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lbarsk's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars, really. Would’ve been the full five if you had LET ALEX AND EDWIN KISS! BOOO!!!
But nah otherwise this is a fun romp. I’m obsessed with Rebecca Mock’s art!
But nah otherwise this is a fun romp. I’m obsessed with Rebecca Mock’s art!
dmfsharp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lawbooks600's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Score: Seven out of ten.
I haven't heard of Compass South, a historical novel composed of illustrations until a few days ago when I picked it up at a public library while I tried to search for other books that sadly I missed and and now weren't available. The blurb made it seem intriguing and when I closed the final page, the novel was enjoyable.
It starts with a prologue set in 1848 spanning a few pages before cutting to 1860 where the central story begins with Alex and Cleo who join a gang to try to find their father who disappeared, but that doesn't go to plan. Alex has to work on a ship while Cleo goes on another ship to look for him, all while a pair of twin brothers have gone missing but are still alive somewhere. Compass South shines in its action scenes and fast pacing, but sometimes the plot can get disjointed and do too much with the multiple POVs. Prose novels handle multiple POVs better than illustrated ones most of the time so that could've been a better choice and the characters are likable and ones I could root for but they're not the most relatable. Other characters were in the background, but I'd loved to have seen more of them like the other pair and that one Native American character or that Black captain (who only got a brief appearance.)
I thought Compass South ended too quickly since it was barely over 200 pages, but at least there's a sequel but it's unclear if any library has it yet. Compass South has a theme of questionable moral choices, especially the ones Alex and Cleo make, implying that morals can go out the window when times get desperate. The conclusion can work fine by itself as all the characters achieve their goals as Alex and Cleo reunite and the other pair aren't missing anymore, but I question why the series needs a second instalment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, and Violence
Full trigger warnings: Near-death experience, death and murder, dead bodies, physical assault and injury, sword violence, disappearance of a fathermljmoore's review against another edition
5.0
Very entertaining book especially for adults. The story didn't go the way I thought from the cover and what I read in the book jacket, so I was pleasantly surprised on how the story turned out. Can't wait to read book 2!
bluestjuice's review against another edition
3.0
In what is at this point an endless tangle, somehow Nell and I recommended this series back and forth to each other (but we both ended up reading book 2 first). This is book 1. I picked it up because I don't like reading series out of order, but unfortunately since it had been a few months since I read the other installation I no longer remember some of the finer plot points from that book and can't remember how anything develops from here. But anyway! This is a graphic novel written at a children's reading level, about twins (this book actually has two sets of twins!) and their semi-orphaned adventures on pirate and other ships on their way to San Francisco. It touches loads of classic child adventure novel tropes (think Treasure Island, Oliver Twist, The Swiss Family Robinson, etc.), but in an updated way that is much more likely to appeal to modern children who have a hard time connecting with antiquated writing styles and genres. (Oh, I got a little bit of Twelfth Night in here too, with the twins-dressing-as-boys element.)
Anyway, I liked it, and my kid was super excited when she saw I had it and demanded that I hand it over at once so she could devour it. (I didn't - I finished it first. She can request her own books from the library, haha!) It's not really substantial enough to earn a more glowing rating, but that is more down to my own interest in the genre and the necessary limitations of the genre than the merits of the writing and art within those constraints. I'd definitely recommend.
Anyway, I liked it, and my kid was super excited when she saw I had it and demanded that I hand it over at once so she could devour it. (I didn't - I finished it first. She can request her own books from the library, haha!) It's not really substantial enough to earn a more glowing rating, but that is more down to my own interest in the genre and the necessary limitations of the genre than the merits of the writing and art within those constraints. I'd definitely recommend.
ohnoohkei's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lheili's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
5.0
Wahoo! What fun!
This graphic novel reminded me of Oliver Twist and Captain Hornblower all at once. Red-headed twins are left to fend for themselves, get caught up in a thieving street gang, run into another set of red-headed twins, are sold into bondage on a sailing ship, lost in a jungle, ... you get the picture.
This graphic novel reminded me of Oliver Twist and Captain Hornblower all at once. Red-headed twins are left to fend for themselves, get caught up in a thieving street gang, run into another set of red-headed twins, are sold into bondage on a sailing ship, lost in a jungle, ... you get the picture.