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kathydavie's review against another edition
3.0
First in the Cemetery Girl Trilogy magical realism series for Young Adult readers and revolving around a young woman someone tried to kill.
My Take
Okay, it's a graphic novel, which I didn't expect. The graphics are well done, although I would prefer the text larger for my old eyes, but then I reckon graphic novels aren't meant for the *creak* elderly *more creaking*.
It's Calexa's perspective in a first person protagonist point-of-view, so we have access to all her thoughts...and the scariness that's going on during that possession! Of course, a lot of Calexa's "dialogue" gets so repetitive and annoying. I don't know if Harris/Golden were trying to fill up pages or up the tension. Gotta say that the only one of the two that worked on me was the extra panels it took. Oy.
Calexa's comment about that brujo's knowledge of Latin cracked me up.
Oh-kay... That last panel with Calexa's stance reminds me of a superhero, mmm-hmmm.
Well, you can probably tell this wasn't my favorite story. I am prejudiced against graphic novels, primarily because there's so much lost without all the words that I enjoy so much. So take this with a grain of salt!
The Story
Thrown down a hill, this girl slowly wakes, knowing she was dead for minutes and without her memory. All she does know is that someone tried to kill her. And she's staying right here until her memory does return.
All she needs to worry about now is shelter, food, and staying away from people. Well, living people anyway. Since she "died", she can see spirits, and they can see her.
She'd also better avoid the murderous group of teens determined to do black magic, at any cost, including murder.
It's the victim's spirit that invades Calexa, overwhelming her mind with visions and memories not her own, and Calexa must decide whether she continues to hide to protect herself — or comes forward to bring justice to the sad spirit who has reached out to her for help...
The Characters
Calexa Rose Dunhill is who she chooses to be, names taken from the grim surroundings where she awoke, bruised and bloody, with no memory of who she is, how she got there, or who left her for dead.
The compassionate Tony Kelner is in charge of the cemetery. "Stupid Bird" belonged to Tony's wife, Janice. Lucinda Cameron is an elderly woman who lives near the cemetery. Lucinda's deceased Aunt Nettie contributes to the disguise.
The black magic idiots
Cerise is passionate [and bossy] about the magic. Her companions include Willie Vasquez, Trey, Lina, Dori, and I think, Esteban. Marla is Willie's grieving sister.
Big Art does fantastic hamburgers.
The Cover and Title
The cover is big and bold with text. Harris' name is top left in an embossed gold with Golden's name beneath hers in an embossed grayed silver. The series info is almost at the bottom in a shiny embossed silver. Beneath that is the actual title (which I took to be the series name!) in white. Spanning the bottom is a narrow royal blue band with deep gold crosses separating the authors' names and the art crew's names. The background is a stormy night in royal blues and whites with the silhouettes of leafless trees, gravestones, and a girl with long hair racing across the cemetery, water splashing up around her feet.
I think the title refers to those young idiots, The Pretenders, who want to play around with black magic.
My Take
Okay, it's a graphic novel, which I didn't expect. The graphics are well done, although I would prefer the text larger for my old eyes, but then I reckon graphic novels aren't meant for the *creak* elderly *more creaking*.
It's Calexa's perspective in a first person protagonist point-of-view, so we have access to all her thoughts...and the scariness that's going on during that possession! Of course, a lot of Calexa's "dialogue" gets so repetitive and annoying. I don't know if Harris/Golden were trying to fill up pages or up the tension. Gotta say that the only one of the two that worked on me was the extra panels it took. Oy.
Calexa's comment about that brujo's knowledge of Latin cracked me up.
I loved that comment by Willie to his sister:"'I can make my own decisions, Willie. I'm not a little kid, y'know.''You're my little sister, Marls. No matter how old you are.'"I don't know why, but it annoys me when Calexa runs from Lucinda, although I don't object to her ignoring Tony. *throws her hands up* Another annoyance was that damned cellphone of Marla's. Why couldn't Calexa get it to the police or ask Lucinda to pass it to them?? Sure I loved that text messaging, but...really??
Oh-kay... That last panel with Calexa's stance reminds me of a superhero, mmm-hmmm.
Well, you can probably tell this wasn't my favorite story. I am prejudiced against graphic novels, primarily because there's so much lost without all the words that I enjoy so much. So take this with a grain of salt!
The Story
Thrown down a hill, this girl slowly wakes, knowing she was dead for minutes and without her memory. All she does know is that someone tried to kill her. And she's staying right here until her memory does return.
All she needs to worry about now is shelter, food, and staying away from people. Well, living people anyway. Since she "died", she can see spirits, and they can see her.
She'd also better avoid the murderous group of teens determined to do black magic, at any cost, including murder.
