Katie Cook

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)

It's been a year since teenagers Callie Benson and Declan Hickey journeyed into the Elder Woods to save Callie's father ... and came back with both a budding new relationship, and an honest-to-goodness posse (both Lasser and Radish have definitely grown on me!). Now high school graduates, Declan works at the Bensons' antiquities shop in the magical realm, which Callie co-owns with her dad. Lasser has made himself at home show more in the broom closet, and Radish is a sworn protector of both "my lady" and "sir."

During an impromptu visit to see Callie's uncle Maddy, a fellow fairy, plant lover, and self-proclaimed professor, Declan begins to experiment with his fae magic, cause his lovely pink wings to spark and catch on fire ("hot wings," lol). As it just so happens, none other than Laurel Poppyfield - the matriarch of the oldest and most esteemed fairy family - is holding a death day celebration, and there's bound to be loads of magical healers in attendance. The journey will be fraught - but it might just lead to more magical self-discovery for both Callie and Declan.

NOTHING SPECIAL continues to be one of the most gosh-darn special comics on WEBTOON. Katie Cook has a delightful sense of humor, and she sprinkles her comics with so many amusing details and pop culture references that it's hard to catch them all. (Seriously, I re-read Volume 1 before starting Volume 2, and I picked up on so many more fun flourishes the second time around.)

I especially love Lasser and Radish, who have both grown and evolved in their own ways. (See, old dogs can learn new tricks! Even in the afterlife!) Radish has come to accept Declan as a fellow Callie-worshipper, and Lasser has moved on from Callie ... possibly to a handsome tradesman named Quinn? Hopefully reading all those fantasy romance novels (courtesy of Declan's late grandmother, rip) will pay off.

I was also delighted to learn that Declan is a vegetarian, and my heart cheered when Radish liberated his fellow plant souls from their captivity in trendy ghost lanterns.

My only complaint? We never find out what became of the spirit of Declan's tree after he sells his grandmother's house! There's a hulking spirit lurking in the background of later panels, so I have my suspicions, but Cook doesn't say for sure. show less

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley.)

For seventeen-year-old Callie Benson, the high school experience has been especially ... challenging. She can see the echos of plants and animals who have died but not yet moved on - and her furtive conversations with invisible spirits have earned her the reputation of the "crazy" girl on campus. Her father is a demon who's always gone, traveling between the human world and other realms in search of magical objects for show more his antiques store. Her mother - well, Callie doesn't know much about her; it's just been Callie and her father for as long as she can remember. Callie knows that she's not human - at least not entirely - but beyond that, she's not sure what she is. Just that she's nothing special.

Callie's world opens up when she discovers that a fellow classmate named Declan can see the spirits, too. Callie helps him gently dispel an especially giant spirit who has camped out in front of his house (and, more alarmingly, watches him sleep at night), and the two become fast friends. When Callie's dad goes missing on her birthday, she and Declan enter the other world in search of him. With the help of a demon named Lasser and the spirit of one very possessive radish, can Callie rescue her father - while also coming to terms with what she is?

NOTHING SPECIAL is one very special strip. (Sorry, I had to.) The storytelling is magical, and I especially love the spirits that follow Callie around. (A sassy radish? Sign me up!) The mystery of Callie's lineage is a juicy one and I enjoyed the big reveal with her mom at the end. Cook's artwork is charming with just the right amount of cutesy mixed in. Bonus points for bonding over pop culture references.

You can also find it on Webtoons, where Katie Cook is already well into Season Three. (This book comprises Season One, chapters 1-29.) show less

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley.)

In which NOTHING SPECIAL continues to be one of the cutest, coziest, most magical and charming comics on WEBTOON.

Volume Three of Katie Cook's strip picks up right where Volume 2 left off. Callie, Declan, Radish, and Lasser have arrived at Laurel Poppyfield's death day celebration. But once they crash the gates, Declan finds so much more than just a healer to patch up his (hot!) wing - for better or worse, he rediscovers show more his magical lineage, too. As it just so happens, his late mother Angelica was a Poppyfield. And not just any Poppyfield, at that, but Laurel's long-estranged daughter! This puts Declan first in line to inherit the Poppyfields' massive store of magic (and cash monies), whether he wants it or not (spoiler alert: he doesn't).

