Panthers LMC - Book Reviews

Wolverine: Snikt!

Written and Illustrated by Tsutomu Nihei

136 pages

Release Date: June 13, 2023 by Viz Media

5/5 Stars

*An ARC of this title was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Receiving a copy in no way influenced my review*

A manga about Wolverine? So what? That was my honest reaction to hearing and seeing this. Now, let us first clear up a misconception. This is not a new book. This manga was originally released in 2003. This is a new edition with a new introduction and includes some of the original sketches done by Nehei for the books and the original covers without any of the print matter ruining them.

Now, on to the part that matters, the book. Nihei presents us with a Wolverine we have not really seen before. Young, alone, and not full of sarcastic comments and biting wit. He is full of fury, confusion and violence (you know, more about the Snikt!). Wolverine is confronted a girl who then whisks him away to the future without informing him what is happening. They are separated and immediately he is confronted by one of the creatures that are terrorizing and killing the people of this time. Wolverine soon finds out that most of the population has been killed, and this group of survivors need his help to save humanity. The story serves the purpose, is nothing completely original but finds reason and a little bit of commentary to give it some purpose, which is mainly for us to look at the beauty of Nihei’s artistry.

The artwork is magnificent, presenting us with a dystopian world caught between H.R. Giger alien creatures and the Terminator style cyborgs with guns while terrifying the reader with creatures that morph from the person next to. Nihei’s dripping artwork helps create the tension, horror and violence in the story by elongating actions, expressing the bleakness of the situations through black and white vistas of emptiness.

I have long been a fan of Wolverine (as I think anyone who is a male from my generation will say) and this serves as an excellent addition to his stories, with artwork that needs to be used as a model on how to create a comic/manga. Thank you, Nihei.

Tress of the Emerald Sea

Written by Brandon Sanderson, illustrations by Howard Lyon

483 pages

Release Date: September January 10, 2023 by Dragonsteel

Entertainment

5/5 Stars

This was my first foray in the Cosmere Universe of Brandon Sanderson, and oh my gosh, was I glad I did it! To answer the first question I had going into this novel, yes. You can read it without having read anything else by him and perfectly understand everything going on. Will you maybe miss one or two references, yes. I have come to understand that now reading some of his other books. But they are not necessary, more like Easter Eggs for fans.

Glorf (or Tress as she is more commonly known) is a girl. Yes, it is that simple. She is not extraordinary, she is not gorgeous, she does not have powers nor royalty. She is a girl. A girl on a plain, boring, small island who is not rich, but her parents love her. Her main friend is Charlie, the Duke’s gardener (and definitely NOT the Duke’s son), a boy who can talk for hours and has knowledge about all types of things and love cups, as does Tress. While they have not expressed feelings for each other, their current relationship words for a girl and a gardener (who is definitely NOT the Duke’s son). Until one day, the Duke announces he will be taking his son (who IS the gardener) away to find a bride. During this voyage where Charlie has promised Tress, he will make sure no one wants to marry him, disaster happens and the Duke returns with a new heir and his bride. Charlie was kidnapped by the Sorceress. Now, Tress faces a choice: remain on the Island with a broken heart, or leave her simple life to sail away across the spore seas where a simple drop of water can mean your death to face a Sorceress that the King’s Army can not defeat, all for the Duke’s gardener (definitely NOT his son)?

One thing you must read (I read before I read the novel, but Sanderson includes it in his afterward) is the reason behind this book. For that alone, this book is a winner. The novel is written as being told to us by one of Sanderson’s characters that seems to keep popping up throughout all his novels, including appearing (and playing a major role) in this one: Hoid. By being written in his voice and sense of humor, this helps it to be a more light-hearted novel than what it could have become. Do not mistake one thing, there are scenes and moments where some horrible, tragic events happen, but in general the novel is fun and an adventure. It is said to be for people who loved the Princess Bride, and I would agree. This novel delivers that same sense of adventure, frolic, humor, romance, fantasy and suspense while turning the tables on exactly who saves who. Also, the cast of characters from good guys to villains are fun, have some excellent back stories and provide some greats twists to the story to keep you turning the page well after you should have turned off your lights.

Sanderson provides a winner in a fun story that he wrote in secret, the first of his four and provided a great introduction to anyone who needed it into his Cosmere Universe. Enjoy the ride, then go back out for more.

