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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this is MIDdle grade
Sydelle lives a quiet life in her small town of Cliffton, and despite the many-years drought, she finds fulfillment in her weaving and making beautiful clothing and tapestries. One day her world is twisted inside out when a wizard, Wayland North, appears needing her help to repair his magic cloaks. Without them working properly, he won’t be able to get a very important message to the capitol in time. And if he doesn’t, the war that looms over them since the assassination of their king against their anti-magic neighbor won’t be able to be stopped. But it won’t be easy – there is a dark wizard trying to stop them at all costs. And Sydelle doesn’t much like how North just roped her into this, nor the fact that he’s hiding secrets from her.
I didn’t realize this was based on a novel, which I might now have to check out. I enjoyed this book, even though at parts inter-personal character relationships seemed to make sudden jumps, and I’m really not sure how Sydelle found so much time to weave in the few days they had traveling together. I like how she’s a strong teenager, and doesn’t let others run all over her. The brightness of the illustrations was also a lot of fun, with fun “aside” images – like the cat with Owain, it definitely brought a smile to me.
I do think the plot ran a little fast, probably due to the format, and I would think (hope) some aspects get a little more fleshed out in the novel. The piecemeal fashion by which we learned about the kingdom’s troubles was spotty at best, and because it was so spotty, I didn’t quite feel the urgency North imposed on Sydelle for his mission. Then there was the element about Sydelle, which felt rather suddenly introduced towards the end and had its own explanation/“rules” subsequently hand-waved to better serve the plot by the end. As for what she wove, I’d definitely argue that the colors were nowhere near equal in the finished product, so there’s another hand-wave for Plot.
Of course, for any graphic novel adaptation, a few words simply must be spared for the visual element of the story! I enjoyed the color palettes and scenery, as they made for smooth and enjoyable reading. The occasional visual jokes/gags were fun as well. I do think Sydelle and North looked a bit older than their ages (14 and 15, respectfully), though at least for North, there’s an understandable reason for it. Or maybe I’m just out of touch with what 14/15 year olds in a medieval, magical fantasy world would actually look like, and how much responsibility they would have. After all, most people were probably married by 18 at the latest, anyways, and taking on adult responsibilities far before then. Or it could just come down to making them look the part of active agents with very real responsibilities on their shoulders. 3.5 stars rounded up.
I didn’t realize this was based on a novel, which I might now have to check out. I enjoyed this book, even though at parts inter-personal character relationships seemed to make sudden jumps, and I’m really not sure how Sydelle found so much time to weave in the few days they had traveling together. I like how she’s a strong teenager, and doesn’t let others run all over her. The brightness of the illustrations was also a lot of fun, with fun “aside” images – like the cat with Owain, it definitely brought a smile to me.
I do think the plot ran a little fast, probably due to the format, and I would think (hope) some aspects get a little more fleshed out in the novel. The piecemeal fashion by which we learned about the kingdom’s troubles was spotty at best, and because it was so spotty, I didn’t quite feel the urgency North imposed on Sydelle for his mission. Then there was the element about Sydelle, which felt rather suddenly introduced towards the end and had its own explanation/“rules” subsequently hand-waved to better serve the plot by the end. As for what she wove, I’d definitely argue that the colors were nowhere near equal in the finished product, so there’s another hand-wave for Plot.
Of course, for any graphic novel adaptation, a few words simply must be spared for the visual element of the story! I enjoyed the color palettes and scenery, as they made for smooth and enjoyable reading. The occasional visual jokes/gags were fun as well. I do think Sydelle and North looked a bit older than their ages (14 and 15, respectfully), though at least for North, there’s an understandable reason for it. Or maybe I’m just out of touch with what 14/15 year olds in a medieval, magical fantasy world would actually look like, and how much responsibility they would have. After all, most people were probably married by 18 at the latest, anyways, and taking on adult responsibilities far before then. Or it could just come down to making them look the part of active agents with very real responsibilities on their shoulders. 3.5 stars rounded up.
Okay. So, I love this premise. I love this story. I love these characters. I just think that I would prefer the actual book version, which I know sounds really bad and I was really excited about this graphic novel but I just feel like it needed... more.
It felt like it was over really quickly and there wasn’t enough time to fully develop things. I feel like I would’ve loved it a whole lot more if it was just a little longer. Hence, I think I’d probably like the actual book version better as it’s a lot longer so there will be more detail in it.
The actual graphic novel element was fantastic though! The illustrations were gorgeous and the colour scheme was just *chefs kiss*. Overall, those elements were utterly fantastic! I just wish that it were longer and more detailed.
It felt like it was over really quickly and there wasn’t enough time to fully develop things. I feel like I would’ve loved it a whole lot more if it was just a little longer. Hence, I think I’d probably like the actual book version better as it’s a lot longer so there will be more detail in it.
The actual graphic novel element was fantastic though! The illustrations were gorgeous and the colour scheme was just *chefs kiss*. Overall, those elements were utterly fantastic! I just wish that it were longer and more detailed.
Consistently attractive art with obvious reference to real-life period costume (late medieval/early Renaissance Italian, looks like) kept me flipping through this obviously simplified for graphic novel format (but not so much that you feel giant gaps) fantasy, suitable for older grade school and younger teens (and up). A young wizard has a message that can stop a war, but needs to get it to the capital before an enemy wizard catches him, so he enlists the help of a skilled young weaver to accompany him on his journey to repair his magical cloaks as he goes. A fun magic system and some believable complications add layers that will keep the attention of older readers.
Recommended for fantasy fans, and now I want to find & read the original novel.
Recommended for fantasy fans, and now I want to find & read the original novel.
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was thrilled to see that Brightly Woven had been adapted into a graphic novel, but it left me feeling disappointed unfortunately. I'm a big fan of the original novel and felt that the graphic novel was written like a children's book rather than a work for young adults.
Many of the plot points were dulled down or simply skipped over - North loses his snark in this adaptation and so we don't get to see his character grow, Owain becomes a BOOKSHOP owner rather than a drunk aspiring knight, and we lose the slow burn romance between Syd and North (the scene where North catches Syd before poison kills her is completely omitted.
Overall, a poor shadow of the original.
Many of the plot points were dulled down or simply skipped over - North loses his snark in this adaptation and so we don't get to see his character grow, Owain becomes a BOOKSHOP owner rather than a drunk aspiring knight, and we lose the slow burn romance between Syd and North (the scene where North catches Syd before poison kills her is completely omitted.
Overall, a poor shadow of the original.
First off I'd like to say that I enjoyed the overall story, it was good. It had a bit of a slow start but most fantasy stories do because of how much world building they require.
I also really liked the visual progression of Syd's hair as her character develops.
However, there were a few visual inconsistencies that kept bugging me. Namely, how Syd carries her loom and how North takes off his cloaks. By how I mean HOW?!? It just doesn't make sense.
It seems that more focus was put on Syd's hair subtly changing than showing a logical way for her to carry her loom or a logical way for North to take his cloaks off!
Still a good graphic novel though.
I also really liked the visual progression of Syd's hair as her character develops.
However, there were a few visual inconsistencies that kept bugging me. Namely, how Syd carries her loom and how North takes off his cloaks. By how I mean HOW?!? It just doesn't make sense.
It seems that more focus was put on Syd's hair subtly changing than showing a logical way for her to carry her loom or a logical way for North to take his cloaks off!
Still a good graphic novel though.
This was so cute and fun! I hope they make more!