Pirates of the Silver Coast

author: Scott Chantler

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.12

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2014/09/07

date added: 2014/09/07

shelves: children-s, graphic-novels

review:

'Pirates Of The Silver Coast' is the fifth book in the Three Thieves series of graphic novels and my debut to the series. Despite that, I was able to jump right in and enjoy it.



Dessa is a girl looking for her twin brother, who was abducted years earlier. She has 2 travelling companions, Topper and Fisk, and a map to a mysterious island that she is convinced her brother is on. She convinces a ship to take her there. While onboard, Fisk finds himself being mocked for only having one head (other members of his tribe all have two). The ship is threatened by the Pirate King, who is looking to also find the mysterious island.



Meanwhile, Captain Drake, in pursuit of Dessa, finds himself waylaid by a fortune teller. This sidebar felt unnecessary and drawn out to me, but maybe this happens to Captain Drake in other books.



Scott Chantler's art and storytelling are good, and this would be a fun series for younger readers who might be reluctant readers. The characters are interesting and there were plenty of surprises in this one to keep the pages turning. I'm glad I read this one.



I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Kids Can Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.





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Lena Finkle's Magic Barrel: A Graphic Novel

author: Anya Ulinich

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.20

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2014/09/06

date added: 2014/09/06

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Lena Finkle's Magic Barrel' by Anya Ulinich belongs alongside all the other realist graphic novels like those by Lynda Barry, Harvey Pekar and Marjane Satrapi. I found it a good read.



The story follows Lena Finkle, who emigrated from Russia as a child. As a divorced mother of two, she is trying to get back into dating again. She is also coming to terms with her old country and the man she left behind. Online dating encounters are described in broad terms with characters like the Orphan, Disaster Man and the Vampire of Bensonhurst. She spends a lot of time talking it out with friends and herself. Her conscience shows up as a small version of herself, scolding her for saying and doing things. Her conversations with her mother are painfully funny. Will she find a way to happiness or be miserable forever?



The story could have felt really whiny, but the self-deprecating humor was touching and kept the story moving along. It's a long graphic novel and the dialogue takes up much of each panel. There are a lot of story elements that might have been too confusing, but Ulinich deftly keeps everything balanced. It's funny and intelligent and kept me turning pages.



I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Penguin Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fine graphic novel.





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El Deafo

author: Cece Bell

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.62

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2014/09/06

date added: 2014/09/06

shelves: children-s, graphic-novels

review:

'El Deafo'by Cece Bell is a graphic novel intended for younger readers. It's biographical and tells her experiences of hearing loss and trying to cope in a hearing world.



The story is told with animal characters and goes through Cece's younger life. She lost her hearing through a childhood disease and was too young to understand or express it. She ended up with hearing aids that helped her hear again. Sort of. She goes to schools for the deaf, and, eventually, schools with no deaf students. She wears a bulky hearing aid and wires and that makes her stand out. Her biggest problem is learning to read lips and understand what people are saying.



I only received about 26 pages of this graphic novel, but I loved what I read. Cece Bell writes honestly, but with humor (from misunderstanding what people are saying to hearing WAY too much). Young readers will find much to like here, especially if they feel like they don't fit in and need to find a place to fit in. Well done!



I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Abrams, Amulet Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this great graphic novel.





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As Luck Would Have It: From the Brothers Grimm

author: Robert D. San Souci

name: Wayne

average rating: 2.57

book published: 2008

rating: 3

read at: 2014/09/03

date added: 2014/09/03

shelves: children-s

review:

'As Luck Would Have It' is a retelling of one of the Brother's Grimm's stories, Clever Elise. This one is told with a family of bears. It's a silly story of what happens when people don't think, but it all turns out okay in the end.



When mom and dad have to go care for grandmother, they leave the children in charge. On their way out, they specifically point out where the stash of gold is and tell the kids not to touch it. Which seems pretty irresponsible, especially given what follows. The two young bears go about their chores in a lazy manner which results in all kinds of calamity. Things like letting the oxen plow the field themselves or rolling the cheese wheels down the hill to the market. When the ultimate bad thing happens, the children go to the rescue, and manage to save the day and turn everything all right again.



The story is silly, and it's fun to watch the bears get into more and more trouble. The artwork is pretty great. I think it would be a fun book to read to kids.



