March is over and what an eventful month it has been. The government closed down my country in March – like many other contries – which means I’ve isolated by myself and done my classes at home. I didn’t think I’d read that much as I’m just as busy with university as before – if not even more – but I forgot I read four graphic novels throughout the month.
The first book I read though is Call Down the Hawk (Dreamer #1) by Maggie Stiefvater.
Format: physical book
Rating: ★★★.5
Synopsis (Goodreads): The dreamers walk among us . . . and so do the dreamed. Those who dream cannot stop dreaming – they can only try to control it. Those who are dreamed cannot have their own lives – they will sleep forever if their dreamers die.
And then there are those who are drawn to the dreamers. To use them. To trap them. To kill them before their dreams destroy us all.
Ronan Lynch is a dreamer. He can pull both curiosities and catastrophes out of his dreams and into his compromised reality.
Jordan Hennessy is a thief. The closer she comes to the dream object she is after, the more inextricably she becomes tied to it.
Carmen Farooq-Lane is a hunter. Her brother was a dreamer . . . and a killer. She has seen what dreaming can do to a person. And she has seen the damage that dreamers can do. But that is nothing compared to the destruction that is about to be unleashed…
I’ve been holding off read Call Down the Hawk for some time now, because I was sure I wouldn’t love it as much as I love The Raven Cycle series. I was right about that, but I’m still happy I finally read it as I still enjoyed it a lot! My main complaint about the book was that it felt like one long build up to the rest of the series. There were things that got resolved or connected in this book but not enough in my opinion. There were also a few perspectives in the book that I thought were unnecessary. I loved the main characters though, both old and new. And I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
A few days after I borrowed a few graphic novels from the library. The first one I read is Saga vol. 9 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples.
Format: physical book
Rating: ★★★★
Synopsis (Goodreads): When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe.
I typically give books in this series three or four stars and until det last couple of pages it was definitely around the 3-3.5 mark. It took me completely by surprise. As always I really enjoyed the illustrations. I do think some of the plotpoints surrounding the political stuff can get a little boring at times, which is why I’ve never given a book in the series five stars, but overall I really enjoyed it!
while I was reading Saga I was also reading Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi.
Format: physical book
Rating: ★★★
Synopsis (Goodreads): Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.
Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane’s child’s-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love
This was really hard for me to rate because it definitely isn’t a bad book at all, it just didn’t click for me. It was interesting to learn about the history and Marjane Satrapi’s life during the Islamic Revolution, but I wasn’t as connected to the story and the characters and their emotions. I don’t know if it was because I had a hard time distinguishing between the character because of the simple art style, but I only really emphasized with the characters emotions at one part – and there were definitely other sad moments that that one. It’s still at really good graphic novel though, so I would still recommend it to everyone!
I wanted to read a more light and fun book afterwards, which is why I picked up Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks.
Format: physical book
Rating: ★★★.5
Synopsis (Goodreads): Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends.
Every autumn, all through high school, they’ve worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they’re reunited every September 1.
But this Halloween is different—Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Their last good-bye.
Josiah’s ready to spend the whole night feeling melancholy about it. Deja isn’t ready to let him. She’s got a plan: What if—instead of moping and the usual slinging lima beans down at the Succotash Hut—they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! And Josiah could finally talk to that cute girl he’s been mooning over for three years…
What if their last shift was an adventure?
I honestly don’t have a lot other that to say than that this was a really cute and fun read! The character were a delight to follow. I loved Deja – she was so cute. The setting and atmosphere of the book was also really great and I would definitely read it again at the start of autumn just to get me into the mood.
The last book I read is Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau.
Format: physical book
Rating: ★★★
Synopsis (Goodreads): Now that high school is over, Ari is dying to move to the big city with his ultra-hip band—if he can just persuade his dad to let him quit his job at their struggling family bakery. Though he loved working there as a kid, Ari cannot fathom a life wasting away over rising dough and hot ovens. But while interviewing candidates for his replacement, Ari meets Hector, an easygoing guy who loves baking as much as Ari wants to escape it. As they become closer over batches of bread, love is ready to bloom . . . that is, if Ari doesn’t ruin everything.
Writer Kevin Panetta and artist Savanna Ganucheau concoct a delicious recipe of intricately illustrated baking scenes and blushing young love, in which the choices we make can have terrible consequences, but the people who love us can help us grow.
Another cute – but a little more hard-hitting – graphic novel. I loved the ‘concept’ of all the pages being a shade of blue. Ari and Hactor were so cute and I loved to see their relationship bloom in the setting of a bakery. My biggest complaint about it is how long it was with its build-up to the ‘conflict’ and how quickly that conflict was resolved. I feel like 90-95% of the story was build-up while the last 10-5% of the story was the climax, the main conflict and the resolution to the conflict. Other than that I really enjoyed it.
It wasn’t on purpose, but I really focused on reading graphic novels in March – I guess I was just in the mood for it. Even if they usually aren’t 5 star books I still really enjoy the process of reading a graphic novel. What did you read in March? Let me know in the comments below!
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