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jilljemmett's review
5.0
Jeremiah Jacobson is a 32 year-old hockey player. He has back problems and his game is suffering from it. Everyone can see that he is close to retirement. He starts taking a lot of pain medication, so much that he forgets to spend quality time with his wife and children. His friend Tom Leonard wants him to look over a plan he has to improve their neighbouring city, Bump City, but Jeremiah keeps forgetting. Meanwhile, Tom is having his own romantic issues. He is dating his high school crush, Jaelithe, but she lives across the country in Pittsburgh. Tom goes back to a high school reunion and is reunited with his old bandmates. Jeremiah has to deal with his new drug problem, while Tom has to decide what to do with his new relationship.
I loved this graphic novel! It's the third and final part in the Friends Forever series from Howard Shapiro. This one is definitely my favourite in the series. I love that it brings together the points from the first two books. I didn't see as much of a connection between the first and second books, but this one brings back all of the characters from the series in a reunion.
The only part that was a little confusing was determining which character was which while they played hockey. Since they were all wearing helmets, I couldn't tell which character was speaking at first glance.
I really enjoyed this series. This third book was a great conclusion to this heartfelt series.
I loved this graphic novel! It's the third and final part in the Friends Forever series from Howard Shapiro. This one is definitely my favourite in the series. I love that it brings together the points from the first two books. I didn't see as much of a connection between the first and second books, but this one brings back all of the characters from the series in a reunion.
The only part that was a little confusing was determining which character was which while they played hockey. Since they were all wearing helmets, I couldn't tell which character was speaking at first glance.
I really enjoyed this series. This third book was a great conclusion to this heartfelt series.
shirleycuypers's review
4.0
This book was provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley and Animal Media Group!
Hockey Karma is the third and final book in the Forever Friends Trilogy. Hockey Karma continues the story of Jack and Tom but 10 years later. They've all grown and changed, but one thing remained: their passion for hockey and helping others.
Hockey Karma is such a beautiful end to the Forever Friends Trilogy. You get to know the characters a lot more and see how they've grown up. I also loved reading about the reunion and seeing some old faces again. I can happily say that the Forever Friends Trilogy is a good graphic novel trilogy!
Hockey Karma is the third and final book in the Forever Friends Trilogy. Hockey Karma continues the story of Jack and Tom but 10 years later. They've all grown and changed, but one thing remained: their passion for hockey and helping others.
Hockey Karma is such a beautiful end to the Forever Friends Trilogy. You get to know the characters a lot more and see how they've grown up. I also loved reading about the reunion and seeing some old faces again. I can happily say that the Forever Friends Trilogy is a good graphic novel trilogy!
undertowsoul's review
4.0
As this trilogy of graphic novels comes to an end, I find myself longing for more from the author, but knowing the story is done. I think he did a great job wrapping it up and bringing a teen friendship story full-circle. Istarted reading because I love bands and the way the author wrote the soundtrack and kept reading a sports graphic novel for the same soundtrack and the friends.
I would like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
I would like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
abigailsbooks32's review
4.0
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I am very thankful to have received this book.
I personally think this book was the best one out of the whole trilogy. I’m probably biased in thinking that though considering I love hockey and this book had the most hockey.
One again the writing and dialog were spot on and just great. The art was also great. I really enjoyed seeing Tom grow and how his life evolved through three books. It didn’t feel like it took too long or dragged on it was done very well.
This book revolves around Jeremiah more than Tom though. Jeremiah was in the second book and if you read that book you’ll see how their relationship forms. I think it’s pretty cool to see that Tom isn’t forgotten, but that the focus shifts more to Jeremiah.
In this book you follow Jeremiah and you see him go through so many troubles and you get to see if he conquers these problems or if they conquer him. It was written so well and I found it super easy to follow and read.
Overall I think this trilogy is great. They’re all super quick, easy, and fun reads. If you’re having a rough reading month then this trilogy may help you out of that. Each book has its own message and they’re all really good messages as well.
I personally think this book was the best one out of the whole trilogy. I’m probably biased in thinking that though considering I love hockey and this book had the most hockey.
One again the writing and dialog were spot on and just great. The art was also great. I really enjoyed seeing Tom grow and how his life evolved through three books. It didn’t feel like it took too long or dragged on it was done very well.
This book revolves around Jeremiah more than Tom though. Jeremiah was in the second book and if you read that book you’ll see how their relationship forms. I think it’s pretty cool to see that Tom isn’t forgotten, but that the focus shifts more to Jeremiah.
In this book you follow Jeremiah and you see him go through so many troubles and you get to see if he conquers these problems or if they conquer him. It was written so well and I found it super easy to follow and read.
