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jespersrevolvers's review against another edition
2.0
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*
to start, for a middle grade book, the story and plot were a good idea—but not entirely original. it was an interesting take on the “secret spy” trope, but it wasn’t necessarily something i hadn’t seen before.
what i did like though, was the colour scheme—at the beginning it started off simplistic, but as the story carried on, the shadows were deepened and the palette was darker.
i was also a fan of the fact that the protagonist—Josie—never left her best friend behind. in a lot of books where a “normal” person finds out they aren’t/they’re family members aren’t who they thought they were, the protagonist’s friends usually just get dropped and ignored, which is something that really annoyed me.
overall, a bit disappointed, but the story was okay.
to start, for a middle grade book, the story and plot were a good idea—but not entirely original. it was an interesting take on the “secret spy” trope, but it wasn’t necessarily something i hadn’t seen before.
what i did like though, was the colour scheme—at the beginning it started off simplistic, but as the story carried on, the shadows were deepened and the palette was darker.
i was also a fan of the fact that the protagonist—Josie—never left her best friend behind. in a lot of books where a “normal” person finds out they aren’t/they’re family members aren’t who they thought they were, the protagonist’s friends usually just get dropped and ignored, which is something that really annoyed me.
overall, a bit disappointed, but the story was okay.
jjkmanga's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars *may change
JB has one problem: she's painfully, terribly, boring. That and the fact that her mom is a bit cooky. Okay, a lot cooky. Turns out it runs in the family, which is quite splendid since I almost thought I was going to have to read about this ordinary girl. (I really should read book blurbs before I start them...)
It's not a surprise to anybody that I'm not necessarily the target audience for this book, as immature as I may be. Still, I thought it was a cute enough story to read between classes.
The art style is charming along with a sort of autumn color palette that feels homely. The story was, obviously, written for children. It's paced very quickly and explains everything neatly.
In terms of a children's graphic novel, well, that's what this is. A simple-to-understand comic with nice pictures. The plot itself wasn't anything crazy, although I was taken aback a bit by the mother-daughter dynamic. I'm glad it went in the direction that it did.
If I was, say, 7 years younger I think I would have really enjoyed this. That being said, I am not 7 years younger. Though I'm sure that to a kid this is a wonderful story.
Thanks to the publishers and to NetGalley for providing an arc.
JB has one problem: she's painfully, terribly, boring. That and the fact that her mom is a bit cooky. Okay, a lot cooky. Turns out it runs in the family, which is quite splendid since I almost thought I was going to have to read about this ordinary girl. (I really should read book blurbs before I start them...)
It's not a surprise to anybody that I'm not necessarily the target audience for this book, as immature as I may be. Still, I thought it was a cute enough story to read between classes.
The art style is charming along with a sort of autumn color palette that feels homely. The story was, obviously, written for children. It's paced very quickly and explains everything neatly.
In terms of a children's graphic novel, well, that's what this is. A simple-to-understand comic with nice pictures. The plot itself wasn't anything crazy, although I was taken aback a bit by the mother-daughter dynamic. I'm glad it went in the direction that it did.
If I was, say, 7 years younger I think I would have really enjoyed this. That being said, I am not 7 years younger. Though I'm sure that to a kid this is a wonderful story.
Thanks to the publishers and to NetGalley for providing an arc.
camilalobianco's review
4.0
85% ★★★★☆
I was requested to do this review by NetGalley and I'm so happy that this book was my first experience!
Plot
Jossie is a daughter of a spy that was trained to be the perfect spy (but, well, she kinda don't know this). In her last trip to France, that she thinks that was just a job trip, she starts to notice some gaps on her memory and she will do everything on her power to discover why this is happening and to get of this mess and become was she wants to be.
Execution
Great! That was such a fun read. I have to admit that this was nothing I expected and actually so much better. Something that you have to have in mind before start this read is that is not supposed to be serious or mature, it's purpose is being funny and not really logical. It actually might be a metaphor to controlling parents or something like this. I was expecting to be a cute and nice read and it was.
Characters
I like her best friend. Just know that Josie is not suppose to be a mature and developed character. She is supposed to be fun. The comic is a couple of crazy ideas and you better not expect character development, since is just a short story about a "spy machine".
Art
I'm not an art expert, but I really like this art style. The only thing I have to say is that some of the pages of my copy were darker then the pallet, but I think it was just a personal problem.
I was requested to do this review by NetGalley and I'm so happy that this book was my first experience!
