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brianne_k's review against another edition
4.0
Many Thanks to Net-Galley and the publisher for an advanced e-copy. This did not affect my rating.
*4/5*
This was a haunting and intriguing little graphic novel. I was drawn in by the cover, because the art is absolutely stunning. The story was intriguing as well - but I wanted more.
*4/5*
This was a haunting and intriguing little graphic novel. I was drawn in by the cover, because the art is absolutely stunning. The story was intriguing as well - but I wanted more.
geekwayne's review
3.0
'Watersnakes' with art and story by Tony Sandoval is a weirdly beautiful book, but somewhere along the way lost coherence for me.
Mila is a loner. One day during summer vacation she meets a strange girl named Agnes. She is attracted to Agnes, but Agnes is a ghost who has a mouth full of teeth that used to be the guardian warriors of a king. Mila follows Agnes on a quest to return a strange octopus back to the sea and fight off other evil.
The book has a sort of dreamlike look and story, and if I'd been able to stay in that place, I might have liked the book a bit more. I think the story loses it's way, then tries to be more important than it is. Still, that art by Tony Sandoval is probably better than anything else I've seen him do, and that's saying something.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Lion Forge, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Mila is a loner. One day during summer vacation she meets a strange girl named Agnes. She is attracted to Agnes, but Agnes is a ghost who has a mouth full of teeth that used to be the guardian warriors of a king. Mila follows Agnes on a quest to return a strange octopus back to the sea and fight off other evil.
The book has a sort of dreamlike look and story, and if I'd been able to stay in that place, I might have liked the book a bit more. I think the story loses it's way, then tries to be more important than it is. Still, that art by Tony Sandoval is probably better than anything else I've seen him do, and that's saying something.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Lion Forge, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
samflowerv6's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
that funny moment when you think you might be a lesbian so you kiss your friend anda literal octopus comes out of her mouth #justgirlythings
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Blood
nicolemhewitt's review
4.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This graphic novel is honestly a bit trippy, but that's definitely the style and the intention. And I will fully admit that when I read graphic novels, I'm all about the artwork, and I LOVE the style of the artwork in this book. Some parts of the story were ... strange and a little disturbing (for instance, there's a bit of a weird tooth fetish thing going on that I didn't quite understand---and an army of teeth creatures that ... yeah, I'm not sure). Still, I found myself compelled to keep reading, and while I was sometimes confused and a little disturbed I was entranced by the story. Definitely an upper/mature YA graphic novel, though. If you like dark and creepy and a little bit weird, you'll definitely be a fan.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This graphic novel is honestly a bit trippy, but that's definitely the style and the intention. And I will fully admit that when I read graphic novels, I'm all about the artwork, and I LOVE the style of the artwork in this book. Some parts of the story were ... strange and a little disturbing (for instance, there's a bit of a weird tooth fetish thing going on that I didn't quite understand---and an army of teeth creatures that ... yeah, I'm not sure). Still, I found myself compelled to keep reading, and while I was sometimes confused and a little disturbed I was entranced by the story. Definitely an upper/mature YA graphic novel, though. If you like dark and creepy and a little bit weird, you'll definitely be a fan.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
aylincoolcat's review against another edition
4.0
Nachdem ich meine Irritation darüber, dass ich eine ganz andere Geschichte zwischen den Buchdeckeln befand als angenommen überwunden habe, habe ich diesen bizarren Comic von Tony Sandoval noch mal von vorne begonnen. Beim zweiten Mal konnte ich mich viel besser auf die surrealen Traumelemente, die düstere Magie und die absurde Handlung einlassen.
Ich kann dieses Werk nicht wirklich gut beschreiben, weil es sehr facettenreich ist. Lasst euch aber gewarnt sein, dies ist keine Abenteuergeschichte mit Wohlfühlcharakter sondern dunkler, düsterer Surrealismus. Verstörend, bizarr, brutal und zum Ende hin sogar schockierend blutig.
Für mich war der Comic und die Geschichte eine unerwartete Überraschung und nach dem ich meine anfänglichen Erwartungen über Bord geworfen hatte, konnte ich mich voll und ganz auf dieses faszinierende Setting mit seinen atmosphärischen Zeichnungen und fantastischen Elementen einlassen.
