The Serpent-Bearer And The Prince Of The Stars Blog Tour Spotlight

Welcome to The Sperpent-Bearer and the Prince of Stars blog tour! Read on to learn more about this beautifully illustrated graphic novel by C.S. Johnson, and a chance to win a copy for yourself!

The Serpent-Bearer and the Prince of Stars

Publication Date: November 7th, 2018

Genre: Manga Style/ Graphic Novel

Length: 30 Pages

A tiresome task.
A deceptive dragon.
A prince that changes everything.

Ophiuchus is a celebrated warrior of the Celestial Kingdom and a warrior among the Stars. He has been always been a dutiful servant of the Prince of Stars. So when the prince asks him to watch over the crafty serpent, Naga, Ophiuchus agrees. But as time passes and discouragement—both from Naga and others—Ophiuchus wonders if the Prince of Stars was right in asking him to take on the burdens of his task.

Will Ophiuchus honor his duty, or give into his heart’s weariness?

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Excerpt

Available on Amazon!

About the Author

C. S. Johnson is the award-winning, genre-hopping author of several novels, including young adult sci-fi and fantasy adventures such as the Starlight Chronicles, the Once Upon a Princess saga, and the Divine Space Pirates trilogy. With a gift for sarcasm and an apologetic heart, she currently lives in Atlanta with her family. Find out more at http://www.csjohnson.me

CS Johnson | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

For a chance to win your own copy of The Serpent-Bearer and the Prince of Stars, click the link below!

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Blog Tour Schedule

July 22^nd

Reads & Reels (Spotlight) http://readsandreels.com

I Smell Sheep (Review) http://www.ismellsheep.com/

Tsarina Press (Spotlight) https://www.tsarinapress.com

I Love Books and Stuff (Spotlight) https://ilovebooksandstuffblog.wordpress.com

Quirky Cats Fat Stacks (Review) https://quirkycatsfatstacks.com/

Perspective of a Writer (Review) http://perspectiveofawriter.com/

July 23^rd

Breakeven Books (Review) https://breakevenbooks.com

Jessica Belmont (Review) https://jessicabelmont.wordpress.com/

Tranquil Dreams (Review) https://klling.wordpress.com/

B is for Book Review (Spotlight) https://bforbookreview.wordpress.com

July 24^th

Books Teacup and Reviews (Spotlight) https://booksteacupnreviews.wordpress.com/

Graphic Novelty² (Review) https://graphicnovelty2.com/

Bri’s Book Nook (Review) https://brisbooknook.wordpress.com

The Faerie Review (Review) http://www.thefaeriereview.com

I’m All About the Books (Spotlight) https://imallaboutbooks.com/

July 25^th

My Comic Relief (Review) https://mycomicrelief.wordpress.com/

The Bibliophagist (Review) http://thebibliophagist.blog/

Adventures Thru Wonderland (Review) http://adventuresthruwonderland.blogspot.com/

Where Dragons Reside (Review) https://kernerangelina.live/

July 26^th

Sophril Reads (Spotlight) http://sophrilreads.wordpress.com

Triquetra Reviews (Spotlight) http://www.triquetrareviews.blogspot.com

J Bronder Book Reviews (Review) https://jbronderbookreviews.com/

The Magic of Wor(l)ds (Review) http://themagicofworlds.wordpress.com

Dash Fan Book Reviews (Spotlight) https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/

Blog Tour Organized By:

R&R Book Tours

Queen of the Sea Blog Tour Plus Review

Age Range: 10 – 14 years
Grade Level: 5 – 9
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Walker Books US (June 25, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1536204986
ISBN-13: 978-1536204988

Praise for QUEEN OF THE SEA

The art, reminiscent of Raina Telgemeier’s style, creates levity during perilous situations. The book is dense with dialogue, often feeling more like a work of prose than a graphic novel. As a result, this complex work will be more accessible to those familiar with graphic novels…Certain to charm sophisticated graphic novel devotees. —School Library Journal (starred review)

Meconis offers an atmospheric alternate history inspired by the childhood and succession of Queen Elizabeth I in this quietly ambitious graphic novel…Art in soft, earthy colors brings this singular story to life in styles ranging from simple line drawings to elaborately styled text illuminations. The island world is richly developed, both in its physical particulars and its close-knit community (fascinating digressions into topics such as convent time, hand gestures used at table, and chess and embroidery flesh out daily life), and Margaret proves herself an endearing heroine with a strong voice full of humor and wonder. Her perspective transforms a storm-wracked rock into a vibrant world of hidden treasures. —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Meconis’ humor and storytelling gifts here wed seamlessly with her evocative pen-and-ink and gouache illustrations, which are rendered in warm earth and sea tones and brim with movement, expressively capturing even Margaret’s interior monologues. With its compelling, complex characters and intrigue-laden plot, this will have readers hoping it’s only the first of many adventures for Meconis’ savvy heroine. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Weaving faith, love, statecraft, and self-discovery into a tale of palace intrigue relocated to the halls of a convent on a remote island at sea, Dylan Meconis uses the trappings of the history we know to create a high-stakes adventure in an alternate past that feels so detailed and so familiar, you’ll find yourself wondering why you never read about it in school. This beautiful book swept me away from the first page.” —Kate Milford, author of the Greenglass House series

“Dylan Meconis is at the absolute top of her game. A gorgeously rendered, lovingly realized alternate history, full of personal revelations in the midst of political intrigue. A tale of growing up, and of understanding that the world is larger and stranger than it once seemed. (Plus it has a Terrible Recipe for Terrible Gruel.)” —Ben Hatke, author-illustrator of the Zita the Spacegirl series

“This is the book I was always trying to get my hands on in high school that never seemed to materialize. An adventure to lose yourself in, with an attention to historical detail to please the nerdiest among us. I fell easily and completely into this world and its characters, knowing I was safe in Dylan Meconis’s hands, and I’m really excited for more people to find out what I’ve known for a long time—that she is one of a kind.” —Kate Beaton, author-illustrator of Hark! A Vagrant

Cult graphic novelist Dylan Meconis offers a rich reimagining of history in this hybrid novel loosely based on the exile of Queen Elizabeth I by her sister, Queen Mary.

When her sister seizes the throne, Queen Eleanor of Albion is banished to a tiny island off the coast of her kingdom, where the nuns of the convent spend their days peacefully praying, sewing, and gardening. But the island is also home to Margaret, a mysterious young orphan girl whose life is upturned when the cold, regal stranger arrives. As Margaret grows closer to Eleanor, she grapples with the revelation of the island’s sinister true purpose as well as the truth of her own past. When Eleanor’s life is threatened, Margaret is faced with a perilous choice between helping Eleanor and protecting herself.

You can purchaseQueen of the Sea at the following Retailers:

       

Margaret has lived on an island with nuns and servants her entire life. The nuns are of the Elysian order, and their job is to pray for the sailors that sail on the waters near their island. They also take in those that need shelter who come to the island, and help those who are washed ashore from a shipwreck. Margaret knows that she couldn’t have been born on the island, but none of the nuns are willing to tell her where she came from. She was also the only kid on the island, at least until William came. This book tells the story of her adventures on this island as she learns about her family, true family, and friendship.

I love graphic novels, but I have never read a historical fiction graphic novel. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but this book completely blew me away. Margaret was such a lively character, she reminded me of the girls that I grew up reading in the classic novels at the library like Pippi Longstocking and A Little Princess. She was full of life and lit up the rooms she was in, even on an island full of nuns and servants. She was imaginative, but she wanted to grow up to be a nun so she could help people. She never even thought of life off the island until more people from the mainland started coming to the island, but then she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Even when she thought about mainland life, she didn’t start to rebel against the people who had raised her. Which I took as a breath of fresh air. Not all preteen/teenaged girls are crazy and rebellious, some really enjoy their lives like Margaret did. You can be imaginative without trying to run away every 2 seconds.

This had to be one of the most fun yet even still historically accurate graphic novels I’ve read yet. I learned small things about living on an island full of nuns in the 16^th century as I read about Margaret’s life there as an outsider. There were traditions that these nuns upheld, stories that these nuns told, that I had never even heard about as a non-Catholic Christian. Even so, the book wasn’t so forcibly religious that a non-Christian person would feel uncomfortable reading it. The historic religious events were woven in with brilliant storytelling and beautiful pictures.

I read this entire book in about 2-3 hours, while on buses and trains commuting to and from NYC. This book was so addictive that it took me out of that uncomfortable and annoying commute and made me think about a completely new world while I was reading it. I can say that I definitely have not had that experience while reading a graphic novel before.

I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a new historical fiction book or a new graphic novel to enjoy. I cannot wait to read more by this author!

I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.

Overall Rating: 6 out of 5 books.

Photo Content from Dylan Meconis

I’ve been writing and illustrating my own stories since the first grade, and I’ve been making comic books since middle school (no, really! Seventh grade was a tough year for me socially, so I had a lot of time to draw). I started my first book-length comic (graphic novel) in high school.

Unlike a lot of people who become professional artists and authors, I didn’t go to art school or a creative writing program in college. Instead, I mostly studied history, literature, philosophy, and French in the College of Letters at Wesleyan University. This means I have a brain full of weird facts, old books, strange art, and the extremely useful ability to read The Tales of Canterbury in the original Middle English. Except for the Middle English bit, it’s all come in very handy for writing and drawing historical fiction and fantasy.

I first started to get paid for making comics when I was still in college, when my first graphic novel was published online. After college, I worked as a graphic designer and visual communications consultant (which means “person who helps teach adults complicated stuff in cool new ways using pictures”). I’ve worked with Fortune 500 companies, global charities, technology companies, libraries, and a lot of other interesting organizations. I’ve made illustrations, animations, information graphics and cool presentations, explaining everything from how microchips work to the ways that clean drinking water can help communities in the third world.

For the last ten years, though, I mostly work as a writer, comic book creator and illustrator! Sometimes I make books totally by myself, and sometimes I get to team up with other writers or artists. It can be lots of fun, but it can also be very hard work. Luckily, I never get tired of making new stories.

 

       

WEEK ONE

JUNE 24th MONDAY JeanBookNerd INTERVIEW

JUNE 25th TUESDAY A Dream Within A Dream TENS LIST

JUNE 26th WEDNESDAY BookHounds YA REVIEW & INTERVIEW 

JUNE 26th WEDNESDAY Triquetra Reviews EXCERPT

JUNE 28th THURSDAY Cover2CoverBlog REVIEW

JUNE 27th THURSDAY Wishful Endings FILL IN THE BLANKS

 

 

JUNE 28th THURSDAY TTC Books and More TENS LIST

JUNE 29th FRIDAY Movies, Shows, & Books EXCERPT 

 

WEEK TWO

JULY 1st MONDAY Nay’s Pink Bookshelf REVIEW

JULY 2nd TUESDAY Book Queen Reviews REVIEW 

JULY 3rd WEDNESDAY Sabrina’s Paranormal Palace REVIEW

 

JULY 3rd WEDNESDAY Two Points of Interest REVIEW

JULY 4th THURSDAY Wonder Struck REVIEW

 

JULY 4th THURSDAY Such a Novel Idea REVIEW & PLAYLIST

JULY 5th FRIDAY Bri’s Book Nook REVIEW

JULY 5th FRIDAY Crossroad Reviews REVIEW

 

*JBN is not responsible for Lost or Damaged Books in your Nerdy Mail Box*

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Webtoon Wednesdays: Age Matters Webtoon Review

She’s a hopeless romantic who’s turning 30 – and is not super happy about it. He’s a reclusive billionaire who’s hired her to be his assistant – and he’s not too happy about that either. Together they rewrite the rules of friendship, love, work and the BEST way to clean someone’s apartment.

I have never, and I mean NEVER, read a Webtoon about a straight couple where the main female love interest was older than the male love interest. I have never read a book  where the main female love interest was older than the main male love interest, and their relationship wasn’t completely based around sex. This webtoon was so different.

Rose is 30, and she doesn’t know what she wants to do in life. She has seen many of her friends get married and have successful careers, but she hasn’t been able to stay and progress in a job since she graduated from college. She just works for a few months to a few years, and then has to move to the next one. After her relationship ends, she doesn’t want to have to return home to face her family, so she offers to housesit for a friend. The only catch is that she has to cook and clean for her friend’s boss who lives next door. Sort of a weird job, but it will keep her on her feet until she can find a different one.

When she meets Daniel, she doesn’t know what to think. They don’t instantly fall in love, but Rose takes care of him. He is a 21-year-old billionaire, but he is always busy and doesn’t bother to have any friends or even eat on a regular basis. Rose decides to become a sort of caregiver to him, and Daniel doesn’t know how to deal with this. No one ever really cared about HIM, they just cared about the rich CEO.

So far in the webtoon, or as far as I read at least, they aren’t together yet. It is a slow burn romance, so they are going to be friends for a while first and learn to trust each other before starting to date. Again, another thing I don’t see in romance novels with an older woman. I’m glad that this Webtoon is finally starting to paint these couples in a positive light! I know people who have been married for years where the woman was 5-10 years older than the man, and I know people that have been married for years where the man was 5-10 years older than the woman. It works both ways, but the media tends to portray the “older women” relationships as being some sort of sexual fantasy whereas the older men relationships are just normal. Both are perfectly fine, and people can find happiness together!

The only thing that I hope is that one of them breaks out of their shells soon. Cuz from what I’ve read, it seems more like Rose is just taking care of Daniel, and he is just trying to help her without getting involved too much. Rose seems like more of a big sister than a romantic interest, and I hope that the author makes this transition as smooth as possible.

The art is also beautiful and so smooth. I rarely see errors in spelling or grammar, and every drawing will just come to life off the page. My favorite part of the story was definitely when they went to karaoke. I won’t spoil anything, but it was hilarious!

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a slow-burn Webtoon romance.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 paintbrushes

Rambling about Captain America Civil War (With Spoilers!)

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So, I rarely watch movies. Like, until this past weekend, the last time I remember sitting down to watch a movie was when I saw Wonder Woman in the summer of 2017. I just don’t do it that often. But, I watched 4 movies in 24 hours on Saturday and Sunday, and I plan to review them all! Starting off with Civil War.

Alright, so I will admit. The only reason why I watched this movie was that I wanted to see Tom Holland’s first Marvel appearance. I love his version of Spiderman, and I wanted to see the story from the very beginning. What I got was far more than I signed up for, and I loved every minute of it.

So basically, in this movie the Avengers get in trouble for accidentally killing people on their missions. This was triggered by Wanda, aka Scarlet Witch, accidentally dragging an explosion to an office building. Only a few people died, but they were people from Wakanda. This leads the United Nations to create Accords to try to limit the power of the Avengers, so that they would have to go through a panel before they do anything. This splits up the team, as some think that they should sign the Accords before they are forced into it, and others believe that they should wait.

Then, Captain America’s old friend Bucky is framed for bombing the UN and killing the king of Wakanda. He wasn’t even there, and Captain knows that, so he decides to seek out his friend. By siding with Bucky he becomes a criminal, and a few Avengers team up with him. This officially splits the team in half, as many others side with Black Panther and Iron Man.

So the final team is Captain America, Wanda/Scarlet Witch, Falcon, Bucky/Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, and Ant Man VS. Iron Man, Black Panther, Spiderman, War Machine, Black Widow, and Vision.

I have to say that at least this far into the film series, I kinda agreed with Iron Man’s side on the Accords. It would make more sense to sign now and try to negotiate later instead of trying to go against human authority, making them not want to trust the enhanced humans anymore. Sure, they could go against the UN if they truly needed to, but for not it would have been the best choice. But that’s just my opinion.

Then, let’s move on to the whole Winter Soldier situation. I know that Captain America wanted to help his friend, but by helping Bucky run, it did make him look guilty when he wasn’t. The UN might not have listened to him, but he could have at least had a chance to make his case. By running and subsequently getting caught, they took away any chance of negotiating with the government. The only reason why they weren’t put in jail was because Iron Man thought that he would be able to convince them to sign the Accords. Bucky was jailed though, as the government had already deemed him a villain. I haven’t seen the previous films, which is kinda needed to make sense of the whole Winter Soldier debacle, but it kinda confuses me how everyone seems to be so split when this guy was clearly brainwashed and has been doing things that were not under his own control.

I love Wanda and Vision’s friendship so much, and I definitely think that they could be more in future movies.  Wanda is around 18-20 years old, and she is struggling with her powers. Vision is a synthetic person, AI if you will, who is technically only a few years old but has the mental capacity of an adult male. Vision is put in charge of taking care of Wanda and making sure that she doesn’t leave the Avengers’ Tower after the events at the beginning of the film. Even though Wanda is technically being kept prisoner, she befriends Vision and he tries to make her feel as if she is at home. Wanda doesn’t fit in with the rest of the Avengers because she is younger and has powers that the public view as being “more dangerous.” Vision doesn’t fit in because he isn’t human and doesn’t understand the societal norms. The two stick together and form a relationship that I don’t think either of them could have had with any other Avenger.

This film also shows the start of Spiderman’s journey with Tony Stark. Tom Holland is honestly a great Peter Parker, he acts the part of a fifteen-year-old boy so well. I wish we had sort of gotten an introduction to how he had gotten his powers, and how he created the cheap suit, and how he was doing in NYC before Tony came into the picture, but we don’t. Instead we are fully thrown into the storyline where Iron Man needs help defeating Captain America and his crew, so he decides to recruit Spiderman onto his new team.

Spiderman is definitely my favorite character in the entire film. He doesn’t really know what’s going on, but he is just fanboying over getting the chance to see all of his favorite superheroes in action. He doesn’t even really know how to fight, but because the other Avengers don’t know him, he brought the element of surprise. I love his little banter throughout the fight as many other Avengers are just like “Who IS this kid??”

Then, the big reveal comes. Bucky killed Iron Mans parents while he was under the control of Hydra, and Tony loses it. He just attacks Captain America and Bucky, even as Cap is trying to explain that it wasn’t Bucky’s fault. I think that is really going to be Tony’s downfall in a way, his temper. Like here’s a guy that you trusted saying that it was not Bucky’s fault that his parents are dead, but you just keep attacking. You are just getting beaten to a pulp but you won’t stop trying to 2V1 two guys who are just as strong as you are. I understand that he was hurting, but that was a pretty dumb thing to do.

Overall, I loved this movie, but I felt as if I didn’t love the right characters? I didn’t love Bucky or Cap or really care about their story at all. I didn’t care about Iron Man. The only people I cared about were Wanda and Vision, and Spiderman. But they made the whole movie for me, so that’s fine. I will be reviewing Infinity War next, so stay tuned!

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My Dictator Boyfriend Webtoon Review

Manny has just become the dictator of a nation, but he doesn’t know if he will be able to do a good job taking his father’s place. He doesn’t seem to be able to do anything right, and the people around him don’t take him seriously. Manny’s father is even still working with the people that are supposed to be working for him! He is given a bodyguard so that he will be protected at all times, but he starts to fall for him! Will Manny be able to keep up the facade that he wants a girlfriend, or will he succumb to his bodyguard’s charm and become his boyfriend?

I am not completely up to date with this cartoon, but after reading several episodes of it, I knew that I would have to make an in-depth review of it. I usually don’t like the strictly comedy comics that Webtoons has to offer, as they are usually too cheesy for me to bear. I become uninterested after reading a few episodes. Nevertheless, I love this Webtoon, and I was both entertained by it and addicted to it.

Manny is such a sweet character. He is honestly trying his best to be a dictator, but he just wasn’t cut out for that type of thing. He doesn’t like being forced to socialize with random old men, and he doesn’t know what to do when put in charge of large groups of people. He does things without thinking sometimes, which gets him into trouble quite often. He even gets in trouble with his boyfriend for just leaping into things without really considering the consequences.

I think his relationship with his guard is so sweet, even if it is in this hilarious alternate reality where silly dictators rule the land. I hope that in future episodes we will get to see more of Manny’s relationship with his father, and how that affected his upbringing. We have seen some of this in a flashback or two and some of Manny’s conversations with his dad, but this hasn’t fully been expanded upon. I am really excited to see what else will come of this place!

I also really enjoy the art of this Webtoon. I like the art of all the Webtoons I read, but this one just fit the story. Even the color purple as the color that Manny wears seems to suit him. I can’t explain all of it, but it is really pretty to look at.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an actually funny comedy Webtoon!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

True Beauty Webtoon Review

Jugyeong is a college-aged girl who has created the “perfect look” for herself. Now people recognize her wherever she goes, and she has a famous Instagram account that is recognized even by Kpop stars! Secretly, she is just an average-looking girl who mastered the art of makeup at around 13 years old. No one knows when she was an unpopular girl, bullied by the “pretty” girls, and wishing that she was born pretty.

I love the fact that Jugyeong is secretly normal, and has “nerdy” hobbies. This is honestly the truth, a girl might look pretty on the outside but she that doesn’t mean she has to be an empty shell. So far in this comic, I am loving Jugyeong without her makeup because it allows her true personality to come out. She doesn’t have to be perfect, and she can enjoy what she wants.

One thing that I also appreciated is that this comic doesn’t go from Jugyeong not knowing anything about makeup to being a makeup professional. She had her experience with embarrassing makeup choices, and practiced over the break until she went to a new school and became the “pretty” girl.

To be honest, Jugyeong is not even harming herself in any way by putting on makeup. She didn’t starve herself to try to be “thin,” but instead used makeup as an artistic way to become the girl that she “dreamed” of being. She might have had to change her personality for her new friends, but she didn’t completely change herself. I hope more of these things are discussed later in the book, but there are only 5 episodes as of today. I wasn’t lucky enough to get to read the whole thing while it was still in “Discover” TnT

Hopefully, if she gets a boyfriend in this comic, the boyfriend will have a secret nerdy side and they can just chill together. I would hate for her to take her makeup off and then her boyfriend breaks up with her.

The one thing that confused me is the fact that the summary says she is in high school, but the first episode says that she is 21 years old. Then, the comic goes back to her high school years to talk about how she started with makeup. There aren’t really enough episodes to see what time the majority of the comic will be set in, but for now, I am going to say that she is college-age.

I would recommend this comic to anyone looking for a story of a girl who became “pretty” without starving herself or stripping herself o her personality. Very positive! Also fun for Kpop fans, as it references some pop culture and is set in Korea,

Overall Rating: 6 out of 5 stars

 

Acception Webtoon Review

I love Webtoons because their comics are so diverse. This one does not disappoint. Arcus is a boy who loves to wear bright colors and has rainbow hair. People at this new school in the Netherlands automatically choose him as a target, but they don’t know that he actually runs a really popular fashion blog that most of them follow. Arcus just wants to make new friends, and he runs into a girl named Maud who also doesn’t fit the fashion status quo with her dark hair, dark makeup, and dark clothes. He is determined to be her friend, even though she seems like she would rather have nothing to do with him.

What I like in this comic is that the author did not automatically make Arcus gay for lying to wear colorful and “different” clothes. It really emphasizes the fact that clothing does not have anything to do with sexuality.

Also, let me mention one thing. I am not actually completely sure if Arcus is a boy in this book. He has male “parts” as was proven in one bullying scene, and people usually refer to him as male throughout the book and there is no discussion of him being non-binary, but when the character descriptions were written at the start of the comic, his gender was just question marks. I think that at this point in the comic, he identifies as male, so I am referring to him as such, but that could be a plot twist that is spoken about later in the story. If I am wrong, I apologize, I’m just going by what I saw from what I read!

I also like the fact that there are other unique people in this story. Maud has a very interesting backstory, and that is really the only person I want to talk about at the moment for fear of spoiling something. This one is truly a gem.

I will do a full review of the comic, with spoilers, once it is finished, but for now, I will just advise you all to not pass this one up!

I would recommend this comic to anyone looking for a story about people learning their own identities in junior high school, with a lot of diverse characters.

Overall Rating: 6 out of 5 stars

Amulet Book 4 Review

I found this fanart here! Even though this person hasn’t posted anything since 2014, there are still plenty of beautiful pictures, often Amulet-based, on their account.

Emily and her friends arrive in Cielis to receive the help that they need. However, soon her elf friends are taken as prisoners, even though they did not do anything to attack the city and have been being helpful on the trip. Then, Emily, Navin, and her mom are taken, as the members of the council want to train Emily properly.

The flight captains of the ship go into the town where the citizens of Cielis live, hoping to find food. Instead, they are greeted with hostility. When they finally find a place to eat, a hopeful young girl tries to tell them what is wrong with Cielis. The Guardians aren’t what they used to be, and now Emily and her friends are in danger.

My favorite part of this story was definitely when Emily was going through the trials with the other trainees. I was not expecting all the plot twists that occurred in this book, but they were a pleasant surprise. Accompanied by beautiful art and an engaging storyline, this was simply yet another amazing installment in this series.

Overall Rating: 5/5

The Cloud Searchers Review (Amulet Book 3)

I saw this fanart here! Katy also has a lot of other cool comics and art on that page!

Songs I Listened to while Reading This

Emily and her crew go on a new adventure to find the lost city of Cielis, which was supposed to be run by Stonekeepers. She must do this before the Elf King finds her, or all of Alledia will be doomed. Along the way, they must join another group on an airship, and they must also make deals with the Elf King’s son, who has already tried to kill them before.

This series simply improves the more I read it. I am enjoying reading the backstory of the Elf King’s son, especially with the twists closer to the end of the story. Also, because Emily’s mother has rejoined them, I enjoyed the scenes where she was able to bond with her. Navin is also given a role of importance in this story, even though he is not the official Stonekeeper.

The art is absolutely captivating throughout this story, even in the fight scenes, which are probably a lot more difficult since they are fighting with the power of the stone and not necessarily with each other physically.

I would recommend this series to anyone looking for a child-friendly action-adventure-fantasy novel with a very interesting storyline and beautiful art.

Overall Rating: 6/5

Kindred Graphic Novel Review

Song I Listened to while reading this

This graphic novel is an adaptation of Octavia Butler’s novel Kindred. I will not be reviewing the story here, as I have already done so in my review of Kindred. However, I will be analyzing the art of this graphic novel and talking about how it conveys the story.

I have to be honest, I didn’t like the art style of this graphic novel as much as I could have. Some art appeals to me, but this art did not appeal to me during certain parts of the story. However, I am not here to judge the way the artist draws, as the artist could draw any way he wants to. But I just felt that it was worth mentioning.

Nevertheless, the art told the story of Kindred beautifully. All of the pictures came together very well, and I found myself never confused as to what happened from panel to panel. Although the book is a very graphic novel with a lot of violence within it, the violence was not the focus of the art during those scenes. Instead, the focus was on how Dana felt when she was being hurt, when others were being hurt, or when she had to hurt others in order to save herself.

The scenes that I did not notice as much when I read the book really stuck out to me in this novel. It gave me a new appreciation for characters whom I did not notice as much within the story, and even shocked me at times.

Altogether, I am glad that I took the time to read this graphic novel edition of this book, as it truly gave me a greater appreciation for such an amazing story.

Overall Rating: 5/5