Arana and Spider-man 2099: Dark Tomorrow

Written by Alex Segura

Narrated by Victoria Villarreal

Length: 7 hours and 31 minutes

Release Date: May 20, 2023 by Marvel Press

4/5 Stars

*An ARC of this title was provided by NetGalley in exchange for

an honest review. Receiving a copy in no way influenced my review*

People dying, whisked to the future, powers coming and going, superhuman bad guys going to destroy the universe…just another day in the office, right?

Arana (or Anya Corazon) is a young member of the spider team who is just getting started in learning who she is, what she can do, how to be a “hero”. Miguel O’Hara (or Spider-man 2099) is a former hero who kind of reminds Anya of the mentor she lost, except this Miguel is not hero. He quit. She does not need a quitter but she does need someone to help her home when she suddenly gets whisked to the future and meets this Miguel. Plus, there is the whole character of Judas Traveler who has a very evil connection to both of them, and may be a threat to the future, the past and all of the spiders in history.

STORY:

In general, the story is fun. This is not too long of a book and takes the tone of the spider-man stories it should, fun, wholesome, exciting, and not too serious. Alex Segura has captured the feel of the characters in their move from the comic page to the novel page. Anya is a fascinating main character to focus on, with him creating a new type of Tony Stark in Miguel (including the AI with an attitude who is a highlight!!). The biggest flaw in the story seems to come towards the end, where Segura writes a scene that seems to rip-off another major event of a character from one of the Marvel movies. It was a disappointing move, and leaves the story a little ambiguous for the end (which may have been intentional in case he wants to do a sequel).

NARRATOR:

I was happy to have a female narrator as most of the story is in Anya, the AI, or even Gwen Stacy (yes, she shows up and I love the fact he included her) voice. Only sometimes do we move to Miguel’s, and the narrator does a fair job with the voice of males to proving that distinction (even between different male voices such as Traveler, Miguel, Spider-man, and other villians). The only complaint I really came across on the audio was the opening soundtrack before the narration starts goes too long. I did not understand why the music kept going and they did not start the story earlier.

Over-all, the book was an easy, relaxing and fun listen that I would enjoy a sequel to and the chance to spend more time with Arana.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – The Feast of the Moon

Written by Ellen Boener, Jeremy Lambert, Guillermo Sanna (Artist)

97 pages

Release Date: September March 8, 2023 by IDW

3/5 Stars

This is an exciting time for any true Dungeons and Dragons fan: a new movie (that is actually good), new books, merchandise, D&D Beyond. Unfortunately, with so much coming at fans, not everything can be great. And yes, this graphic novel fell into that category.

I will start by saying this is, in no way, the fault of the actual artist. The artistry of the graphic novel is excellent, especially the second story in the book. Obviously choices were made with storyline and how some things were going to look and this normally does not fall on the artist in the story.

Knowing this was going to be a prequel and providing some information for the movie, I was excited to read about our heroes and the dynamics that existed and helped create who they were by the time we met them. Unfortunately, too much of that felt forced in this actual story that featured them. The fighting between Edgin and his daughter was not explored enough to be an actual story, just given hints at to where the reader would not understand it and, if you have a daughter at all, you will know that is not how their disagreements would have gone down. The story was too quick, with too many jumps and too little explained, leaving the reader feeling lost in a story that is suppose to help explain things for the movie.

Lastly, I will say I was disappointed to see how the characters do not resemble their movie counterparts. This was a specific choice that was made and I do not understand why, as, again, this is suppose to be a direct prequel to the film.

Overall, while the story does tie and you can see it, the writing left a lot to be desired. On the upside, the artistry is great and worth taking a look at.

Just More Questions

Return of the Ripper?

Written by Kevin Turton

208 pages

Release Date: May 30, 2023 by Pen and Sword True Crime

2/5 Stars

*An ARC of this title was provided by NetGalley in exchange for

an honest review. Receiving a copy in no way influenced my review*

The murder of Frances Cole by some unknown person has always been an interesting case. The possibility that “Jack the Ripper” had come back from seeming to have disappeared as quick as he originally appeared and started again with his horrific crimes is both scary and, looking at it from a safe place and time, interesting. Kevin Turton’s book on this crime and exploring that possibility while discovering what happened to poor Frances during that night in Whitechapel does nothing to give us any answers and asks the same questions that have been asked since the crime was committed.

Turton does a great job of providing information about the crime, what the police did exploring it, providing plenty of information on their main suspect and how their case fell apart. During this explanation, he continually throws in and then gets rid of possible connections to Jack the Ripper, especially for the main suspect. All of this is written somewhat like the murder board you see in detective shows, with some information in this chapter and then the information that connects to it three chapters later. The structure and organization of presenting information is too loose and given seemingly as he thought of it, instead of as it would be logically presented, thus leaving a sense of confusion and randomness (which is nothing like the murders he is talking about).

