Amazing story of a sailing voyage!

I've never really liked this story, but reading it as a manga was definitely better! Seeing Pip as a manga character, and being able to read his expressions, brought the story to life for me. I also appreciated that the story is condensed and clear, making it easy to follow what is going on.

The best part is seeing all the characters, both good guys and villains, strongly reflected in the beautiful artwork. Joe has an angelic face, peaceful and kindly in every circumstance. Miss Havisham is old and gaunt and ghastly. And Pip's face is innocent and wishful. The brilliant thing about the artwork is that their whole character is written in their faces!

I enjoyed this manga adaptation, even reading a story that I originally didn't like when I read it as a novel! That is the power of manga, I guess! It softened the story to a place where I could enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

A wonderful retelling of Snow White set in the Jazz Age of America! Snow White is a New York heiress, and she meets seven orphan boys who live on the street. They help Snow White to hide from her stepmother, the "Queen of the Ziegfeld Follies" on Broadway.

I love the 20s costumes, and the contrast between rugged New York streets and the glitz and glam of the Follies. The setting really makes this into a new story, despite the fact that the plot itself follows the original fairy tale pretty closely. There are a few key details that are changed, which kept things interesting.

I like the smokey style of Matt Phelan's artwork. He leaves things a little blurry, so that you can fill in the blanks with your own imagination. As a result, the reader feels very involved in the storytelling.
The art panels are really well set-up to tell the story in a fluid way and bring in some suspense and drama. Most of the story is told through the body language and facial expressions of the characters. The shadows and colors and light tell most of the story too. His artwork is so descriptive that very little dialogue is needed. Then when there IS dialogue, it becomes that much more powerful and full of meaning. It's quite genius and deliciously subtle.

I enjoyed this so much! I only wish it were longer. I hope that Phelan retells more fairy tales in his graphic novels!

I love this continuation of the Lunar Chronicles series, especially since it's a graphic novel! After Cinder takes the throne and the Earthen-Lunar war is over, there are still some wolf-soldiers running around Earth unsupervised, causing death and destruction. So Iko, the sassy android, takes up the task of retrieving all the deserters of the wolf army and bringing them back to Luna to face justice and/or be rehabilitated. It will take all her fancy programming and a lot of nerve to keep her friends safe, and even more determination to convince people that she has feelings just like a human.

I really loved the blue-tinted artwork, and I was impressed with the layout of the panels, and the pacing of the story. Some of the characters didn't look quite how I had imagined them in my head, but that's okay. Really beautiful cartoony style that pulled me into the world of Luna!

Iko, of course, is just delightful, but I almost wished she were MORE sassy. She's so busy kicking butt and taking out the evil wolf soldiers, she's almost.... serious. A serious Iko??? Say what? Of course, she's still obsessed with boys and dresses and shoes and hair, but for most of the book, they are fighting for their lives or running someplace or discussing strategy. I do love that Iko begins to ask herself some deep questions about how people treat her because she's an android. She has a lot of great inner dialogue and internal struggle.

I LOVED love loved seeing all the characters from Lunar Chronicles again. The whole Rampion crew is back, establishing order after the war, making the tough decisions, and helping people. Each chapter focuses on a few of the characters, bringing their stories a little further as they adjust to life after the war. Loved it! There may have been some squealing like a fangirl.

Maud's father is murdered by an assassin looking for a book containing the secret to a great treasure. Maud swears to avenge her father's death, and wants to join a bandit named the Fox, who steals from the rich to give to the poor. Maud has to move in with her aristocratic grandfather, who only wants to control her and force her to marry a nobleman. Maud becomes the masked Scarlet Rose, and works on her fencing skills so she can become a highway bandit, and get one step closer to her father's killer.

The plot is predictable and full of Robin Hood tropes. The characters are boring and obvious. The writing is blah. The artwork is okay, but nothing special. It's not horrible, but it's not good either. I've read worse, but I've also read much better.

Everything is just so predictable and boring. Every single reaction from every character is exactly what you expect it to be. Oh, she doesn't want to wear pretty dresses and go to fancy balls and get married? No kidding, what a surprise. I didn't need half a chapter to explain that.
Oh, her grandfather is all angry and gruff because she isn't a proper young lady? Wow, never saw that coming.
Oh, that nobleman guy that she likes just happens to secretly be the Fox? My God, I never would have guessed. Especially since he's the only other male character under 60 in the entire book. *rolls eyes * BORING.

Tropes everywhere. Nothing original or interesting!

The dialogue is painful to read, because it explains obvious things. "We must send for the doctor!" "No, we can't afford one. We already have barely enough to live on."-pg.10.
Boom, the Fox shows up with some money he stole from rich people. Wow, what a great bunch of dialogue. I'm so glad that they explained clearly that they were poor and sick, and that I was forced to read it with my eyes. My brain is so engaged in this story right now. NOT really.

The only good part of the book was when she fell into the pig pen! haha! I liked that part. Her pretty yellow dress got all covered in mud and it was delightful. Mainly because it wasn't boring!


Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

Edmond Dantes is betrayed by a coworker who wants his job, a romantic rival who will steal his bride, and a crooked government prosecutor with a dark secret to hide. Thrown into prison for decades, Dantes eventually escapes, becomes fabulously wealthy, and vows revenge on those who ruined his life.

