Danica Novgorodoff

Actual rating: 4.5
Ahh the watercolors in here were so pretty! I really loved Novgorodoff's use of color to portray emotion and the different times of day. I didn't really like how the characters were drawn, but I think the landscapes and buildings balanced out the slightly Burton-esque characters.
There were a couple parts of the story that I thought dragged a bit (like the monks temple) but overall, it was a very entertaining tale. I really enjoyed the folklore-feel of the story. It was very atmospheric! I've never read anything quite like it, but would definitely read more!… (mais)

Representation: Black characters
Trigger warnings: Gun violence, death of a father in the past and a brother, blood, grief and loss depiction
Score: Seven points out of ten.
Find this review on The StoryGraph.

This version of Long Way Down circled my recommendations for a while and when I saw this in a library I visited, I immediately wanted to pick it up. Soon enough, I did and then I read the Long Way Down adaptation, but not before glancing the blurb. Despite being heavy, this story was enjoyable, leaving me wondering what the original text is like.

It starts with the first character I see, Will, whose last name remains undisclosed with his brother Shawn, when someone shot him, and no one reported on it. That is all according to the rules: don't cry, don't snitch and, most prominently, get revenge. Thus begins Will's quest to get Shawn's gun and shoot the shooter but he gets on an elevator and has to wait until it reaches the ground floor. In the elevator, Will meets other people who have died in a shooting, all due to the third rule. Once someone shoots another person and they get revenge, the cycle neverendingly continues. Sometimes the poetry is part of the art, which I enjoyed observing. The pictured helped me visualise the story more, but the poetry wasn't that impressive. It was one of many examples where someone pressed the Enter key many times and called it 'poetry.' The conclusion is open, as it's unclear whether Will will get revenge or break the third rule. I hope he chooses the latter.… (mais)

It’s good. A combination of confronting death and serious decision-making coupled with hard street life (y’know, snitches get stitches type of stuff). Our main character Will is consumed with revenge after his brother is shot and killed, and some ghosts of his past try to seriously reason with him. I’m starting to get a soft spot for books written in verse. I liked the watercolor artwork and thought it worked as well. Still, if this were not in graphic novel form, I would not have read this. There’s some merit to adding illustrations to heavier stories because it invites new readers.

This is no slight on the Long Way Down, but I’m exhausted with these types of stories. I would never discredit the harsh realities some of us face, but there needs to be more variety/escapism. I’m tired of these struggle life stories. Can you say draining?… (mais)

Alexander Von Humboldt, Explorer, Naturalist & Environmental Pioneer, written and illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff. This book is packed with information about the life of Alexander Von Humboldt and his observations of life on Earth. In the early 1800’s he wanted to describe the beauty and interconnectedness of life that he noticed all around him. A hawk is not alone, she is connected to the Earth, sky and sea. Through his travels, he noticed animals all over the world are connected. No matter where on Earth you are, eagles have sharp eyes, large cats are spotted, plants get smaller as you go up the mountain. Life’s habitats are connected, volcanos are connected, everything is connected. This relationship between plants, geography and climate is the foundation for modern ecology. This picture book biography has maps, a timeline and is brought to life with beautiful watercolor illustrations.… (mais)