Return of the Ripper also only really spends about half of the book on the actual Frances Cole case, dedicating almost half of it to recounting information from previous Jack the Ripper murders (even though the author states he does not was to do just that) and creating connections between them and then showing how those connections do not work. The entire book seems to say, in the end, that he has no real clue about who killed Frances Cole, who Jack the Ripper is or any real information. As excited as I was to read one (my wife has an unusually large amount of knowledge on this subject so I figured we could talk about it afterwards), I ended with the feeling of emptiness as I received nothing from a true crime book.

Deephaven

Written by Ethan M. Aldridge

288 pages

Release Date: September 5, 2023 by Quill Tree Books

4/5 Stars

*An ARC of this title was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Receiving a copy in no way influenced my review*

If you got a chance to start over, re-create yourself from your current life, would you? That is the question that Nev faced after receiving a letter from Deephaven Academy. The academy offered a full scholarship ride to attend and meant Nev could leave their life and start fresh, but could they? And did the Academy make a mistake? And could they make friends there and would the people notice their odd habits of picking things up and sticking those things in their pockets. And then, when they arrive, what about the weird noises coming from the East Wing and how odd the students sometimes act…

I had never read anything by Aldridge before, but now I want to. His storytelling and crafting of a scene are amazing, with just a little added art to the book to help the reader see what he sees in his mind. Nev is a great character, with enough background sprinkled throughout the story to help explain the important choices they face and why they make the choices they make. While the villain(s) (if you read the book, you will get why I wrote it that way) are interesting, the character that most drove me for the book was Danny, another new kid to the school and who seemed the most interesting. His growth and background helped push Nev towards who they needed to be and showed them more of what they could become.

The reason this is not a perfect book is two-fold. First, while it is fast-paced and a quick read (which is great), too early I was able to figure out the villain(s) behind the plot and see the connections. Second, the choice for the main character the author makes. While it is great to see a someone such as a nonbinary being represented in the book, other than the use of “them” and “they”, it has absolutely no impact on the story. In fact, at times it was confusing as others automatically use those pronouns for them, with no real clue how these people would know to do that as the characters had just met. There is no connection to how Nev feels in dealing with the issue that someone at their age would feel and showing how to deal with it, which is important. It is through reading we understand how to deal with the larger issues in the world.

Other than those issues, this is a strong, fast read and I definitely hope to see more of Nev and their adventures in Deephaven Academy in the future.

Tell Me What Really Happened

Written by Chelsea Sedoti

416 pages

Release Date: April 4, 2023 by Sourcebooks Fire

4/5 Stars

*An ARC of this title was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Receiving a copy in no way influenced my review*

This novel will be much like what Maylee wanted to be, hated or loved, nothing in between. With a distinctive style and voice, you are going to love the constant back and forth interrogation of the four remaining teenagers from the camping trip, or you are going to find it annoying and confusing. I happened to be on the love side of it.

The set-up for this books sounds like the traditional cheese horror movie (think Evil Dead 2) where five friends...wait, to clarify it is more like two friends, a girlfriend (who is one of the two friends) and boyfriend, a brother and one who is friends with one of the two friends...go on a camping trip together to a fairly remote area. Yes, it is as weird of a group as it sounds, which makes this unique and sets up the plot further in the book to leave you questioning why anyone even bothered to go on this trip. But, that is the point. If it was not for one character, none of this book would have happened. Your five characters are:

Maylee - the center of the group, the wannabe influencer, the attention seeker (is friends with both girls and has the boyfriend)

Petra - the control freak, "best friends" with Maylee, knows everything,

Nolan - Petra's brother, Bigfoot obsessed, nerdy

Abigail - the surprise that Maylee brings on the trip, lives in a trailer park, seen as a burden by some

John - Maylee's boyfriend, driven, has some history with the cops and the community

Now that you have the cast, the book is written after the events in the woods, as the cops have sent out a search and rescue team for Maylee and are questioning the four remaining on exactly what happened on this trip. Through the sometimes rambling, sometimes snarky, sometimes "my lawyer advises me not to say anything" responses from the four teenagers, we have to question all of the information we are given to lead us, like the police, to the correct conclusion on what happened to Maylee.

