Back of Book: 

The fate of the land of Nothing hinges on Nathan and an unlikely team of magical beings to save the day.

Welcome to Nothing! Despite its name, this is a fantastic land where humans and magical volken coexist peacefully—at least they try...

This is the tale of Nathan, an ordinary human (or so he thinks) living an ordinary life (or so he wishes). Everything changes when he meets Haven, a mysterious creature who is neither human nor volken. Oh, and the two of them are being chased by volken mercenaries—a grumpy wolf named Bardou and a delightful crow named Sina.

Nathan soon learns he has mysterious powers, even though humans aren’t supposed to have magic. But there’s no time to dwell on that because this discovery sets the group on a perilous quest across windswept terrain, through haunted forests, and in ancient tombs. Nathan and his unlikely friends must prevent an impending war and defeat a dark evil to save their land.

No pressure, of course. If they fail, everything will turn into, well... nothing.

Book Number: One 

Genre: Middle Grade | Graphic Novel | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

A silly middle grade graphic novel that points out that despite our differences, we're more similar than not deep down. 

In the magical land of Nothing, humans and volken try to exist in peace. This can be a bit hard from time to time when some of the volken are dangerous shapeshifters bent on sowing chaos. A boy named Nathan is doing his best to stay out of trouble, but that is hard to do when he is terribly in debt and there is a bounty on his head. While on the run from volken mercenaries, he meets a mysterious creature he dubs Haven who doesn't appear to be either human or volken. Nathan eventually learns that he is not quite as human as he originally thought either, and is forced to set off on a dangerous quest to save Nothing as he knows it. 

This book was goofy and so much fun! The puns may be horrible, but the overall atmosphere of the book is really great. Pretty much every location is a play on words, and the characters cannot resist making Nothing jokes the entire way through. Many of them weren't funny, but it didn't ever take me out of the story. And the fact that it has awesome messages surrounding racial biases and not judging people by their appearances is a bonus. Also, it has ties to Spanish, which is also cool. 

The initial reason I picked up this book is due to the art. It reminded me of "Wild Kratts" and once I saw this connection, I just couldn't leave this book sitting on the library shelf. I love this art style; every panel seems so magical and full of life. The way that the entire page is used and there is only a single line separating each panel is also very unique and made the experience feel very immersive. 

The characters are also really fun. Nathan may have a severe gambling problem and tends to run away from his problems, but he's evolving quickly. This is only book one and he has already grown a ton. Haven is a really interesting little creature. They are super cute and innocent one second and the next they are trying to stab people in the face. We may also not know what they're saying half the time, but their cute cute nonetheless. Sina, a crow volken, and Bardou, a wolf volken, are also interesting additions to the cast. The biases and stereotypes they all have to face is really enlightening for all of them, and I'm interested to see them grow throughout the rest of this series. I think my favorite character has to be Naoki. I think it's comical that he knows he's in a graphic novel and the other characters think he's going crazy from time to time. He truly is a quirky prince and I can't help but enjoy him as a character. 

Overall, I found the first volume of the "Fantastic Tales of Nothing" to be quite quirky and enjoyable. The art is great, the characters are cool, the humor is goofy, and the plot is actually way more solid than I thought it would be. I'm interesting in reading the rest of this series, so I might have to do some research to hunt down the remainder of the series. 

Back of Book: 

In the hilarious and epic sequel to the full-color fantasy graphic novel Fantastic Tales of Nothing, Nathan and his unlikely team of magical beings return with another adventure to save their home from an evil spirit—perfect for fans of Amulet and Estranged.

Welcome back to Nothing! After the battle with Stryx, Nathan is lost and alone (again). But this time, he has friends to find and a quest to continue! At least no one is chasing him... well, except for that ancient evil spirit trying to destroy Nothing. Oh, and the war started (great!).

Once reunited, Nathan, Haven, Sina, and Bardou must continue their journey to the Edge. Nathan has visions of Lerina that intensify as they travel, and the group discovers the clues to save Nothing may reside in the lost legends of the past. Unexpected allies appear but new enemies lurk everywhere, and the most powerful foe is attacking Haven's spirit from within.

If Nathan and his band of friends weren't already feeling the pressure, they must prevent two realms from tearing Nothing apart, defeat Stryx, and not die in the process (no biggie). Otherwise, volken, faes, and all magic could vanish from Nothing... forever.

Book Number: Two 

Genre: Middle Grade | Graphic Novel | Fantasy 

Review: ?