Reviews

Secret Passages by Axelle Lenoir

iliyenzio's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

2.0

I just wasn't a fan. I just couldn't get into it.

sarahthornton's review against another edition

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MOMMIE I WANT DAVID To DIIIIIIIIE

florizona's review

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reflective slow-paced

2.5

Disjointed, disorganized, pretentious, with characters completely annoying & unlikeable, seemingly important elements go unexplained. 

Two and a half stars just for the hilarious Asmeöth and the powerfully evocative rendering of the author’s metal mouth dream, which echoed some fever-dream childhood memories.

alexfromistemor's review

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emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

 Axelle Lenoir has quickly become one of my favourite writer/artists out there. Her work is funny and amazing, but this one, her autobiography as it were, is somehow deeper. It's probably more personal in that way...I mean, how could it not be? I don't know, I'm rambling. This was really good. 

lostboylit's review

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reflective slow-paced

2.0

jkenna90's review

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4.0

Secret Passages follows the author, Axel, as she starts first grade. Throughout the book she plays with her brothers, talks to the forest, and (mostly) listens to her parents. I really loved the surrealism in the book. She portrayed her parents as aliens and her little brother had an imaginary friend that's a demon. Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel. The story was interesting and the artwork was fantastic! I can't wait to read more from this author.

jennifercrowe's review

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

3.5

larakaa's review

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adventurous emotional funny reflective fast-paced

4.25

Not your typical memoir 

novellyness's review

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4.0

I read the first 30 pages or so of Secret Passages and thought what am I reading? Should I keep going? But as soon as the author appeared just to rip on her own comic I became more intrigued & I really liked the inclusion of that throughout the book.

I liked the adult perspective of the author telling her childhood story & then communicating with her childhood self at times in certain scenes that felt appropriate to speak with your past child self. I really loved this dual perspective of her childhood memories and adult reflections intertwined.

This graphic novel is very imaginative, quirky, and funny. The illustrations vary a bit in style & are all very well done. The pop culture references which are a large part of any 80’s/90’s childhood were done so well. The adult humour thrown over childhood nostalgia was clever and had me laughing. It was also a bit nostalgic to read and think about being a kid again, playing outside with siblings, anticipating the day when the huge Sears Christmas catalogue would arrive every year, having to go to dreaded school all the time, overthinking literally everything until you had weird nightmares, and talking to trees, yeah, who hasn’t?

I really enjoyed this one. It was a fun read. It did feel a little slow going and a bit anticlimactic but if this is going to be an ongoing series, which it seems like it will be, I’m so in & can’t wait to read more from Axelle Lenoir. The author seems to not give an eff & does her own thing and that’s truly metal! I love it! In the meantime, I’ll be checking out some of her other work.

Thank you to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

angelofmine1974's review

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medium-paced

4.0

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/Er8CmUBLAkA

Enjoy!