December 8, 2015

I Try Even More Graphic Novels

I have recently become a huge fan of graphic novels, which is a good thing since I am in charge of the young adult graphic novel collection at one of my library jobs. I have found that short little reviews of the graphic novels I read are easiest to compile and share with you. My first round-up can be found here. Now it's time for the fun!

Five Stars

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol (2011)

The Cover: Cute and creepy at the same time!
The Illustrations: I loved the bluish/purple tint of color throughout instead of just straight black and white.
The Story: Surprising. It took me a little bit to really get into the story and appreciate it, but Anya's Ghost ended up being a surprising, unique, and fun graphic novel to read. 


Sunny Side Up by Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm (2015)
Goodreads

The Cover: It is simple, bright, and makes me want to go on vacation!
The Illustrations: I loved the color and pretty much everything about the illustrations.
The Story: This story is about how a young girl named Sunny who deals with some family issues and has a fun summer with her grandfather that turns out to be full of firsts and laughs.


Y: The Last Man (The Deluxe Edition Book One) by Brian K. Vaughan (2008)
Goodreads

The Cover: I would read about this cute guy's adventures and his cute monkey.
The Illustrations: They were in color and they were spot on! The characters really came to life.
The Story: I love a good survival/post apocalyptic story, and this one doesn't disappoint! I was enamored from page one. I like this author's other graphic novel, Saga, but this one was more my style and I loved it!

Four Stars

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (2007)
Goodreads

The Cover: It doesn't blow me away, but I like it.
The Illustrations: Black and white really worked well for this dark coming of age story.
The Story: This is Marjane's true life story and it will not only make you laugh, but it will also break your heart. I learned a great deal about Iran and some of its history while reading this book. I can't believe I knew so little! I really think everyone should read Marjane's story. It was captivating.

Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula by Andi Watson (2015)
Goodreads

The Cover: Adorable!
The Illustrations: This one is also in black and white, but I think it works just fine. Although it may have been a little bit more cute if it was in color.
The Story: It is a fairy taleesque story that I truly enjoyed, but it still seemed to lack something. I'm just not sure what.


Drama by Raina Telgemeier (2012)

The Cover: Adorable as ever.
The Illustrations: Cute, perfect, and adorable as ever. I also love that this is in color!
The Story: I think you know what I am going to say... this book was adorable. I loved reading about Callie's work on her school play and her boy drama to boot. She is a super fun, and of course adorable, main character. Raina Telgemeier is the bomb.

Lumberjanes Vol. 2 by Noelle Stevenson, Ellis, Allen, & Watters (2015)
Goodreads

The Cover: Makes me want to be a Lumberjane.
The Illustrations: Fun and colorful just like these girls' story.
The Story: Full of crazy adventure and a whole lot of fun! Too bad this isn't a real camp. There are also a lot of good messages about friendship and taking chances that are well done.


Unshelved by Bill Barnes & Gene Ambaum (2004)
Goodreads

The Cover: There is a lot going on, exactly like a day at the library!
The Illustrations: Very simple.
The Story: I loved everything about this book, but that may be because I work at a library. Even if you don't work at a library I am sure you will find this humurous, and let me tell you, it may not seem believable, but a lot of this type of stuff does actually happen at your local public library.


Three Stars

Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (2012)
Goodreads

The Cover: It's definitely eye catching.
The Illustrations: Detailed the perfect amount.
The Story: This was a very weird read. I did enjoy it, and I do plan to read the next volume, but it was a little more weird and graphic than I thought it would be. That is really all I can say about that. It was surprising, but not necessarily in a bad way. I look forward to hear more of Hazel's (the baby who is also the narrator) story.

Friends With Boys by Faith Erin Hicks (2012)
Goodreads

The Cover: I think it fits well with the story. I like the details and the color.
The Illustrations: I enjoyed the details, but I am a little sad it wasn't in color.
The Story: Although I liked the story of a young girl who used to be home schooled going to public school for the first time, I felt like the main plot and the little subplots were not fleshed out as much as they should and could have been.



ApocalyptiGirl: An Aria for the End Times by Andrew MacLean (June 2015)
Goodreads

The Cover: It works.
The Illustrations: I wasn't a fan, but that is just personal preference.
The Story: It was pretty good, but even with the background that we are given the story felt super rushed. I still liked it, but I was hoping for something a little more memorable. I liked the cat the best.


Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen & Faith Erin Hicks (May 2013)
Goodreads

The Cover: Very high school, a good choice for this one.
The Illustrations: I like them. They were detailed when needed and simple when it was called for.
The Story: It was pretty good. It gave me many laughs. I like teens will really like this graphic novel.


13 comments:

  1. You have Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula! Lucky! My library probably won't have it for a very long time :/
    I actually loved Friends with Boys more than Anya's Ghost.
    I'm actually going to read Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong in January. I'd love to see more graphic novel books you read in the future.

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    1. Princess Decomposia was super cute! I am lucky that my library has a pretty big graphic novel selection.
      I look forward to seeing what you think of Nothing Can Possible Go Wrong! I just read the graphic novel Awkward, and like that one a lot! Super cute.

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  2. I absolutely love Raina Telegemier's graphic novels. Have you read Smile by her? I totally recommend it! Also Anya's Ghost is my favorite graphic novel so far of the ones I read. The art style and color scheme is so pretty and captivating because it sticks to a certain theme. ALso it did give me the chills a bit and I like when pictures alone can make me feel something. I want to give Lumberjanes a try! Thanks

    Alex @ The Book's Buzz

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    1. I have read Smile, it is probably my favorite of hers. I agree with everything you said about Anya's Ghost. Lumberjanes is a lot of fun and totally worth giving a try!

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  3. Oh, I loved Drama when I read it a couple of years ago! It's such a cute story, and I loved the illustrations. Definitely want to check out Anya's Ghost and Lumberjanes!

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  4. More for my TBR! I love these mini-reviews. We've read a lot of the same ones, but there are still quite I few I'll need to check out at my library :) And I'm so glad you liked Unshelved -- I had a feeling you would :) :)

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    1. I loved Unshelved and I thank you for telling me about it!! :D I am reading so many graphic novels. I am loving them.

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  5. Loved this post and all the mini reviews! I don't read a lot of american graphic novels, but I definitely should!

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    1. Give a few a try! I think it will be worth it. They are fun quick reads.

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  6. Ah shit I just bough the first 3 SAGA volumes for someone for Christmas cause I heard good things. This is what I get for buying something I haven't read myself first. I hope it's more to their liking. I know 3 stars isn't bad at all but I was hoping for amazing lol.

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    1. Almost everyone LOVES Saga, so I am sure they will! I liked it a lot, but it was more of a me thing why I only gave it three stars. I don't know, I am the black sheep this time. lol So I wouldn't worry.

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  7. Yes, I have been looking at Anya's Ghost for awhile now, so its great to hear that it was a great read! I will have to get it from the library! I want to read Lumberjanes #2 as well, I was guessing it was not going to be a 5 star but the first one was fun, so I figured I would give it a shot!

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