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A review by laurel00
Nayra and the Djinn by Iasmin Omar Ata
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Overall, this definitely was a sweet story, but I don't think it quite hit the mark for me.
The best part of this graphic novel is definitely the art. The first work by Ata that I've read was their short comic Zenith, and from that very moment, I fell in love with their art style. There's something about their character designs especially that feel very cozy and heartwarming to me, and I knew I absolutely had to get my hands on their other books.
In Nayra and the Djinn, Ata upheld that beautiful art style that I was excited for, while in fact elevating their craft even further by adding in this gorgeous colour scheme. All the shades of pinks and purples worked so well together, and it made every page truly stunning to look at.
Where the book lost me is in the writing itself. I loved the idea, and even at the beginning of the story, I had a lot of hope. The set up was great and I think there was a lot of potential to write some super interesting character arcs and include some very nuanced discussions about friendship, culture, religion, bulling, and growing up as a whole. However, I think the big issue is that there were too many ideas. Everything felt a bit rushed, especially at the end, and it really took me out of the reading experience. I think there were some comedic moments that made the characters very endearing to me, but it was hard to get invested in their problems and storylines because it felt like we kept jumping from one thing to another, with very little resolution or character development.
I think I was just so greatly anticipating this, because the cover itself made me so excited to read it, but I felt just a bit disappointed. I do still want to read some of Ata's other work, so although I may not recommend this graphic novel specifically, I still really liked Zenith and I'm hoping that some of their other books resonate more with me.
The best part of this graphic novel is definitely the art. The first work by Ata that I've read was their short comic Zenith, and from that very moment, I fell in love with their art style. There's something about their character designs especially that feel very cozy and heartwarming to me, and I knew I absolutely had to get my hands on their other books.
In Nayra and the Djinn, Ata upheld that beautiful art style that I was excited for, while in fact elevating their craft even further by adding in this gorgeous colour scheme. All the shades of pinks and purples worked so well together, and it made every page truly stunning to look at.
Where the book lost me is in the writing itself. I loved the idea, and even at the beginning of the story, I had a lot of hope. The set up was great and I think there was a lot of potential to write some super interesting character arcs and include some very nuanced discussions about friendship, culture, religion, bulling, and growing up as a whole. However, I think the big issue is that there were too many ideas. Everything felt a bit rushed, especially at the end, and it really took me out of the reading experience. I think there were some comedic moments that made the characters very endearing to me, but it was hard to get invested in their problems and storylines because it felt like we kept jumping from one thing to another, with very little resolution or character development.
I think I was just so greatly anticipating this, because the cover itself made me so excited to read it, but I felt just a bit disappointed. I do still want to read some of Ata's other work, so although I may not recommend this graphic novel specifically, I still really liked Zenith and I'm hoping that some of their other books resonate more with me.