Overall I think this trilogy is great. They’re all super quick, easy, and fun reads. If you’re having a rough reading month then this trilogy may help you out of that. Each book has its own message and they’re all really good messages as well.
novelbloglover's review
5.0
Book Review
Title: Hockey Karma (Forever Friends Trilogy #3)
Author: Howard Shapiro
Genre: Graphic Novel
Rating: *****
Review: The opening to Hockey Karma was great, we re-join Jake and Tom who seems a lot older than he did in Hockey Saint and Felicity even mentions kids, but Jake isn’t himself at all and might be coming to the end of his career. Tom, on the other hand, has finally got a chance at his dream girl Jaelithe after getting her number after his parent’s death.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the story, the people and times around Jake are changing rapidly and he isn’t ready for these changes. Despite being a father of two beautiful children he doesn’t seem content with his life and is fighting to be the superstar he once was but after being bumped down to third line it is clear that isn’t happening, and he is moving closer and closer to retirement and he is having some major issues. Meanwhile, Tom is still trying to change the world with the help of some old friends and decades after high school he finally gets the chance to go on a date with the girl of his dreams.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the story, Tom’s seems to be on the up with his relationship with Jaelithe going well and he is heading back to his home town for a reunion where he will be able to see all his old friends again, so I couldn’t wait to see them again. Jake, on the other hand isn’t fairing so well, his feud with a rival player is getting worse and after being injured in practice Jake is too stubborn to accept that one wrong move could not only end his career but his life as well. Despite seeing a nice side to Jake in Hockey Saint, here he comes off as a self-centred ass with no concern or consideration for his health and what would be best for his family, he only thinks of himself.
As we approach the halfway mark in the story, Tom finally confronts Jake about what is going on, but he just brushes it off as usually despite the fact he is developing quite a high dependency on painkillers just to be able to make it through the day because he has refused surgery until the end of the season but given the state of things I don’t think Jake is going to make it that far. However, Tom can’t dwell on it as he is flying to his home town the next day for his reunion.
As we cross into the second half of the story, both Jake and Tom are having to make some really big decisions. Jake must decide what is more important to him; hockey or his family, and Tom is contemplating moving back to his home town as he really likes Jaelithe and wants to be with her but as the mother of an eight-year-old son a long-distance relationship wouldn’t work. Tom also realises during the reunion that he has moulded himself around Jake and doesn’t really have any idea of who he is as a person and wants to learn but to do that he needs to distance himself from his best friend of many years.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the story, everything is coming together Jake finally decides to pull himself together and focus on family. Getting off the drugs and setting this straight worked out well for him and he also decides that he will play one last game and then retire but I don’t have a good feeling about this last game. Tom also realises that a relationship with Jaelithe isn’t going to work out at this point in his life and he makes peace with that and throws all his energy into his other projects.
In the final section of the story, I was really happy to see both Jake and Tom manage to not only stay friends but support each other when they need it most and find a way to move forward together despite everything they have gone through. I highly recommend the forever friends trilogy, they are quick reads but filled with social and sometimes political commentary and really focuses on issues that the everyday person faces in their lives like poverty, death, illness and more.
Title: Hockey Karma (Forever Friends Trilogy #3)
Author: Howard Shapiro
Genre: Graphic Novel
Rating: *****
Review: The opening to Hockey Karma was great, we re-join Jake and Tom who seems a lot older than he did in Hockey Saint and Felicity even mentions kids, but Jake isn’t himself at all and might be coming to the end of his career. Tom, on the other hand, has finally got a chance at his dream girl Jaelithe after getting her number after his parent’s death.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the story, the people and times around Jake are changing rapidly and he isn’t ready for these changes. Despite being a father of two beautiful children he doesn’t seem content with his life and is fighting to be the superstar he once was but after being bumped down to third line it is clear that isn’t happening, and he is moving closer and closer to retirement and he is having some major issues. Meanwhile, Tom is still trying to change the world with the help of some old friends and decades after high school he finally gets the chance to go on a date with the girl of his dreams.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the story, Tom’s seems to be on the up with his relationship with Jaelithe going well and he is heading back to his home town for a reunion where he will be able to see all his old friends again, so I couldn’t wait to see them again. Jake, on the other hand isn’t fairing so well, his feud with a rival player is getting worse and after being injured in practice Jake is too stubborn to accept that one wrong move could not only end his career but his life as well. Despite seeing a nice side to Jake in Hockey Saint, here he comes off as a self-centred ass with no concern or consideration for his health and what would be best for his family, he only thinks of himself.
As we approach the halfway mark in the story, Tom finally confronts Jake about what is going on, but he just brushes it off as usually despite the fact he is developing quite a high dependency on painkillers just to be able to make it through the day because he has refused surgery until the end of the season but given the state of things I don’t think Jake is going to make it that far. However, Tom can’t dwell on it as he is flying to his home town the next day for his reunion.
