The artwork is so marvelous on so many levels that I can't even find words. But the plot is not worthy of the illustrations. I will be stalking Emma Rios' work from now on.

If Saga were published as one large tome instead of multiple volumes, I doubt I'd be nope-ing out at this point but here we are. Too much violence for my current mental state and volume 4 will not get a chance to impress.

Charming. The illustrations are a bit basic but the story is very emotionally engaging. It didn't end how I was expecting though.

Not disappointed. Often volume 2 of a series does. I'm slightly concerned that there's too many plot threads though.

That was good but, honestly, I want a Newbery winner to actually blow me away and merit five whole star which this did not.

A wonderful read with well-drawn characters and great pacing. Normally, I would rate a book like this 4 stars but I sense it's getting underloved because of the sad ending which it doesn't deserve so I'm trying to compensate.

The story is interesting enough to maintain interest but there's a lack of emotional engagement and the characters seem flat. I would wager that Aisha Saeed is a plotter and not a pantser.

Mostly interesting and well -presented but could have used some tightening up. (There is a tendency among non-fiction writers to include as much of the research they've done as possible, which can clutter up the narrative with unnecessary, if you'll pardon the expression, shit.)

The genius of this duology isn't apparent until the end of the second volume and I think it a shame this wasn't published as a single book.

The genius of this duology isn't apparent until the end of the second volume and I think it a shame this wasn't published as a single book.

I'm going to need to read the rest of this series. Clever concept, amazing art, and superb story structure.

The writing is good and I liked the interaction of family memoir with political world history but ultimately it was far too long and I skimmed over huge sections of this almost-400 page tome.

A satisfying conclusion. I didn't find it as engrossing as the first book but I have been very moody about my book choices lately so it might just be me.

Too character-driven for my taste but, objectively, this is cute, engaging and well-structured.

Very different from the first book and not what I was expecting but an enjoyable adventure nevertheless.

A quick read. I'm bored by all these re-imaginings at this point.

Oddly adorable.
I liked the extra bit at the end where Kazu explains his creation process; very useful for kids who are clearly the target audience.

I love Nic Stone and how so consistently awesome she is. I liked this less than her other books but I might just be in a mood.

While I do not generally enjoy zombie fiction, this is genius and I loved it. I'm a bit miffed about the abrupt ending but I ordered the sequel online before I even finished anyway.

While Front Desk was a wonderful story that was framed by social issues, it's sequel is too much frame and not enough picture. It's not terrible but it's clumsily done.

Not unreadable but not worth the read. Will definitely be skipping the rest of this trilogy.

Its such an odd book really, the way it swings between pastoral peace and Toad's shenanigans. But the prose is so lovely.

An excellent read, although it seems to peter out a bit at the end.