Leider nicht für jeden geeignet, aber für die eine oder den anderen vielleicht eine kleine Perle der Neunten Kunst.
Ich kann dieses Werk nicht wirklich gut beschreiben, weil es sehr facettenreich ist. Lasst euch aber gewarnt sein, dies ist keine Abenteuergeschichte mit Wohlfühlcharakter sondern dunkler, düsterer Surrealismus. Verstörend, bizarr, brutal und zum Ende hin sogar schockierend blutig.
Für mich war der Comic und die Geschichte eine unerwartete Überraschung und nach dem ich meine anfänglichen Erwartungen über Bord geworfen hatte, konnte ich mich voll und ganz auf dieses faszinierende Setting mit seinen atmosphärischen Zeichnungen und fantastischen Elementen einlassen.
Leider nicht für jeden geeignet, aber für die eine oder den anderen vielleicht eine kleine Perle der Neunten Kunst.
bubblechase's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
3.0
Goodreads review: "teeth kink? but make it sapphic? and gorgeous? weirdly very up my alley, this was a fun, sweet, melancholic read 😌"
I remember the feeling of reading this book so well; outsider in an almost video-game eerie setting.
I remember the feeling of reading this book so well; outsider in an almost video-game eerie setting.
adelavmb's review
3.0
https://vanillamoonbooks.blogspot.com/2018/10/review-watersnakes-by-tony-sandoval.html
An e-book ARC copy was provided by the publisher via the NetGalley service, in exchange for an honest review.
Going in, I wasn't sure what to expect. The artwork on the cover seemed very bad-ass, so after reading through the lines of the synopsis, I knew I was in. The book pulls you right in the story, with hints of the past, and a very smooth transition to our main character, Mila, a pale Morticia-like figure of a teenager who is bathing in the sea, who is startled by Agnes, a girl we soon learn to be a ghost - it's no spoiler, it's right there in the synopsis, though for me it was a surprise since I've forgotten about that by the time I actually read the ARC.
It seems to be a normal encounter between two adolescent girls who may be attracted to each other - Mila is strangely attracted to Agnes' teeth for some reason and this is the least strange thing about the pair. Soon enough, it all turns into a creepy adventure none of them asked for. Agnes carries the essence of an ancient king by a childhood accident that resulted in her death. Also, her teeth are actually the former guardians of the king - I know, I told you it gets stranger and stranger.
~the artwork, as I had predicted from the cover
~everything has a sort of cool, washed out tone
~it is grotesque at times, and weird, in the good kind of way
~the character design
~some scenes transition to others with no explanation whatsoever, and all of a sudden
~not enough information about the past and who the "bad guys" are
~parents are absent: we don't get to see Agnes' parents at all and Mila's are completely unaware and uninvolved
~vague information thrown in
~the lesbian romance was underdeveloped
~the story feels underdeveloped as well
All in all, the graphic novel had a very high potential, but it failed to deliver. I felt really sad to see such an interesting plot idea and such unique art style go to waste
An e-book ARC copy was provided by the publisher via the NetGalley service, in exchange for an honest review.
Going in, I wasn't sure what to expect. The artwork on the cover seemed very bad-ass, so after reading through the lines of the synopsis, I knew I was in. The book pulls you right in the story, with hints of the past, and a very smooth transition to our main character, Mila, a pale Morticia-like figure of a teenager who is bathing in the sea, who is startled by Agnes, a girl we soon learn to be a ghost - it's no spoiler, it's right there in the synopsis, though for me it was a surprise since I've forgotten about that by the time I actually read the ARC.
It seems to be a normal encounter between two adolescent girls who may be attracted to each other - Mila is strangely attracted to Agnes' teeth for some reason and this is the least strange thing about the pair. Soon enough, it all turns into a creepy adventure none of them asked for. Agnes carries the essence of an ancient king by a childhood accident that resulted in her death. Also, her teeth are actually the former guardians of the king - I know, I told you it gets stranger and stranger.
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All in all, the graphic novel had a very high potential, but it failed to deliver. I felt really sad to see such an interesting plot idea and such unique art style go to waste
lightasrain's review
3.0
I don’t know what the heck really happened in this book! I don’t think, you are supposed to make sense of the story. It’s like a bizarre dream which is downright creepy. But funnily enough, I still enjoyed it. Go figure!