading!

Review: The Black Bull of Norroway

DeAnneLeave a comment

Sibylla always wanted adventure, but she didn’t know it would come in the form of a giant, magical bull. Is he a man or a monster? And who knew a prophecy could be so literal?

Based on the classic Scottish fairy tale, this is the first title in a new series co-created by sibling writer/artist team CAT SEATON and KIT SEATON, begins the adventure of a lifetime.

This one has been on my radar ever since I heard it was based on a Scottish fairy tale. I love things that are based on mythology or fairy tales, so I definitely wanted to check this out. I was not disappointed by the story in any way, thought I’m still a tad confused as to what is happening.

I do like the way the story slowly pieces together, each character adding another layer to the overall story and mythos, but there are moments where I definitely wished I had more information. The art style was beautiful with just enough whimsy to know that it’s a fairy tale. I especially loved the facial expressions and what they conveyed.

All in all I can’t wait for the next volume to see what happens to the characters and how they will resolve their issues.

Happy reading!

Review: Crystal Fighters

DeAnneLeave a comment

Through a series of events, she discovers that other players in the game have created a secret magical girl fight club that adds a whole new world of thrills and challenges to her mundane world. Now that she’s gotten her wish of finding peers like her and something exciting in her life, she also discovers a dark side to magical girls, and finds herself having to prove her worth in a series of tournaments where if she loses she can never come back.

What drew me to this graphic novel was the cover, then I read the premise and immediately wanted to pick it up. A virtual reality game where a glitch leads to a cutthroat arena? Yes, please. Stella could definitely use some more fleshing out as a character but she was by far the most individual of everyone. I really hope this becomes a series as there are a few characters I would love to find out more about, and I’m very interested in the events that were alluded to at the end.

I loved the art style of this graphic novel, so many poppy bright colors and saturated tones. The illustrations themselves were very dynamic and moved the story along wonderfully. It’s a fun adventure that I’m excited to see more from if more comes out.

Happy reading!

Review: Snug

DeAnneLeave a comment

Why bother getting out of bed when you could stay bundled up with that special someone and a book of cozy, cute comics. From the author of the bestselling Little Moments of Love comes Snug, a collection of comics that perfectly captures the honest, playful, and relatable snapshots of romantic life.

Chetwynd’s second book has the same charming and inviting style as her first and includes 50 percent new, never-before-shared comics. Snug is a celebration of the quirks and peculiarities of every one of us—and the magic that happens when we find our matching puzzle piece.

I’ve followed Catana Comics for a long time on Instagram so I was very excited when I saw that there’s a book coming out. I love her art style and the little vignettes into her relationship which funnily enough is a lot like the relationship I’m in. It’s a perfect representation of being in a loving relationship with someone who is not only your partner but your best friend who you are (for the most part) on the same level with.

This collection is a fun read that would make almost anyone feel warm fuzzies and put a smile on their face. If you’re looking for something that will be uplifting and cute, pick this one up.

Happy reading!

Review: Raven the Pirate Princess Vol 1

DeAnneLeave a comment

I’ve heard of this graphic novel before, but the few things I’d heard of it didn’t tell me much about the synopsis. Still, when I saw it in my local comic shop I was intrigued enough to pick it up.

In this we follow Raven, whose been usurped by her greedy brothers and has the sole purpose of getting back what’s hers. This volume primarily focuses on her gathering a crew and starting her adventure. Though her main purpose remains the same throughout the volume we do see a lot of flashbacks that show what lead her to this place in her life. It’s also very diverse in respect to personalities, race and sexuality.

I loved the art style of this graphic novel, it was very realistic yet vibrant and dynamic. I look forward to reading more of this series and seeing where things go. It will be interesting to see if some of Raven’s motivation changes or not.

If you’re looking for a fun, feminine pirate adventure with tons of humor and a promising story line that is sure to lead to capers.

Happy reading!

Review: Unpopular and Unplugged

DeAnneLeave a comment

unpluggedThis story follows Erin Song, a girl who lives in a technology driven world and who is not popular, but is also not the most unpopular person at school. After she makes a mistake and gets in trouble, her parents ground her and take away ALL screens and technology. It’s then that the story really gets started and Erin starts to realize that some weird things are going on, things that she is only aware of now that she isn’t staring at screens all day.

