Spill Zone, by Scott Westerfeld

Savvy's Reviews

Not sure you want to dig into that new book? Let Savvy do the hard work for you! Here's her latest review!

Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld

Reading the Spill Zone graphic novel by Scott Westerfeld, author of Uglies and Pretties, is like reading the storyboard for the next great YA movie. Westerfeld takes us to a New York suburb that has suffered a disaster much like Fukushima or Chernobyl but on a much smaller scale.

“Nobody’s ever really explained the Spill. Was it an angelic visitation? A nanotech accident? A porthole opening from another world? Whatever it was, no one’s allowed in the Spill Zone these days except government scientists and hazmat teams.”

But would that stop a young rebellious teen in today’s day and age? Absolutely not. Especially not when you are suddenly thrust into the role of parent for your kid sister. Sudden orphans, Addison and Lexa (a mute after being in “the zone” during the incident) must find a way to survive as two of the last remaining residents of the land just outside their once bustling hometown of Poughkeepsie, New York.

“Few intrepid explorers know how to sneak through the patrols and steer clear of the dangers inside the Zone. Addison Merrick is one such explorer, dedicated to finding out what happened that night and to unraveling the events that took her parents and left her little sister mute and disconnected from the world.”

Addison is a photographer who ventures into the Zone taking illegal photos of what remains in order to make money so her and her sister, Lexa, can live a somewhat normal life. That is, until a mysterious art dealer enters the picture and offers Addison one million dollars to break all of the rules of the Zone and retrieve something from deep within the hospital; the same hospital where her parents were last seen the night of the spill.

Battling her own demons as well as cats who whisper familiar words, flattened zones, and a demonic wolf straight out of a Little Red Riding Hood horror story, Addison must step up and protect her sister at whatever cost. Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld is a nail biting adventure in post disaster danger, parenting, and self-discovery and sits perfectly alongside books like the Divergent series, The Maze Runner series, and even the Gone series. 

Savvy B. is an avid Young Adult fiction superfan. 

Savvy's Reviews will be archived here, so you can catch up on all her thoughts on her latest reads.

Teen Titans: Raven, by Kami Garcia

Savvy's Reviews

Not sure you want to dig into that new book? Let Savvy do the hard work for you! Here's her latest review!

Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia

 

 

I love graphic novels as much as the next gal, but I always feel like I’m missing huge chunks of the story or plot. Sometimes I feel like important information is cut or shaved down for the sake of fitting it all into the panels. The artwork almost always makes up for it but I’m always left with a feeling of confusion about the storyline or that I missed out on something greater.

Raven, however, left me with nothing but an intense addiction and a craving for more. Luckily I won’t have to wait too long because Teen Titans: Beast Boy is coming out September 8. I’ve always been a smaller fan of Teen Titans but never watched them religiously growing up. To be able to pick up this origin story only solidified my love for Raven and the similarities we share. And I don’t just mean the hair. After all her hair is purple and mine is blue.

We begin our story with the horrific accident that claims the life of Raven Roth’s foster mom, as well as Raven’s memory of her life leading up to the accident. She is then sent to New Orleans to live with her foster mother’s family and finish her senior year of high school. Of course, strange things begin happening all around Raven that she can’t explain. In order to figure out what’s going on inside her own head, Raven must decide to face her past and find out who, or what, she really is. Raven is captivating and leaves no stone unturned. I have to say this might be one of the best graphic novels of the summer.

 

 

 

Savvy B. is an avid Young Adult fiction superfan. 

Savvy's Reviews will be archived here, so you can catch up on all her thoughts on her latest reads.

Thornhill, by Pam Smy

Savvy's Reviews

Not sure you want to dig into that new book? Let Savvy do the hard work for you! Here's her latest review!

Thornhill by Pam Smy

Step into the world, past and present, of Thornhill Institute. Told in letters from an orphan, Mary, living at Thornhill in the 80’s and illustrated through the point of view of a modern day next door neighbor, Ella, Thornhill is a different kind of graphic novel all together .  

With each turn of the page, through Ella’s point of view, we follow a cinematic-like visual which gives the reader the sensation that a jump scare is around every corner. Pam Smy both authors and illustrates Thornhill and shows the loneliness and heartbreak of two similar little girls through their own eyes. 

Quite a few readers have stated that they are disappointed with the way that Thornhill ends. I, unfortunately, have to agree with them. While it’s interesting to get one point of view in writing and the other solely through illustration, I felt absolutely no connection to Ella and was left unfulfilled at how her story ended. 

Overall this was a fun read and did give me chills once or twice. While I feel like I know next to nothing about Ella, I made a genuine connection with Mary’s character. I’d recommend this book but not if you’re looking for a genuine haunted house story in the traditional sense.

Savvy B. is an avid Young Adult fiction superfan. 

Savvy's Reviews will be archived here, so you can catch up on all her thoughts on her latest reads.