The Sand Warrior

im so invested in this storyline and i'm now hyperfixating on it

4.5 Maybe

Fantasy based graphic novel. 5 Worlds are on the verge of extinction. Little by little the worlds are dying. Prophesy states that a Sand Dancer will save the 5 worlds by lighting their beacons.
I thought the pacing was done well. I think it could be thought as slow by some but I'm used to riding out the wave. In most fantasies, you don't know what is going on or what to expect and you have to hang tight as the story unfolds. I did that and waited to see where that wave took me. There are so many positives to this first volume. The artwork is just stunning. There are strong female leads in this volume and throughout the story (I'm on Volume 3 right now). The political intrigue is interesting and, although complicated, I didn't feel confused by it. I kept feeling there was more and not all has been conveyed but that's the beauty of story telling, no?

My only hangup: It is hard to be BIPOC and not feel this nagging feeling that once again dark skinned people are pegged as being evil or doing bad things. I want to keep an open mind and see where this goes but it turned me off rather quickly. I don't necessarily see Oona as a white savior but making the Toki vile and hated just turned me right the fk off. Towards the end of volume one something happens that made me want to put these reservations to the side and see where this will go.

Since you are all well aware of my obsession with Middle Grade fiction at this point, let's go ahead and skip that. Can we instead please focus on the growing existence of Middle Grade graphic novels? I am so pleased that there are more and more of these out there, and I'm determined to champion all of them! Kazu Kibuishi's blurb had me from the moment I saw this book. So I was thrilled when I was asked to join the blog tour. Warning: there's some gushing ahead. Let's go ahead and get the small qualms that I had out of the way first, though.

I think this graphic novel could definitely have benefited from a bit more action. It was heartening to see that the authors weren't afraid to bring the real idea of war alive on these pages. I love when MG readers aren't treated with kid gloves. However I think this book needed to move at a bit quicker of a pace. The illustrations are gorgeous, (I can't wait to actually see them all in color.) but some of the filler panels felt like a bit much. I wanted more of Oona's quest, more of their desperate rush to save the day, and just more tension in general. This first volume was missing that epic feeling that stories like this usually have for me.

That being said, the characters were absolutely lovely. Oona, An Tzu and Jax were all vivid, and easy to fall in love with. I loved how each of them came from a different background. The concept of race is alive and well in this book, and the idea of racism is gently touched upon as well. It makes me happy to see authors putting these things out into the world for readers of this age group to start to digest. Oona overhears people of different worlds talking badly about people of other worlds, and making mean jokes. She sees some people get upset about what others are saying. Young readers can start to get a grasp here on unity, diversity, and especially empathy. It's an amazing thing.

Add in the fact that the ending of this book has a twist I wasn't expecting, complete with a cliffhanger, and you have my complete attention. Mark Siegel and Alexis Siegel have started something beautiful and magical with the 5 Worlds series. They've opened up a dialog that I think is important, in a way that is easy to digest and a lot of fun to read! Readers, young and old alike, will love this series. My only regret is that there isn't more of Oona's story to devour yet. I NEED to know what happens next.