As the blurb suggests, this was the perfect blend of Ocean’s Eleven style thievery with X-Men style characters. To me, this book felt very similar to Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson, but with slightly stronger characters. I enjoyed the criminal parts of this book, but I didn’t feel like we got a very balanced view of the world or the various sides of the conflict. We get alternating points of view, but never enough details or insight for me to feel close to any of the characters. Worse than the character connection is the insight we are given into the overarching society--it is basically nonexistent. The societal tidbits we do get feel outdated and very often totally out of place.
The different reactions to the vaccine and the powers resulting from it were highly creative, and although we do see some of the ramifications of these powers in the every day lives of those affected, I wanted to know more. Magnus is the best example of this, but I find it very hard to believe that he is the only person in the entire world who struggles to cope with the burden that has been placed upon his shoulders.
Overall this was a fairly good read with some unmet potential. My main issue with the book comes from the fact that we just aren’t given enough insight into the characters and the world around them, making the story feel very two dimensional and leaving the reader uninvested in the ultimate fates of the characters. I’ll probably pick up the next book in the series of I come across it at the library, but I won’t be buying it.
This is the first book in a long time that made me cry. I have really liked the other books I have read by Lockhart, but none of them were quite as shocking as “We Were Liars”. I stayed up late and went to work tired to finish this book, and the ending has haunted me ever since. This is one of those books that sticks with you long after the last page is turned.
I loved the relationships between the characters. The Liars perfectly showcase young love, the power of friendship, and what summer vacation really means. The family issues addressed in the novel were also wonderfully done. Coming from a small family, the Sinclairs were everything I expect being part of a big, affluent family must feel like: the pressure, the petty arguments, always having someone to turn to, always fighting with someone.
More impressive than the relationships between the characters is the connection Lockhart is able to build between the characters and the reader. I was able to see a little bit of myself and my past in Cady every step of her journey. I have loved and lost. I’ve had friends that were like family. I’ve had family that felt like strangers. I’ve failed to meet expectations. I’ve been let down a hundred thousand times by people I loved. I’ve misjudged myself and others. I’ve made horribly stupid mistakes I’ll remember for the rest of my life. For this reason, as I read the book, her pain was my pain, and her happiness was my happiness.
I only have two real complaints with this book. The first is the title. I am not sure it really fits the group very well. Maybe I missed something, but they didn’t seem to do anything in the novel to merit the label “The Liars”, nor do I remember anyone referring to them as such. The second complaint I have is with the “big twist” at the end (no spoilers, promise). While it was very shocking and I didn’t see it coming, I think the main reason for that is because it didn’t make a whole lot of sense and previous events were not explained more thoroughly to make the twist at all believable.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. The characters were wonderful, the story was well-paced, and the setting makes it an absolutely perfect summer read. I just wish the twist at the end, while shocking, didn’t feel like such a cop out. If you enjoy contemporary, mystery-like reads with strong characters and beautiful prose you need to go pick this up right now.
I finished this book a week ago, and have been trying this entire time to figure out exactly what to say about it. As I start to write this review, I realize that is the entire issue: this book made me feel nothing. I did not feel connected to any of the characters, the plot was not engaging. The fact that this was a retelling of Peter Pan was not enough to save it.
The most frustrating character in the entire story is by far Wendy. Her lack of focus and her flakiness in particular. She hops between the two points of the badly constructed love triangle every other chapter and lets the boys manipulate and control her. Pete lies right to her face from the moment she meets him, keeps secrets from her, and they have no chemistry whatsoever. And yet, despite this, it is only one chapter into the story before Wendy is swooning and pining for him. Then there is Jas. He has a dead-end, dangerous as hell, illegal profession and tells her he is stalking her and she feels comforted. Seriously?
