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I still like this series, but it's published so slowly and nothing has happened for a few volumes now. I really hope the story picks up and starts going somewhere soon.
I still like this series, but it's published so slowly and nothing has happened for a few volumes now. I really hope the story picks up and starts going somewhere soon.
As I was trying to put together my review of the first volume in the Lumberjanes series (collaboratively written and drawn by Grace Ellise, Shannon Watters, Noelle Stevenson, & Brooke A. Allen) I realized that it was going to be nigh on impossible for me to formulate new thoughts/observations about further volumes without repeating myself ad nauseam...so a masterpost.
The volumes of this series that I've read thus far:
On first beginning the series, I immediately felt like I was somehow starting in the middle as the reader is launched immediately into the inner circle of our main protagonists (Jo, April, Molly, Mal, & Ripley). What initially caught my interest were the excellent illustrations and the various looks of the main characters which are all widely different (much like the characters themselves). [A/N: I want to say here that the illustrative style changed for each of the volumes and I didn't really dig that.] I kept reading because the format of survival manual blended into a narrative arc was unique and I like the idea of a female led story being written and drawn by females. This is a great message for girls who may have felt that the comic book world wasn't for them. That being said, I'm not likely to continue the series beyond these 5 volumes and if I do I won't be reviewing it here unless it totally ends up blowing my mind. It felt gimmicky and at times I felt they were trying too hard and falling into contrived territory. I get that they're trying to be hip and inclusive (major props that there's not only a lesbian couple but a transgender character) but there was so 'trying to be hip' vibe that the story became second fiddle. Strong elements of fantasy, mystery, adventure, and friendship will appeal to all sexes but I don't think I'm the right age demographic (and this is coming from someone who routinely reads picture books). It's a 6/10 for me.
What's Up Next: Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie by Julie Sternberg
What I'm Currently Reading: Our Uninvited Guests: The Secret Life of Britain's Country Houses 1939-45 by Julie Summers
I have Lumberjanes 10 checked out and it's Parents' Day which is exciting because I think something might finally happen that moves the story forward. I don't remember this volume at all. It was probably mostly filler, but I've generally enjoyed this series, so 3.5 stars.
Please do reblog to spread the word. If unfamiliar with the Big Library Read, it's a global book discussion with the chosen book 100% freely available in ebook form via overdrive (no waiting, no quantity limit). This time the theme is Young Adult; not all nominees pictured.
| For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle Overall, a good read. I liked the storylines of this book better than the second one (but not as much as the first one). It seemed less random than book two. It is still plenty random, but just the right amount. It has all of the weirdness Lumberjane fans know and love. The thing that really held this book back was the artwork. All of a sudden the main characters look like children. I loved the artwork in the first book, but in this one, the characters almost look like completely different people. Not a fan. The various artwork styles used for the campfire stories was a cool choice. I wasn't a fan of all of them (Ripley's was really hard to follow-then again, so is Ripley), but it was an interesting way to introduce the book. For the most part, I liked this book. But the infantilized artwork really bugged me. This may be the end of Lumberjanes for me. |
