Reviews

Did I sob when they turned into the tree? OF COURSE. Did I sob again when they became dryads? DUH! Time for my VERY FAVORITE ARC CRYSTAL KINGDOM LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

tatyanavogt's review against another edition

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5.0

I Love this and would recommend it, but I should say that I do recommend people listen to the podcast first. I think its wonderful seeing the story come to life on paper but I feel like some things are lost and I dont know how much that would effect the enjoyment. I feel like my previous experience with the podcast has enhanced my overall experience of reading the book.

ichthyomancer's review against another edition

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3.0

i remember when i told my girlfriend about the ending of this arc and she hated me for it. still just as devastating years later.

amberreadsgood's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

Best arc adaptation of the podcast yet :')

Everything I said about the other novels in the series still stands for this one too. Sloane and Hurley's ending visualised was simply beautiful.

pellegrinic's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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

ponch22's review

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5.0

[b:The Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal|46223323|The Adventure Zone Petals to the Metal|Clint McElroy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585146457l/46223323._SX50_.jpg|71198864] is book #3 in the series of graphic novels based on The Adventure Zone podcast—a real-play podcast where brothers [a:Justin|7600602|Justin McElroy|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1531958983p2/7600602.jpg], [a:Travis|16706128|Travis McElroy|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1531958740p2/16706128.jpg], and [a:Griffin McElroy|16686574|Griffin McElroy|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1531958425p2/16686574.jpg] play Dungeons & Dragons with their dad [a:Clint|14748891|Clint McElroy|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1531958317p2/14748891.jpg]. [b:Here There Be Gerblins|35684941|The Adventure Zone Here There Be Gerblins|Clint McElroy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507691828l/35684941._SX50_.jpg|56070994] (2018) & [b:Murder on the Rockport Limited!|41812788|The Adventure Zone Murder on the Rockport Limited!|Clint McElroy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539399890l/41812788._SX50_.jpg|64249214] (2019) adapted the first ~14 hours of improvised role playing, and Petals to the Metal attempts to adapt the next ~12 hours.

It's been quite some time since I finished the entire TAZ Balance story (of which Petals is arc 3 of 8), so it's hard for me to remember what huge story elements had to be cut to squeeze into the graphic novel. If I had to guess it was more extended battles because most of the main elements I remember are here—

Spoiler

the crazy lunar interlude (with tormenting Garfield); the plant-covered building where the Tres Horny Boys first meet Sloane and Hurley (and ride another elevator); the pre-race mission to steal an Arcane Core without killing anyone (and the boys' trip to a canyon to dispose of a body because they're bad at not killing people); the Battle Wagon race (with a plethora of race cars & Shark Tanks); the epic fight to recover the Gaia Sash (and the unfortunate bury-your-gays ending); the meeting with Captain Captain Bane (and his self-drunk poison)

I love spending more time with Taako (Justin), Magnus (Travis), & Merle (Clint) as they continue to hunt for cursed magical artifacts. There did seem to be a lot less of a DM presence, but since Griffin created all the NPCs, it's not like he's not there at all...

We're seeing more glimpses into the larger 'Balance' story (along with some funny foreshadowing) plus this novel introduces us to Garyl—Taako's Phantom Steed who takes the form of Binicorn! The altered ending (taking a piece from story 8 and placing it here) was a nice touch, and as always, illustrator [a:Carey Pietsch|8504554|Carey Pietsch|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png] does a fantastic job bringing this story to life. The amazing details in every scene are funny & beautiful & just a joy to look at.

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