Read + Review: Isola by Brendan Fletcher

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Isola is a graphic novel about two people, Queen Olwyn and her guard, Rook, trying to get to Isola. Something bad happened to the queen that turned her into a tiger. When they get to Isola, the queen can become a human again. As the queen and Rook embark on a journey, they face dangers and challenges, such as a group of hunters trying to capture the queen. This is the first book, named Chapter One, in the series.

or being a first book in a series, there isn’t enough explanation of the plot or the introduction of the characters. I had to flip back to the previous pages, to follow the characters and the story. Even after a good effort, some of the pages didn’t make sense. I felt that sparing use of words made it strenuous on the illustrations to express the author’s ideas. Although the pictures are well drawn, and the story plot is intriguing, the book failed to capture my interest. I wouldn’t read this book the second time.

The good thing about this book is that every time the scene changed, the color scheme in the background changed. This made it easier for the reader to envision the story. The background art by Karl Kerschl was artistic and impressive, while the characters could be more conspicuous. The book could definitely use more narration to get the readers’ interest.

Reviewed by Siddarth S., Twin Hickory Library