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kimbongiorno's review against another edition
4.0
Addison's life was forever altered when she lost her parents--and her kid sister's desire to speak--because of a disastrous, mysterious spill in Poughkeepsie. She has been sneaking into the blocked-off zone to photograph the madness inside and secretly selling the images to support what's left of her family. When gets an offer she can't refuse, even though it breaks her #1 rule of entering the Spill Zone, will she take it? What could happen if she does? What could happen if she didn't come back from the assignment--or if she did?
You will want to fly through this one, get answers to the questions you have, but you cannot. You need to take it slow, let your eyes drink in every expression, every scene, every inch of the environments the characters move through.
There is so much to see and learn from the visuals of this graphic novel, which tie in to the text in a way I haven't seen before. The color choices are glorious and meaningful and unnerving at times. The prose is spare, but causes the mind to whirl. I need to read what comes next for Addison and her little sister, as well as all the other characters who made themselves come alive around them. I need my questions answered.
You will want to fly through this one, get answers to the questions you have, but you cannot. You need to take it slow, let your eyes drink in every expression, every scene, every inch of the environments the characters move through.
There is so much to see and learn from the visuals of this graphic novel, which tie in to the text in a way I haven't seen before. The color choices are glorious and meaningful and unnerving at times. The prose is spare, but causes the mind to whirl. I need to read what comes next for Addison and her little sister, as well as all the other characters who made themselves come alive around them. I need my questions answered.
whitebreadgf's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Picked this up randomly, and the art style is extremely stunning - especially the colour palettes. Each setting is given it's own distinct but cohesive colour palette which draws you into the world. The mood of the spill is so beautiful, like really bright and colourful but obviously still creepy and absurd. Looked into the illustrator and he has worked as a vis dev artist for Dreamworks which is awesome, he's so talented. The story I also liked, dystopian stuff hits different and it leaves on a cliff hanger, so I'm excited to finish this 2 parter.
magnusreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
spooky spooky, the tension was good!
deschatjes's review against another edition
3.0
The kids that like creepy scary books are going to love this one. Great art work and the colorist is excellent. My main complaint is the same as that for the secret coder GNs - it ends on a cliffhanger but before we've had any kind of a completion of a self contained story. This is very annoying - especially for kids and particularly because the time lag between books in the GN world is so long.
Review based on a review copy given by Net Galley.
Review based on a review copy given by Net Galley.
ihateprozac's review against another edition
3.0
I’m a hoe for any kind of Chernobyl/Annihilation-esque catastrophic event, so of course I was down to give this a go.
And I’m suuuuper intrigued by the story and changes to reality inside the Spill Zone. Add a two dimensional suburb, a sentient creepy doll, and a motorbike riding photographer, and you’ve sold me.
The art style isn’t super clear and isn’t really my jam, so unfortunately this book lost points for some confusing panels and action sequences.
But it was a quick read and I love Scott Westerfeld’s novels, so I’ll give part 2 a go.
And I’m suuuuper intrigued by the story and changes to reality inside the Spill Zone. Add a two dimensional suburb, a sentient creepy doll, and a motorbike riding photographer, and you’ve sold me.
The art style isn’t super clear and isn’t really my jam, so unfortunately this book lost points for some confusing panels and action sequences.
But it was a quick read and I love Scott Westerfeld’s novels, so I’ll give part 2 a go.
mothmans_secretary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
true14216's review against another edition
5.0
I can't wait to read the next one. Throughout the book I kept wanting to know more and about the spill zone.
sallad96's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.5
this was way creepier than I was expecting but I was hooked. great choice carl (aka sexy baby)!
hphilips's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book in Dutch, but will write the review in English.
OH WOW, this book was just amazing. Sure, I wasn’t a big fan of the art, but the story, wow. Scott Westerfield has done it again, he wrote an engaging, creepy, spooky book that makes me want to read more (now if only the library I got this one from had the rest).
Welcome to a world with Spills. What are spills? Well, no one actually knows. There are 2 of them, one near where Addison lives, and one in Korea. The one in Korea was apparently a tiny one, well, if you compare it to the Spill where Addison and her sister live. That one is just hell on earth. How do we know that? Well, Addison likes to go there, or maybe not like, but she has to for her job. She is photographer and makes a good buck with going to the zone and shooting pictures of the strange stuff that happens there. From zombies (floating and apparently not that aggressive) to rats (aggressive) to monsters to just random stuff floating and doing scary things. There is also a place where everything is flat, and I am sorry, but I found that one much more scary than the rest. The idea that you can just turn flat and never escape (like that one person we see). shiversHorrific.
