2 stars
I’ll start by saying I am unfortunately an adult and it’s possible my feelings about this book stem from that. I couldn’t relate to Raven. She mostly just annoyed me. But that may just be because I am no longer a moody teen (thank goodness!). I generally enjoy YA and children’s graphic novels, but this one wasn’t for me.
This book was difficult for me to get into. The chapters felt rushed and choppy. I was often surprised when I turned the page to see we were jumping to the next chapter.
For a YA comic, this one felt kind of childish to me. Again, maybe that’s because I’m an adult. But much of the book felt cliché and predictable. At times, it felt like it was trying too hard to connect with teens.
There were certainly interesting elements at play (involuntary mindreading, mysterious family history, a suspicious necklace). They just didn’t come together for me.
Having said all that, the artwork was splendid. Picolo did a fantastic job capturing the creepy, magical, and action elements of the story. His artwork really brought the story to life for me. Even when I wasn’t interested in what was happening with the plot and characters, I enjoyed looking at all the details of his artwork.
Overall, this one was okay. I wanted to like it more than I did. I enjoyed the aesthetic and the artwork but the story and characters just didn’t pull me in.
I am tempted to try the next book though to see Garcia’s version of Beast Boy. He’s always been my favorite Teen Titan.