In the Shadows by Jim Di Bartolo, Kiersten White Published by Scholastic Point on April 29th 2014
Genres: Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Horror, YA, Young Adult
Goodreads
From the remarkable imagination of acclaimed artist Jim Di Bartolo and the exquisite pen of bestselling author Kiersten White comes a spellbinding story of love, mystery, and dark conspiracy, told in an alternating narrative of words and pictures.
Cora and Minnie are sisters living in a small, stifling town where strange and mysterious things occur. Their mother runs the local boarding house. Their father is gone. The woman up the hill may or may not be a witch.
Thomas and Charles are brothers who’ve been exiled to the boarding house so Thomas can tame his ways and Charles can fight an illness that is killing him with increasing speed. Their family history is one of sorrow and guilt. They think they can escape from it . . . but they can’t.
I have no words to even begin describing the awesomeness that is In the Shadows. I don’t think I can even properly describe the plot without saying too much. I want everyone to go into this completely blind, like I did, because it’s much more enjoyable that way.
But alas, I should probably tell you something about what you’re getting into. BUT I don’t think I can do that so instead, how about a list of why you should read In the Shadows?
1. It is awesome. You should probably read it for this reason alone.
2. The illustrations. The illustrations are just gorgeous and tell a whole tale of their own, separate from the text, until they weave together to make one complete and freakin’ awesome story.
3. The writing. For a horror/fantasy novel, In the Shadows has almost lyrical writing. The writing was just intricate and beautiful.
4. The characters. Each character was unique and intricately written. I loved reading all the different point of views and seeing all the characters through each other’s eyes. I loved each interaction, meaningful look and giggle.
5. The ending. I know this shouldn’t count as a category but I think it was how the book ended that really sold me on it. Like I mentioned earlier, the illustrations told a tale of their own that was separate from the text but at the end, the illustrations and text weaved together in what I can only call magic.
Overall, In the Shadows was an awesome graphic novel that I recommend to people who want some awesome in their lives, so by that I mean everyone. I definitely consider In the Shadows a new favourite and I hope that you will too!
