impybelle's review
4.0
Either I missed one of the BiFN books somewhere along the way or I completely blocked the plot of one from memory. Even with that, I still adored BifB. The artwork is gorgeous. The story works for the format and I'm going to have to hunt this one down at the store and buy it soon.
merlin_reads's review
1.0
I don't even know.
This book shouldn't even exist. It did nothing except tie everything up all pretty with no real substance. Honestly, I felt like I was reading an Archie comic. Like the tales of Betty & Veronica. And these characters, no way in hell are they college students. They are twelve...seriously.
Over half of this book was information we already knew, just now it was accompanied by horrible artwork. I did giggle at the 'Presenting Tim' page...oh the cowboy hat. And is it weird that I kind of want a pizza place where they serve you in a jail cell? Kind of a cool idea.
To call this part of the series is ridiculous. Overall, all of this information could have been added to the last book in a short chapter...like an epilogue or something. But to make it an entire "book" was pointless.
This book shouldn't even exist. It did nothing except tie everything up all pretty with no real substance. Honestly, I felt like I was reading an Archie comic. Like the tales of Betty & Veronica. And these characters, no way in hell are they college students. They are twelve...seriously.
Over half of this book was information we already knew, just now it was accompanied by horrible artwork. I did giggle at the 'Presenting Tim' page...oh the cowboy hat. And is it weird that I kind of want a pizza place where they serve you in a jail cell? Kind of a cool idea.
To call this part of the series is ridiculous. Overall, all of this information could have been added to the last book in a short chapter...like an epilogue or something. But to make it an entire "book" was pointless.
lazygal's review
2.0
This wasn't the complete book, but a "Special Preview"... as graphic novels go, this one was relatively easy to read (they're not my favorite "genre"). As plots go, the repetitiveness was annoying. I know this is supposed to be backstory, but filling in heavy portions of What Happened Earlier (aka "Previously on [series:]") doesn't make the book better, it just makes it longer.
caffeineandcatnapsreads's review
2.0
Black is for Beginners, by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Another re-read from my high school days.
2/5⭐️⭐️
TRIGGER WARNINGS-
.
.
.
memory loss
The last book in the 5 book series, Blue is for Nightmares
I didn't like how it was a graphic novel. It felt kind of lacking and empty. There wasn't any real wrap up and you are left with some questions about what's going on with some characters. It was a very fast and quick read and felt like a hurriedly written conclusion.
Another re-read from my high school days.
2/5⭐️⭐️
TRIGGER WARNINGS-
.
.
.
memory loss
The last book in the 5 book series, Blue is for Nightmares
I didn't like how it was a graphic novel. It felt kind of lacking and empty. There wasn't any real wrap up and you are left with some questions about what's going on with some characters. It was a very fast and quick read and felt like a hurriedly written conclusion.
mystic_dclouds's review
2.0
Black is for Beginnings is a graphic novel contrary to how the previous installments were written in the Blue is for Nightmares series. Furthermore, it reads more like an entire summary to the series rather than a new installment or closure to the series.
I enjoyed the plot in the first four books of this series, however the plot in this graphic novel is almost nonexistent. Riddled with multiple flashbacks and summaries of past events that have occurred, this short graphic novel fails to deliver its own story. Instead it piggybacks on retelling past events and using them to justify the current happenings and near future quite vaguely. The main plot can be said to be very simple without any buildup and flow. With the nightmares or dreams Stacey was having, I couldn’t place where the mystery element was or what the nightmares were trying to tell Stacey – it felt random and was not explained. Additionally, it was hard to justify and accept Stacey and Jacob’s relationship at the end, especially with how confused and unclear Jacob was without all his memories still throughout the graphic novel.
Although we see a new cast of characters in this graphic novel that are related to Stacey and Jacob’s past, their interactions are limited. Unfortunately, the new characters are simply characterized as good or bad upon their introductions without any further explanation. It was disappointing to see as there could have been more growth and involvement from these new characters.
The graphic novel format did not work for me. Given the first four books were written novels this installment felt out of place. The artwork was okay but too dark for me as well as there were too many words per page without any real context. Most of the pages had a side panel with extra information that was previously mentioned in prior books and the majority of this story dwelled on the past instead of the future. The story felt choppy and awkward without any real flow between the panels and transitions.
Overall, this was an installment I think would have been best skipped. There was no real story in this graphic novel and it tried to tie everything up with no real substance. It seemed rushed and was an unsatisfying end to a good series.
Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf
I enjoyed the plot in the first four books of this series, however the plot in this graphic novel is almost nonexistent. Riddled with multiple flashbacks and summaries of past events that have occurred, this short graphic novel fails to deliver its own story. Instead it piggybacks on retelling past events and using them to justify the current happenings and near future quite vaguely. The main plot can be said to be very simple without any buildup and flow. With the nightmares or dreams Stacey was having, I couldn’t place where the mystery element was or what the nightmares were trying to tell Stacey – it felt random and was not explained. Additionally, it was hard to justify and accept Stacey and Jacob’s relationship at the end, especially with how confused and unclear Jacob was without all his memories still throughout the graphic novel.
Although we see a new cast of characters in this graphic novel that are related to Stacey and Jacob’s past, their interactions are limited. Unfortunately, the new characters are simply characterized as good or bad upon their introductions without any further explanation. It was disappointing to see as there could have been more growth and involvement from these new characters.
The graphic novel format did not work for me. Given the first four books were written novels this installment felt out of place. The artwork was okay but too dark for me as well as there were too many words per page without any real context. Most of the pages had a side panel with extra information that was previously mentioned in prior books and the majority of this story dwelled on the past instead of the future. The story felt choppy and awkward without any real flow between the panels and transitions.
Overall, this was an installment I think would have been best skipped. There was no real story in this graphic novel and it tried to tie everything up with no real substance. It seemed rushed and was an unsatisfying end to a good series.
Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf
starbound's review
4.0
I wish it was in normal book format and not a graphic novel, but couldn't miss the story, so I bought it anyway. I liked it, though.
heyshay07's review
1.0
I was waiting for the first book of the series, Blue is for Nightmares, and was told this was the prequell. Its not and I pretty much just got a summary of the entire series without reading it. It didn't seem very impressive but I should probably reserve judgment until I read the series. However, this book doesn't make it seen anything more than an angst driven teen romance and I am over the Twilight genre. Also, not the most exciting graphic novel not that I am big or knowledgable on graphic novels.
read_with_riley's review
1.0
I didn't even read this whole book, but it was really stupid. All the other books were summarized in the beginning and th rest of it was just idiotic, not worth my time, because it's obvious that's how it's going to end.