leahrosereads's Reviews (1.04k)

 The basics
Enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Start: ⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐
Ending: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Style: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

What an explosive volume to the series!  It was so fast, maybe even a little rushed because some parts I had to re-read and make sure I wasn't missing pages.  It felt a bit disjointed.  The characters and art are the absolute highlights here.  Gorgeous!  

The basics
Enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Start: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐.75
Ending: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Style: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Excellent continuation! Obviously since this is the second volume, I can't share too much (because spoilers).  The art is amazing, the characters are interesting, and I'm so intrigued by where this is all going.  Absolutely picking up Vol 3 ASAP!

Enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Start: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐
Ending: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Style: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

The cover absolutely intrigued me.  I had to check this out, and I'm really happy I did.  The art was stunning, and the story's look on grief, moving on, and learning to live was really powerful.  

Enjoyment: 4
Start:  4.25
Characters:  4
Atmosphere:  4
Plot: 3.5
Ending: 4
Style: 4.25

 So queer!  I absolutely adored it!  The characters, the art, it was all good!  I'd have loved the main story be a bit longer though, because I felt like it was a bit rushed.  I'd have loved to feel like I knew more about the characters and their family dynamics.   

Enjoyment: 4.5
Start:  4.5
Characters:  5
Atmosphere:  4.5
Plot: 4.5
Ending: 4.5
Style: 4.75 

First, I need to just gush about the art for a moment.  It was spectacular! Absolutely the type of art that immediately sucks me into the story and brings the words on the page to life.  So good! Now, onto the story.  I'm not surprised at how amazing this was.  Victor LaValle is one of my favorite authors for a reason, and while I'm still working through his backlist, I'm always so impressed with everything he does.  And this is no exception.  

The themes he explored were so very important, and the loss and grief that Jo deals with, the rage she felt, it was on every page.  Akai's innocence through it all way so telling, and his story was heartbreaking.  This is definitely a story that will stick with me, and one that I'll recommend for a long time.

Enjoyment: 4.75
Start:  4.5
Characters:  5
Atmosphere:  5
Plot: 4.75
Ending: 5
Style: 4.75 

This was brilliant and horrifying, and I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book.  The plot around gentrification, the horrors that Black folks have around medical trauma and testing, and the disappearances that went ignored were all just so well done.  I listened to this on audio and thought both narrators did a fantastic job with the characters.  Both of the characters were so interesting, and both could be viewed as unreliable narrators, which I really appreciated.  I love second guessing everyone and everything.

Enjoyment: 4
Start:  4.25
Characters:  4.5
Atmosphere:  4.5
Plot: 3.5
Ending: 4
Style: 4.5

With how absolutely dark this comic was, I chuckled every time they chose to censor the cuss words.  That being said, I really liked this story, specifically the characters, and the dynamics between Batman, the Batman Who Laughs, and the Grim Knight.  It was fascinating.  I didn't love the plot, it definitely felt weaker than the rest of the parts of the story, but the characters and atmosphere more than make up for it!

The basics
Enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐
Start: ⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐
Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Ending: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Style: ⭐⭐⭐

What I liked
First, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thematically, this story is so smart.  I really liked the conversations it was bringing about and the themes it explored. Well done.  The horror was perfect for YA.  Creepy, a bit gory, but still tame enough that I think folks who don't love horror will still enjoy it.  Also I'm always down for a Sapphic story!  Unfortunately, outside of that, not much worked for me.  

I don't mind slower paced stories usually but the first 50% of this was a slog to get through. The second half got better for about 70 pages but then the end fell apart again for me.

I felt like a lot of this was disjointed, specifically the main character and how she changes.  It felt really slow and then incredibly sudden.

This is definitely going to be a favorite for a lot of folks, and I'm very interested in seeing what Legrand writes next.

The basics
Enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Start: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ending: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Style: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

What I loved
Getting to see Erica's backstory was heartbreaking and fascinating. I really enjoyed this volume and getting to learn quite a bit more about the Order.  Sounds like there's a new series that's going to follow Aaron, and I'm definitely interested in that one.  Really hope we see more of Erica in the future though!