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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
there's a beautifully gothic and guttural story here. however this is relatively poor graphic novel depiction of it. the colors are muted, which is fine. atmospheric almost. but the panels have no description and no detail. it reads bland.
dark
emotional
fast-paced
The afterword says this was originally intended to be a script for a screenplay and it shows. This graphic novel has a big screen feel and lots of layers. The setting is giving me Candyman, with the urban myth inside the apartment building, and a bit of a Goonies vibe, with the motley crew of youth trying to figure out what the heck's going on. It's going to be a re-read for me because it's so rich with love and relationships I think I'll get something new out of it each time. I already started another book by this author that I'm also really liking.
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
To read the author endorsements on the back cover you'd think this was a masterpiece. The minim list storytelling is artful and intriguing. The tale of generational trauma is OK? Aisha is great and I like how other characters are brought to life with little page space showing considerable sophistication.
I'm a little underwhelmed: the pieces are all there but I didn't feel it...
I'm a little underwhelmed: the pieces are all there but I didn't feel it...
dark
emotional
slow-paced
I liked the theme of finding family, and the double edged sword of how we can try to find safety. I liked how the protagonist felt real and fleshed out. This was a sparse book though. It felt like a sketch at times, rather than fully realized. There were a few occasions when I thought I had accidentally skipped pages in my digital copy.
This was a solid graphic novel that definitely had some spooky elements. It focuses on a young girl by the name of Aisha who loses who parents and is forced to live with her grandmother. As her grandmother gets sick and eventually passes away, Aisha is left to take care of herself with the help of an entity her grandmother asked to protect her. This entity, “the keeper,” proves to be more sinister than anyone could have predicted. For me, the set up was great; however, I wasn’t completely satisfied with the execution. A huge part of me wishes that we would have gotten just a tad bit more backstory to the Keeper and where it came from. We get a glimpse through Aisha’s family history but it wasn’t enough. I also felt as though the story could have afforded to be just a tad longer. There were so many different things that either were wrapped up too nicely or weren’t explored in enough details. Nevertheless, this is a good pick for the spooky season. I really enjoyed the artwork and the constant play with light and dark. Readers also get to know a main character that’s willing to stand up for herself especially when it comes to bullying. Not sure I was anticipating that. Overall, a solid book. Im hoping that they will consider further exploring these characters and themes in future installments.