Author: Alexandra Bracken
Illustrations: Leigh Dragoon and Kit Seaton
Genre: Fantasy
First published February 2, 2021
Book description (from back cover): A graphic novel about discovering your own power.
Extraordinary things just don't happen to fourteen-year-old Sydelle Mirabil, a talented weaver who dreams about life outside of her tiny village. But that all changes when a mysterious young wizard named Wayland North appears and asks for Sydelle's help. He's got a shocking secret that could stop a war between kingdoms-if he can reach the capital with the news in time. North needs a navigator who can mend his magical cloaks, and Sydelle is perfect for the job.
As Sydelle and North race against the clock to deliver their message, they must contend with unusually wild weather and a dark wizard who will do anything to stop them. But the sudden earthquakes and freak snowstorms may not be a coincidence. As Sydelle discovers more about North's past and her own strange abilities, she realizes that the fate of the kingdom may rest in her fingertips.
Review:
This is a quick and easy read. Its target audience is young teens, and it shows. It was an ok story but not something I'm going to be returning or memorable.
Sydelle is the classic strong, stubborn girl who has secret abilities that magicians are after. While North is the mysterious - seemly powerful but flawed man who to top it all off has a tragic past. He even includes a very "powerful" lineage. Not exactly original. And they are so annoying, they do not know how to communicate with each other or other people. There was really no personal growth so, overall characters were lacking- zero growth and they felt flat.
I was expecting at least a redeeming quality in the evil guy, the classic he was North's friend but now he's evil. He really didn't seem like such a big threat but oh well.
There was a lot of traveling for such a short graphic novel, but that aspect was ok. We got to see a lot of the world. It would not have hurt to have a bit more details. The magic system was interesting but not too explained.
The issue with adapting a novel into a graphic novel is that you have to leave out a lot of pieces - plot, dialogue, character build, etc. If I had read the book, I might have been able to fill in the information on my own, but this is the only access to the story or the first one, it feels lacking. I think it's a very big challenge to make sure everything is captured so there are no plot holes or confusion. Unfortunately, that is what happened here. There were many times that I felt like things were left out when they shouldn't have been or random parts of the plot that did not fit at all.
There was an instance where the parents send Sydelle a letter....but they should have no idea where she is....she NEVER TOLD THEM. Also if she is being magically transported, how can the letter arrive so fast? The time when North and her meet a dude in a town, then they run away for some reason and the same guy shows up in another town- almost instantly. I found a lot of plot holes or a lack of logic in the timelines.
Or the beginning, there was NO LOGIC for Sydelle to leave her family and go on this adventure with a strange boy, she doesn't seem to really trust him, why would she? None whatsoever. There was nothing building up to her leaving and yet she just decides to leave, without telling her family. The logic is just not there. There were plenty of times that the only thing going through my mind was: "What the hell is wrong with these people?"
The positive point: The art style is great! It's gorgeous, everything was so vibrant with color and especially because it plays a huge role in the magic system. I loved the artist's style and found it very whimsical. It was stunning.
This was not planned for any specific challenge, its a YA graphic novel so at least I'm working on reading in all age range.
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