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A review by adelavmb
Watersnakes by Tony Sandoval, Lucas Marangon
3.0
https://vanillamoonbooks.blogspot.com/2018/10/review-watersnakes-by-tony-sandoval.html
An e-book ARC copy was provided by the publisher via the NetGalley service, in exchange for an honest review.
Going in, I wasn't sure what to expect. The artwork on the cover seemed very bad-ass, so after reading through the lines of the synopsis, I knew I was in. The book pulls you right in the story, with hints of the past, and a very smooth transition to our main character, Mila, a pale Morticia-like figure of a teenager who is bathing in the sea, who is startled by Agnes, a girl we soon learn to be a ghost - it's no spoiler, it's right there in the synopsis, though for me it was a surprise since I've forgotten about that by the time I actually read the ARC.
It seems to be a normal encounter between two adolescent girls who may be attracted to each other - Mila is strangely attracted to Agnes' teeth for some reason and this is the least strange thing about the pair. Soon enough, it all turns into a creepy adventure none of them asked for. Agnes carries the essence of an ancient king by a childhood accident that resulted in her death. Also, her teeth are actually the former guardians of the king - I know, I told you it gets stranger and stranger.
~the artwork, as I had predicted from the cover
~everything has a sort of cool, washed out tone
~it is grotesque at times, and weird, in the good kind of way
~the character design
~some scenes transition to others with no explanation whatsoever, and all of a sudden
~not enough information about the past and who the "bad guys" are
~parents are absent: we don't get to see Agnes' parents at all and Mila's are completely unaware and uninvolved
~vague information thrown in
~the lesbian romance was underdeveloped
~the story feels underdeveloped as well
All in all, the graphic novel had a very high potential, but it failed to deliver. I felt really sad to see such an interesting plot idea and such unique art style go to waste
An e-book ARC copy was provided by the publisher via the NetGalley service, in exchange for an honest review.
Going in, I wasn't sure what to expect. The artwork on the cover seemed very bad-ass, so after reading through the lines of the synopsis, I knew I was in. The book pulls you right in the story, with hints of the past, and a very smooth transition to our main character, Mila, a pale Morticia-like figure of a teenager who is bathing in the sea, who is startled by Agnes, a girl we soon learn to be a ghost - it's no spoiler, it's right there in the synopsis, though for me it was a surprise since I've forgotten about that by the time I actually read the ARC.
It seems to be a normal encounter between two adolescent girls who may be attracted to each other - Mila is strangely attracted to Agnes' teeth for some reason and this is the least strange thing about the pair. Soon enough, it all turns into a creepy adventure none of them asked for. Agnes carries the essence of an ancient king by a childhood accident that resulted in her death. Also, her teeth are actually the former guardians of the king - I know, I told you it gets stranger and stranger.
Positive aspects
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Negative aspects
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All in all, the graphic novel had a very high potential, but it failed to deliver. I felt really sad to see such an interesting plot idea and such unique art style go to waste