Enrica Eren Angiolini

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

After finishing The Shades of Magic trilogy I wanted more and naturally, the graphic novels series beckoned. I was eager to learn more about Maxim Maresh before he became King and father to Rhys and adoptive father to Kel. In the trilogy, he seemed to be someone who was always so in control, always knew what to do and the idea of him being sent somewhere to “cut his military teeth” in The Steel Prince (let’s be honest that’s just royal talk for he’s done something he shouldn’t and his dad is pissed) just doesn’t jive with him as an adult. The events of these graphic novels are alluded to in the books, and I love that V. E. Schwab decided to explore Maxim and Isra’s past. It’s the perfect way to explore the history of Red London and add a different dynamic to the world she’s created.

I found that this first volume was the weakest out of the three graphic novels though as it focuses more on Maxim arriving in the Blood Coast of Verose and finding his place among the soldiers. Compared to the next two volumes it just feels quite lacklustre.

For more of my reviews please visit my blog!… (more)

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

The events of the legendary Night of Knives as so mentioned in The Shades of Magic trilogy are finally revealed. A night so mysterious and deadly that it is only mentioned once, briefly in conversation, and all we know about it is that only one person survived the entire night; Maxim. In The Night of Knives, the second graphic novel volume, we find out what really happened and the sinister events that happened behind the myth. We get to see Maxim becoming the king we know from the trilogy and glimpses of his sons in him as he fights for survival when the odds are completely stacked against him. While Maxim seems nothing like Rhys and Kel in The Shades of Magic trilogy, this volume begins to show that the two generations really aren’t that different and while he may have seemed strict with them, perhaps it was because he saw some of himself in them quite often.


For more of my reviews please visit my blog!… (more)

It was OK. I never finished the Shades of Magic novels, but I plan to. This is a prequel series about Rhy’s dad (the king in Shades) in his youth, and once I found that out, I wasn’t sure how interested I was. The story was fine, but so much of it involved the kind of magic different characters had and how they fought with it, and it was really hard to tell what was happening with this style of artwork. It looked colorful and pretty, but I couldn’t tell what they were doing in the action scenes.… (more)