Of course, Addison work is highly illegal. No one is allowed to get into the Spill. No one. But Addison has to take care of her little sister and thus needs money. And you know that for money people do the strangest things.
Plus she gets an even more important job later on, that makes everything even more crazy and dangerous. Not to mention, Addison has to forego her rules to go to that place. Don’t engage with the floaty zombies, and not to leave her bike. And, there may just be a chance to see her mom. I know I was on the edge of my bed reading this, praying she would be safe, but also that she wouldn’t see her parents.
I loved Addison, she was just such a wonderful character, not afraid to say what she wants, and how can I resist a girl who can ride a motorcycle like she can. Plus, I loved how she cared for her sister, and even brought something extra when she had to leave a bit longer. Cupcakes are definitely the way to anyone’s heart!
Someone is also worried about Addison, or is it more than just that? I hope we see a bit more development in that area in the next books.
Addison’s sister’s doll was supercreepy, and I was wondering if everyone heard her, or just Addison’s sister.
I still have tons of questions, mainly about the Spill. What happened there? Will it happen again? Is there a cure or a fix for it? What is up with that Korean guy and his powers? What happened to Addison’s sister? What is up with that creepy as hell doll and what did she mean with fiance? What happened to Addison/her sister’s parents (did they die or are they somewhere, hiding)? Cna you stop the Spill from spreading?
As I said, the art wasn’t my favourite. The parts in the Spill were pretty nicely done, but I just wasn’t a fan of the character designs.
Oh, and this one was much more exciting and creepy than I had thought given the blurb. I even had to read something more lighthearted afterwards to make sure I could sleep. Sorry, something about dolls wandering around and that Spill stuff creeped me out way too much.
All in all, I hope to find the other books so I can continue reading. crosses fingers
Of course, I would also recommend this book. Spooky, creepy, mysterious.
Review first posted https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
OH WOW, this book was just amazing. Sure, I wasn’t a big fan of the art, but the story, wow. Scott Westerfield has done it again, he wrote an engaging, creepy, spooky book that makes me want to read more (now if only the library I got this one from had the rest).
Welcome to a world with Spills. What are spills? Well, no one actually knows. There are 2 of them, one near where Addison lives, and one in Korea. The one in Korea was apparently a tiny one, well, if you compare it to the Spill where Addison and her sister live. That one is just hell on earth. How do we know that? Well, Addison likes to go there, or maybe not like, but she has to for her job. She is photographer and makes a good buck with going to the zone and shooting pictures of the strange stuff that happens there. From zombies (floating and apparently not that aggressive) to rats (aggressive) to monsters to just random stuff floating and doing scary things. There is also a place where everything is flat, and I am sorry, but I found that one much more scary than the rest. The idea that you can just turn flat and never escape (like that one person we see). shiversHorrific.
Of course, Addison work is highly illegal. No one is allowed to get into the Spill. No one. But Addison has to take care of her little sister and thus needs money. And you know that for money people do the strangest things.
Plus she gets an even more important job later on, that makes everything even more crazy and dangerous. Not to mention, Addison has to forego her rules to go to that place. Don’t engage with the floaty zombies, and not to leave her bike. And, there may just be a chance to see her mom. I know I was on the edge of my bed reading this, praying she would be safe, but also that she wouldn’t see her parents.
I loved Addison, she was just such a wonderful character, not afraid to say what she wants, and how can I resist a girl who can ride a motorcycle like she can. Plus, I loved how she cared for her sister, and even brought something extra when she had to leave a bit longer. Cupcakes are definitely the way to anyone’s heart!
Someone is also worried about Addison, or is it more than just that? I hope we see a bit more development in that area in the next books.
Addison’s sister’s doll was supercreepy, and I was wondering if everyone heard her, or just Addison’s sister.
I still have tons of questions, mainly about the Spill. What happened there? Will it happen again? Is there a cure or a fix for it? What is up with that Korean guy and his powers? What happened to Addison’s sister? What is up with that creepy as hell doll and what did she mean with fiance? What happened to Addison/her sister’s parents (did they die or are they somewhere, hiding)? Cna you stop the Spill from spreading?
As I said, the art wasn’t my favourite. The parts in the Spill were pretty nicely done, but I just wasn’t a fan of the character designs.
Oh, and this one was much more exciting and creepy than I had thought given the blurb. I even had to read something more lighthearted afterwards to make sure I could sleep. Sorry, something about dolls wandering around and that Spill stuff creeped me out way too much.
All in all, I hope to find the other books so I can continue reading. crosses fingers
Of course, I would also recommend this book. Spooky, creepy, mysterious.
Review first posted https://twirlingbookprincess.com/