Aster of Pan (graphic novel) - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Magnetic Press via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Title: Aster of Pan Vol.1

Author & Artist: Merwan

Release Date: February 16, 2021

Synopsis: The year is 2068. The place, Fontainebleau forest, ancient home of some of France’s mightiest monarchs on the outskirts of what was once Paris. The post-apocalyptic society of Pan survives by growing rice and scavenging among the ruins of a destroyed civilization. Their precarious existence comes under threat when the powerful, technologically advanced Federation of Fortuna forces them into a dangerous choice—submit to Fortuna’s rule, or try to best them in a barbaric, ritualized game known as Celestial Mechanics. Pan’s only hope? A hot-headed outcast they’d rejected for being “un-Pan”: a girl named Aster.

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Review: It's 2068 and the world is very different. It's a post-apocalyptical world where a certain sport has become a ritual ceremony. I'd say this story is The Hunger Games meets dodgeball. The artwork is great with plenty of fun colors. This is a wacky cool concept, but I found myself bored while reading. The combination of military and sports just don't vibe with me well. 

I could absolutely see this graphic novel adapted into an action packed film. I give this book a 3/5.


--PAUL

Be Dazzled by Ryan La Sala - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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Title: Be Dazzled
Author: Ryan La Sala
Release Date: January 5, 2021


Synopsis: Raffy has a passion for bedazzling. Not just bedazzling, but sewing, stitching, draping, pattern making—for creation. He's always chosen his art over everything—and everyone—else and is determined to make his mark at this year's biggest cosplay competition. If he can wow there, it could lead to sponsorship, then art school, and finally earning real respect for his work. There's only one small problem... Raffy's ex-boyfriend, Luca, is his main competition.

Raffy tried to make it work with Luca. They almost made the perfect team last year after serendipitously meeting in the rhinestone aisle at the local craft store—or at least Raffy thought they did. But Luca's insecurities and Raffy's insistence on crafting perfection caused their relationship to crash and burn. Now, Raffy is after the perfect comeback, one that Luca can't ruin.

But when Raffy is forced to partner with Luca on his most ambitious build yet, he'll have to juggle unresolved feelings for the boy who broke his heart, and his own intense self-doubt, to get everything he's ever wanted: choosing his art, his way.

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Review: This book is wonderful. If you're looking for a feel-good contemporary YA with a gay protagonist, go no further. Or rather start with this one and then move on to the other wonderfully queer books because there are more and more coming out every week!

This story is told through two different timelines, before and after the break-up. The way the chapters intertwine is done so well. At the end of every chapter I didn't want to put down the book. This is a fun and quick read. 

There are so many relatable queer moments in this book. I wish this book had been around for me as a teen. I highly recommend this book to queer teens into cosplay and other nerdy things. There's a lot of fun geeky references. I give this book a 5/5. Ryan La Sala is quickly becoming an automatic pre-order.

--PAUL

The Tea Dragon Tapestry by K. O'Neill (graphic novel) - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Oni Press via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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The Tea Dragon Society REVIEW

The Tea Dragon Festival REVIEW

Title: The Tea Dragon Tapestry
Author: K. O'Neill
Upcoming Release Date: June 1, 2021


Synopsis: Join Greta and Minette once more for the heartwarming conclusion of the award-winning Tea Dragon series!

Over a year since being entrusted with Ginseng's care, Greta still can't chase away the cloud of mourning that hangs over the timid Tea Dragon. As she struggles to create something spectacular enough to impress a master blacksmith in search of an apprentice, she questions the true meaning of crafting, and the true meaning of caring for someone in grief. Meanwhile, Minette receives a surprise package from the monastery where she was once training to be a prophetess. Thrown into confusion about her path in life, the shy and reserved Minette finds that the more she opens her heart to others, the more clearly she can see what was always inside.

Told with the same care and charm as the previous installments of the Tea Dragon series, The Tea Dragon Tapestry welcomes old friends and new into a heartfelt story of purpose, love, and growth.

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Review: This is the third book in the Tea Dragon universe. I LOVE Kay's art style! It's so adorable. One of my favorite things about this series is the focus on personal relationships and the casual homely, craft focused feel even though it's set in a fantasy world. This whole series kind of feels like what happiness can look like in a fantasy world in an epilogue kind of way. 

This book focuses on passing on tradition, the idea of a life's purpose, and how those things can change. Mourning and memories are also at the heart of this book. 

If these books had been released when I was a child, I would have been OBSESSED! I believe these will become a modern classic. Children reading them now will absolutely remember these stories and be molded by the themes. They're going to look back at them as adults with fond memories and create new fantastic worlds. 

If you haven't read any of Kay's books, get on it! This is a great conclusion to this story. I know it's been said this is the final book, but I really hope we get to return to the Tea Dragon universe. And if not, Kay will bring their style and excellent storytelling to new worlds for us. 

This book is absolutely a 5/5!


--PAUL

Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre (graphic novel) - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from ABRAMS via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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Title: Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre
Author: Alverne Ball 
Artist: Stacey Robinson

Contributors: Reynaldo Anderson & Dr. Colette Yellow Robe 
Upcoming Release Date: May 4, 2021


Synopsis: One hundred years after the Tulsa Race Massacre, Across the Tracks is a celebration and memorial of Greenwood, Oklahoma

In Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre, author Alverne Ball and illustrator Stacey Robinson have crafted a love letter to Greenwood, Oklahoma. Also known as Black Wall Street, Greenwood was a community whose importance is often overshadowed by the atrocious massacre that took place there in 1921.

