Graphic Novel Recommendations

I don’t talk much about graphic novels on my blog but I definitely should because there’s some amazing ones out there! I find it hard to review individual volumes which is why you don’t see many reviews from me but I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you guys.

The number of volumes I put next to each title is the number I personally have read, there are volumes I have yet to read!

I will also be linking each title to the first volume in each series on Goodreads, if you’re interested in checking any of these out.

Top 5 Wednesday: Rainy Day Reads

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Top 5 Wednesday group on Goodreads!

This week’s theme is “Rainy Day Reads”, which got me thinking: what exactly is a rainy day read? Well I just decided to do what I think they would be, to me a rainy day read would be a book that is fast paced and un-put-downable. Something that would keep you entertained while the weather outside is…well not so entertaining.

5.) Six of Crows (The Dregs #1) by Leigh Bardugo

A fast paced, heist book with fantastic characters. You’ll be so drawn into the action of the heist and so intrigued by the backstories of the characters you won’t be able to put it down until you finish. Definitely a great book to start when you’re stuck inside all day.

You can read my full review of “Six of Crows” here.

4.) Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

For me, this book was about as fast paced as you can get! There’s a constant stream action. Think of everything imaginable that could go wrong for a group of people and this book has it happen. There’s crazy AI’s, space battles, mutating viruses, and more. This book is more than capable of keeping you entertained for a day, you’ll definitely keep turning pages.

You can read my full review of “Illuminae” here.

3.) Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Once again we have a book with a fast paced plot, the story progresses so quickly you won’t be able to stop reading until you find out what exactly is going on! Morally ambiguous characters who are so fascinating you’ll keep reading just to spend more time with them. Everything about this book will keep you interested and makes for a great book for all day reading.

You can read my full review of “Vicious” here.

2.) Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happend by Allie Brosh

This book is absolutely hilarious, plain and simple. So funny, in fact, that I can’t resist NOT recommending it for a rainy day. You’ll be so busy laughing that you’ll completely forget about the bad weather outside!

You can check out my “mini” review of “Hyperbole and a Half” here.

1.) Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

This is actually a graphic novel but it’s a very loooong one and therefore I think it can qualify on here as being more of a book. This book is hilarious and heart-warming all at once, really those two words sum up the entirety of “Nimona” perfectly I think. You can definitely finish it in a day so it’s perfect for a rainy one where you can just stay inside and read until you’re done.

You can read my “mini” review of “Nimona” here.

So that wraps up my Top 5 Rainy Day Reads! Hopefully you found some books on here to stash away for a rainy day or just to add to your TBR anyways.

Feel free to link up your T5W’s as well!

 

Book Review: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

 

Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are.

But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona’s powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.

Usually I don’t read graphic novels, the only other graphic novel I ever read was “Watchmen” which is a classic. So needless to say I don’t have a lot of experience with them, so when Ariana at The Quirky Book Nerd recommended it to me I wasn’t sure. Pretty much everyone who read it loved it and gave it raving reviews, I was intimidated. There’s no way this graphic novel could live up to that much hype, right? Wrong. “Nimona” lives up to all of the hype. For me “Nimona” is going to be a gateway book into the graphic novel world, I can just tell.

The storyline was very engaging, there’s never a dull moment in this book! I couldn’t stop turning pages until I got to the end of the book and even then I was wishing there was more. It’s pretty fast paced, I finished it in no time.

We don’t just get a straight forward plot either, nope we get a series of flashbacks as well. A glimpse of everyone’s past, kind of like a super hero origin story. It made the characters feel a lot more real and interesting. While the plot wasn’t exactly predictable there weren’t too many shocking instances either. I’m used to Gillian Flynn plot twists so it takes quite a lot to really surprise me. But that doesn’t mean you’ll see some of the twists in “Nimona” coming.

I also loved how Noelle Stevenson did the humor in “Nimona”, I swear I was laughing during more than half the book!  Nimona herself was absolutely hilarious and that’s really one of the main reasons I found the book to be so entertaining.

Speaking of Nimona, talk about a GREAT protagonist. She’s quirky, fierce, and lovable all at the same time. She does what she wants when she wants, she’s completely unpredictable and I loved it. Nimona is also very well-developed, we get to really know her personality as well as her backstory throughout the book.

Then there’s Blackheart and Goldenloin, also excellent characters. Although Goldenloin’s character, to me, really wasn’t all that important or exciting. He was kind of just there to move certain plot points along, I didn’t care for him. Sorry! I did love Blackheart though, if there was any competition for favorite character it was him (with Nimona as the winner of course). He’s supposed to be the big, bad super villain when really he’s one of the only ones with a conscience.

I also really enjoyed the relationships between Nimona and Blackheart as well as Blackheart and Goldenloin. So much friendship, it warmed my heart!

Not to mention I loved the artwork, the illustrations were so vibrant and fun! I don’t really have a ton of experience with comics illustrations but I loved Stevenson’s work!

I wish I could do “Nimona” more justices by writing a better and longer review but alas I cannot gush anymore.

Dang right I do! I also think this is a great “starter” graphic novel, a graphic novel for people who haven’t really read a whole lot of them. It’s a truly wonderful book!

Links: Goodreads / Amazon