A review by readyuhbook
Hypericon by Manuele Fior

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Picked this book up as I was looking forward to a FMC in the field of anthropology. Teresa goes on a internship in Archaeology looking after Tutankhamun’s tomb in Berlin. The flashbacks are told in a diary entry format focusing on Howard Carter’s point of view. I found this the most intriguing part of the story other than the romance Teresa fell victim to. I never found a character such as Ruben so annoying and c*ckblocking Teresa from exploring her enculturation with Berlin. This is where the potential of the novel gets cut short. The illustrations don’t even match the cover! Storyline was flat and “Hypericum” or Latin for St John’s wort was introduced by 80% of the book—which didn’t make sense to me unfortunately. However, the graphic novels was well done on building up excitement of Tutankhamun’s tomb discovery and highlighting Egyptian beliefs alongside culture under a few panels. I appreciated the historical elements and adoration for archaeology making it a great introduction to anyone wondering why Anthropology students like what they study.

Thank you Netgalley & Fantagraphics for providing me a copy of an eARC in exchange for an honest review.