Sylvia Douyé

children's graphic fiction (book 1 in series) - Sorceline, a young cryptozoologist apprentice with a knack for being able to identify creatures immediately, competes with other hopefuls to obtain the position of assistant to work alongside Professor Balzar and the mysterious (vampire) Madame S. She quickly discovers that Tara will take credit for other's work, Merode doesn't talk much but probably knows a lot, and may secretly harbor a crush on Sorceline along with a "knight in shining show more armor" Alcide.

Apart from their plot twist "secrets" the characters are fairly cut and dry. Nevertheless, Sorceline, who after awhile suspects she may not be altogether human, is fun to tag along with as she solves a complicated mystery about what exactly is causing all the fey creatures to fall ill, and the shadow-heavy illustrations have plenty of kid appeal.

The plot "twists" and second-guesses get a bit tiresome after a while, but it ends with the cliff hanger of Sorceline falling unconscious and apparently near death after she tries to go home, also Madame S. is possibly her mother and thus the source of Sorceline's special skills so I kind of do want to keep reading...

hoopla October 2024 bonus borrow show less

Imagination runs free as an exciting adventure unfolds from one page to the next.

Sorceline spends most of her time in the forest, learning and exploring. So, when she attends a school for cryptozoology, it's more than right down her line. The toughest problem she faces is the competition with the other students to become the best, which would mean a spot as one of the professor's apprentices. If that wasn't enough, a the other students are disappearing and several mythical creatures are show more suffering from weird diseases. Worse yet, Sorceline fears it might be her fault.

There's a reason this one has already doing well in French. It's a fantastical tale with amazing creatures, a determined heroine, and enough familiarity to make it still easy to connect to. The illustrations are a treat, especially the forest and nature seasons, where the mythical creatures are woven in. Fantasy fans will enjoy gazing at these pictures and find themselves dreaming. Of course, these are illustrations to follow the tale, and they do a wonderful job at that. The characters are presented with emotions and individual traits to deepen the text and expand on every moment.

The text flows very well and balances nicely with the illustrations. Some of the text is done in a type of italic font, which did make it a little more difficult to read, but it also slides right in with the atmosphere. The vocabulary and wording are well placed for the middle grade audience and keep the tension high.

It's a fun story with adventure, secrets, tons of mythical beasts, friendship, and mystery too. In other words, this one is worth taking a glance at and more. show less

Two of the biggest mysteries have been solved for Sorceline and her crew, but new revelations are still popping up. Also, the layout for pages 60 – 61 is TERRIBLE there is no reading direction indicated.

Overall, this was dark and emotional and didn’t shy away from the implications of death. It honestly may be too intense for younger readers. The ending went in an interesting direction, so I’d read book 3.

I really wanted to like this book, but I just can't look past it's many glaring flaws.

The bad: The plot moves at a constant break-neck pace, oftentimes covering multiple plot points in a single page. There's exposition in all the wrong places, forgettable creatures and tidbits are discussed at length while central characters are left ambiguous and generic. The mystery lurches around in circles before leaving you with a disappointing climax. The dialog itself is very awkward but I figure this show more is a translation issue.

The good: The main selling point for me are the illustrations. The artwork is vibrant and sucks you in, with tons of small details to keep you occupied. However, the panels are so cramped that it's very difficult to get a good look at them. Something cool they do is reference back to images earlier in the book as clues for the mystery. I think this is super cool and I wish the story was competent enough to play off of it.

All-in-all I did not enjoy this book. I understand it's for a younger audience, but if I would have read this years ago I feel that I would have had a similar reaction. It's a great idea ruined with bad pacing, boring characters, and an excessively complex but poorly written story. show less