I have to say that if this book was written any other way, I would be giving it a two star. The concept is absolutely nothing new, the characters are ones we have seen over and over a hundred times (well, Nolan might be the exception - gotta love him), and the events are even somewhat predictable towards the end. But the style of switching between teens with interrogation brought an interesting freshness to the trope and gave a good reason to not trust any character, including the one with a policeman for a dad!

If you like mysteries and are looking for something fresh (and can keep track of the story very well) then this book is the latest one you have been fiending for. Enjoy!

Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story

Written by Sarah Kuhn, Illustrated by Arielle Jovellanos

208 pages

Release Date: April 4, 2023 by DC Comics

5/5 Stars

*An ARC of this title was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Receiving a copy in no way influenced my review*

Two important things you should know before I start the review:
1. I am not the demographic for this graphic novel (pretty obvious but thought I should put this out there)
2. I am a very tradition comic nerd, so when you change a character from who they have been in the past, I normally will not read it/give it a chance/will complain to my long-suffering wife over it (she will not watch comic movies with me for obvious reasons).
Now, onto the review:

Lois Lane, an Asian student who has not fit in to the small town that she grew up in, has big plans for her summer. In fact, this is her Big Plan. She has an excellent internship job at CatCo where she can write articles instead of fetching coffee that will lead to her being able to skip some of the classes in college and will impress those at the Daily Planet so she can get a job there where she will write amazing articles and win Pulitzer(s). Not that she has big dreams or anything.

Now if this is how everything turned out, we would have a really boring story. First, when she gets to the apartment she is staying in by herself, she finds her old best friend who abandoned her already there. Turns out, there mothers had planned to try to get them back together as friends by forcing them to live together this summer. Then, her amazing bosas/mentor Cat Grant is fired from her own newspaper after it is purchased by a corporation. Now, Lois is not writing articles, she is fetching coffee and and watching her boss yell at people every day. This is not her Big Exciting Summer that she was suppose to have. Can she somehow save the summer?

While I normally prefer the darker style graphic novels, this very bright and dedicated to the eighties feeling artwork fit well within the story to where it was natural. Like I said, I am a traditional comic nerd, so the idea of Lois not being from Smallville and not being in Metropolis was very different and would normally have turned me away before I started reading, but luckily Netgalley forced me to and I had the chance at an interesting, if not at times overdone, story.

This will hit you over the head. Kuhn pulls no punches on her intentions with the story or what she is trying to say through Lois and Miki's storyline on dealing with being Asian, a kid and female. But, she makes it work and after a little bit, I found myself drawn into the ride-or-die gang and their struggle and friendship they developed. Kuhn's writing for the comic is very natural, which is great for a typical novelist (let's face it, they often want to say too much and forget that a lot is said by the artist). Jovellanos's illustrations add to the flair and struggle of the two girls, definitely bringing out the personality and fun of the character of Miki.

While this is not the traditional Lois Lane, nor is it in the canon universe that we see of DC Comics, it is a fun, engaging tale that speaks to some issues that we have in our society right now and does so in a fun and engaging manner.

Wrath Becomes Her

Written by Aden Polydoros

384 pages

Release Date: October 10, 2023 by Inkyard Press

4/5 Stars

*An ARC of this title was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Receiving a copy in no way influenced my review*

Did you like From Dust, a Flame? Then you will fall in love with Wrath Becomes Her. Polydoros latest novel explores what it means to be human, what makes us human and if humanity itself is good. Ezra, a father and inventor, discovers that his daughter has been killed by Nazis. Now, his mind is bent on only one thing, revenge. From the dark depths of this brilliant scientist comes the idea of one of the legends of jewish tales, the golem. Thus is born Vera, a veritable Frankensteinian monster carved out of clay, the works of the brilliant minds over years, and parts of Chaya, Ezra's dead daughter.

Vera can feel her purpose, to kill, to revenge, to destroy. At the same time, she can remember things like kisses, tender moments, feelings of...love. Especially when she comes across Akiva, the boy who Chaya had fallen in love with and kissed. Is Vera really Chaya? Are these feelings just memories of Chaya's, or do they belong to Vera? Where does the vengeful golem stop and the humanity of Vera begin, or is Vera human at all? What does it even mean to be "human"?

I said in my review for From Dust that there are not enough books that deal with Jewish beliefs in the Young Adult catagory, so I was excited to learn of this one. Polydoros has done a great job of helping to fill this missing area with literature, and again, he hits the mark. This is not a fast-paced, mile-a-minute read, but instead burns with the wonder of Vera as she takes in the world and finds all of the new, yet familiar things while exploring this concept of humanity. Specifically, trying to figure out what is humanity in the face of all of the darkness surrounding her, from the malevolent Nazis to her creator Ezra and "love" Akiva who just want vengeance and watching the suffering of the people under the yoke of both the Nazis and their own.

