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Even though the graphic novel cannot replicate Twilight, Volume 2 is a beautiful piece of artwork. Kim Young is a phenomenal artist. It is a delight to see the characters depicted so vividly; they are like living portraits. By looking at the drawings, you can see Edward’s personality: his broodiness, his arrogance, his humor, his temper, and his love for Bella. His expressions are so lifelike, and the characters’ emotions come through in the drawings. Kim Young’s artwork captures the story perfectly and helps readers to become fully immersed in the world of Twilight.

The highlights of Volume 2 were not the baseball game or the final showdown with James. Rather, it focused on Carlisle’s backstory and that of a few other characters. Carlisle’s ending as a human and the difficult beginning of his vampire life occupied many pages.

The sepia color emphasizes Carlisle's memories and emotions. It also conveys a sense of hope, reminding readers that no matter how difficult times may be, there will always be a way out.

Visuals enhance these scenes beyond the book. For this reason, I would re-read the pages in Volume 2 before reading the pages in the book to gain a proper understanding of Carlisle’s story. A very brief but equally rich sequence shows Edward, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, and Alice’s transformations.

Although I preferred the backstories in Volume 2, I still enjoyed the baseball game and the ballet scenes. Ms. Kim used more lines and fluidity to convey suspense and anticipation in her art. As compared to the book, the visuals provide a better picture of what happened. The art was stunning, and it was easy to follow the plot. It was a great adaptation of the book, and I’m looking forward to Volume 3.

A full range of colors was used in the final prom scene. The gorgeous prom dress of Bella and the brilliant brown and bronze hair of Edward and Bella caught your attention. The volume was also closed by a beautiful drawing of twilight/sunset.

Fans of Twilight should read volumes 1 and 2 of the Twilight Graphic Novel. It can't replace the novel, but it still brings the characters to life. Definitely worth checking out.

My surprise is that I enjoy the graphic novel version of Twilight more than the book version. There seemed to be a lot of potential for drama in this type of story.

Twilight graphic novels are adaptations of Twilight novels. The book tells the story of Bella Swan, who arrives in Forks, Washington. One of the most boring decisions she’s ever made. During this time, she meets Edward Cullen, a mysterious and alluring young man. Bella’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. The thought of him won’t leave her mind, and Edward, despite his best efforts to keep her without knowledge of his vampire status, can’t keep his eyes off her either. 

The illustrations of Young Kim are beautiful. There were issues with lettering, speaking bubbles shadowing over characters, etc. My only complaint is that the presentation could have been much better than what it was. Despite plot issues and characterization clichés, it gives a decent summary of events for a good part of the graphic novel.

Another problem is that it’s probably pretty. The characters have the same enormous eyes, cute noses, and cute chins. As a result, it is difficult to tell them apart. In categorical terms, I had to distinguish pretty Edward from pretty Bella by their hair. I also appreciated his occasionally amber-colored eyes. There is no clear sign of what is happening. In the scene where Bella is trapped between a truck and a minivan, we can't witness Edward's rescue - we have to rely on the dialogue to understand it.

The graphic novel gets three stars from me in the end.

Zara Whites has moved just to Maine after witnessing the death of her stepfather. She believes she has a stalker who has also shown up in Maine. There’s something strange about him: he leaves gold dust everywhere he goes. By working with her new friends, she discovers what he wants and how to stop him.

The cover of this book features gold-dusted lips set on a pale face, and dead forest branches creeping up the figure’s neck. I didn’t like the story very much. It’s Twilight redone. As I read, I found the writing to be corny and the plot line to be grating. The plot was so predictable that I could predict the entire story within 30 pages.

I found Zara and the other characters to be superficial, and their conversations to be almost painful to read. Neither of them seem to remember (or know) who they are. I felt it was hard to connect to the characters and their story. This, along with the lack of real depth and meaningful dialogue, left me feeling disappointed.

Primitive urges propel author pixies to target humans, making it hard to empathize with them and painting them as flat antagonists. As a result, it’s difficult to sympathize with them, and they appear one-dimensional villains. It makes Zara’s struggle against them less interesting and meaningful. Though the story contains werewolves, were-eagles, and were-tigers, their significance is not great.

This novel lacks depth in every part - it glosses everything over (except for the meaningless conversations between Zara and her friends). The story lacks a real plot and characters feel hollow and flat. Even the setting is generic and uninteresting.

Overall, this novel is a disappointing read.

Aislinn has been hiding a secret her whole life: She can see fairies, and has resisted attracting their attention for as long as she can remember. Unlike popular belief, fairies are capable of mischief, torture, cruelty, and harm. Despite Aislinn’s best efforts, she found herself stalked by two fairies, Keenan and the Summer King, who had been seeking the lost Queen for decades. Donna, the Winter Girl and ex-lover of Keenan, who always suffered from Keenan’s betrayal. What chance did Aislinn have of being the Summer Queen Keenan was looking for? Which would she choose, a life as a fairy or a mortal life beside her love interest, Seth?

Let’s start with the positives. Marr’s fairy mythology concept intrigued me and I liked the ideas behind it. Although this book isn’t great by any means, her apparent grasp of fae lore and the interesting concept of Summer and Winter Courts makes it worth reading. My favorite parts of the book were the prologue and the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. I appreciate detailed research.

Why did it not work for me? It’s definitely the writing. This book seemed overly simplistic in its sentence structure, but I found the narration itself to be confusing. It was difficult to follow the flow of the sentences within the paragraphs. I didn't feel emotionally attached to any of the characters as well. Aislinn was annoying in the book but got better by the end. Seth was presented as good but had many sexual encounters, and Keenan was uninteresting.

The long-suffering Donia is the only character that holds my interest. It filled the relationship between her and Keenan with conflict and raw emotion, and it is the bright spot in the story for me. Donia’s strength and resilience in the face of adversity make her an interesting protagonist. I root for her and hoping for a happy ending. Her story arc is the most intriguing part of the narrative for me.

The first book of the Wicked Lovely series has potential, but the author had put little effort into making the most of them. In this book, the author shows she did not plan well before beginning the series. The characters are flat, and the world building is weak. As a result, the story lacks depth and does not draw me in.

This series is not something I would discourage anyone from reading. For me, Wicked Lovely didn’t work.

The King of Dreams, the very embodiment of Dream, Morpheus, is back in business. As of right now, he has all his equipment back and all his resources at his disposal. It’s good that he does, since the palace staff, a terrible nightmare, and Fiddler’s Green have disappeared. Obviously, the Dream Lord cannot let the foursome roam free in the human world, so he makes plans to retrieve them.

Although The Sandman has less screen time this time, I have most enjoyed the intrigue of the main story and the thrilling insights into Morpheus’ past.

This 2nd volume follows Rose Walker’s quest to reunite with her estranged little brother, as well as a relationship with a surprise family member. Remember Felicity Kinkaid, the girl who got pregnant and gave birth while Morpheus was imprisoned for 70 years? It turns out the kid was Rose’s mother!

Neil Gaiman writes short stories about cursed love affairs and millennial dates between unlikely friends.

Beware, because Dream is angry, and this is not for the faint of heart.

Now if only I could adjust to the inconsistent illustration style...