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geekwayne's review against another edition
2.0
'The Forgotten Queen' by Tini Howard with art by Amilcar Pinna is about an oceanography expedition that finds something really unusual.
A group of divers uncovers something in the ocean and unleashes an immortal being named Vexana on the world. Vexana has a history of showing up and creating chaos and bloodshed. She seems to crave the bloodshed. She has other appetites as well. It also turns out that releasing her was no accident, but was planned.
I'm not sure what the plan was here, but it was pretty mediocre. There is a big reveal at the end that I saw coming a mile away. I thought the art was better than some of the other reviewers of the title, but overall, I found this story to be lurid and tepid at the same time.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Valiant Entertainment, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
A group of divers uncovers something in the ocean and unleashes an immortal being named Vexana on the world. Vexana has a history of showing up and creating chaos and bloodshed. She seems to crave the bloodshed. She has other appetites as well. It also turns out that releasing her was no accident, but was planned.
I'm not sure what the plan was here, but it was pretty mediocre. There is a big reveal at the end that I saw coming a mile away. I thought the art was better than some of the other reviewers of the title, but overall, I found this story to be lurid and tepid at the same time.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Valiant Entertainment, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
madelyn's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
carroq's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Forgotten Queen is about a Valiant character that I knew nothing about going in. I like what was done to show her power and, at least somewhat, where it came from. It did a nice job of mixing the present with her past, which goes through a few different eras. This story serves as a primer for the character and seems to lay the groundwork for future stories.
The Forgotten Queen is about a Valiant character that I knew nothing about going in. I like what was done to show her power and, at least somewhat, where it came from. It did a nice job of mixing the present with her past, which goes through a few different eras. This story serves as a primer for the character and seems to lay the groundwork for future stories.
quirkycatsfatstacks's review against another edition
3.0
I received a copy of The Forgotten Queen through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The Forgotten Queen is a series that traverses across time itself, telling the tale of one woman and all of the damage she’s caused during her time on earth. She goes by many names, but one of the best known is probably War-Monger.
This graphic novel is a little bit of a blend. It has elements of the four horsemen of the apocalypse (war). It also is a tale told through time, and references several different historical figures, events, and myths.
The Forgotten Queen is a graphic novel with an enormous amount of potential. That’s why I wanted to read and review it, truth be told. I was immediately captivated by both the concept and the artwork.
I honestly think that the reception to The Forgotten Queen is going to depend entirely on one’s preference for a few things. For example, I don’t typically love it when real historical figures are pulled into fantasy stories. But others might like that.
Personally, I enjoyed the decision to have the story told through two perspectives. One covered past events, while the other focused on the present. As mentioned above though, this may be something that other people enjoy a bit less.
War’s tale was an interesting one, on the whole. It was a little heavy handed at times, but interesting nonetheless. I would have liked it if they had explained how the two timelines (past and present) ended up together. But perhaps the next volume will handle that.
The present timeline was a bit more confusing. Mainly because it was lacking an explanation for how War came to be where she was. It felt like they were leading up to explain that, but then just never got around to it?
As for the artwork, that absolutely held up to my expectations. It handled the more graphic scenes in a way I appreciated – they weren’t overly graphic, but they also didn’t shy away from what needed to be shown. It’s a tough balance to find and maintain.
I’ll be curious to see if another volume of this story comes out. And if so, what it’ll focus on. Will it tell us more about War, or will it focus on one of her brothers?
For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
The Forgotten Queen is a series that traverses across time itself, telling the tale of one woman and all of the damage she’s caused during her time on earth. She goes by many names, but one of the best known is probably War-Monger.
This graphic novel is a little bit of a blend. It has elements of the four horsemen of the apocalypse (war). It also is a tale told through time, and references several different historical figures, events, and myths.
The Forgotten Queen is a graphic novel with an enormous amount of potential. That’s why I wanted to read and review it, truth be told. I was immediately captivated by both the concept and the artwork.
