Early Reviewer Reviews, February 2012

Avalon Chronicles Volume 1: Once in a Blue Moon by Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir, Emma Vieceli

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Background: When Aeslin was young her parents used to read her a story before bed, when all of a sudden one day her mom tells her no more stories and that her father is gone. Now as a teen, Aeslin discovers what actually happened, there is a mysterious book that her life is a part of and she begins her quest for her destiny in the book...

Review: I received this book as an advanced reader copy and really feel for the story line. I love anything that involves a book within a book. Aeslin is a teen girl who is learning about her family's interesting and abnormal history, and she is doing this by falling into a story...literally. The Avalon Chronicles Vol.1 is her first adventure to Avalon and it is easy to read, action packed, and the illustrations are beautiful and detailed. Aeslin is a wonderful character to follow and even though there is only a little dialogue we begin to learn a lot about the other characters in the story as well, Cassidy and Will.
Definitely recommend for all ages, esp. if you like graphic novels.

** ARC for NetGalley/ Oni Press-- Publication Date 3/21/2012**


Courtney Crumrin Volume 1: The Night Things Special Edition by Ted Naifeh

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Background: Courtney is a young girl forced to move into her creepy uncle's creepy house with her parents, who are oblivious to her woes about a new place. Once there, Courtney starts experiencing strange things around her. Volume 1 contains shorts about Courtney and her new life and the monsters helping her live in it.

Review: I am a huge fan of macabre, gritty, fairy tales, and Courtney Crumrin Vol 1 Special Edition is all of those things. I got this e-copy from NetGalley and read it almost immediately. The main character Courtney is wonderful, she is a loner, who won't take crap from anyone, she is sarcastic and at times almost even menacing. She takes it upon herself to learn about the monsters living in and around her uncle's home and uses them to her advantage when she needs to. These stories are creepy and funny. I saw some parallels to Coraline and the Lenore series...overall it was a great read. The art is also breathtaking.

**ARC for NetGalley/ Oni Press- Publication date 4/11/2012**

View all my reviews

Coming Soon: Review for The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQueen