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Lilyn G - Sci-Fi & Scary (91 KP) rated Sons of Ares in Books
Feb 7, 2018
While I'm not a fan of the novel series, the graphic novel won me over.
I’m not a fan of the Red Rising novel series. I think it’s safe to state that seeing that I’ve never successfully made it through the first book without falling asleep. I want to like it – there’s no reason I shouldn’t like it- but the audible version just hits my snooze button instantly. For me, with the trouble sleeping I have, that’s not actually a bad thing, but it doesn’t bode well for my opinion of the book. So… I knew I was taking a risk in checking out Red Rising: Sons of Ares. However, I hoped the graphic novel format would keep my attention a bit better. I was right. I thoroughly enjoyed Red Rising: Sons of Ares Vol 1.
The writing in Sons of Ares is well-done. The story told was surprisingly engaging (though to be honest it did take a couple of issues before I got fully involved with it). I wasn’t expecting to find myself rooting for Fitchner and Brynn, but by the end of the novel I was goggle-eyed at what I thought was going to happen. There might have been a few swears and threats made in the direction of the pages a few times.
Speaking of swears… I wasn’t a fan of the fact that some had apparently taken a black marker to the curse words, though. I mean, if you’re old enough to read about graphic violence that involves people getting limbs cut off, I think you can handle a dirty word or two. Especially given that right after a few swears are marked out, there’s threats of ‘sack’ removal. Someone’s priorities are a bit sideways, yeah?
The pacing for Red Rising: Sons of Ares was great. There was the perfect amount of action. The dialogue was believable. The plot was interesting and I was happy by the end of the volume because I felt like it had been a solid mini story arc. I didn’t like Fitchner, but I don’t feel like I was supposed to like him either. I did like Brynn, though, and there were a few panels that had me cheering her.
My only issue with the graphic novel was the art. The quick, sketchy art style always looks to me like they were more concerned with pushing the issues out rather than taking their time and doing it properly. I’m aware some people like it and feel that it suits the story. I’m not one of them. So I really think it’s just personal preference.
Overall, Red Rising: Sons of Ares is a captivating story that managed to keep my attention even when the art did nothing for me. I know it’s a prequel, but given that I haven’t managed to read the books themselves, I can’t say if it gives any spoilers for the series.
It’s worth checking out.
The writing in Sons of Ares is well-done. The story told was surprisingly engaging (though to be honest it did take a couple of issues before I got fully involved with it). I wasn’t expecting to find myself rooting for Fitchner and Brynn, but by the end of the novel I was goggle-eyed at what I thought was going to happen. There might have been a few swears and threats made in the direction of the pages a few times.
Speaking of swears… I wasn’t a fan of the fact that some had apparently taken a black marker to the curse words, though. I mean, if you’re old enough to read about graphic violence that involves people getting limbs cut off, I think you can handle a dirty word or two. Especially given that right after a few swears are marked out, there’s threats of ‘sack’ removal. Someone’s priorities are a bit sideways, yeah?
The pacing for Red Rising: Sons of Ares was great. There was the perfect amount of action. The dialogue was believable. The plot was interesting and I was happy by the end of the volume because I felt like it had been a solid mini story arc. I didn’t like Fitchner, but I don’t feel like I was supposed to like him either. I did like Brynn, though, and there were a few panels that had me cheering her.
My only issue with the graphic novel was the art. The quick, sketchy art style always looks to me like they were more concerned with pushing the issues out rather than taking their time and doing it properly. I’m aware some people like it and feel that it suits the story. I’m not one of them. So I really think it’s just personal preference.
Overall, Red Rising: Sons of Ares is a captivating story that managed to keep my attention even when the art did nothing for me. I know it’s a prequel, but given that I haven’t managed to read the books themselves, I can’t say if it gives any spoilers for the series.
It’s worth checking out.
comiXology - Comics & Manga
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Elizabeth (1521 KP) rated iZombie, Vol. 4: Repossession in Books
Apr 24, 2019
I didn't know anything about this series beyond the TV show before I got into it. I certainly hadn't read any reviews on this last volume before reading it either, otherwise, I would have been more prepared for the chaos and confusion. It never crossed my mind that a graphic novel could be canceled just like a tv show, but apparently, that's what happened here and explains a lot.
As I said after reading the first volume, other than the resemblance to Gwen, the TV series is so loosely based on the graphic novel that they really are two different stories. I grew used to the campy, out there-ness (I know it's not a word, but just go with it) filled with just about every supernatural creature Bella Lugosi has ever portrayed. But the way this ended was over the top and felt rushed.
The worst part was the way one of the issues was drawn in a completely different style. It was the artwork that kept me reading past the first volume. That and my natural compulsion to see stories through to the end, unless they are just THAT bad that I can't stomach it. But the overly cartoonish images felt off. Think Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go being crammed together in the same volume. It's just not the same.
If you're looking for a light read and don't care to get too invested in the characters, then this is the series for you.