As far as the characters being adaptations from the original story, not once in the story did any of these characters do or say something that reminded me of their original counterparts. Jas is supposed to be Hook, Belle is supposed to be Tinker Bell? If their names had not been similar to the original characters, I would have had no idea who was who. I only knew Jas was supposed to be Hook after reading another blogger’s opinions about the book. This is not a good sign.
The plot is almost worse than the characters. As I said before, this book was supposed to be a retelling of Peter Pan. The problem with this for me is that the references to the original story are few and far between. There are so many missed opportunities to make subtle references to the story that it is a bit ridiculous. The author does, however, make a habit of ending several chapters with a cheesy reference to making wishes on the “second star” of the night. This would have been clever if she hadn’t employed this same trick over and over, making the phrase feel forced and overused after the first couple times it is used.
Unfortunately, the adaptation is not the only issue with the plot—this book is also horribly slow and boring. Wendy’s brothers are missing, Pete and his friends are orphans/runaways living as thieves on a cliff, there are drugs floating around—there are literally a million exciting things that could be happening at any given time, and we see none of them.
Overall I was unbelievably disappointed with this. It did not deliver on any level. The characters were a miss, the plot was a miss, and the adaptation of the original story was a miss. If you are looking for a good alternative to “Second Star” that has amazing characters, a wonderful plot, and is a beautiful retelling of the “Peter Pan” story, do yourself a favor and go pick up “Tiger Lily” by Jodi Lynn Anderson. It is absolutely amazing and will knock your socks off. ”Second Star” will just put you to sleep.
This book started out fairly strong. A sorceress is returning to her homeland after some time away and rips the soul right out of a thief, then lets it snap back into his body like a rubber band. This is awesome and terribly horrifying all at the same time. The world building continues to build over the course of the novel, but the character development and plot are severely lacking.
The author introduces a good number of characters in rapid succession, and then alternates viewpoints between all of them without any forewarning to the reader. At first this made the book very difficult to read. While there are definitely things that make the characters stand out from one another later on in the book, at the onset it is overwhelming and confusing because they are just being introduced. Once I was able to sort everyone out, I enjoyed being able to see the plot from so many different angles and walks of life. However, at no point in the story did I feel connected to any of these characters. We see them develop relationships with one another, but the relationship with the reader falls short. By the end of the book, while I wanted to know what happened, I didn't care either way about the fate of any character in particular.
In addition to a lack of connection with the characters, the plot for this book is pretty non-existent. The focus seems to be more on building the world around the characters and their relationships with one another. Yes, events occur, but they all feel rather ancillary to the main focus of the story which is the characters themselves and the society in which they are living.
While I didn't absolutely love this book, I think I will pick up the second installment in the series from the library when it comes out. I loved the world building, and I loved the idea of many of these characters, I just couldn't get myself to feel anything for them. My hope is that the second book brings with it a stronger plot and better character development.
I'd recommend this book to fans of historical alternative fiction, magic, and books that focus on the lives of royals, with a caution that the book emphasizes world building over plot and character development.
Oh my gosh, what a wonderful read. The characters, the story, the pace, the suspense--everything came together beautifully and had me turning pages frantically dying to know what happened next. I really admire Fisher's ability to create amazingly complex, unique characters whose story lines intersect and play off of one another with such ease. Fisher does more than weave plot lines of different characters, though. She meshes multiple genres (faeries, magic, time travel, historical fiction, mystery, mythology) across multiple time periods and continents (present day England, future dictatorships, World War II Germany, Italy during the time of the Black Death), all without confusing the reader or muddying the plot.
My favorite plot line and character throughout the story is Gideon. A young boy captured by faeries and forced to live his entire life according to their rules and whims, his tale is beautifully tragic. I loved that in this second book we are able to see Gideon begin to forge his own path and rebel a little against his captors, but I still worry about the consequences he will eventually have to face in the final book for the part he has played in the mortals' affairs.
If you have not read this series yet, I highly recommend you go pick up the first book in the series, "The Obsidian Mirror", and give it a try. It is really a unique series that has a wide range of topics and themes that should appeal to almost anyone.
