sagareads's reviews
112 reviews

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Mall Goth by Kate Leth

challenging dark emotional funny

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

One Way by S.J. Morden

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Dragon Age: The Missing by George Mann

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

By Any Other Name by Erin Cotter

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Poster Girl by Veronica Roth

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Blood City Rollers by V.P. Anderson

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

This graphic novel definitely had flaws, but I did think it was cute, funny, and overall worth a read. 

The first half was quite good and did a great job of establishing Mina as a character, plus had some very funny moments. However, as the story continued and tried to delve more into the lore of its world and the relationships between its characters, it fell a little flat. Also, there were a lot of different characters, and I really struggled to remember and recognize most of them. Even the main character, Mina, was hard to identify in some panels. (Though, as a note, I was reading a black and white ARC -- this may be less of a problem in the finished book if it's in full color.)

I did really like the book's message about coping with pressure, making mistakes in a healthy way, and finding your own path, even if it got a little muddled in the second half. 

And I always recommend taking adults' reviews of middle grade books with a grain of salt, since kids won't necessarily care about the things I consider to be flaws. 

Overall, a good read. 

The Deep Dark: A Graphic Novel by Molly Knox Ostertag

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0