Count of Monte Cristo is one of my top five favorite novels of all time, so I was interested to see how one of my favorite stories would translate into manga form. Although they had to simplify the story considerably, and there are really too many characters for a stand-alone manga, I enjoyed this wonderful adaptation of a classic tale!

I love the beautiful artwork! I was glad to see that each character has such a unique style that makes them, their clothing, their hair, and face really memorable, which is essential with so many characters.

There is also a family tree/character relationship chart at the back of the book to help you keep track of all the characters; although it does contain some spoilers, so I wouldn't look at it if you haven't previously read the story.

Even though the story is condensed, the bones of the novel are there with all their intricacies and mystery and flair. I was especially glad to see that character development is not lost in the super-plot. The author takes time to establish emotional connections between characters, and we still get to see Dantes go through all the ups and downs of his passionate nature. So much of the beauty of the story is lost because of the constraints of the manga form, but I think the author did a superb job of maintaining the truth of the story, the style and expression of the book.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

A wonderful adaptation of Mark Twain's Adventure of Huckleberry Finn into manga form! I think the authors and illustrators did an excellent job of condensing the story into a small volume without losing the integrity or flavor of the story. I love how the various accents of the characters are preserved, but the dialogue is still clear and easily understood.

The artwork brings a lot of emotion into the story, and firmly connects the reader to the characters. Seeing the expressions on character's faces as they experience joy, grief, fear, sadness, or relief, made me feel those things too as I was reading!

This book, of course, deals with many difficult topics like slavery, and the skewed moral code that Huck has been exposed to. Seeing Huck grappling with his conscience, and trying to determine what is "right" is what makes this story such a classic. I thought this adaptation did a superb job of showing Huck's internal struggle between what "civilized society" tells him is right, and what his heart tells him is true and right.

Beautiful manga of this favorite classic!

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Gannon and Wyatt are working on a farm in Ireland, soaking in the rich Irish countryside, when they discover water pollution in the nearby river. It’s up to the twins to speak out, and bring the illegal pollution to the attention of the authorities. While they are gathering evidence, a dangerous suspect is determined to stop them, and the twins find themselves on the run in a mysterious Irish forest.

Gannon is certain that fairies, elves, and maybe even leprechauns, are stalking them in the forest. But Wyatt, ever the scientist, is only focused on getting their evidence of the pollution safely away, so they can be used to convict the suspects.

Another exciting book in the Gannon and Wyatt series! I am loving all these travel books!

First of all, I just adore stories set in Ireland! 🇮🇪
There is such a lush landscape, full of beautiful countryside and mysterious ancient magic. What better setting for an adventure story?

Secondly, every book in the series does such a wonderful job of painting a picture of not only the country’s towns and forests and wildlife, but also showing the indomitable spirit of the people who live there.
Ireland has such a rich cultural history, and that is honored and celebrated in this book!

I love every minute!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

Another fantastic adventure with twin brothers Gannon and Wyatt, this time in beautiful Hawaii. The twins rescue a drowning man, who urges them to hide a secret map for him. The map may contain clues to the ancient burial place of Hawaii's King Kamehameha the Great, and Gannon and Wyatt set out on a treasure hunt to find it with the help of their guide, Alana. A mysterious archaeologist is also searching for King Kamehameha's tomb, and is determined to take the map from the twins. Gannon and Wyatt survive a mountainous blizzard, explore a jungle, trek around lava flows, and delve deep into the culture and history of Hawaii.

One of the great things about all these books is how Gannon and Wyatt show such a respect for native cultures. They truly love the countries they visit, and go through all these adventures to preserve cultural symbols and native habitats. It's so refreshing to see them accepting and enjoying a new culture in every book. They learn some of the language, try native foods, learn some history, and give a picture of local life as they befriend people. The reader feels like they have truly experienced that culture, and it never slows down the plot, because it's all woven together.

I love the fast-paced action, the rich history, and the varied characters! I hope more Gannon and Wyatt books are written soon!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

This manga adaptation of Williams Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is the perfect way to introduce Shakespeare to readers who might feel intimidated by the original play. The text is modernized, but is still written in iambic pentameter, and still has the original rhymes of the play. The entire play is intact, and all the beauty of Shakespeare's words comes through wonderfully in this modern adaptation.

I am so impressed with the way the text was modernized, and with the integrity and thoughtfulness that went into editing it. It really does feel like something that Shakespeare would have written if he had been alive today. There is no jarring modern slang to ruin the beauty of the lines. It feels like someone just translated the words from another language, and made it easy to understand for modern readers, but without losing any of the flavor and emotion of the original text.

The beautiful artwork brings the play to life! Every page is just so gorgeous! The art is delicate and attractive. I love the designs for each character. Romeo is handsome and strong, and Juliet is sweet and graceful. Mercutio is wild and haughty. Count Paris is noble and elegant. Their clothing, their facial expressions, their hair and eyes and body language; it all comes together to paint the perfect picture of these characters. They really come to life!

I have read and reread the original play of Romeo and Juliet at least twenty times, and it was such a delight to revisit this favorite story in manga form!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.