The blurb for this book had me so excited. A new spin on time traveling, the world ending, an average man stepping up to save it—there were so many things to look forward to. Unfortunately, this whole premise is completely ruined by a horribly dull narrator and a severe lack of focus in the plot.
Harry August is a time traveler that has to relive the same life each time he dies (think “Groundhog Day”). He is reborn to the same set of parents on the same day each time, but has the memories from all his previous lives. This whole idea bugged me at first, since you would never really be able to live as a true child after your first life, but this plot hole is addressed through the fact that memories are slowly recollected after each rebirth. Harry has the ability to make different choices each life, to take himself in a new direction. There are literally a million things North could have done with this, especially combined with the world ending plot line—the only problem being that Harry has absolutely no personality. The way he relays information and interacts with people is, for the most part, either boring or confusing due to the fact that events are not revealed in a logical or chronological order. It is very possible that all the pieces line up neat and pretty at the end of the book, but since I only read around half of it I will never know. All I can say is the first half was very frustrating to read.
I kept waiting for some kind of philosophical revelation to come from Harry as he moved through his lives, particularly as he tried to find scientific and spiritual reasons for his abnormal existence, but he never finds any answers. I just couldn’t make myself trudge through another page of this book to find out the ultimate fate of a character to which I had no real connection.
For those who adore time travel novels and are not bothered by lack of character development, I think this would be a fantastic read. Harry was just too weak as a protagonist for my taste and the writing style wasn’t for me either.
I didn’t realize this book was second in a series until I was almost 25% through it. I haven’t read the first in the series, and when I requested it on Netgalley, it didn’t mention anything about a previous book. Given that I had no background knowledge on the characters or the world they live in, I enjoyed this book a good bit and feel that it could be read as a stand-alone novel.
The beginning was a bit rocky. The author tries to do a recap of things that happened in the previous book and provide additional information about Zenn's world. This is all well and good, but this kind of information is not something two people who are already acquainted would casually discuss. The result is a weird, forced chapter filled with dialogue that doesn't really fit the situation. However, since I did not read the first book, this information was essential to my understanding of the story, so I'm glad it was included.
The cast of characters reminded me of a Doctor Who episode with the variety of highly creative alien species Zenn encounters. I kept waiting for a Santaran to pop up with a gun and start yelling about war. My favorite alien (if you can really consider him that) was Jules, a dolphin with a walksuit which allows him to travel on land. His enthusiasm for earth history and incessant questions about customs and culture were refreshingly childish and at times laugh out loud hilarious.
I also really enjoyed Zenn as a character. Strange Chemistry always publishes such interesting books, and this one is no exception. I have never heard of any other books following the life of an alien veterinarian. The whole concept was so unique. The only thing that really frustrated me about Zenn was the fact that she kept totally forgetting Liam even existed. You are a stowaway on an alien ship with only one other person you know. Wouldn't you think you'd want to make sure they are okay and stick together? At the very least check to see if they're alive? Just seemed really strange to me.
The plot itself was a little too predictable at times, making the book feel more middle grade than young adult. That being said, there were still plenty of plot twists and pace is maintained rather well. The only scenes that seemed to drag were those involving Zenn's special connection to animals.
Overall, this was a quick, light read with a very Doctor Who feel to it. The variety of alien species in the book and Zenn's veterinarian exploits were highly creative and unique. My only real disappointment was in the predictability and simplicity of the plot. The book was classified as young adult but I would recommend it more to a middle grade reading level.
It is no secret that I absolutely love Maggie Stiefvater's books, including "The Wolves of Mercy Falls" series. Her characters are always wonderfully complex, the plot is interesting and unpredictable, the twists are clever. If you have read her other books, you know exactly what I am talking about. So I went into "Sinner" with certain expectations. What I got was something completely different than what I expected.
