thistle_and_verse's Reviews (299)

I watched the show before reading the book, and I like the show better, but the book still has some points in its favor. The two aren't very similar except for the premise and some shared characters. I really liked the attention to the atmosphere and setting, and I learned some about the sugar cane industry. For me, the best parts were in the beginning (especially Charley dealing with conflicted feelings about the legacy of African Americans working the land) and the very end. The end was somber and raised some really good questions that I thought could have been explored more or given more depth.

Engaging enough. I'm not big on the crime/ gang thriller genre, but there were still things about the book for me to enjoy. I don't really have a bead on the characters yet. We see some of Isaac's back story, which was good, but I spent most of my time wanting to know more about Luca and her girl gang. In a lot of the dystopians I've read, women have little to no power and are just prey to be targeted by men, so I wanted more details on how she came to power and maintained it. But for what this book is, it's worth the read.

I'm not sure I'm the target reader for this book. While there were definitely elements I liked, I don't plan on continuing this series unless I hear some promising spoilers. I felt like the secret society being based out of Egypt wasn't played up enough. Like the hilts of their swords are ankhs, but in terms of armor design or philosophy of the organization, I didn't see much influence. I wasn't big on the plot. It seemed fairly rote (as did the characters) until the cliffhanger ending. I thought the humor was generally good though. The highlight of the book for me was when the main character gets a dress for his girlfriend to meet his mom in, and his mom calls it hideous. The dress really was ridiculous looking, and it was a well-done joke.

I think the series has since discontinued, which stinks because none of the questions I had have been answered. Similar to the 1st book, the parts of the world I'm most interested in don't seem to be focused on but still a quick enjoyable read

Seeing the Crew was the highlight of this volume for me. This comic raises a lot of big questions about power and the lengths taken to maintain it. T'challa interviews some brutal counter-revolutionaries/ counter-insurgent experts and faces some ethical dilemmas. The reality/ practicality of the decisions he has to make are what I like best about T'challa/ Black Panther.

I really liked the artwork - color scheme, energy, experimentation. Magruder did some fun things with speech bubbles that I enjoyed. The story felt energetic because of the art, and I really enjoyed the fight scene towards the end.