While the book starts out rough by leaning on the VERY well worn tropes of the intellectual loner and the manic-pixie, Victor and Nora eventually grow out of these molds as they slowly fall in love over the summer. The cheesy dialogue in the beginning makes their early interactions extremely awkward, but as the story progresses, they become quite the adorable pair. It was hard not to root for them. Especially once they actually started having real conversations about the skeletons in their respective closets. That’s when Victor and Nora grew beyond caricatures to become characters.

Nora’s illness is fictional, but the symptoms have striking similarities to those struggling with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia. Nora’s reaction to these symptoms and her diagnosis I thought was handled really well, as well as her intentions when trying to manage them. As flawed as her methods are, Nora has agency, control, and personality that her character rarely receives in other adaptations. Victor likewise gains some depth to his character, as we see why he’s so fixated on death and control. It’s a solid origin story for the man who would become Mr. Freeze.

The art is a step up from what I’ve seen so far from DC’s YA line of graphic novels. I remember complaining in my review of Wonder Woman: Warbringer about how it was a missed opportunity to not use the limited color palette in a meaningful way. Victor and Nora does just that, using different colors to represent the characters and how the characters slowly impact one another. It’s great stuff. I wish all the DC’s YA books were like this.

If you’re in the mood for a tragic romance, Victor and Nora has you covered. It’s more than a little predictable if you’re familiar with the genre, but what it does it does well.