If Cole St. Clair was a book, I would expect him to be this book, so maybe that is the point. The prose is filled with a bit too many metaphors and similes. At times it is clever simply for the sake of being clever. It can be too harsh at times, and too cheesy at others. But there are also bits of the book which are wonderfully honest, and moving, and sweet, and real. This is the difference between the Cole St. Clair that is shown to the public eye, and the Cole St. Clair that is revealed to his inner circle, to the people he truly cares about. Throughout the book we get to see Cole struggle with these two versions of himself, but I'd argue that the book itself and the way it is written showcases these two halves as well. The result is a rather frustrating, very different Stiefvater book than her fans know and love.
I am really struggling to give this book a rating, because I appreciate what Maggie was trying to do, but I am not sure if it was successful or not. If you loved "The Wolves of Mercy Falls" and you love Maggie's other stuff, you need to be careful about what expectations you set before reading "Sinner". This book is not like the others in the series. The "wolf" portion of the book is very marginal to the actual plot. This book is more about two people trying to figure out how to be themselves and how to be together. It's about addiction and fame. It's about self-infatuation and self-hatred. Is one of the main characters a werewolf? Yes. But he is also Cole St. Clair the rockstar, and that is really what this book emphasizes.
I tried to read "Code Name Verity" right after it was published. There were tons of glowing reviews on Goodreads, everyone was talking about it. I prepared myself to be unbelievably impressed. I was not. I read about 20 pages and set the book aside. This year, AudioBookSync.com was offering the audiobook version of the story for free, so I decided to give it another shot. While I was not totally blown away, I am glad I picked it back up. The narrators really do a fantastic job of making the story feel real, and by the end of it I was rather invested in both of them. The way the story is written, when listening you feel like these two girls are talking right to you, making the overall audiobook experience much more enjoyable than reading the print version.
My problem with this book is the format of the first 75%. Julie, a spy, has been captured by the Nazis and has made the choice to cooperate with her captors. She is divulging information to them in the form of a type of journal. This is perfectly fine, and normally I would totally eat this kind of thing up. The issue comes from the fact that Julie alternates between telling stories in the past about herself in the third person (yes, I know, it is confusing even to read that explanation), and info-dumping huge amounts of historical information about planes and such. While the stories themselves are mostly interesting, many of them drag due to over-description. The best parts of this section of the book were the details we are given about Julie's captivity--her interactions with fellow prisoners and the Nazis, speculation about the fate of her friend, etc. Unfortunately, these tidbits are few and far between. I did, however, really like Julie as a character. Her spunk and cunning are absolutely magnificent. I just wish her written confession had been delivered in a different way.
The second part of the book is told from the point of view of Julie's friend Maddie, and I enjoyed it immensely. While Julie's situation might have been more exciting, the way Maddie's experiences are delivered was much more suited to my tastes. I particularly liked the cross-over of characters which had been introduced in the first half of the book in Julie's written notes. Having two separate characters examine and react to the same people was really interesting and showcased the similarities and differences between Maddie and Julie rather well. The ultimate fates of both Julie and Maddie were totally unpredictable, but once I read them I can honestly say there seemed to be no other way it could end that would have been more fitting for either of them.
The really impressive part of this book for me was its historical accuracy. It is incredibly immersive, particularly with the audiobook version, and the author has clearly done a fantastic job researching the time period. I could easily believe this was based on a true story, although the author reveals at the end of the book that it is not.
"Code Name Verity" is probably one of the best YA World War II novels I have ever read. The characters are well developed and introduced to the reader in a way that makes you feel immediately close to them, constantly rooting for their well-being. The setting is very well researched, to the point where it all feels like an actual historical account. My issue was with the way the first part of the book (Julie's) is written in a way that makes the reader feel a little disconnected from the story while still feeling connected to the narrator. This book is much better in audiobook form, as the narrators' voices add an extra layer of authenticity to the whole story. I'd recommend this to fans of historical fiction, particularly war novels, with strong female leads.