Plot
Jossie is a daughter of a spy that was trained to be the perfect spy (but, well, she kinda don't know this). In her last trip to France, that she thinks that was just a job trip, she starts to notice some gaps on her memory and she will do everything on her power to discover why this is happening and to get of this mess and become was she wants to be.
Execution
Great! That was such a fun read. I have to admit that this was nothing I expected and actually so much better. Something that you have to have in mind before start this read is that is not supposed to be serious or mature, it's purpose is being funny and not really logical. It actually might be a metaphor to controlling parents or something like this. I was expecting to be a cute and nice read and it was.
Characters
I like her best friend. Just know that Josie is not suppose to be a mature and developed character. She is supposed to be fun. The comic is a couple of crazy ideas and you better not expect character development, since is just a short story about a "spy machine".
Art
I'm not an art expert, but I really like this art style. The only thing I have to say is that some of the pages of my copy were darker then the pallet, but I think it was just a personal problem.
storieswithbee's review
4.0
It’s these kind of stories that make me love graphic novels/ comics.
Our story starts with Josie, J.B, a seemingly regular teenager who is struggling through her teenaged life, all until she uncovers that she’s a sleeper agent and her Mum is a part of a huge plot to promote a sofa companies sales and influence political decisions, commit espionage, bank heists and bring down the CIA.
The story was hilarious and both J.B and J.B’s best friend, Zoe, are so relatable. Their reactions and comments are how any sane person would respond to the events and steps throughout the book. I love authors who keep their characters realistic.
The use of a mainly red colour scheme was a super interesting concept. The tones variation really made certain scenes seem so intense and action packed, while others light- hearted. I think Gianna Meola (illustrator) did a fantastic job in this comic.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ted Anderson for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC of The Spy Who Raised Me in the exchange for my honest review.
Our story starts with Josie, J.B, a seemingly regular teenager who is struggling through her teenaged life, all until she uncovers that she’s a sleeper agent and her Mum is a part of a huge plot to promote a sofa companies sales and influence political decisions, commit espionage, bank heists and bring down the CIA.
The story was hilarious and both J.B and J.B’s best friend, Zoe, are so relatable. Their reactions and comments are how any sane person would respond to the events and steps throughout the book. I love authors who keep their characters realistic.
The use of a mainly red colour scheme was a super interesting concept. The tones variation really made certain scenes seem so intense and action packed, while others light- hearted. I think Gianna Meola (illustrator) did a fantastic job in this comic.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ted Anderson for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC of The Spy Who Raised Me in the exchange for my honest review.
teabooksart's review
3.0
An interesting little comic with an unusual premise. Much of it felt a bit rushed and I think that was mostly because J.B.'s friend was all in on some pretty dangerous stuff. But overall it was a fun read, the illustrations were nice, and I enjoyed it. I personally would have enjoyed getting to know the characters a bit better.
jodi_kryer's review
2.0
I don't even know where to begin. The story is literally about the girl's mom being a secret agent for a Coca Colaesque company. The reason that Coca Cola is evil is because they're putting chemicals in their soda to control people(???) and the mother has turned her child into an unwilling spy. I realize that the Coca Cola company thing was an allegory about rich people and capitalism (most likely for children), but I wasn't having it. The second thing I'd like to talk about is the art style. It is so inconsistent and wonky, this style would have been better if it were a short animated film. Lastly, the dialogue fell flat every time. There was no emotion in this book. I really hate ripping things apart like this, but this book just made me so angry.
sinamile's review
3.0
ARC Review: Received for free via NetGalley for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
CW/TW: mind control, lying, emotional abuse, manipulation, espionage, mention of spying, kidnapping, ableist slurs,
It's a meh from me.
CW/TW: mind control, lying, emotional abuse, manipulation, espionage, mention of spying, kidnapping, ableist slurs,
It's a meh from me.
destdest's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
1.5
The premise isn’t a bad idea, but the execution is like using Hello Kitty stickers instead of duct tape. I don’t mind silly or ridiculous stories, but I just didn’t get this one. Josie’s been drugged and programmed all throughout her life, and the truth comes out after a fateful trip to Paris. But it’s so matter-of-factly. Her mom just owns up to it. While Josie is happy to be in control of her life again, I thought she didn’t have a strong enough reaction to basically being a robot, test dummy.
Also, Josie’s high school friend Zoe is prominently in the story. She doesn’t add much besides a joke or two, but I liked her.
The artwork is very simple and flat-colored. It can feel unfinished, at times, and there are few in-between shots of movement. But I liked the reddish-peach color scheme.
If you just want something fast-paced, action-packed, and nonsensical, then this isn’t a bad option. Just don’t expect to understand anything or connect with the characters on a deep level.