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aggieags17's review against another edition
4.0
I thought the art in this book was lovely - I really enjoyed it, and Tara O'Connor could really bring a tear to my eye in a couple of the scenes. However I thought the plot was a little basic. I'm giving it a higher rating for the art, but I was hoping for a little more content.
The book was a little short, and I think that the plot could have been benefited if it were longer - of course, not to invalidate the hard work that went into this book. The base of the story was really interesting, but past that, the plot was rather predictable. What happened with Georgia surprised me, but other than that, not much else did. It was an enjoyable read, for sure, but I was hoping for a little more. Still loved the art, though.
The book was a little short, and I think that the plot could have been benefited if it were longer - of course, not to invalidate the hard work that went into this book. The base of the story was really interesting, but past that, the plot was rather predictable. What happened with Georgia surprised me, but other than that, not much else did. It was an enjoyable read, for sure, but I was hoping for a little more. Still loved the art, though.
mxmaggie__'s review
4.0
Thank you to the publisher for the advanced reader copy.
Willy hates high school, her acne won’t go a way, her hair’s too short, she can’t afford cool clothes, and she is being ruthlessly bullied by the prettiest girl in school.
Then, she’s asked to close down the library-which you know is totally normal, a teen volunteer alone in a library, closing it herself- she discovers the book of her life in a secret basement room. When she writes something in it- like that she walks up with clear skin, or a designer sweater- it’ll come true.
And while it’s exciting to be noticed for good things at school, nothing that powerful comes without a price...
I thought it was a fun premise, told well. It felt like real high school with fantastic elements. I totally enjoyed it and would recommend it!
Willy hates high school, her acne won’t go a way, her hair’s too short, she can’t afford cool clothes, and she is being ruthlessly bullied by the prettiest girl in school.
Then, she’s asked to close down the library-which you know is totally normal, a teen volunteer alone in a library, closing it herself- she discovers the book of her life in a secret basement room. When she writes something in it- like that she walks up with clear skin, or a designer sweater- it’ll come true.
And while it’s exciting to be noticed for good things at school, nothing that powerful comes without a price...
I thought it was a fun premise, told well. It felt like real high school with fantastic elements. I totally enjoyed it and would recommend it!
koby's review
2.0
Neat premise: teen girl finds book and can rewrite her life. But, poor execution. Events happened dramatically, one after another, without a sense of realistic pacing. The bullies also felt overblown. I do like the art. The author has promise, but this didn't come together as well as it could have.
kailey_luminouslibro's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this graphic novel about a girl who discovers a magic book that will change her life! Willow is a nerd being bullied by the popular girls at school, but she has friends and a great job working in a library. The book gives her the power to rewrite her life, but of course, magic comes with a price. Willow uses the book to become one of the popular girls, and her life at school seems to be better, but at a cost. If only, Willow can realize the truth before it's too late, she might be able to salvage her friendships with the people who truly care about her.
I loved the struggle that Willow goes through! She has some really good character development, and I loved the complex relationships she has with her friends. It was really interesting to see Willow's perspective change throughout the book as she learns and grows.
I appreciated how the writing is concise but forceful, saying a lot in a few words, and delivering an emotional connection to each scene.
The artwork is wonderful, and really pulls you into the story. I like the muted colorscheme with gray and blue.
Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.
I loved the struggle that Willow goes through! She has some really good character development, and I loved the complex relationships she has with her friends. It was really interesting to see Willow's perspective change throughout the book as she learns and grows.
I appreciated how the writing is concise but forceful, saying a lot in a few words, and delivering an emotional connection to each scene.
The artwork is wonderful, and really pulls you into the story. I like the muted colorscheme with gray and blue.
Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.
howlinglibraries's review
3.0
A highschool girl is closing up shop at the library she works for, when she takes a tumble and finds a hidden floor to the library - stocked with books that have only individuals' names on the spines. When Willow finds the book with her name on it, she realizes that she can write in the book, and whatever she writes will come true - at a price.
I thought this was a pretty fun idea, and the art was nice enough, but I just didn't really find it particularly interesting. I didn't get attached to the story or characters, and probably wouldn't continue the series; that said, if the synopsis intrigues you, I'd recommend giving it a try!
Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for this honest review!
