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cate_ninetails 's review for:
Grave Surprise
by Royal McGraw, Charlaine Harris
I'm aware of Charlaine Harris but never read any of her books, despite a passing interest in the television True Blood series. I do like supernatural themes though, so leapt at the chance to review something from an author that I was curious about with the bonus of being in graphic novel form. I didn't actually realise until after I was finished and did a little digging that Grave Surprise is part of a much larger story arc. Also, the original Harper Connolly books are already several years old. This retelling is beautifully rendered with vivid colours and unique artwork from Greek penciller Ilias Kyriazis.
While the action is decently paced and the story drew me in, I did sometimes feel, especially towards the end that character motivations grew a little bit muddy. Their actions don't seem to make a whole lot of sense except to propel the story forward, which even in a graphic novel is an issue for me. The finale is also very rushed, then tied up with a pretty glaringly large bow. I'm unsure if I would be willing to follow Harper and her 'brother' Tolliver into more adventures, and I especially find the shoehorned love interest subplot between the two very weird. It seems a little much for the author to ask of us as readers, to be cool with lusting after the man that you grew up with as a stepbrother. Maybe it's just me.
At times I felt the artwork was almost too exaggerated, especially when it comes to bodies and facial expressions. That's saying a lot, since I'm a lifelong comic book fan. Some panels look distractingly odd, but I appreciate that the artist has brought Harper to life in his own interesting way. This is an ordinary story, but with some extraordinary moments and for the most part, I really enjoyed it.
While the action is decently paced and the story drew me in, I did sometimes feel, especially towards the end that character motivations grew a little bit muddy. Their actions don't seem to make a whole lot of sense except to propel the story forward, which even in a graphic novel is an issue for me. The finale is also very rushed, then tied up with a pretty glaringly large bow. I'm unsure if I would be willing to follow Harper and her 'brother' Tolliver into more adventures, and I especially find the shoehorned love interest subplot between the two very weird. It seems a little much for the author to ask of us as readers, to be cool with lusting after the man that you grew up with as a stepbrother. Maybe it's just me.
At times I felt the artwork was almost too exaggerated, especially when it comes to bodies and facial expressions. That's saying a lot, since I'm a lifelong comic book fan. Some panels look distractingly odd, but I appreciate that the artist has brought Harper to life in his own interesting way. This is an ordinary story, but with some extraordinary moments and for the most part, I really enjoyed it.