This story was super fun and perfectly tells some great truths about technology and relationships. Through her adventure a lot of things come into focus for Erin and she realizes that some of the things that were super important to her aren’t really that essential or integral to life. Through her actions she learns some lessons and gets closer to deciding what type of person she wants to be. Shout out to her grandma, who was one of my favorite characters in the story.

The art style and illustrations are full of bright colors and convey a young person’s view of the world around them. It was super easy to read and understand, with humor woven in that perfectly fit the story and would definitely appeal to the audience it’s targeted for.

Unplugged and Unpopular by Mat Heagerty comes out from Oni Press on October 15th, be sure to check it out!

Happy reading!

Review: The Black Mage

DeAnneLeave a comment

the black mageWhen I first heard about this book I knew it centered around a black student going to a wizarding/magic school, but didn’t know much else. The story was fast paced and fun while also dealing with important themes of racism. There was also the inclusion of important figures from the civil war that added to the overall theme and story line.

I feel that stories like this are important, where difficult subjects are openly discussed and shown in a consumable format. While reading you don’t necessarily think about what the overarching message is because the story is a great adventure, but it’s there nonetheless.

The art style perfectly fits the story and the effects for spells were just what it needed. The colors were vibrant and were great with the fantasy aspects of the story.

The Black Mage comes out October 29th, from Oni Press, be sure to pick up a copy!

Happy Reading!

Review: Texts From Mittens by Angie Bailey

DeAnneLeave a comment

texts from mittensTexts from Mittens: The Friends and Family Edition is a great little novelty/coffee table book that would be relatable to anyone who has owned (or been owned by) a cat. Full of fun shenanigans in the form of text messages between Mittens and his mom, grandma, dog brother and other cats.

If you’re looking for a cute book that is sure to make you laugh and you understand the whims of felines, this would be right up your alley. As someone who has a cat and fully accepts that she rules the household, this 100% hit the spot. Many of the portrayed conversations perfectly show some of the more humorous aspects and motivations of cats, especially boxes.

I could probably read these and other text messages like them for days without getting bored. It would be a great book to have and pick a page at random for a quick laugh. Text from Mittens: Friends and Family Edition comes out September 3rd from Andrews McMeel publishing, be sure to check it out!

Happy reading!

Review: The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O’Neill

DeAnneLeave a comment

tea dragon festivalI cannot fully express how excited I was to get approved on NetGalley for this title, there may have been some squealing, just saying. The Tea Dragon Festival was definitely one of my most anticipated releases of the year and has fully cemented the fact that I will probably buy anything Katie O’Neill writes in the future.

This story is a prequel to The Tea Dragon Society and you do meet some characters in this story that are in that one as well, which was a great surprise. It really feels like O’Neill is building a world for these stories and I desperately hope there will be many more installments featuring tea dragons and these characters.

I love how seamlessly she works diversity and inclusiveness into her stories, it isn’t there as any kind of novelty or anything, it’s there because these things are part of everday life and part of people’s worlds. This book specifically features a non-binary character and also highlights the use of sign language. Along with that it featured information at the beginning and end for resources regarding sign language, which I thought was a great way to provide information for anyone who is curious after reading.

I will also forever love O’Neill’s art style, she has the perfect balance of simplicity and detail and the color are so vivid that the scenes easily come to life. These stories are whimsical and full of fantasy, but still grounded and full of important messages.

The Tea Dragon Festival is coming out on September 17th from Oni Press, make sure that you check it out and also check out The Tea Dragon Society while you’re at it!

Happy reading!

Review: Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu

DeAnneLeave a comment

mooncakesOh my heart! Mooncakes was such a fun and enjoyable read and was a perfect title to break up my reading. This story follows Nova (a witch) and Tam (a werewolf) as they reunite and face a danger while also exploring their feelings for each other. It was a beautiful story that put a smile on my face, seeing friendship and love blossom between all the characters.

This story discusses so much in the way of real life issues such as family, love, diversity, etc while also seamlessly blending in the supernatural aspects and the mystery they must solve. I would definitely love if there were more stories following these characters, but this also stands well on its own. The art style and color palette are beautiful and fit the tone of the story perfectly. It leans earth tone, but that is perfect for the setting and feel of the story.

Overall, Mooncakes is a beautiful story full of magic and the strength of friendship and love. I’m very interested in seeing more from both the author and the illustrator as their collaboration produced such an amazing tale.

I definitely recommend picking up a copy.  Mooncakes comes out October 15th from Lion Forge.  I know I’ll be adding it to my shelf!

Happy reading!