I thought this was a pretty fun idea, and the art was nice enough, but I just didn't really find it particularly interesting. I didn't get attached to the story or characters, and probably wouldn't continue the series; that said, if the synopsis intrigues you, I'd recommend giving it a try!
Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for this honest review!
cajade93's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
wordsaremyforte's review against another edition
2.0
Ehhh, I've seen altered history stories been done better (take Shrek Ever-After for example—I know I'm a child).
Before I head into this rant/review, I just want to say that the art was nice and pleasing to the eye.
Ex: 'Oh no! The mean girl unexpectedly stole what was in my bag when I very intelligently left it right out in the open for anyone to find it! How could this EVER happen?'
Ex: 'I'm a totally changed person because my pimples and zits are gone (how life changing!) and I wear fancy clothes, so I should totally be friends with my worst enemy and torture my best friend!!'
Please, stop. STOP using these tropes. They're stupid and overused.
Willow receives a magical book in which she can change anything about her life, and what is the first thing she does? Erases pimples. Ok, understandable, she was just trying it out to see if this 'magical book' actually works. Then she gets a guy to like her. My problem is that she doesn't change anything else that would actually teach her something important.
The only good character was Willow's best friend; she was the only one who had a sense of reality. Then you had the stereotypical trio of bad girls and the hot guy that try to ruin the MC's life for no apparent reason other than to feed his own ego.
There was one instance where hot guy asks Willow, "You don't have TV? What do you do, stare at the wall all day?' Unless this is historical fiction (yes, the early 2000's should be considered historical fiction by now), then a person shouldn't be surprised about another person not watching TV. Cable television is fading irrelevance, and there was no indicator pointing readers to the fact that this story takes place in the past. I had to check the publication date to see if this cleared anything up, but no. This was published 3 months ago (March 2018) at the time of this review.
Theplot points that were interesting were completely dropped. This story had so much potential with those ink lines steadily consuming Willow, but none of it was ever expanded upon. I would have been much more invested had the story focused more on Mr. Ages. What were his grave consequences that taught him about the danger of rewriting lives? I want to know!!!
Before I head into this rant/review, I just want to say that the art was nice and pleasing to the eye.
Spoiler
So many of the incidents in this graphic novel were cliche and predictable, and the protagonist, Willow was unbearable.Ex: 'Oh no! The mean girl unexpectedly stole what was in my bag when I very intelligently left it right out in the open for anyone to find it! How could this EVER happen?'
Ex: 'I'm a totally changed person because my pimples and zits are gone (how life changing!) and I wear fancy clothes, so I should totally be friends with my worst enemy and torture my best friend!!'
Please, stop. STOP using these tropes. They're stupid and overused.
Willow receives a magical book in which she can change anything about her life, and what is the first thing she does? Erases pimples. Ok, understandable, she was just trying it out to see if this 'magical book' actually works. Then she gets a guy to like her. My problem is that she doesn't change anything else that would actually teach her something important.
The only good character was Willow's best friend; she was the only one who had a sense of reality. Then you had the stereotypical trio of bad girls and the hot guy that try to ruin the MC's life for no apparent reason other than to feed his own ego.
There was one instance where hot guy asks Willow, "You don't have TV? What do you do, stare at the wall all day?' Unless this is historical fiction (yes, the early 2000's should be considered historical fiction by now), then a person shouldn't be surprised about another person not watching TV. Cable television is fading irrelevance, and there was no indicator pointing readers to the fact that this story takes place in the past. I had to check the publication date to see if this cleared anything up, but no. This was published 3 months ago (March 2018) at the time of this review.
Theplot points that were interesting were completely dropped. This story had so much potential with those ink lines steadily consuming Willow, but none of it was ever expanded upon. I would have been much more invested had the story focused more on Mr. Ages. What were his grave consequences that taught him about the danger of rewriting lives? I want to know!!!
gashlycrumb's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting premise, disappointing execution. The drawings were lovely, and the narrative style is actually pretty engaging. The problem is that the well-explored parts of the story are all pretty standard Mean Girls kind of stuff. The original part of the story could easily have been replaced with anything at all since there was very little explanation of the books, the magic, the process, etc. etc. The ending didn't really feel like much of a resolution either. It all felt too easy and too quick.
clairewrobel's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
solelylu's review against another edition
3.0
I was able to read half of it before it got expired. Didn’t really like the art that much. The story was interesting though.
Special thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for this review copy.
Special thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for this review copy.