I honestly think that the reception to The Forgotten Queen is going to depend entirely on one’s preference for a few things. For example, I don’t typically love it when real historical figures are pulled into fantasy stories. But others might like that.
Personally, I enjoyed the decision to have the story told through two perspectives. One covered past events, while the other focused on the present. As mentioned above though, this may be something that other people enjoy a bit less.
War’s tale was an interesting one, on the whole. It was a little heavy handed at times, but interesting nonetheless. I would have liked it if they had explained how the two timelines (past and present) ended up together. But perhaps the next volume will handle that.
The present timeline was a bit more confusing. Mainly because it was lacking an explanation for how War came to be where she was. It felt like they were leading up to explain that, but then just never got around to it?
As for the artwork, that absolutely held up to my expectations. It handled the more graphic scenes in a way I appreciated – they weren’t overly graphic, but they also didn’t shy away from what needed to be shown. It’s a tough balance to find and maintain.
I’ll be curious to see if another volume of this story comes out. And if so, what it’ll focus on. Will it tell us more about War, or will it focus on one of her brothers?
For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
danibanani's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
erikasarutobi's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
The artstyle was amazing especially the cover art for each chapter though there are some facial expressions that looked a bit off.
The concept of the story was interesting but I felt like the execution wasn't the best. It wasn't bad but it jumped around a lot and I found it silly that Vexana and Sarnai just trades off stories about Vexana herself. I found it a bit awkward to be the one telling your story to someone who knows a lot already.
For Vexana's character, it felt flat and two dimensional. She felt superficial and her character is cliche . Her so called "love" happened so quickly with barely any emotions and she expects her love interest to love her wholly over one night. She's supposed to be someone strong but there are times where she's thrown around so easily.
Overall, the story seems interesting enough for me to continue. I read from another review that this is connected to another comic series so I'll go read that one before continuing whenever the next installment comes.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.
The artstyle was amazing especially the cover art for each chapter though there are some facial expressions that looked a bit off.
The concept of the story was interesting but I felt like the execution wasn't the best. It wasn't bad but it jumped around a lot and I found it silly that Vexana and Sarnai just trades off stories about Vexana herself. I found it a bit awkward to be the one telling your story to someone who knows a lot already.
For Vexana's character, it felt flat and two dimensional. She felt superficial and her character is cliche . Her so called "love" happened so quickly with barely any emotions and she expects her love interest to love her wholly over one night. She's supposed to be someone strong but there are times where she's thrown around so easily.
Overall, the story seems interesting enough for me to continue. I read from another review that this is connected to another comic series so I'll go read that one before continuing whenever the next installment comes.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.
noveladdiction's review against another edition
4.0
I hope there's going to be more to this. This book felt like a great lead up to something. So even if it's an intro into a crossover event - I'll take it. Seriously, just... more, please.
etienne02's review
1.0
Promising work, with something that look dark and when you started to read it, it was all colorful and bright... the illustrations didn't reflect the story at all and that was a big failed. The story itself isn't bad but nothing original to make it worth the time. Nope!
mabookyard's review against another edition
2.0
My Rating : 2
Thank you so much Edelweiss for the review copy. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.
.
The first thing that captured my attention was the cover art. I mean, just look at it and tell me it is not the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?! And especially with the storyline mentioned along with it, I was so intrigued to read what this story is going to bring to life.
.
As we have already established, First, the artwork in this novel was extremely detailed, amazing and it gave a different experience altogether. Every character had their own personality in the way they were drawn, and it just made the whole reading experience so much better. Second, it was a really short book and I was skeptical about how the author can include so many history and details and make the appropriate connection within the given pages. From the blurb, you figure out that this had dual time perspective and you have a vague idea of what you can expect.
.
Now with that being said, we will come to the actual storyline and the characters. We solely focus on one character who is the long forgotten/mysterious/blood thirsty queen who is an immortal (And no we don't get to know why or how when you start reading). The way the dual time perspectives are introduced will confuse you. I spent 10 minutes re-reading a lot of pages just to understand what was happening. It starts out really smoothly, and gives you introduction to what we can expect. But after half the book is done, you skip years together and just get an update on the happenings. The inconsistency with that pacing threw me off balance.
