Mega Robo Rumble by Neill Cameron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Alex and Freddy are brothers. Robot brothers! When duty calls, they're agents of R.A.I.D., an elite government unit that protects the world from robotic attacks. Now they're facing new and terrifying threats: a giant drill-bot is destroying London, Freddy gets famous, and even worse, a mysterious robot twisted with rage is intent on ruthlessly exacting his revenge on R.A.I.D...
I don't read graphic novels as a rule, they are something I want to get into but don't often get the opportunity to. This is the second in a series, one that to be honest I have little interest in, (Robots/Superheroes) but I thought I would give it a go none the less.
This is a bright and highly illustrated graphic novel, which follows the same characters from the first in the series, even though I hadn't read the first, this didn't matter as you could read this as a stand a lone.
This follows two robots, who are brothers, this covers sibling rivalry and how to deal with growing up. I enjoyed that aspect of the story and the more 'real life' parts, for example when they were at school etc.
Overall this was a quick read, one that I wouldn't have chosen but it was a different read and I am pleased I picked it up. The story does end on a cliff hanger so I would like to read the next in the series now just to find out what happens.
If you like sci-fi graphic novels or superhero based ones then I would recommend this to you. The only reason I have given this 3 stars is down to the fact this is not my cup of tea. I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
Thornhill by Pam Smy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As she unpacks in her new bedroom, Ella is irresistibly drawn to the big old house that she can see out of her window. Surrounded by overgrown gardens, barbed wire fences and 'keep out' signs, it looks derelict. But that night, a light goes on in one of the windows. And the next day she sees a girl in the grounds. Ella is hooked. The house has a story to tell. She is sure of it. Enter Thornhill, Institute for Children, and discover the dark secrets that lie within.But once inside, will you ever leave?
When this arrived in the week I was intrigued, to begin with it was a mamouth read, something that can be intimidating, however it looked like a completely different type of read and I was looking forward to read something a little different.
I began this today and finished it in an hour and 20 minutes, so don't be put off of the size of it. I thought this was very cleverly put together, we follow two girls in this story split 30 years apart but linked by one location. You get more into Mary's head, who lived at Thornhill (an orphanage) in 1982, we also meet Ella, who loves opposite 30 years later. We read the thoughts of Mary through a sequence of her diary and follow Ella's story through the illustrations.
Although this is not my normal genre I really, really enjoyed it, it was different and I would love to read more by Smy. I really got into the story and I never saw the ending coming, which I was shocked about and felt a little sad at the same time, I thought I knew Mary quite well through her journal but I began to question my opinion on her at the end. It reminds you the power of illustration and how you can read so much through it. I would recommend this book to middle graders or young adult, however being an adult I enjoyed this and feel the book will stay with me for some time.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
Sing No Evil by J.P. Ahonen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
With high-energy artwork and quirky humour, this graphic novel tells the coming-of-age story of Aksel, twenty-something guitarist with a stutter for the band Perkeros, who learns the power of sound and music as a form of magic--but not without aid and interference from the bandmates he must keep together: Lily, the streetwise keyboardist; Kevin, the hippie bassist who either is still working off an LSD trip from the '60s or really is a 600-year-old monk; Aydin, a Turkish immigrant who sings like an angel and threatens Aksel's dominance as frontman of the band and Bear, the drummer and (actual) party animal. And, not to mention, the rival bands they must literally battle to save their city from supernatural forces set loose by ancient music. A witty, weird mix of fact and fable based on archaeo-acoustics (the idea that ancient sounds can be recovered from markings on pottery--the Mythbusters explored this idea), this graphic novel draws its inspiration from ghost stories, the occult, contemporary pop culture and death metal rock'n'roll.
I really wanted to begin to get into graphic novels, this is a genre I have only stumbled across a handful of times. Recently I have had a bit of a block with reading and really wanted to get back into it, I thought that choosing a graphic novel may help as they are quicker to read and easy.
When I was offered the chance to review Sing No Evil, I knew nothing about it but thought I would give it a go. I am glad I did, I think for those of you who don't read this genre a lot this is a good one to begin with. The illustrations are cartoon-like and have a lot of detail in them. I also liked the colouring of the images, they were autumnal colours throughout, the story is also set during autumn and I thought this was a nice touch. Although the colours are mainly browns and reds, do not let that put you off. The images are wonderful!
Anyway back to the story...
There are some characters in this story that I just counldn't warm too, Aksel's girlfriend for one, she just seemed to spend her whole time complaining, she isn't in the book much and she really doesn't come across well, to me anyway... Aksel is a guitarist and songwriter for the bank Perkeros, he is a perfectionist and it has actually come to the point where he is becoming obsessive with the band and their success. This is a struggle that they have to go through with, growing up, studying, but also creating posters, album covers, getting gigs etc.
I liked that there were jokes throughout the book that were amusing and kept the story light.
My favourite character was Lily, she felt like she was the rock of the band and always trying to gain them more success.
O.K so here are the bits I didn't understand...
About 50 pages or so from the end the story almost turns into a complete different story. There is more of a fantasy element that arises, this is just a bit weird. I didn't think it fit in with the story and I don't really see what the point of it was. To be honest during this part I actually got a little lost, I didn't know what had happened to Lily and where the story was then going. I also was disappointed with the ending of the story. Throughout the graphic novel I felt something between some of the characters and I was hoping it was going to end in the way I expected. It didn't and for me that was a disappointment - I guess I am used to reading predictable novels!
Overall I enjoyed this graphic novel - my first paperback one! I would recommend this for first time readers of graphic novels and after reading this I am interested in reading others.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
The Stereotypical Freaks by Howard Shapiro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Four disparate high school seniors come together to compete in their school's battle of the bands. Sharing a love for playing rock and roll, the members name the band "The Stereotypical Freaks" because they feel stereotyped by their classmates - smart kid, geek, star athlete and quiet weirdo… when in fact they know they are much more than those labels that have been placed on them.
When one member reveals life altering news, winning the competition takes on more of a meaning to each member. Scared and angry, upset and yet still with a lot of resolve they set out to win one for the good guys… will they?
This was the first graphic novel I have read. I have been wanting to get into this genre for a while, but I have been unable to find something that I thought would like. This sounded more like me.
As soon as I began to read this, I loved the songs that were suggested for each chapter, I thought that this was a really nice touch and the author had obviously thought long and hard about what song would suit that part of the story.
This was extremely easy to read and I read it in one sitting. To begin with I found it a little hard to work out what type of characters they were, after reading further into the graphic novel this became clear. Although I would say this novel is aimed at older teenagers, I think that it would be suitable for younger viewers. There are parts within the graphic novel, where there is no text, I didn't think you actually needed it as the images were able to carry the story by themselves.
I thought this was a good graphic novel and if you are like me and haven't red any before, a good one to start with. It covers sensitive subjects in 'real' ways and with a lot of respect.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review and I would recommend to others.
