littlepiscesreading's reviews
77 reviews

 This is the final chapter the comic promises as we’re introduced to ruins, looming and dark beneath a full moon. The rooks the only trace of life left. It could almost be peaceful if not for the bleed of red onto the page. Harding’s eye for colour is as striking as it is exquisite and every subsequent invasion of colour into this monochrome world only illustrates this more perfectly than the last. And I include white for the way certain characters seem to be lit from within at times. 

It goes without saying that the atmosphere is impeccable. A Parliament of Rooks is deeply, lovingly gothic from Darius Ravenscar’s lonely manor and his burgeoning transformation to its narrative framework. Unfortunately this also extends to its depiction of its Romani coded character which errs to tired stereotypes. 

Nonetheless I found this issue enthralling. I mentioned the narrative framework. Darius’ relationship with the Seraphina is introduced towards the end of her life. This is a reminiscence. And it gives their relationship more texture than it otherwise would have. Darius’ transformation is delightfully grotesque and the portentous dream that preceded it fascinates me. 

 So engrossed in The Night Mother was I that it took reaching the end to remember this was only the first volume. A relief. A disappointment. The art is stunning and enthralled me from the moment I opened the ebook. The cover – though beautiful – does not do the interior justice. And combined with a perfect first line – ‘Barnabas Tock has a clock that doesn’t tell time’ – I was lost to its world. 

Its initial atmosphere of isolation and ostracisation is fantastic and it establishes Madeline and her dad’s relationship really well. It’s such a shame that collapses when Madeline goes into town. Even so, I’m not terribly saddened by this. The villagers are one of the elements I’m most excited to read about in the next volume. I can’t wait to find out what exactly happened. 

The Night Mother herself is truly a wonderful villain. One to loathe, but also one you can’t help but feel some sympathy for even as the ways she’s grown twisted are terrible. It builds up her arrival like rolling thunder and she can be frightening to behold. The intensity of her stare. The way her presence drains the colour out of the world. The nightmares she gives Madeline are illustrated exquisitively. The colours and textures are breathtaking. 

The Night Mother is one of the best comics I’ve read this year. Its relationships are so full of promise. Madeline and her dad are shown to be so close so quickly and it’s genuinely heartbreaking what happens to them. The moon is so eerie and alien and I can’t wait to see more of it and learn more about its people and what they’ve endured. But I especially am eager to see what The Night Mother will do. 

 In the space of its first chapter Mo’s love for her dad is spotlighted so well that it carries through his absence for most of the book. Mo’s determination to prove herself to him and foray into Hollywood are fantastic. The action is exciting and fun and she was so easy to cheer for. I really appreciated that her attempts to improve for the auditions led her to another style of martial arts, one that took her on a journey through her family tree, into a language and culture that she was estranged from. It’s a fascinating mystery too and I was so eager to learn more about it. 

That said, for me the cast is one of the book’s best strengths. Even in her dad’s absence the shape of their relationship is so clear and it’s heartbreaking to watch her try to grapple with that. With who he is and who she thought he was. And her more fraught relationship with her mom was really touching as they found common ground and began to understand each other better. 

I loved Nacho, even if not his nickname. He was a great friend and their plotting together was great. The same goes for the wider cast. His gramps was so fun, and caring. The glimpse into who Dax really is was lovely though a little rushed. But I appreciate that it gave depth to most of its characters. I also loved this with one of the antagonists who I did really feel for. 

It’s not a perfect book though. I did cringe at a mention of a historical figure who I really hope wasn’t meant to be James Barry. Towards the end it was quite rushed in comparison with the rest of the book. The tension was great but felt cut short. But ultimately these are slight issues in a fun, and excellent, action and adventure book. I look forward to seeing what else Chan writes. 

Thanks to Goddess Fish Promotions and A.Y. Chan. I leave this review voluntarily. 

Dear Hades is a fun romp. The revival of heroes and monsters from Greek myth is a really interesting mystery, and the not-so-subtle subterfuge of Ty and Medusa’s dates are fantastically zany (even if they stretch the credulity of the chat fiction format). But they aren’t. From the moment they make contact there’s a sense of relief for them. They’re well suited and that’s readily apparent. I really loved how sweet and hopeful they were. It provided a nice break between those zany shenanigans. 

I adored a certain two characters coming together too. They weren’t an obvious pair but despite being in the background they were almost as lovely to watch as Ty and Medusa. A surprising strength of the book is its quiet little character moments. I literally clutched at my chest when the shade showed up. It was beautiful. 

However characters who weren’t in the spotlight were often one note. And all through the book there was tension between its pop culture depictions of the characters and deep cut nerdiness about the mythology. However the end of the book took to dumping on them even as it paid lip service to differing interpretations. It soured my enjoyment. But it wasn’t the only element to do that. The last time we see Ty and Medusa is in direct contrast to how their relationship is last described. That wouldn’t be bad, per se. But it brings into stark relief how much of the development of their relationship takes place off-page. 

Thanks to iRead Book Tours, Alyssa Roat and Hope Bolinger. I leave this review voluntarily.

 I love the contrast of styles that Thunder 3 promises and it does not disappoint. The retro style of the Small Three to the realism of the other universe and the futurism of the mecha breathe so much life into the worlds. I love The Wizard of Oz (1939) but like many such stories the strange other world very quickly becomes the normal world for the audience. Thunder 3 avoids that – to its benefit. This world always feels at odds with the Small Three, through both the variety of styles and the pacing of their introduction. It’s as much as journey of discovery for the reader as it is the characters. 

Unfortunately I found them wanting. There isn’t much characterisation beyond one characteristic. Especially for two of the three. Though I do appreciate that they’re quite cartoonish. Futaba did surprise me. In quite a few ways. I hadn’t expected her to be quite so young. Or to be so saccharinely Hallmark – too good, too pure for this world. Thankfully the shift in genre made this bearable and her guilelessness became fantastically funny in the face of the threats (or lack thereof) bearing down on her. And I’m pleasantly surprised at the prospect that she isn’t just going to be a MacGuffin to be saved. 

The constant exclamations of the Small Three as “anime!” is tiring, however. It undercuts the stakes. Futaba was snatched up immediately, and they get to go viral. There is genuine menace to her kidnappers and I wish that had been sustained. I do really like the use of a different font to alienate and distance them, but, again, that undermines them as it’s quite hard to read. 

I’m nonetheless still really intrigued by this series. The Small Three’s discoveries about themselves and the way their cartoon physics interacts with the world excites me. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for this review copy. I leave this review voluntarily.