A review by mystic_dclouds
Black Is for Beginnings by Laurie Faria Stolarz
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