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ecroot's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-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? No
4.0
coralinejonesss's review against another edition
1.0
Art: 5/5
Story/writing: 1/5
The art is gorgeous and atmospheric, exactly what this topic needed.
The writing on the other hand....what the heck is going on here?? Did the editor totally not read this or something? This author has no idea how law enforcement works in the most basic sense....Cop Dad: We have no evidence to go on and the case is inactive. We found your missing sister's car yesterday and there were "no forensics" found in it.
Next baffling example: Cop dad says missing sister's bandana was found to have "no FINGERPRINTS" and "no forensics." Like??? They would not be looking for fingerprints on a textile??? And no forensics is not what would be said, it would be like no DNA or evidence was found....
Very strange parental relationship too....so separated but temporarily living together so their daughter can....attend her...for some reason separated twin sister's school and....look for her....when her dad is a cop, and is working on her case with the local cops (never shown except for in an environmental protest scene)....Mom and dad fight violently when together, yet they are staying together and even have a relationship where her dad's new partner (pregnant with his baby), knows her and allows her to meet her child after the book ends.....What in tarnation? Never explained further.
Also baffling: the text on the book jacket, which explains that the author lives in the U.K. and the About the author page in the book which says the author and colorist live in "Northern Ireland"and that the author formerly lived in New Jersey, where the book is set. The copyright page says the cover design, art, and text were by the author. So...was this a case of an American author living abroad and not even realizing basic stuff like that Ireland is not in the U.K.???
Finally, spoilers ahead....
so you're telling me, everyone totally accepted that the evil oil man was a supernatural creature instantaneously because friend 1 livestreamed his evil monologue ....
and what killed me too was when his henchman says all the necessary permits are secured. what would you like us to do with the forest?....like???? Permits are building permits....with building PLANS that are approved giving Permission in the form of a permit...to build....???? And he goes...Flatten it. Raze it all to the ground. ?????
And to top it all off - the whole Lucas/sister thing had zero relation to the oil pipeline story....it reads like the author just wanted to put in activist stuff "because it was 2020" without any depth of understanding about being an activist, the topic, (nor basic life stuff itself like that you can't get fingerprints off a handkerchief) So somehow we end up with a confused garbled story that is bafflingly strange at times.
In sum, great art - but holy crap am I confused and baffled at the writing!
Story/writing: 1/5
The art is gorgeous and atmospheric, exactly what this topic needed.
The writing on the other hand....what the heck is going on here?? Did the editor totally not read this or something? This author has no idea how law enforcement works in the most basic sense....Cop Dad: We have no evidence to go on and the case is inactive. We found your missing sister's car yesterday and there were "no forensics" found in it.
Next baffling example: Cop dad says missing sister's bandana was found to have "no FINGERPRINTS" and "no forensics." Like??? They would not be looking for fingerprints on a textile??? And no forensics is not what would be said, it would be like no DNA or evidence was found....
Very strange parental relationship too....so separated but temporarily living together so their daughter can....attend her...for some reason separated twin sister's school and....look for her....when her dad is a cop, and is working on her case with the local cops (never shown except for in an environmental protest scene)....Mom and dad fight violently when together, yet they are staying together and even have a relationship where her dad's new partner (pregnant with his baby), knows her and allows her to meet her child after the book ends.....What in tarnation? Never explained further.
Also baffling: the text on the book jacket, which explains that the author lives in the U.K. and the About the author page in the book which says the author and colorist live in "Northern Ireland"and that the author formerly lived in New Jersey, where the book is set. The copyright page says the cover design, art, and text were by the author. So...was this a case of an American author living abroad and not even realizing basic stuff like that Ireland is not in the U.K.???
Finally, spoilers ahead....
so you're telling me, everyone totally accepted that the evil oil man was a supernatural creature instantaneously because friend 1 livestreamed his evil monologue ....
and what killed me too was when his henchman says all the necessary permits are secured. what would you like us to do with the forest?....like???? Permits are building permits....with building PLANS that are approved giving Permission in the form of a permit...to build....???? And he goes...Flatten it. Raze it all to the ground. ?????
