A review by olivercrieger
The Wizerd Vol. 1, Volume 1: And the Potion of Dreams! by Michael Sweater
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating 3.5/5–why does goodreads still not give the option of half-star ratings?!
The good stuff:
—The artwork was brilliant: colorful, movement-filled, easy to follow, and fascinating to look at. I get the impression that someone could read this book over and over and find new details in the artwork every time.
—The actual plot was fun: the wizerd having to leave the comfort of their home and go out to to face the real world, if you will, against their better judgement, and then having a bunch of adventures along the way is my cup of tea.
—I liked the relationship between the wizerd, the barbarian child (Princess Wallace), and the archer.
—I loved that socially-normalized gender expectations were thrown out the window and everything just went on without it being a big deal. Side note: can we do that in real life, please?
The stuff that bothered me:
—Some things seemed to be rushed. For instance, there was no indication that the archer was insecure about their archery skills until, mid-fight, they were unsure if they’d be able to make a shot. The story about the the wizerd’s father’s wand came up a couple of times in a way that seemed like it would be significant, but then it that story line seemed to be resolved, no big deal.
—It got pretty chaotic toward the end, and the story resolution was a little unsatisfying.
—Some of the jokes fell flat to me, but then I’m probably not the target audience.
I think my middle-grade library patrons will get a huge kick out of this book. Overall, I’m looking forward to the next installment.
Actual rating 3.5/5–why does goodreads still not give the option of half-star ratings?!
The good stuff:
—The artwork was brilliant: colorful, movement-filled, easy to follow, and fascinating to look at. I get the impression that someone could read this book over and over and find new details in the artwork every time.
—The actual plot was fun: the wizerd having to leave the comfort of their home and go out to to face the real world, if you will, against their better judgement, and then having a bunch of adventures along the way is my cup of tea.
—I liked the relationship between the wizerd, the barbarian child (Princess Wallace), and the archer.
—I loved that socially-normalized gender expectations were thrown out the window and everything just went on without it being a big deal. Side note: can we do that in real life, please?
The stuff that bothered me:
—Some things seemed to be rushed. For instance, there was no indication that the archer was insecure about their archery skills until, mid-fight, they were unsure if they’d be able to make a shot. The story about the the wizerd’s father’s wand came up a couple of times in a way that seemed like it would be significant, but then it that story line seemed to be resolved, no big deal.
—It got pretty chaotic toward the end, and the story resolution was a little unsatisfying.
—Some of the jokes fell flat to me, but then I’m probably not the target audience.
I think my middle-grade library patrons will get a huge kick out of this book. Overall, I’m looking forward to the next installment.