I’ve reviewed all the books in this series before, and I think it is wonderful they’re available as a set now that Walt and Leia’s story has come to an end. This series is really different from most YA books I have read recently. It focuses more on the anthropological and religious impacts of culture clash, rebellion, and invasion. Minkman examines these situations from both sides of the conflict and forces the reader to search for the real meaning of truth, the real value of faith, the root cause of corruption. I’ll include an excerpt of my review of each book, so you can get an idea what to expect from this wonderful series:
This book perfectly illustrates a situation that happens frequently in anthropology. An object is discovered by a group of people, and because they do not have any knowledge of its history, they inject their own significance. The book that is the basis for Leia’s entire culture and religion is a book that has been completely taken out of context and construed into something it is not. This, combined with the way Minkman artfully addresses the age-old problem of people fearing things that are different or they do not understand creates a really unique YA book. My only issue with this novella was the lack of conflict.
When I read the first book in this series, The Island, while I appreciated the anthropological and cultural issues addressed throughout the book, the lack of uprising when religious views were brought into question rang false with me, and left me a little disappointed. This was definitely not a problem in this second installment. I absolutely loved the way Minkman was able to showcase the myriad of reactions people have when their faith is brought into question, when their truth is proved to be a blatant lie. This is a book about faith, loss, hope, growth, love, hatred, deception—but most of all it is a book about the human condition.
This was another fantastic addition to “The Island” series. Minkman continues the anthropological and religious focus introduced in the previous two books in the series, but takes it to a whole new level. As her characters expand their world, they also expand their understanding of humanity, a higher power, and one another. If you enjoy realistic dystopian fiction with an anthropological and religious focus, you should really pick this series up.
In short, give the series a try. It’s just $2.99 on Amazon (6/28/2014) for 3 books that are completely different than most YA dystopian books out on the market now. If you love YA dystopian fiction but you’re tired of reading the same old thing all the time, this is perfect for you.
I went into reading this book with fairly high expectations. The blurb proudly claims "Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast", so I thought, "Hell yes, this is going to be amazing!" I loved Graceling and I adore faerie tale retellings or retellings of classics. Unfortunately, there were some aspects of this book that just didn't work for me.
The main plot line is fantastic. It is well thought out, plays off of the original story well, and is full of surprises the reader never sees coming. I particularly enjoyed the mythological elements that were included and how they tie back into the plot. I am always a sucker for any Greek or Roman mythology references.
I was really disappointed in the fact that we did not get to see more of Nyx's training. Comparing this book to Graceling seems like a bit of a stretch, considering there is almost no combat at all and the only training we really hear about is through Nyx's references to it in her past after she has already been moved into the castle.
One of the main things that fell flat for me was the romance. Neither Ignifex nor Shade seem to have any believable connection to Nyx at all--there is simply no chemistry. I also found Nyx's disloyalty to Ignifex and Shade and the creation of the love triangle particularly frustrating. The fact that the triangle is resolved later in a rather clever way makes up for it a bit, but this fact does not make it any less frustrating to read.
Overall, I really appreciated what this book was trying to do, and I think there were some elements of it that worked particularly well. I always love to see Greek and Roman mythology included in books in creative ways, and the twists on the classic "Beauty and the Beast" tale were amazingly clever. Unfortunately, the romance between Nyx and the male leads was too flat to go unnoticed and kind of ruined the story for me. I would recommend this book to fans of faerie tale retellings, romance, and mythology.
When I read Altered, the first book in this series, I fell in love with the boys almost immediately: Sam, Cas, Nick, and Trev. The second book makes me love them even more, further developing their personalities and fleshing out their pasts. I was, however, a little disappointed at the balance between them in this book. We get a lot of Sam and Nick but not a lot of Cas or Trev. The fact that Trev is to the side makes sense given what happened in the first book, but Cas needs some spotlight time too! He seems to be used only as comic relief, never given any real substance.
