When it comes to balancing school, work, and personal life, I know it's difficult to find time to read for fun. That's why graphic novels are my favorite solution. You can get a whole, beautiful story in about one sitting. Here are some of the titles you must check out.
Teen Titans: Raven
As the first in a new graphic novel series by Kami Garcia, Raven delivers on all fronts. The story is excellent, the art is beautiful, and as someone who isn't very familiar with Teen Titans, it was a lot of fun to find out about Raven's origin story. There's dark magic, lost souls, and some high school drama - what more could you want?
Ye
A boy who cannot speak goes on a journey when he finds out he has been marked by the Colorless King, and the resulting story is gorgeous beyond belief. You meet pirates and clowns, and Ye proves to be a strong, compassionate character. The illustrations are breathtaking. Each panel has so much detail, you'll find yourself flipping back and finding cool little moments you missed.
Grimoire Noir
Magic and mystery is one of my favorite combinations, and this book blends the two together quite well. When Bucky's little sister Heidi goes missing, he begins to investigate the local witch coven that propositioned her before the disappearance. Although the world built in this book is fascinating and the story is interesting, you have to read this for the stunning art. I want full size prints of some of these pages.
Nancy Drew: The Palace of Wisdom
I might have already talked about this book, but man, it deserves another shout out. This is the first volume of comics in a Nancy Drew reboot by Kelly Thompson, and to be perfectly frank (Hardy) I think it's one of the best versions. Nancy and the gang are a little older and able to get into a whole lot of trouble as they investigate a cold case that could be linked to the death of Nancy's mom. My absolute favorite detail in this is how Nancy tends to handle things by herself, which causes a lot of issues with her friends and sometimes impedes solving the case. This is Nancy Drew at her most real and relatable.
Bloom
Ari doesn't want to help out at his family's bakery anymore. He just wants to move to the city and make music with his band. He hires Hector, a guy who loves to bake, to help out with the shop, and the two bond as they work. This has everything I want in a story. There's romance, baked goods, and characters making mistakes that drive the plot along. The art is gorgeous as well, using shades of teal to tell this lovely tale.
They Called Us Enemy
Okay so truth be told, I haven't read this yet. However, I already know I am going to love it and it is going to break me. George Takei writes about his family's time in a Japanese internment camp during WWII. I have a lot of books piled up on my to read stack, but this is the one I am most looking forward to reading.
