This week was a busy one so I didn’t get much reading done (for me). I only managed to read five books. But I did get a lot of reviews done over on NetGalley which was nice. I’ve been using their website for about two weeks now so I’m just getting used to how everything works. All of the books that I read last week were from NetGalley and while most of them were pretty good, I did have one that I wasn’t crazy about. Now onto the books!
The first book that I read last week was called Grease Bats by Archie Bongiovanni. This book was one of my favorites that I received from NetGalley. The book is about Andy, a trans genderqueer person and Scout, their roommate/BFF who feels too much and sometimes makes bad decisions. Andy and Scout are just trying to survive their 20s (aren’t we all??) and make it through relatively unscathed. They hang out with their friends and drink lots of beers to cope with it all.
I really adored this book. It felt like I was hanging out with my friends as I was reading it and I did not want it to end! I adored all the individual characters but Scout was my favorite. I loved the relationship that all of the characters had with each other and how they just seemed so respectful and loving. And if there ever was an issue they would talk about it (with much griping from Andy about ~feelings~) and work it out. Also, I loved all the Halloween parts because that is my favorite holiday as well! If you are any shade of queer there will be a character in here for you somewhere. I really feel like everyone is well represented in this comic. I would highly recommend this and I will definitely be adding this to my personal collection.
The next book that I was sent to review is called Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator by Leighton Gray, Vernon Shaw, and Wendy Xu. (If you have never heard of Dream Daddy here is a brief synopsis of the game – Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator invites the player to Maple Bay, where they play as a single Dad new to town and eager to romance other hot Dads.) Having never played the game Dream Daddy myself (but I have seen other people play and I am familiar with all the characters) I was really excited to read this comic. I didn’t realize going in that each story would be by a different author and illustrator but I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. My favorite story was the last, Dungeon Daddies. As a big nerd, that story was fantastic! I loved the thought of all the daddies together playing a game together and hanging out. Each of the individual stories had their own nuances which I appreciated. I liked all of the stories and the artwork for each one as well. I would highly recommend this comic to any fans of the game Dream Daddies or just fans of daddies in general.
The next book that I read is called Black Badge Vol. 1 by Matt Kindt. This was one of the comics that I was very excited to read. From Goodreads: “Meet the Black Badges, a top-secret branch of boy scouts tasked by the government to take on covert missions that no adult ever could. Among their organization, the Black Badges are the elite—the best of the best. The missions they’re tasked with are dangerous, and will only get worse as their leader’s attention is split between their objective and tracking down a lost team member. A member who disappeared years ago…presumed dead. Reuniting New York Times bestselling author Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT) and illustrator Tyler Jenkins (Peter Panzerfaust) following their multiple Eisner Award-nominated series Grass Kings, Black Badge is a haunting look at foreign policy, culture wars, and isolationism through the lens of kids who know they must fix the world that adults have broken.”
Having been a Girl Scout my entire life I really enjoyed reading about this fictional universe surrounding using children – specifically scouts – to carry out secret missions. Because really who expects a bunch of kids, right? The plot of the book is nice, well paced and not rushed. Secrets are teased out as we read along. I really enjoyed the storyline and the art style as well. I would highly recommend this book, especially if you are a fan of spy stories. Altogether, it was a fun story and I am excited to read more!
Next up, we have Fissure by Tim Daniel. The only thing that I can say that I really liked about this was the artwork. I liked the story ok enough but I feel like it could have been more fleshed out. It seemed a little rushed in the beginning like it was in a hurry to get to the meat of the story. I liked the science fiction aspect of the story but I kind of wish there had been more too it. It just seemed like there could have been a few more issues to really flesh out the story. As much as I liked it, it felt incomplete. The artwork is fantastic and I really enjoyed the large panels that showed off the illustrations so well. Overall, this is a pretty solid comic and I think that sci-fi fans will have fun reading it but it really wasn’t something that I enjoyed all that much.
Last but certainly not least we have Hotel Dare by Terry Blas. I think this one was my favorite of all the books I read last week. It had fantastic characters, a really great storyline, and the artwork was impeccable. Here is the synopsis from Goodreads: “It’s not your typical family vacation when Olive and her adopted siblings Darwin and Charlotte find themselves falling into other worlds as they explore Grandma Lupé’s strange hotel.
OPEN THE DOOR. ADVENTURE AWAITS.
Olive and her adopted siblings Charlotte and Darwin are spending the summer with their estranged grandma at her creepy hotel and it’s all work and no play. They’re stuck inside doing boring chores but they soon stumble upon an incredible secret… Behind each room door of the hotel lies a portal to a different strange and mysterious place. The simple turn of a knob transports them to a distant magical world filled with space pirates. Behind the next door are bearded wizards. Down the hall is a doorway to a cotton-candied kingdom. But once the doors are opened, worlds start colliding, and only one family can save them before they tear themselves apart.”
I absolutely adored this book! I really liked the fact that this book focuses on family. Not just biological family but found family as well. The characters are all nicely fleshed out and all have their own distinct personalities. There are a few different storylines going on throughout the book but I had no problems keeping track of who was who. The artwork is also very, very good and I really enjoyed all the amazing bright colors throughout the book. I would highly recommend this to any fans of graphic novels and I know a few kids at my library that I will definitely be recommending this to!
That is going to be it for me this week! I hope you all had a fantastic week with your reading (and in general). Leave me a comment and let me know what you’ve been up to, I would love to get to know everyone better! Also, come say hi on Twitter or Instagram!
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