And to top it all off - the whole Lucas/sister thing had zero relation to the oil pipeline story....it reads like the author just wanted to put in activist stuff "because it was 2020" without any depth of understanding about being an activist, the topic, (nor basic life stuff itself like that you can't get fingerprints off a handkerchief) So somehow we end up with a confused garbled story that is bafflingly strange at times.
In sum, great art - but holy crap am I confused and baffled at the writing!
bookstobarbells's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. I wanted so much more from this. The premise was really interesting and had so much potential; instead, this fell flat for me.
With such a gorgeous cover, I expected more dynamic pages, not just black and white. This could be because I have an ARC, but I felt it made the storyline less effective. With such a focus on the environment and the pine lands, you’d think there would be a showcase of that environment. I also would’ve loved to see what Veradys looked like in full color.
The plot was also extremely predictable. I predicted a lot of what was coming and felt uninterested in our MC’s journey. The connection between her missing sister and the pine lands was not well done either. Her just stumbling into a tree, finding a creature, and then it makes a super random massive connection at the end? There wasn’t enough build in the middle to make it feel cohesive. Instead, there were a lot of fluffy plot lines thrown in that didn’t need to be there and just created noise for me.
I didn’t feel much of a connection to any of the characters either. Dee didn’t have much going for her. She felt like a bit of a throwaway character. I didn’t feel like I learned much about her through any of the story. She’s slightly edgy, but that’s about all I really know. Tobi was a little more dynamic, but not by much. She at least seemed to fit the story more. And the parents? Just a real weird tense relationship that’s explained out in like two pages and then just dropped to pop up whenever they need a tense, awkward moment.
I wanted to like this, but just left feeling like I didn’t get to take away much. It did have a diverse looking cast and a good idea, just poor execution all around, in my opinion.
Thank you to the publisher for supplying an advanced reader copy.
With such a gorgeous cover, I expected more dynamic pages, not just black and white. This could be because I have an ARC, but I felt it made the storyline less effective. With such a focus on the environment and the pine lands, you’d think there would be a showcase of that environment. I also would’ve loved to see what Veradys looked like in full color.
The plot was also extremely predictable. I predicted a lot of what was coming and felt uninterested in our MC’s journey. The connection between her missing sister and the pine lands was not well done either. Her just stumbling into a tree, finding a creature, and then it makes a super random massive connection at the end? There wasn’t enough build in the middle to make it feel cohesive. Instead, there were a lot of fluffy plot lines thrown in that didn’t need to be there and just created noise for me.
I didn’t feel much of a connection to any of the characters either. Dee didn’t have much going for her. She felt like a bit of a throwaway character. I didn’t feel like I learned much about her through any of the story. She’s slightly edgy, but that’s about all I really know. Tobi was a little more dynamic, but not by much. She at least seemed to fit the story more. And the parents? Just a real weird tense relationship that’s explained out in like two pages and then just dropped to pop up whenever they need a tense, awkward moment.
I wanted to like this, but just left feeling like I didn’t get to take away much. It did have a diverse looking cast and a good idea, just poor execution all around, in my opinion.
Thank you to the publisher for supplying an advanced reader copy.
nyxii's review against another edition
2.0
I liked Vera, the art, and the color palette.
I didn’t like the fact there’s a massive trigger warning out of left-field towards the end which upset me greatly. It also felt like a cop-out way to wrap up the main plot since it was not explored at all/nothing lead up to it that would have made it plausible anyway. Thanks a lot.
I didn’t like the fact there’s a massive trigger warning out of left-field towards the end which upset me greatly. It also felt like a cop-out way to wrap up the main plot since it was not explored at all/nothing lead up to it that would have made it plausible anyway. Thanks a lot.
danaslitlist's review
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A supernatural environmental thriller/ mystery featuring one of my favorite cryptids?! Sign me up!
This was a very entertaining and creative graphic novel with a bittersweet story.
This was a very entertaining and creative graphic novel with a bittersweet story.
balibasa's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder