A romantic romp through the supernatural.
Blackwater, Maine, isn’t an ordinary town, but Eli Hirsch and Tony Price are mostly ordinary boys.
Eli, a trans Jewish boy, is isolated by an autoimmune disease, an overbearing mother, and a standoffish attitude. Popular track star Tony, who is cued as Puerto Rican, fights with his distant father and is watching his childhood best friend turn into a bully. But mysterious things are afoot: Tony is bitten by a werewolf, and Eli is being followed by a ghost. Trying to unravel the werewolf curse, Tony, Eli, and Marcia, Tony’s levelheaded goth friend who reads as Black, investigate, coming across intriguing complications and haunting dangers. The horror elements are playful, spooky, but not too frightening, providing a backdrop that adds to the developing relationship between the boys. Despite some animosity, they accept one another exactly as they are, with no pretenses, as their friendship turns into a mutual crush. There’s a kind earnestness to their connection, particularly Tony’s easygoing support toward Eli’s chronic illness. An exciting element lies in the artwork: The creators illustrate alternate chapters, with Arroyo’s vivid and dynamic lines and more cartoonish style serving action scenes well and Graham’s precise approach highlighting more heartfelt, character-driven moments. The styles blend together seamlessly to make a stronger whole. However, the story, while breezy and enjoyable, feels incomplete, missing details that would make characters and their emotional arcs more complex.
A romantic romp through the supernatural. (Graphic horror. 14-18)Pub Date: July 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-30402-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
An impactful and hope-filled segue to more adventures.
Two superteens who are just getting acquainted with their powers meet and bond.
Still reeling from the knowledge that her father is a demon imprisoned in a necklace she wears, Rachel “Raven” Roth travels to Tennessee to find Slade Wilson, the mysterious man who promised her answers. Running away from the disturbing revelation that his parents lied to him about his mutant powers, Garfield “Beast Boy” Logan is also looking for answers from the same mystery man in Nashville. He and Raven meet while they wait for Slade and spend time eating and sightseeing in the city. Sparks fly—but before they can explore this attraction fully, they are captured and left with seemingly no hope for escape. Despite initially feeling alone, they soon realize that not only do they have each other, they have a larger circle of support than they ever imagined. This third installation in the series heightens and clarifies the threats to the protagonists and shows them needing to develop more empathy for themselves and others. Trust is a major theme that continues to be explored with nuance and intention. New characters are introduced organically and add to the building intrigue. A bright color palette complements the newness of their budding romance. The drawings also show the broad diversity of the people around Raven and Garfield; for example, a cafe employee has vitiligo.
An impactful and hope-filled segue to more adventures. (Graphic fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77950-949-9
Page Count: 208
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2021
An entertaining romance that leans into tired tropes.
At a young age, teens Victor and Nora became all too familiar with death.
Several years ago, Victor lost his brother and Nora her mother. Now, Victor interns at a lab where he is working on a technology to freeze and reanimate living things, work that has led his colleagues to call him a genius. Nora, on the other hand, is battling a degenerative neurological disease that will result in her untimely death. Determined to enjoy what is left of her life and to die on her own terms, Nora decides to take her life on her 17th birthday, before the disease makes her unrecognizable to herself and her loved ones. But then she and Victor fall in love, and Victor proposes an experimental strategy that could give them extra time together—or could ruin their relationship forever. While the book’s dialogue and characterization are compelling, the plot leans on predictable romantic tropes—most notably a quirky Manic Pixie Dream Girl pulling an awkward, brooding scientist out of his shell—leaving little room for surprises. The book’s illustrations are stunning, brilliantly moving between sepia- and blue-toned palettes to heighten the story’s mood. Victor appears White. Nora, her father, and brother have brown skin and wavy, black hair; her late mother’s name was Sulani Faria, but there are no clues to the family’s cultural or ethnic identities.
An entertaining romance that leans into tired tropes. (Graphic romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4012-9639-1
Page Count: 208
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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