As I said after reading the first volume, other than the resemblance to Gwen, the TV series is so loosely based on the graphic novel that they really are two different stories. I grew used to the campy, out there-ness (I know it's not a word, but just go with it) filled with just about every supernatural creature Bella Lugosi has ever portrayed. But the way this ended was over the top and felt rushed.
The worst part was the way one of the issues was drawn in a completely different style. It was the artwork that kept me reading past the first volume. That and my natural compulsion to see stories through to the end, unless they are just THAT bad that I can't stomach it. But the overly cartoonish images felt off. Think Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go being crammed together in the same volume. It's just not the same.
If you're looking for a light read and don't care to get too invested in the characters, then this is the series for you.
David McK (3843 KP) rated Batman: Hush in Books
Jan 28, 2019
So, not long ago I picked up a copy of the Batman 75th anniversary box set, which is made up of 3 separate stories: The Dark Knight Returns, The Court of Owls and Hush. I also put caked up both Year One and The Killing Joke separately.
Of them all, I knew that at least 3 were (supposedly) very good: The Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke and Year One. What I ddid nt know, however, was just how good Hush was.
Set during a period when Batman is at the top of his game (unlike the older Batman of The Dark Knight Returns, or the younger of Year One), this graphic novel includes just about any and all of Batmans friends and foes - top of my head, I can think of only one major villain who doesn't play a role (but is mentioned in passing).
Like The Dark Knight Returns, it also includes The Man of Steel in the story, with Batman and Superman again facing off against one another in a portion of it (but for very different reasons than in The Dark Knight Returns).
OK, it may be pretty obvious - I felt - fairly early on just who is pulling the strings,but this still makes for a very enjoyable and dynamic read, with some of the best artwork I have yet seen in any of the graphic novels I have read.
Of them all, I knew that at least 3 were (supposedly) very good: The Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke and Year One. What I ddid nt know, however, was just how good Hush was.
Set during a period when Batman is at the top of his game (unlike the older Batman of The Dark Knight Returns, or the younger of Year One), this graphic novel includes just about any and all of Batmans friends and foes - top of my head, I can think of only one major villain who doesn't play a role (but is mentioned in passing).
Like The Dark Knight Returns, it also includes The Man of Steel in the story, with Batman and Superman again facing off against one another in a portion of it (but for very different reasons than in The Dark Knight Returns).
OK, it may be pretty obvious - I felt - fairly early on just who is pulling the strings,but this still makes for a very enjoyable and dynamic read, with some of the best artwork I have yet seen in any of the graphic novels I have read.
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Almost Sisters in Books
Jan 23, 2018
Great story with a strong cast of characters
Leia Birch Briggs is a self-professed nerd: a graphic novelist with a penchant for comic books, Wonder Woman, and online gaming. So it's not exactly surprising that, with the help of tequila, she'd fall for a handsome man in a Batman costume at a comics convention in Atlanta. What comes next is a bit more of a surprise: Leia is pregnant from that one-night stand, and it's up to her to tell her over-protective family and very Southern grandmother. To top it off, said Batman was African American: not exactly the easiest thing to tell your Baptist family with Southern roots. But before Leia can even tell her family, she gets some disturbing news from Alabama about her paternal grandmother, Birchie. As Leia rushes to Alabama to help Birchie, she also learns that her stepsister, Rachel, is struggling. So Leia and her teenage niece, Lavender, head to Alabama to assist Birchie and break Leia's big news. But it turns out Birchie has some pretty big news of her own. News that will change everything Leia has ever known about her family.
This is one of those ARCs that I don't remember requesting, but I'm really glad I did. It was a pleasant surprise - just a fun, warm novel, even with its serious (and extremely timely) subject matter. I warmed to nerdy Leia immediately (and not just because I have a cat named after said Princess): she's real and flawed and quite relatable. All of the women in Leia's life are well-written and their own people: sweet Lavender, trying to figure out her way in the world as her parents' marriage implodes; Rachel, Lavender's mom, a perfectionist struggling with a lot of imperfection; Wattie, Birchie's best friend, an African American woman living with her in Alabama; and then the amazing Birchie herself, written so impeccably that I could just see her stubborn, regal face pour vibrantly from every page. I fell hard for each of these women and their struggles became mine.
Sure, a lot of this book is a little predictable, but the racial tensions and struggles that Jackson writes about are not: they are real and true. Jackson captures the racial divisions so well - the sweet, kind sweet tea side of the South versus the dark, racist, segregated aspects. I could just picture Birchville and its townsfolk. The novel is excellent in that so much of the story is humorous, yet the serious side is very well-done, too.
Leia is a graphic novelist and portions of the book describe a graphic novel she'd written -- I'm not a huge graphic novel fan, so I wasn't completely into those pieces, but I was able to slide past them. The parallels in Leia's novel to the South didn't elude me, so I appreciated why that was included, even if I didn't always want to read a summary of a supposedly graphic novel. Some of the symbolism and metaphors may be a little too forced/spelled out for us at times, but I still enjoyed the novel very much. Pieces of it made me laugh out loud - Leia's sense of humor and her predicaments, Birchie's tough sensibility. Birchie and Wattie's dynamic was wonderful, and I really cared for those two.