Old-fashioned Laurel all but insists that Declan assume responsibility for the Poppyfields' oligarchy. But Laurel is not without her detractors: healer Tansy subscribes to Uncle Maddy's school of thought, that the magic should either be returned to the earth, or distributed equally among the fairies. And then there's Leir.

Declan isn't the only one to stumble upon a long-lost relative during the quartet's adventure. Lasser is shocked and a little appalled to run into one of his dozens of siblings - fourth in line to the throne, Leir. Before Declan's appearance, Leir was set to hold the Poppyfields' magic in trust until Declan's cousin Astor turned eighteen and could safely wield it. If Lasser knows his brother, surely Leir has a few tricks up his ruffled sleeve. Can they uncover and thwart his plans before it's too late? Will Declan fold under the weight of his familial obligations? Perhaps most importantly, will all those urban fantasy romance novels help Lasser get the guy?

I really love everything about NOTHING SPECIAL: Callie and Declan make an adorable couple with the best banter; Radish is gd awesome, and he continues to be a one-man vegetable liberation army; and Lasser's character arc has been so incredibly beautiful (*chef's kiss*). I did feel like this story arc dragged out a bit (too much pompousness, maybe), which is why I gave it four stars instead of five, but honestly it's still well worth a read.

Or several - Cook adorns the background with so many little tidbits and asides that I never fail to notice something new. The note about how her mom keeps her grandmother's bowling ball in the garden hit especially hard, since my mom does the same.

In my review of Volume 2, I complained that we never learned what happened to the spirit of the tree that grew in the front yard of Declan's childhood home. I thought I spotted him in the background of Volume 2, and I'm pretty sure he makes a few appearances here, too. I really hope Cook addresses this thread at some point in the future (*fingers crossed*). show less

Gronk is a monster....just not a very good one. She doesn’t fit in with the other monsters because she’s just too darn nice! She can’t really scare anyone, she doesn’t like scaring people, and well...she’s kinda cuddly looking. Monsterdom kicks her out and she’s kinda on her own until she meets her new friend Dale. Dale invites Gronk home to live with her pets Kitty and a 160lb Newfoundland named Harli. Gronk discovers there’s more to life than just monsterdom and maybe she’s show more found the place she belongs.

Because I’ve noticed some confusion among other reviewers I’m going to start by saying this book is based upon Katie’s webcomic of the same name. Actually...it’s a printing of the webcomic. So for people expecting some grand cohesive elegant story...don’t. That’s not what this is. It isn’t what the comic is. What this is, is the beginning of a friendship, where we see the characters not only start to get to know each other, but see Katie start to get to know the characters as well. Their personalities, what makes them tick, what makes them happy, sad and so on. There are gags, there are short stories, and so on. The best way I can describe it, its like if you picked up your favorite Calvin & Hobbes collection. And that’s where this book should sit. Because like Calvin and Hobbes, Dale and Gronk are seemingly mismatched, but best friends setting out on new adventures.

Katie’s artwork is simple, yet gorgeous with hidden little details on the characters shirts, the backgrounds, and so on. While the original comic is in black and white line art with its own depth, the colors really help make it pop and its nice to see what color Gronk is, along with Kitty and Harli. I mean not that we couldn’t imagine their colors before, but its nice to know that Harli isn’t secretly pink with purple polka dots and that’s the way all Newfoundland’s should be and the rest of us are just seeing the wrong colors. I digress...Katie’s art and story work well together, as they should, and create an enjoyable tale of two friends.

If you haven’t read Katie Cook’s work before, you’re really missing out. Not only are her stories funny and engaging, but her artwork is superb. If you see this book, pick it up, give it a read. You won’t regret it. 4 out of 5 stars.

ARC provided by NetGalely show less