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bookswithbets's review
adventurous
fast-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? Yes
3.0
elderkinhv's review
adventurous
funny
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? Yes
3.0
reginaexmachina's review
I felt like this had all the elements of a story completely up my alley with a interesting female inventor as the main character and steampunk-ish plot. Maybe I'm just too much of an art snob but the art style made it difficult for me to get into. The backgrounds and mechanical elements were drawn well but the characters looked very cartoonish, particularly in the faces that would look much younger than their supposed age. I know this title is popular and I would imagine the art gets better but I just couldn't stick with it.
detailsandtales's review
4.0
This was just the prologue, but it caught my interest, and I now want to read more. Still, it was just a taste, so I don't have strong opinions yet.
vickybuka's review
3.0
This was a light-hearted, frenetic, fluffy tale in a steampunk-esque world. I enjoyed reading this, but especially enjoyed the hunt for the jokes the artist hid in the backgrounds. Be sure to read the titles of books and labels of bottles as they are encountered.
It is a silly tale, so if you are not in the mood, you'd only be annoyed. The world most strongly reminded me of [a:Robert Lynn Asprin|65471|Robert Lynn Asprin|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1297529113p2/65471.jpg]'s Myth Adventures series. Pulled out the old [b:Myth Adventures|565427|Myth Adventures|Robert Lynn Asprin|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1217466457s/565427.jpg|6172111] illustrated version we had on the shelf, and lo and behold, it was illustrated by the very same [a:Phil Foglio|42122|Phil Foglio|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66.jpg]. What a small world.
The quality of the contents far outshone the quality of the book I held in my hand. The binding had a glue failure & was threatening to fall apart.
It is a silly tale, so if you are not in the mood, you'd only be annoyed. The world most strongly reminded me of [a:Robert Lynn Asprin|65471|Robert Lynn Asprin|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1297529113p2/65471.jpg]'s Myth Adventures series. Pulled out the old [b:Myth Adventures|565427|Myth Adventures|Robert Lynn Asprin|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1217466457s/565427.jpg|6172111] illustrated version we had on the shelf, and lo and behold, it was illustrated by the very same [a:Phil Foglio|42122|Phil Foglio|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66.jpg]. What a small world.
The quality of the contents far outshone the quality of the book I held in my hand. The binding had a glue failure & was threatening to fall apart.
shanbear16's review
3.0
I get that Girl Genius is kind of a big deal in the Steampunk literary world. I just didn't get that into it. The first quarter of the book has some really confusing art. It's hard to tell what's going on. The rest of the book's art is great. I just couldn't get into the story all that well. But, if you like the more technology aspect of Steampunk then this graphic novel is probably for you.
chelzabeth's review
4.0
tl;dr
Your standard story. Girl has magical necklace that keeps bad people from finding her. Magical necklace gets broken. Girl is found by bad people, also a guy who thinks he’s a hero but is really just a nuisance, and begins becoming the thing the bad people fear. Also there’s a cat.
getting down to business [to defeat the Hive Engine]…
I’d read this part of Girl Genius in 2012 (I think) when I went through a phase of reading webcomics online. Eventually I realized that spending all day clicking through webcomics online was fun, but not exactly the best use of my time. (I followed a lot of webcomics.) Girl Genius always stuck with me, so when I found it in a bookstore, I had to buy it.
Full review here.
Your standard story. Girl has magical necklace that keeps bad people from finding her. Magical necklace gets broken. Girl is found by bad people, also a guy who thinks he’s a hero but is really just a nuisance, and begins becoming the thing the bad people fear. Also there’s a cat.
getting down to business [to defeat the Hive Engine]…
I’d read this part of Girl Genius in 2012 (I think) when I went through a phase of reading webcomics online. Eventually I realized that spending all day clicking through webcomics online was fun, but not exactly the best use of my time. (I followed a lot of webcomics.) Girl Genius always stuck with me, so when I found it in a bookstore, I had to buy it.
Full review here.
cozychrista's review
5.0
Ha! I never read comics, but I just spent an entire week binge reading this series. Nuff said.
drtlovesbooks's review
3.0
What it's about: Agatha Clay lives in a world of mad scientists - in fact, she is interning for one, until he is killed in a not-quite-accidental explosion. Agatha has always wanted to be an inventor and mad scientist, but she's always had difficulty staying focused enough to complete a project. But when her family heirloom locket is stolen, she finds herself sleep-inventing. This leads to a case of mistaken identities, which lands her in the not-so-protective custody of Baron Baron Wulfenbach, a dictatorial ruler who has just taken over her town.
Soon Agatha finds herself at the center of chaos and confusion, and she learns that the fictional stories of the Heterodyne Boys, the fabled heroes, may not be fiction - and may have a direct connection to Agatha herself!
Why I rated it like I did: The story takes some common tropes and builds them out with some wild flourishes, but the tone and pacing feels very uneven. And there's something about the art that I dislike - I think it's the combination of oddly cartoonish proportions of the character's faces, along with a weird and subtle sexuality that shows up every so often. I'm interested by the story, but the whole presentation seems to veer about from innocent adventure tale to adult-edged weirdness in the blink of an eye.
Soon Agatha finds herself at the center of chaos and confusion, and she learns that the fictional stories of the Heterodyne Boys, the fabled heroes, may not be fiction - and may have a direct connection to Agatha herself!
Why I rated it like I did: The story takes some common tropes and builds them out with some wild flourishes, but the tone and pacing feels very uneven. And there's something about the art that I dislike - I think it's the combination of oddly cartoonish proportions of the character's faces, along with a weird and subtle sexuality that shows up every so often. I'm interested by the story, but the whole presentation seems to veer about from innocent adventure tale to adult-edged weirdness in the blink of an eye.
parallax's review
3.0
I have been meaning to read Girl Genius for a long time; many people have urged me to check it out. I couldn't get through it on the web site so an omnibus is ideal.
The story is pretty awesome, I like the characters so far and I anticipate that the world building will be excellent. I, however, really dislike the art. The proportions are weird and constantly changing, sometimes someone's arm will be like 2 or 3 sizes too big in one panel and only a little too big in the next. The coloring style makes everything look tubular and bizarre, which is fine for mechanical things but disturbing for humanoids. The women's bodies are obnoxious and I didn't expect the same tired cheesecake back twisting T&A that you find in mainstream superhero books in this series. I would hope that the art improves over time as many web comics do but I have a feeling that this stylization is here to stay. :/
The story is pretty awesome, I like the characters so far and I anticipate that the world building will be excellent. I, however, really dislike the art. The proportions are weird and constantly changing, sometimes someone's arm will be like 2 or 3 sizes too big in one panel and only a little too big in the next. The coloring style makes everything look tubular and bizarre, which is fine for mechanical things but disturbing for humanoids. The women's bodies are obnoxious and I didn't expect the same tired cheesecake back twisting T&A that you find in mainstream superhero books in this series. I would hope that the art improves over time as many web comics do but I have a feeling that this stylization is here to stay. :/