I say all of this with some caution to you, dear reader. The book is not necessarily for the faint-hearted. As Polydoros own website already has some content warnings listed which include murder (yes, the author has some very gruesome descriptions that make the violence leap out), death of a parent, body horror and genocide (of course). The body horror is contained throughout the text, as this is a central issue of Vera's and the exploration of what it means to be human. How much of what we are on the outside defines us versus who we are on the inside. Making the setting during the middle of Nazi occupation of Jewish areas is perfect for exploring this idea and brings the issue from just a personal one to a societal question and issue.

While not a perfect book, as there are points in the book that where Vera's getting lost in her head did seem to slow the plot down to just a simmer, Wrath Becomes Her is a great read.

Far Cry: Rise of the Revolution

Written by Alexandro Aldrete

4 hours and 36 minutes

Full Cast

Release Date: February 23, 2023 by Audible Books

3/5 Stars

While I would love to say that this audiobook has risen like the lion that Anton wants to be, and has risen above the games of Far Cry, but it did not. Much like the games, the audiobook is a mediocre affair in terms of story with some good actors, some not so great and almost distracting.

Written as a prequel to the current release of from the video games series of Far Cry 6, Ubisoft teamed with Audible and write Alexandro Aldrete to bring the audience the origin story of the villains from the game. Anton Castillo was young when his father was El Presidente of Yara and watched as his father was eliminated in front of him. Growing up as a prisoner of the current regime, Anton dreams of bring back the paradise he believes the land of Yara use to be, but he discovers his time will be cut short after being diagnosed with leukemia. Luckily, a experimental drug only grown in Yara keeps him, and his dream, alive. But, how far will he go to hold on to the power he wants, and needs, to take back his version of paradise, with his miracle drug? And how will his family, including his son Diego, and the people of Yara react?

Right away, I have to give credit to Giancarlo Esposito in saying that, if one thing really kept this production alive, it is his performance. He is amazing and deserves plenty of credit for another outstanding notch to add to an excellent career. While there are a few other performers who help to make it listenable, too much of the cast's performance is like the video game and the story, over-the-top.

I am not saying that over-the-top is always bad, especiallky as a gamer and a fan. I wanted to enjoy this and was excited to see a book of the game series. Especially one which dealt with a villain of the series, as they are often the most memorable aspect of the Far Cry games. But, both the game and the villains have gone downhill, as did this five-part series.

If you enjoy the video game series, especially the sixth installment, then give it a listen as you will appreciate all of the tie-in and any chance for a performance by Mr. Esposito is a treat. Just do not expect too much from the rest of it.

Once Upon a Broken Heart (Once Upon a Broken Heart #1)

Written by Stephanie Garber

416 pages

Release Date: September 28, 2021 by Flatiron Books

5/5 Stars

Stephanie Garber (author of the amazing Caravel series!!!!) manages to bring back some magic in a twisting romance with flair of action and suspense. Evangeline Fox is a true believe in the fairy tails, in happy endings, and in true love. Of course, this kind of hits a hard reality when the man she believed was her true love to going to marry someone else...namely her step-sister (I know, but it is not that cliché!). In order to stop it, she turns to one of the fairy tails, namely the one of the Fates. She believes the Prince of Hearts can help her stop the wedding and her get the true love of her life back. But, as Alice Copper said multiple times, nothing is free. The Prince requires payment in the form of three kisses at whatever time and to whomever he chooses and soon discovers that when you make a bargain with a Fate, your fate may be very different than what you had planned.

Much like the world-building that Garber accomplished with Caravel, she creates another dynamic set of areas and characters for the reader to step into, explore and meet. Some of the characters and aspects of the story feel eerily similar to her previous ones (Jacks excluded of course as he is the same character in both series) but this is not necessarily a bad thing. How many times has Stephen King characters shown back up, or at least different versions of the same character? While the characters sound modern, their dress and world is an older one more in line with a true fantasy story, down to curses, dragons, magic and, well, vampires? OK, I admit, she threw me off when vampires came into the story, but they were fun (yes vampires can be fun).

Garber provides much needed action and mystery with twists to go along with plenty of romance in the story, allowing there to just be enough of the rest for this not to fall into the teen girl category while still holding a strong appeal to your hardcore romance aficionados. The cliffhanger ending to lead into the inevitable trilogy does well to leave you clamoring for more.

