Thursday, November 3, 2011

Jessi Reviews "Anya's Ghost" by Vera Brosgol

Title/Author: Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
Publisher/Year: First Second, 2011
How I Got This: Library copy 
Why I Read It: Totally grabbed my attention while I was searching the YA section 
Rating: 5 Stars 

Synopsis: Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend wasn't one of them. Especially not a new friend who's been dead for a century. 

Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya's normal life might actually be worse. She's embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she's pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend--even a dead one--is just what she needs. 


But Anya's new B.F.F. isn't kidding about the "forever" part...

Review: Wow. Where to start with this...

This is the first graphic novel I've ever read. It caught my eye as I was browsing through the library the other day, and I thought it was about time for me to try a graphic novel, so I picked it up.

And let me just say this--I LOVED it. It was SO flipping good. I have to admit (even though this is going to make me sound ridiculous), I never really had too much desire to read graphic novels, only because they seemed like glorified comic books to me. Well, silly me, now I want to read every one I can get my hands on.

This one was so good for a number of reasons. First of all, I really enjoyed the illustrations. C'mon now, the graphics are probably the most important part of a graphic novel, and these were phenomenal. They were nice and smooth; there was just enough detail without it being overwhelming. Not only that, but the emotions of the characters were crystal clear without having to come out and state "So-and-so was feeling whatever." Also, I LOVED the fact that this was done entirely in shades of black and white. I honestly didn't even notice that lack of color until about 3/4 of the way through. It was just that vivid for me.

The story itself was great, too. Here we have a teenage girl who is struggling to fit in at high school and trying to figure out just who she is in a cultural sense, as well. Anyone who has ever been a teenager or dealt with teenagers will be able to sympathize with Anya, but at the same time, you can't help but laugh at some of the stuff that comes out of her mouth. And can we talk about that ghost story? Holy twist I didn't see coming! I actually got pretty nervous there for a bit--that Emily chick is pretty scary! I flew through the pages. This is definitely a novel capable of being read in one sitting. You'll WANT to read it all in one sitting, it's THAT good.

--Jessi

11 comments:

  1. I've been wanting to read this for so long! I'm glad to hear it's good :)

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  2. She is an amazing artist. I bought some of her prints years ago and love them. So cute and fun.

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  3. I've not had any desire to read a graphic novel either. I have read a couple, but they aren't my favorite. This one has gotten such great reviews that I know I need to try it. Thanks!

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  4. Ooh, this one looks great--I'm totally hooked by that blurb.

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  5. Annette, it is fantastic. I had to go back to the beginning to start over when I finished it.

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  6. I'm officially commiting to read this book before year end. I really enjoyed Persopolis (which was my first graphic novel) and I continue to hear good things about Anya's Ghost! Thanks for the nudge...

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  7. I don't have anything against graphic novels, it's just rare to find one that really appeals to me. This sounds great, though. I'll definitely have to give it a shot.

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  8. I was never very interested in graphic novels- I haven't even read the one my cousin illustrated. But this one sounds pretty damn amazing, a definite TBR. Thanks for the rec!

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  9. I had that same opinion about graphic novels being glorified comic books. Now, I'm feeling a lil different...

    I wouldn't pick this one per say, just because I don't do scary normally. But still. This looks awesomesauce.

    - Asher (from Paranormal Indulgence)

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  10. If you need a suggestion for your next graphic novel, Persepolis is really good. I've also been hearing good things about Habibi. If you like fantasy at all, I can't recommend Neil Gaiman's Sand Man series enough.

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  11. I am so glad that you like Anya's Ghost. I selected for our Mock Printz reading list and I just had a conversation with two of my readers today about the book. They didn't think that they wanted to read it. I will go back armed with your comments in my head the next time someone complains about it.

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