As we cross into the second half of the story, both Jake and Tom are having to make some really big decisions. Jake must decide what is more important to him; hockey or his family, and Tom is contemplating moving back to his home town as he really likes Jaelithe and wants to be with her but as the mother of an eight-year-old son a long-distance relationship wouldn’t work. Tom also realises during the reunion that he has moulded himself around Jake and doesn’t really have any idea of who he is as a person and wants to learn but to do that he needs to distance himself from his best friend of many years.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the story, everything is coming together Jake finally decides to pull himself together and focus on family. Getting off the drugs and setting this straight worked out well for him and he also decides that he will play one last game and then retire but I don’t have a good feeling about this last game. Tom also realises that a relationship with Jaelithe isn’t going to work out at this point in his life and he makes peace with that and throws all his energy into his other projects.
In the final section of the story, I was really happy to see both Jake and Tom manage to not only stay friends but support each other when they need it most and find a way to move forward together despite everything they have gone through. I highly recommend the forever friends trilogy, they are quick reads but filled with social and sometimes political commentary and really focuses on issues that the everyday person faces in their lives like poverty, death, illness and more.
bookbybook's review
4.0
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences my opinion, and all of the words below are my own.
Hockey Karma gave the point of view of a hockey player that you usually won't see in a graphic novel, especially one not entirely aimed for adults. We got to follow the story of an older hockey player nearing retirement, rather than someone breaking into the sport or discovering their incredible talent for it. I enjoyed this perspective in that it was more unique, and an interesting way to cover some serious topics. I always find that graphic novels are one of the best ways of addressing serious topics in fiction, and this was no exception.
I also love graphic novels because they are such quick and easy reads, but graphic novels are also purely dialogue leaving only the images to fill the rest in. I absolutely loved the artwork, but I didn't feel entirely satisfied with how it told the story. I can also see where Howard Shapiro could easily write a full length novel based on this and I would gladly read it to fill in the gaps. That being said I also have not read the two novels that took place ten years earlier in the same universe, and reading those might fill in the gaps for me as well. Hopefully I will be able to read them soon, and they will help to make Hockey Karma even better for me!
Hockey Karma gave the point of view of a hockey player that you usually won't see in a graphic novel, especially one not entirely aimed for adults. We got to follow the story of an older hockey player nearing retirement, rather than someone breaking into the sport or discovering their incredible talent for it. I enjoyed this perspective in that it was more unique, and an interesting way to cover some serious topics. I always find that graphic novels are one of the best ways of addressing serious topics in fiction, and this was no exception.
I also love graphic novels because they are such quick and easy reads, but graphic novels are also purely dialogue leaving only the images to fill the rest in. I absolutely loved the artwork, but I didn't feel entirely satisfied with how it told the story. I can also see where Howard Shapiro could easily write a full length novel based on this and I would gladly read it to fill in the gaps. That being said I also have not read the two novels that took place ten years earlier in the same universe, and reading those might fill in the gaps for me as well. Hopefully I will be able to read them soon, and they will help to make Hockey Karma even better for me!
thatonenerdygirl's review against another edition
4.0
Source: Netgalley (in exchange for an honest review)
This book takes place a few years after the end of Hokey Saint.
The story is simple but interesting, sort of like the first book.
It mentions important topics as well: homelessness, feminism, death of loved ones, etc.
There are moments in which they talk about things that happened in the first novel of the trilogy, something that didn’t really happen in Hockey Saint. The fact that they mention Jacoby was, at the very least, nostalgia-inducing, it felt as if I had read Stereotypical Freaks years ago instead of a few hours prior.
The characters in this novel were the same as Hockey Saint’s, which means they weren’t that great.
The art seemed a little bit more detailed, which is a great thing.
This book featured, just like the others, ‘Recommended Listenings’, a detail that I have grown to love.
I still think the first book was the best of the trilogy, but that doesn’t mean that this one is bad.
Rating: 3.5 stars
This book takes place a few years after the end of Hokey Saint.
The story is simple but interesting, sort of like the first book.
It mentions important topics as well: homelessness, feminism, death of loved ones, etc.
There are moments in which they talk about things that happened in the first novel of the trilogy, something that didn’t really happen in Hockey Saint. The fact that they mention Jacoby was, at the very least, nostalgia-inducing, it felt as if I had read Stereotypical Freaks years ago instead of a few hours prior.
The characters in this novel were the same as Hockey Saint’s, which means they weren’t that great.
The art seemed a little bit more detailed, which is a great thing.
This book featured, just like the others, ‘Recommended Listenings’, a detail that I have grown to love.
I still think the first book was the best of the trilogy, but that doesn’t mean that this one is bad.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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