I liked the way the story unfolded the details of the characters’ pasts in bits and pieces like a mystery being solved. Because their memories have been altered, most of what we learn is given through flashbacks, but luckily these never felt cheesy or overdone.
The novel overall maintains suspense ridiculously well. You are on the edge of your seat every single page wondering what is going to happen. Given that the group is on the run, fights and chases pop up quite a bit, and these action scenes maintain the thrill and danger of the situation consistently every single time.
The big twist at the end I saw coming almost a hundred pages beforehand, which is unfortunate because the the first book hid its secrets so very well, I was expecting the same from this second book. The author tries to show the perspective of the villain, which I appreciate, but I just was not convinced. I think that is because the overall character of the villain in this book did not feel "done" to me. They lacked too many details to feel real.
Overall this is a solid second installment in the series. I loved getting more information about the characters’ pasts and learning more about their personalities. The big reveal at the end was very underwhelming due to heavy foreshadowing spoiling it early on in the story. The ending sets up the final book without a cliffhanger, and I’ll be picking it up to finish off the series whenever it comes out. I’d recommend this series to fans of thrillers, mysteries, and books about genetically modified people.
I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, so I was excited to get a chance to dive back into the lives of Walt and Leia as they make their way across the water to a new world. This book, like its predecessors, has a distinctly anthropological feel to it, highlighting clashing religions, cultures, and customs.
In the previous books, we see two distinctly different religions war with one another as their entire way of life is brought into question. This book continues to highlight the growing pains of this union and the fanatical, rebellious groups which rise up because of it. I really appreciated the fact that not all the rebel groups were violent. Each group had its own, distinct way of dealing with the challenge to its faith: isolation, vandalism, immersion in community service—this is how I imagine this situation would play out in the real world, and all these little details really bring the story and its characters to life.
In their travels to the World Across the Waters, Leia and Walt begin to realize that the problems they are having at home are not isolated. The World Across the Waters has its own issues, also revolving around the augmentation and abuse of religious power to manipulate the masses. The real gold in this trip to another city, however, lies in the reaction Leia and Walt have religiously to the new world. In Tresco, Jesus is portrayed as a kind of devil. In the World Across the Waters, Jesus is the savior. With this in mind, Leia and Walt are still able to open their hearts and their minds to the people, and grow from the experience.
"…They’re just paper," I say fiercely. "They should be guidelines for people who use their common sense and feel what’s right deep inside. Without heart, soul, and passion, a holy book will just be a dead husk."
Walt and Leia begin to mesh together not only the religions of Tresco but the religions of the new world while simultaneously acknowledging that no place or religion is ever perfect. The power of religious texts lies in how people use the knowledge to shape the world around them.
The only aspect of this portion of the story that I didn’t care for was the forced chemistry between Walt and Leia. I am not sure if it was just too cheesy for me, but the dialogue and interactions between these two characters did not feel realistic to me at all. Luckily, their romance is a very small part of the overall book, so while it did frustrate me a bit at times it did not in any way retract from my overall enjoyment of the story.
Walt and Leia are not the only romantic leads in this story, however. Romance develops at home on Tresco as well, and unlike the Leia/Walt chemistry, the interactions between these two characters are sweet, real, and honest. Their attraction to one another develops over time in a shy, unexpected manner. They come together in a time of rebellion and uncertainty, looking for comfort and answers.
"Why is life so difficult?" I sob.
"I don’t know. But I do know it’s more bearable if you’re not alone."
This is where one of the main themes of the book really shines. Life is hard, and complicated, and no one ever really knows what they are doing. We guess, all of us, at everything, and sometimes we guess wrong. Sometimes we put our faith in the wrong things or the wrong people, but the good thing is that we have those around us to support us and help us through it.
Overall, this was another fantastic addition to “The Island” series. Minkman continues the anthropological and religious focus introduced in the previous two books in the series, but takes it to a whole new level. As her characters expand their world beyond the shores of Tresco, they also expand their understanding of humanity, a higher power, and one another. If you enjoy realistic dystopian fiction with an anthropological and religious focus, you should really pick this series up.