.
Now, we should definitely talk about the 'plot twist' they introduce at the end. There is nothing backing up the theory but only the ending, the sad backstory that follows certain dead queen is just not strong enough to support the behaviour that follows it, and our main character just has no purpose except to create mayhem and let people kill each other. Even at the ending, you give a huge plot twist, and then just like that it ends! It's not a cliffhanger but a half finished ending. Overall, the only thing I loved about this book was the artwork that was done.
Thank you so much Edelweiss for the review copy. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.
.
The first thing that captured my attention was the cover art. I mean, just look at it and tell me it is not the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?! And especially with the storyline mentioned along with it, I was so intrigued to read what this story is going to bring to life.
.
As we have already established, First, the artwork in this novel was extremely detailed, amazing and it gave a different experience altogether. Every character had their own personality in the way they were drawn, and it just made the whole reading experience so much better. Second, it was a really short book and I was skeptical about how the author can include so many history and details and make the appropriate connection within the given pages. From the blurb, you figure out that this had dual time perspective and you have a vague idea of what you can expect.
.
Now with that being said, we will come to the actual storyline and the characters. We solely focus on one character who is the long forgotten/mysterious/blood thirsty queen who is an immortal (And no we don't get to know why or how when you start reading). The way the dual time perspectives are introduced will confuse you. I spent 10 minutes re-reading a lot of pages just to understand what was happening. It starts out really smoothly, and gives you introduction to what we can expect. But after half the book is done, you skip years together and just get an update on the happenings. The inconsistency with that pacing threw me off balance.
.
Now, we should definitely talk about the 'plot twist' they introduce at the end. There is nothing backing up the theory but only the ending, the sad backstory that follows certain dead queen is just not strong enough to support the behaviour that follows it, and our main character just has no purpose except to create mayhem and let people kill each other. Even at the ending, you give a huge plot twist, and then just like that it ends! It's not a cliffhanger but a half finished ending. Overall, the only thing I loved about this book was the artwork that was done.
vreadsabook's review against another edition
3.0
I got a free look at this comic in exchange for a review.
The Forgotten Queen started out promising. Vexana is an immortal who incites bloodlust wherever she goes--which includes into the camps of many famous bloodthirsty historical figures. Her romp through history and her brief love affair with another strong woman were a fun ride, delivered in a highly detailed, colorfully gristly art style.
The end of the graphic novel got extremely confusing, however. (SPOILERS AHEAD!) It turns out, Vexana is a character designed to tie in to the rest of the Valiant comic universe, which I know nothing about. She is the little sibling of some (apparently?) major characters. I only discovered this through reading other reviews. As someone totally outside the Valiant universe, I found the sudden shift to focus on the siblings delivered via a very flatly delivered backstory simply confusing and off-putting.
I don't regret reading this, but what looked like a wonderful standalone series in the vein of Wicked and Divine turned out to be tied into another universe I know nothing about. I don't see myself continuing.
The Forgotten Queen started out promising. Vexana is an immortal who incites bloodlust wherever she goes--which includes into the camps of many famous bloodthirsty historical figures. Her romp through history and her brief love affair with another strong woman were a fun ride, delivered in a highly detailed, colorfully gristly art style.
The end of the graphic novel got extremely confusing, however. (SPOILERS AHEAD!) It turns out, Vexana is a character designed to tie in to the rest of the Valiant comic universe, which I know nothing about. She is the little sibling of some (apparently?) major characters. I only discovered this through reading other reviews. As someone totally outside the Valiant universe, I found the sudden shift to focus on the siblings delivered via a very flatly delivered backstory simply confusing and off-putting.
I don't regret reading this, but what looked like a wonderful standalone series in the vein of Wicked and Divine turned out to be tied into another universe I know nothing about. I don't see myself continuing.