In the end, I really enjoyed this one. There's a great story here as well a plot that doesn't gloss over racial discord. I appreciated both. The cast of characters is great -- real, funny, humorous, and heartbreaking. Certainly recommend.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Librarything (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review.
This is one of those ARCs that I don't remember requesting, but I'm really glad I did. It was a pleasant surprise - just a fun, warm novel, even with its serious (and extremely timely) subject matter. I warmed to nerdy Leia immediately (and not just because I have a cat named after said Princess): she's real and flawed and quite relatable. All of the women in Leia's life are well-written and their own people: sweet Lavender, trying to figure out her way in the world as her parents' marriage implodes; Rachel, Lavender's mom, a perfectionist struggling with a lot of imperfection; Wattie, Birchie's best friend, an African American woman living with her in Alabama; and then the amazing Birchie herself, written so impeccably that I could just see her stubborn, regal face pour vibrantly from every page. I fell hard for each of these women and their struggles became mine.
Sure, a lot of this book is a little predictable, but the racial tensions and struggles that Jackson writes about are not: they are real and true. Jackson captures the racial divisions so well - the sweet, kind sweet tea side of the South versus the dark, racist, segregated aspects. I could just picture Birchville and its townsfolk. The novel is excellent in that so much of the story is humorous, yet the serious side is very well-done, too.
Leia is a graphic novelist and portions of the book describe a graphic novel she'd written -- I'm not a huge graphic novel fan, so I wasn't completely into those pieces, but I was able to slide past them. The parallels in Leia's novel to the South didn't elude me, so I appreciated why that was included, even if I didn't always want to read a summary of a supposedly graphic novel. Some of the symbolism and metaphors may be a little too forced/spelled out for us at times, but I still enjoyed the novel very much. Pieces of it made me laugh out loud - Leia's sense of humor and her predicaments, Birchie's tough sensibility. Birchie and Wattie's dynamic was wonderful, and I really cared for those two.
In the end, I really enjoyed this one. There's a great story here as well a plot that doesn't gloss over racial discord. I appreciated both. The cast of characters is great -- real, funny, humorous, and heartbreaking. Certainly recommend.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Librarything (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Behind Closed Doors in Books
Jul 25, 2017
Extremely disturbing - needs a trigger warning
I've never felt so moved and violently uncomfortable /ill at the same time while reading a book before. The level of graphic psychological abuse described definitely requires a trigger warning before survivors listen because unfortunately the truth is stranger than fiction, despite many readers wanting to wave away the experiences as 'absurd' on some of the Amazon reviews.
While there were some instances that were unclear especially near the end, and slightly inconclusive in the climax, which was a bit unsatisfactory - it should be listened to as a psychological cautionary tale rather than a thriller as such. To describe it as a mystery would be insulting to those who have experienced it.
While there were some instances that were unclear especially near the end, and slightly inconclusive in the climax, which was a bit unsatisfactory - it should be listened to as a psychological cautionary tale rather than a thriller as such. To describe it as a mystery would be insulting to those who have experienced it.
I received a free copy of this novel direct from the author in return for an honest review.
The fact that I received it free and from the author in no way influences how I feel about this book ... it was absolutely brilliant and I loved everything about it. It sounds corny but I really couldn't put it down.
It is an exceptionally well told, well written story with really well thought-out characters. It was fast paced from the start with plenty of violence which is graphic but written in such a way as not to be gratuitous.
My full review can be found at http://haziegaze.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/my-review-of-survivor-horror-thriller.html
The fact that I received it free and from the author in no way influences how I feel about this book ... it was absolutely brilliant and I loved everything about it. It sounds corny but I really couldn't put it down.
It is an exceptionally well told, well written story with really well thought-out characters. It was fast paced from the start with plenty of violence which is graphic but written in such a way as not to be gratuitous.
My full review can be found at http://haziegaze.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/my-review-of-survivor-horror-thriller.html
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Johnny Graphic and the Etheric Bomb in Books
Jan 12, 2018
[Johnny Graphic and the Etheric Bomb] by [D.R. Martin] was an incredible adventure. In the classic sense of serial adventures from the 1940's the young cub photographer, who happens to see ghosts and is 12 yrs old, has to save the world from a horrible new bomb. Along with his sister, Melanie and other friends, they travel the world to solve the mystery and stop destruction.
As a teacher who just spent the past three weeks teaching about the making of the atomic bomb this book seemed to parallel that with a 'ghostly' twist. (I know bad pun.) I will be looking forward to reading book two. Also did I mention besides ghosts there are zombies. Highly recommended.
As a teacher who just spent the past three weeks teaching about the making of the atomic bomb this book seemed to parallel that with a 'ghostly' twist. (I know bad pun.) I will be looking forward to reading book two. Also did I mention besides ghosts there are zombies. Highly recommended.