Even though I am significantly more fond of the Tenth Doctor than I am the Eleventh Doctor, I have got to say I enjoyed this comic so much more than the Tenth Doctor Comics series. The art was better, the characters were consistent, the stories were funny and interesting. I honestly have not one bad thing to say about this.
The first story is a hilarious spin on "spam" email, filled with laugh out loud characters and situations. My favorite aspect of this story is the helpful, upbeat stapler which constantly follows around Amy, Rory, and the Doctor asking if they need assistance like the beloved/hated Clippy from old school Microsoft Word. The ending was a little cheesy, but the overall story was so good that it didn't bother me one bit.
The second story in this volume is yet another take on "Jack the Ripper". I really liked that the volume mixed a very light-hearted story like the spam emails with a very serious story like the Ripper. The contrast was fantastic and matched the different art styles perfectly. The first story was more traditional comic book art, whereas the art in the "Ripper" story looked almost like water colors. This felt fitting for the story setting, reminding me of old paintings and the past.
The plots and character dialogue of both stories felt consistent with the situations, personalities, and speech patterns from the show, and the art very accurately portrayed their likenesses. The only exception to this would be some panels of Rory, which in my opinion look nothing like him.
Overall this was a nice, quick, diverse collection of Eleventh Doctor stories and art. I loved the contrasting tone and art of the two stories. I hope this is the start of a pattern, and the rest of the comics in this series are just as good!
The second installment in this series of comic books picked up some pretty good momentum, so I had fairly high hopes that this third installment would just blow me away. Unfortunately, it did not. The stories in this collection didn't really tie together at all. It was more like an anthology, showcasing the doctor drawn by different artists in various situations. This would have been fine, if I liked the style of the majority of the artists, which I did not, or if the plot in the stories had been amazing, which it wasn't. The majority of the art lacked detail, similar to my issues with the first installment in this graphic novel series, and the plot was oftentimes very confusing and flimsy in the majority of the stories included in this collection.
The one thing that I did really appreciate was the fact that this book showcased the villain's perspective rather well, allowing the reader to sympathize. I love it when an author is able to show that villains are really just people, and let them argue their case.
Overall, this was a pretty underwhelming collection of Tenth Doctor Who stories, and I still don't care for the artist who did the majority of the art in this volume. This, combined with the confusingly flimsy plots made this book just really not my thing. Maybe graphic novels are just not for me, or maybe this is just a bad example, who knows. Either way, I will be trudging forward through the rest of the comics included in the bundle I bought. Fingers crossed that I find some gems!
This is the second installment of the graphic novel Doctor Who series by Tony Lee, and I must say this was so much better than the first volume. Everything from the art to the plot was taken up a notch.
My issue with the art in the first volume was the fact that well-known characters, such as the Doctor himself, were almost unrecognizable in some panels. In this second installment, this problem is almost entirely resolved. Not only does the artist do a much better job portraying the general look of David Tennant's face, they also have totally nailed many of his most popular expressions. This made the story so much more enjoyable, as it added an extra dimension beyond the text. You can read beyond what the doctor is saying and SEE what he means. Fantastic! Speaking of reading beyond the text, this volume is littered with subtle references to other British authors and David Tennant himself. I saw this as a really clever, hidden treat for devoted Whovians and David Tennant fans alike.
Another unbelievable improvement in this volume is the plot itself. The villain introduced in the first installment is given more depth, personality, and back story. Events tie together more seamlessly and move along at a rather good clip, keeping the reader interested and engaged the entire time. The final few pages set in motion several things that have me dying to read the next volume in this series to find out what happens.
Overall, this was a wonderful improvement over the last volume. I was really impressed with the art and plot improvements, and I think any Doctor Who fan would really enjoy this series.