Across the Tracks introduces the reader to the businesses and townsfolk who flourished in this unprecedented time of prosperity for Black Americans. We learn about Greenwood and why it is essential to remember the great achievements of the community as well as the tragedy which nearly erased it. However, Ball is careful to recount the eventual recovery of Greenwood. With additional supplementary materials including a detailed preface, timeline, and historical essay, Across the Tracks offers a thorough examination of the rise, fall, and rebirth of Black Wall Street.

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Review: History needs to be remembered. This graphic novel tells the story of the Tulsa Race Massacre as well as the history of Greenwood and the aftermath and rebuilding. There are details of prominent people of the time and the different businesses are showcased as well. There's also a more detailed history in an essay at the end. 

I didn't learn about these events until I was an adult. These stories must be told. This graphic novel is a great way to tell the story of so many amazing Black people creating a space to thrive during a time where the country was against them. Knowing stories like this influence our future. There is so much work that America still needs to do and we must know our past to make a better future for all.

I give this book a 5/5. Once it is released, I will be recommending this book to everyone.


--PAUL

"In: A Graphic Novel" by Will McPhail - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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Title: In: A Graphic Novel
Author: Will McPhail
Upcoming Release Date: May 4, 2021


Synopsis: A poignant and witty graphic novel by a leading New Yorker cartoonist, following a millennial's journey from performing his life to truly connecting with people

Nick, a young illustrator, can’t shake the feeling that there is some hidden realm of human interaction beyond his reach. He haunts lookalike fussy, silly, coffee shops, listens to old Joni Mitchell albums too loudly, and stares at his navel in the hope that he will find it in there. But it isn’t until he learns to speak from the heart that he begins to find authentic human connections and is let in—to the worlds of the people he meets. Nick’s journey occurs alongside the beginnings of a relationship with Wren, a wry, spirited oncologist at a nearby hospital, whose work and life becomes painfully tangled with Nick’s.

Illustrated in both color and black-and-white in McPhail’s instantly recognizable style, In elevates the graphic novel genre; it captures his trademark humor and compassion with a semi-autobiographical tale that is equal parts hilarious and heart-wrenching—uncannily appropriate for our isolated times.

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Review: I have really been vibing with graphic novel memoirs lately. It's such a great medium for telling an individual's experience. Mostly these are semi-autobiographical and the little details that you just know have to be true really make the stories feel so real.

I really like Will McPhail's art style. He uses it so well to add color in only select areas. The storytelling in this book is done so well. The internal dialogue compared to what the protagonist actually says gave me many chuckles. The way he depicts conversations is excellent.

Nick is a Millennial going through the motions. This is a story about wanting to connect to others and figuring out how to do that. I think it's super relatable.

I give this book a 5/5. Wonderful storytelling. The methods used are simple, but so effective. I will be recommending this book to fellow Millennials. Empathy and vulnerability is at the heart of this book.


--PAUL

Sprite and the Gardener (graphic novel) - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Oni Press via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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Title: Sprite and the Gardener
Author: Joe Whitt
Artists: Rii Abrego
Upcoming Release Date: May 4, 2021


Synopsis: Long, long ago, sprites were the caretakers of gardens. Every flower was grown by their hand. But when humans appeared and began growing their own gardens, the sprites’ magical talents soon became a thing of the past. When Wisteria, an ambitious, kind-hearted sprite, starts to ask questions about the way things used to be, she’ll begin to unearth her long-lost talent of gardening. But her newly honed skills might not be the welcome surprise she intends them to be. 

The Sprite and the Gardener, the debut graphic novel by Joe Whitt and Rii Abrego, is bursting with whimsical art and vibrant characters. Join our neighborhood of sprites in this beautiful, gentle fantasy where both gardens and friendships begin to blossom. 

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Review: This is a cute, simple story. The artwork is adorable and very colorful. The sprites each have such a unique design and fun different personalities. I'd describe the tone of this book as playful. This story is about struggling with the norm and critiquing both the present and the past in order to decide what the future looks like. I give this book a 4.5.

--PAUL

Villainous (graphic novel) - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Mad Cave Studios via Edelweiss. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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Title: Villainous
Author: Stonie Williams
Artist: Jef Sadzinski
Upcoming Release Date: May 4, 2021


Synopsis: Tilly, one of the newest super-powered people to join the Coalition of Heroes, is doing her best to navigate the dizzying world of superheroes. Working with her idols should be a dream come true, but when she learns the truth, Tilly's dream quickly becomes a nightmare. Now, Tilly has to make a choice - Get in line and stand with her heroes, or take a stand and risk becoming something more... Villainous

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Review: This book takes place in a world where superheroes and villains exist. Tilly is excited to be essentially an intern for the super hero team. She quickly discovers good and bad isn't so black and white. BUT, in this book it kind of is. For a story that has such a focus on the good guys actually being the bad guys, there's very little time spent on gray morality. And the super hero good guy team just comes across as ridiculously over-the-top villains.

These characters did not sit well with me. I wanted them to be more rounded. They didn't seem to have much depth. There's also a villain known as Two-Spirit, but it isn't referring to the character's identity. It seemed like an instance of a writer using a cool name without knowing what the term even means to many people in the Indigenous Native American community. 

I was hoping for a lot more moral questions in this book instead of just a swapping of the good and bad guys. I give this book a 2/5.


--PAUL