samidhak's review against another edition
2.0
This was definitely the most boring of all the books I've read in this series. More focused on the family drama and less on the keys. Hope #4 will be better
saramarie08's review against another edition
5.0
Illustrated by Gabriel Rodríguez
In this volume, we see some of the consequences of Kinsey not having any fear. Two fellow students tell her they’ve seen her dad's name on the wall in the Drowning Cave, and she doesn’t hesitate to follow them and plunge into the freezing water to find the inscription. Meanwhile, Zack/Dodge continues his search for the key to the Black Door. He tries to enlist the help of Sam the Lesser’s spirit, still stuck on the grounds without a body. Zack finds the Shadow Key instead and wrecks havoc on the kids, who are home alone. We also see the increasing alcohol consumption of Nina, and how each of her kids deal with her alcoholism.
I’m astonished by just how much gets accomplished on even one page of this story. This book is only 152 pages long and each one is packed full of content, story development, and magic. There are several pages in a row of a fight scene, and they are beautifully drawn and colored. The fight sequence is easy to follow, which is not always the case for comics. I am excited every time someone finds a new key because I'm so intrigued by what they can do. These keys don't have ordinary magical powers. Who ever thought of a key that leads you to a room where you can control shadows? The ingenuity of this world is always striking and interesting.
This title is for older teen audiences and above. There is liberal use of the "f' word, violence with some blood shed, and a lot of alcohol through Nina's arc.
Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 11-12
Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2
Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.
In this volume, we see some of the consequences of Kinsey not having any fear. Two fellow students tell her they’ve seen her dad's name on the wall in the Drowning Cave, and she doesn’t hesitate to follow them and plunge into the freezing water to find the inscription. Meanwhile, Zack/Dodge continues his search for the key to the Black Door. He tries to enlist the help of Sam the Lesser’s spirit, still stuck on the grounds without a body. Zack finds the Shadow Key instead and wrecks havoc on the kids, who are home alone. We also see the increasing alcohol consumption of Nina, and how each of her kids deal with her alcoholism.
I’m astonished by just how much gets accomplished on even one page of this story. This book is only 152 pages long and each one is packed full of content, story development, and magic. There are several pages in a row of a fight scene, and they are beautifully drawn and colored. The fight sequence is easy to follow, which is not always the case for comics. I am excited every time someone finds a new key because I'm so intrigued by what they can do. These keys don't have ordinary magical powers. Who ever thought of a key that leads you to a room where you can control shadows? The ingenuity of this world is always striking and interesting.
This title is for older teen audiences and above. There is liberal use of the "f' word, violence with some blood shed, and a lot of alcohol through Nina's arc.
Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 11-12
Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2
Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.
smalefowles's review against another edition
5.0
The series is getting better, so it only seemed fair to give this five stars. This plot is definitely getting more Lovecraftian, which I should have expected from the town's name. The characters are very well delineated (ha) and likable.
I'm also a big fan of the endnotes that include historical letters showing the origin of the keys. That's a nice piece of backstory presented succinctly and yet mysteriously.
Difficult to keep from just tearing through the second half of the series, but I have so many other books I should be reading.
I'm also a big fan of the endnotes that include historical letters showing the origin of the keys. That's a nice piece of backstory presented succinctly and yet mysteriously.
Difficult to keep from just tearing through the second half of the series, but I have so many other books I should be reading.
thereistime's review against another edition
5.0
This series just gets better and better with each volume. This is definitely the best so far.
ktxx22's review against another edition
5.0
The artwork is so good!!! The shadows in this!! Also as more keys come into the picture I’m just enthralled unfortunately for book 4 I have to wait a couple of weeks, don’t want to but that’s what happens lol. I’m binging this series. So good.
melbsreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Trigger warnings: addiction, alcohol abuse, child abuse, grief, death of a parent (in the past), violence.
The kids are still delightful and I really feel for Kensey in this volume. This was a tough read for several reasons, but the way that their mother is dealing with her grief makes it a particularly challenging instalment of the series. Definitely more heartbreaking than I anticipated.
The kids are still delightful and I really feel for Kensey in this volume. This was a tough read for several reasons, but the way that their mother is dealing with her grief makes it a particularly challenging instalment of the series. Definitely more heartbreaking than I anticipated.
lisa_and_her_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
gabyelle97's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. The way Joe Hill addresses very real and personal issues in the face of tragedy is incredible. He takes very real feelings and emotions and puts them to the forefront of his characters making them incredibly complex but loveable. Nina is struggling with alcohol and her intense feelings and emotions are wiggling their way into her children’s lives. She just wants to fix her family but is so emotionally broken she has no idea where to go or what to do. This is something incredibly real and is what thousands of people go through on a daily basis and I commend Joe Hill for addressing these issues in a complex yet very real setting.
magbb's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0