Kireth

Wow, first experience with Image comics and I loved it - there were so many ways Monstress stood out to me in the graphic novel medium. Firstly, you get dropped into the middle of this rich pseudo-steampunk/ fantasy land, full of power struggles and tensions that feel reminiscent of conflicts like WWII and the Cold War. The worldbuilding was immense but gave you just enough context to carry you through the journey of Maika Halfwolf, with flashbacks and a strong antagonistic group. Secondly, the art was gorgeous, with slanted lines between panels and a remarkable sense of pace and scale that adds to the sense of danger. Thirdly, whilst the characters were the weakest points they are highly fascinating both visually and in their slowly-revealed backstories. Oh, and how refreshing was an all-female cast, writing team and perspective? Am keen to continue this heavy story.

Sparse in its prose, unrelenting in its personal depth. No quotation marks was initially frustrating but quickly lent itself to a smooth reading process. Years pass as each chapter announces a shift in weeks and months, and readers are carried through the thoughts of our two leads and many of the romance-related events in their lives.

I found myself deeply moved by passages, with lines and moments touching my own personal experiences, even though a large portion of the novel remains faded and toneless. The settings, background people and even the way the characters themselves look aren't Rooney's concern. Instead, she covers facets of being in a deep relationship - social signals, the intermingling and sometimes indistinguishableness between submission and vulnerability, growth, change, worthiness, darkness, care, obliviousness and confusion.

I was taken aback by the starkness in the depiction of more adult subjects, but it was fitting for the book's visually unvaried language. The inner dialogue reveals potent ties to mental health from broken homes and single mothers, depression, anxiety, and self-worth. This is all intermingled with discussions on class, 2010s youth social media and typical European university student experiences such as dinners, parties and exchanges.

A personally profound read and one where I became rapidly attached to these two characters circling each other throughout their changing adolescent lives.

WHY: I recently finished the heartbreaking Clone Wars TV series which naturally leads in to Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith, but did not want to rewatch the film - instead opting for a novelisation and my first Legends material due to the stellar reviews.
DIFFERENCES: I really liked some of the additional story material and artistic vision presented here, especially in the first half of the novel. There's a deeper introspection into Anakin's thinking and character through his perspective, as well as masterful manipulation from Palpatine in both the condensed timeline and manoeuvring of key players. Further, I really enjoyed the image of Coruscant bathed in blood-red flames and smoke due to the opening battle, and wish this detail was more relevant in the canon - it fits the story's themes of darkness and subterfuge.
WRITING: The writing overall was good, but unfortunately I had a few issues with the exploration of the dark and light theme. At times it was very cool, especially in regards to Yoda and Sidious, but also had me confused with its concluding message after being prominently interweaving itself through the plot. Also, some Star Wars action just can't be translated to page - whilst it was interesting to learn about different droid thinking and different lightsaber forms, it is much more captivating to watch a space battle or Jedi and Sith duel.
WHO: Really, really for the hardcore Star Wars prequel trilogy and Legends fans. Otherwise, this novelisation is very much skippable for the rest of the reader base. The film and its visuals not just cover the story better but add more perspectives and emotion.

WHY: Following the Arthur Penhaligon days of the week series, Sabriel was an amazing death-magic book I read when I was younger, and featured some intriguing WW1-era worldbuilding, with the fantastical Old Kingdom separated from the very English Ancelstierre. [b: Lirael 47624 Lirael (Abhorsen, #2) Garth Nix https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1266458951l/47624.SY75.jpg 2067752] did not feel like a direct sequel, with the bulk of its plot (through a new protagonist) leading to a cliff-hanger for a “big bad”. Well, here I am years later finally completing the trilogy.STORY: It took a few wiki visits to refresh myself on the characters and story, but this really did feel like a second part of Lirael, although this time the titular Abhorsen-in-waiting and newly revealed Wallmaker Sameth are together for the majority of the plot, alongside magical companions the Disreputable Dog and Mogget. There are some great interactions here, and I enjoyed watching their journey to the fallen Nicholas Sayre and the Red Lake. The villains, and countless dead, were genuinely scary at times especially when framed against the Ancelsterrian army. Sabriel and Touchstone are referenced throughout after the rather shocking opening. What was most interesting to me was the walk through the 9 gates of Death, and the great and uniqye magic system between necromancy, Free Magic and Charter Magic. When it all came together in the conclusion, I did feel like there was a strong story that tied the trilogy together through the several bloodlines working together, but it did not impact me that greatly.WRITING: Nix varies the perspectives and does a great job at providing each character with a different voice, despite them all having strong convictions to do good. The world isn't described in rich detail, but there is enough to picture the characters and especially the magic.WHO: Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this now nearly as much as I would have when I was an adolescent, and I still feel Sabriel is the best of the trilogy in terms of presenting the unique magic system, having a tight story and providing great themes to YA readers (honestly, Lirael was good at this as well). Whilst a necessary conclusion for the trilogy, I won't be reading the sequels in this series - but recommend at least the first book to all younger Fantasy readers, especially women for its great characterisation.

Definitely the best CHERUB book yet. This is finally an entry in the series that focuses on one long mission, whilst developing the core cast of characters surrounding James, including Michael, Gabrielle and Bruce. The gang war premise is set up excitingly from the perspective of two agents deep in their mission at the start of the story, and the stakes are instantly real. The gang characters themselves are complex and the plot ties them together, Muchamore rarely losing his reader. There's also a funny cameo from another popular YA spy character. Probably the biggest strength of Mad Dogs was its moral ambiguity, with the plot not tying everything neatly together on a larger scale and James again facing questions of cruelty on-campus and this time within the mission. Left me thinking...