Stephanie Garber has hit gold and will continue with her unique blend of fantasy, magic, unique characters and romance in this new series, a must-read for her fans and something anyone should pull off the shelf at least once.

Winter Soldier: Cold Front (Marvels Rebels and Renegades #3)

Written by Mackenzi Lee

Narrated by Christian Coulson

Length: 9 hours and 21 minutes

Release Date: February 7, 2023 by Marvel Press

5/5 Stars

*An ARC of this title was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Receiving a copy in no way influenced my review*

If you have not had the chance to read Loki: Where Mischief Lies or Nebula and Gamora: Sisters in Arms by Lee, well, why not? Obviously they are not necessary in order to read, listen, thoroughly enjoy her latest venture into the Marvel Universe, but they both rock, so maybe stop here and go read them....OK, welcome back. See, they are great!

But now, onto Bucky Barnes (AKA Winter Soldier). If you are familiar with the Winter Soldier either from the comics OR the infamous MCU, it is ok. Lee does not truly touch upon material covered in either of these universes (for truly, they are separate). She takes a little from here, a litttle from there and then that last little bit from way out there to make him familiar to readers, but delves into two separate time periods of his life to give the reader the tragic past, and then the even more tragic past (what Mackenzi Lee is so great at!).

The reader explores two times periods of Bucky's life: 1941 (prior to the true Bucky everyone knows as Captain America's sidekick/friend) and then 1954 (once he had been indoctrinated into the true Winter Soldier) on a mission. Our glimpses of Bucky in 1941 provide a look at what truly created Bucky. In the past we have always seen him as a shadow of Captain America and his influence, but James Barnes was someone before that time. This is what Lee gives us, the boy who was an orphan but raised by military, wanting to serve, desperate to get out there and ends up being recruited by the S.O.E. (since he was too young).

Mackenzi breaks up the origin story with what he experiences as the Winter Soldier, the missions and killing, but also the constant fight for who he is, where he came from, and the tragedy that inevitably comes to take it all away.

While Lee throws in a little romance (and it is cute!), this book is definitely the action and adventure story you might expect about something from the Winter Soldier, paying tribute to the feel that Brubaker brought to the character while crossing it with some of the classic novel styling of Cold War intrigue.

To add to Lee's wonderful and tragic writing was the amazing narration of Christian Coulson. His stylistic choice of using different versions of the voice for Bucky in 1941 versus Bucky in 1954 helped make the two time periods very distinct, and the voices for the other characters (even females) were done with an excellent flair to make the drama and action come alive.

Go out, listen to this, and hopefully Lee with come back and explore more of the world of James "Bucky" Barnes.

Teen Titans: Robin (Teen Titans #4)

Written by Kami Garcia, Illustrated by Gabriel Picolo

208 pages

ISBN: 9781779512246

Release Date: March 7, 2023 by DC Comics

4/5 Stars

*An ARC of this title was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Receiving a copy in no way influenced my review*

Having read the first three in this series, Garcia and Picolo continue to slowly unravel the team that will be the Teen Titans while raising the stakes in every book. Now, if you have not read the first three, you need to. While the recap is succinct and helps those who read them to not have to go back and re-read them, it is not enough information (nor could it be at this point!) for a brand new reader to feel confident enough to go on. We have the two couples of Max and Damian/Raven and Garfield traveling to get away from H.I.V.E. and Slade. The only person they can turn to is Max and Raven’s mom to help them hide away from H.I.V.E. But Slade is not the only person who is searching for any of these teens. Dick Grayson, the adopted son of Bruce Wayne (you may know him as Batman) is also searching for his brother, after Damian stormed out of the house and away from his stepbrother and father. But, does Damian want anything to do with his stepbrother?

Kami Garcia’s writing is on par with the rest of the series, entertaining with enough small twists to keep the reader interested. She is still a novelist, and spends too much of the time with training montages and the reaffirmation of feelings, but this seems to be what we are seeing more of in the teen market for graphic novels. Picolo’s illustrations are excellent and help draw the reader in to the action sequences, plus his characters are great examples of what the characters have looked like in the past (you know, for some of us really old comic geeks) while keeping the look fresh and modern enough of a take for the teens out there.

In the end, would I recommend this, yes. It is fun, a good read in an afternoon and provides us with a little more insight on great characters. Plus, while this is labeled for teens, beyond the few kissing moments, this could be thrown to kids a little younger and they can enjoy it.

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