I received a review copy of this ebook from August House, Little Folk and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.





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Zaya

author: Jean-David Morvan

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.56

book published: 2014

rating: 4

read at: 2014/09/02

date added: 2014/09/02

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

'Zaya' is the new graphic novel from Jean-David Morvan, who also wrote 'Naja.' I enjoyed 'Naja,' but I think I might have liked 'Zaya' just a bit more, perhaps because of the SF theme and perhaps because of the art by Huang-Jia Wei.



Zaya is a secret agent and a killer, not unlike the main characters in 'Naja,' but the similarities end about there. Zaya hacks the spaceship she is given for a mission, and the ship becomes self-aware and helps her throughout. A funny moment happens when she's sent on a mission aboard a cruise ship, and just about everyone else on board is a secret agent. She carries out the job, but finds herself on the run which sends her and her ship into dangerous hyperspace where the story takes a strange turn.



The art is intricate and really cool. If I had one complaint, it's that every killing seems to be a bullet to the eye. The artist is good at drawing these exploded, deconstructed heads, but after a while it would be nice to see something different. Also, the action scenes where there is no dialogue can be a bit tough to decipher. The art seems to run together at these times and it's hard to tell what's happening. All that to say I really liked the story and thought the art was really different than what I usually see. I look forward to reading what's next from Jean-David Morvan.



I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this interesting graphic novel.





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The City

author: Dean Koontz

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.72

book published: 2014

rating: 3

read at: 2014/09/01

date added: 2014/09/01

shelves:

review:

'The City' by Dean Koontz takes a magical premise, fills it with great prose and ultimately fails to go anywhere with it. As a fan, I loved the writing, but I wanted something more when it was all said and done.



I've loved some of the memorable characters that Mr. Koontz has created like Odd Thomas and Christopher Snow (can we have another Christopher Snow novel, please?), and Jonah Kirk, while not as much an outsider, falls right in with those other characters. And the characters around him, supporting his story, are also memorable and soul-stirring. Early in his life, Jonah meets a strange woman named Miss Pearl who seems to know him and gives him gifts and insights into his life. She may be the embodiment of the city, and I kind of wanted more from her than for her to swoop in at a critical point in the story and then disappear suddenly again. Amalia Pomerantz is an older neighbor girl with a unique way of looking at the world and a quirky younger brother who shares Jonah's love of making music. Mr. Yoshioka, an upstairs neighbor and past resident of the Myanmar internment camp, was my absolute favorite character. His calm in the face of things and friendship with Jonah really are the core of the book.



I spent a lot of the book feeling like it was a set up for something larger, or even a possible lead in to a larger series, but that seemed to be misleading. Nor is this much of a supernatural thriller (or even much of a thriller to be honest). Sure, there is menace, and a pretty creepy woman who threatens Jonah, but it's far from the sort of supernatural fare that Koontz is known for. The book is really more along the straight drama lines. If you know that going in, perhaps you'll like it more than I did. Oh, but the prose at times is just so nice and kept me reading.



I received a review copy of this ebook from Random House Publishing Group - Bantam Dell and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.





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Over the Line

author: David T. Lloyd

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.00

book published: 2013

rating: 2

read at: 2014/09/01

date added: 2014/09/01

shelves:

review:

'Over The Line' is a coming of age story that spans about a week. A lot happens. Perhaps a bit too much, but it all mostly gets wrapped up.



Justin Lyle is a kid living with his dad. His mom has left and he lost a baby brother. There are bullies in his town and unexpected friends. He's doing a paper on World War II and he borrows his grandfather's medal without telling his dad. Along with the medal is a diary with some confusing facts. Of course the medal is stolen by the school bully who wants to get even for being ratted on by Justin's dad. Justin finds out that being a hero can be complicated and he finds himself involved in a bunch of trouble by the end of the book.



It's a lot of story elements, and I kept thinking it was taking place in a much earlier timeframe (like the 1950s), but it's clearly in modern times. I'm not sure why I thought it was earlier. Perhaps because Justin's character seems like he's from another time. Maybe that's me. It's all handled well enough, but huge issues like losing a sibling or abandonment seem to get shortchanged. Justin really feels cut from a sitcom and I had a hard time liking him. He does change over the short term of the book.



I received a review copy of this ebook from Syracuse University Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.





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