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A review by stephanieisreading
Giant Days by Non Pratt, Boom! Studios
3.0
*Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the Digital Review Copy!*
The biggest problem with the comic novelizations is that when you fall in love with characters in the comic book medium, it's hard to really adjust to them outside of that medium. Especially when the writers that taking on the characters are not the same as the comic book writers. I've been reading Giant Days for some time, and I love, love, LOVE the comics. Esther, Susan, and Daisy are absolutely my BFFs and I love going with them on their adventures. So of course I was beyond excited for the book! Another opportunity to introduce the world at large to my faves? YES PLEASE.
Overall, Non Pratt handled the world and the characters fairly well. Much like in the comics, there were some laugh out loud moments, and excellent descriptions that lent themselves very well to comic narratives. The prose was very readable, and the mystery of the strange yoga cult was definitely intriguing (DAISY JUST DON'T DO IT).
There were some definite weaknesses to the novel. While Susan and Daisy came off the page fairly well, Esther (who is my absolute favorite)--didn't quite work for me. And as a result, much of her story didn't work. (Honestly, if I think rather critically about Susan's depiction, I start feeling like that wasn't perfect either, but I'm trying not to think about it because it bothers me in different ways that I'm not sure I'm okay with dealing with).
I'd give the book 3.5 Stars. If you're a casual fan of Giant Days and wanna see these characters in other mediums, it's worth a read. If you like YA novels that at their core are about friendship, this book is certainly worth a read. The book definitely made me want to look more into Non Pratt's original writing, so it was definitely worthwhile.
Just beware: just like any other adaptation in a new media--it's far from perfect. As long as you keep that in mind, there's a chance you'll enjoy this.
The biggest problem with the comic novelizations is that when you fall in love with characters in the comic book medium, it's hard to really adjust to them outside of that medium. Especially when the writers that taking on the characters are not the same as the comic book writers. I've been reading Giant Days for some time, and I love, love, LOVE the comics. Esther, Susan, and Daisy are absolutely my BFFs and I love going with them on their adventures. So of course I was beyond excited for the book! Another opportunity to introduce the world at large to my faves? YES PLEASE.
Overall, Non Pratt handled the world and the characters fairly well. Much like in the comics, there were some laugh out loud moments, and excellent descriptions that lent themselves very well to comic narratives. The prose was very readable, and the mystery of the strange yoga cult was definitely intriguing (DAISY JUST DON'T DO IT).
There were some definite weaknesses to the novel. While Susan and Daisy came off the page fairly well, Esther (who is my absolute favorite)--didn't quite work for me. And as a result, much of her story didn't work. (Honestly, if I think rather critically about Susan's depiction, I start feeling like that wasn't perfect either, but I'm trying not to think about it because it bothers me in different ways that I'm not sure I'm okay with dealing with).
I'd give the book 3.5 Stars. If you're a casual fan of Giant Days and wanna see these characters in other mediums, it's worth a read. If you like YA novels that at their core are about friendship, this book is certainly worth a read. The book definitely made me want to look more into Non Pratt's original writing, so it was definitely worthwhile.
Just beware: just like any other adaptation in a new media--it's far from perfect. As long as you keep that in mind, there's a chance you'll enjoy this.