It's the victim's spirit that invades Calexa, overwhelming her mind with visions and memories not her own, and Calexa must decide whether she continues to hide to protect herself — or comes forward to bring justice to the sad spirit who has reached out to her for help...
The Characters
Calexa Rose Dunhill is who she chooses to be, names taken from the grim surroundings where she awoke, bruised and bloody, with no memory of who she is, how she got there, or who left her for dead.
The compassionate Tony Kelner is in charge of the cemetery. "Stupid Bird" belonged to Tony's wife, Janice. Lucinda Cameron is an elderly woman who lives near the cemetery. Lucinda's deceased Aunt Nettie contributes to the disguise.
The black magic idiots
Cerise is passionate [and bossy] about the magic. Her companions include Willie Vasquez, Trey, Lina, Dori, and I think, Esteban. Marla is Willie's grieving sister.
Big Art does fantastic hamburgers.
The Cover and Title
The cover is big and bold with text. Harris' name is top left in an embossed gold with Golden's name beneath hers in an embossed grayed silver. The series info is almost at the bottom in a shiny embossed silver. Beneath that is the actual title (which I took to be the series name!) in white. Spanning the bottom is a narrow royal blue band with deep gold crosses separating the authors' names and the art crew's names. The background is a stormy night in royal blues and whites with the silhouettes of leafless trees, gravestones, and a girl with long hair racing across the cemetery, water splashing up around her feet.
I think the title refers to those young idiots, The Pretenders, who want to play around with black magic.
ingo_lembcke's review against another edition
5.0
Bought this as I like both Christopher Golden and Charlaine Harris.
Interesting story, part #1 of a new trilogy, the other parts yet to be published.
Read this on my iPad with the Kindle app.
Recommend this one to fans of the Harper Connely-series, [b:Grave Sight|58077|Grave Sight (Harper Connelly, #1)|Charlaine Harris|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328694483s/58077.jpg|2027280]. But as a comic, this is the usual fast read, but it was not expensive, so that's ok.
Interesting story, part #1 of a new trilogy, the other parts yet to be published.
Read this on my iPad with the Kindle app.
Recommend this one to fans of the Harper Connely-series, [b:Grave Sight|58077|Grave Sight (Harper Connelly, #1)|Charlaine Harris|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328694483s/58077.jpg|2027280]. But as a comic, this is the usual fast read, but it was not expensive, so that's ok.
yodamom's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
I loved the mystery and the pacing of the story. The illustrations were beautifully done with rich full colors. I like how we never got any hint of where she came from little snippets of something but no real connections to her past. I also enjoyed the ghost's abilities to fill the holes, it was very unique. The story was original and left me wanting more. I do plan on continuing with the series as soon as I can get them from the library.
I am a fan of Charlaine Harris. I have read all her published works and own copies. I couldn't wait for new series from her. I was going to buy this on the first day from my bookseller till I saw the price, eekkk. $24.95, for a comic book, no thanks. I waited and got it from my library and finished it in under thirty minutes. It is a short and very well done comic, but it's only a short comic. So why does it not have a soft cover, and a lower price like other comics ? The price has turned many comic readers and collectors away. You have been warned- This is not a long book, its a short 128 page comic.
I loved the mystery and the pacing of the story. The illustrations were beautifully done with rich full colors. I like how we never got any hint of where she came from little snippets of something but no real connections to her past. I also enjoyed the ghost's abilities to fill the holes, it was very unique. The story was original and left me wanting more. I do plan on continuing with the series as soon as I can get them from the library.
I am a fan of Charlaine Harris. I have read all her published works and own copies. I couldn't wait for new series from her. I was going to buy this on the first day from my bookseller till I saw the price, eekkk. $24.95, for a comic book, no thanks. I waited and got it from my library and finished it in under thirty minutes. It is a short and very well done comic, but it's only a short comic. So why does it not have a soft cover, and a lower price like other comics ? The price has turned many comic readers and collectors away. You have been warned- This is not a long book, its a short 128 page comic.
kylapatt's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really liked the concept of this story with the mystery and the supernatural powers dynamic with the main character. I want to figure out the answers of where the main character came from and how she lost her memory.
bookkeeperdragon's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dmn5678's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
💬: N/A
📖Genres: graphic novels, mystery, paranormal, urban fantasy, young adult(?)
📚Page Count: N/A
🎧Audiobook Length: 01h 58min
👩🏾🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5
----
The Pretenders Part 1 of 3 of the dramatized adaptation of "Cemetery Girl" is the first half of the dramatized version of the graphic novel of the same name written by Charlaine Harris and Christopher Golden. This is the story of a girl who died temporarily after a brutal attack by someone who wanted her dead. The male attacker abandoned her in a cemetery and when she wakes, she's able to see ghosts or spirits.
This was an interesting story premise and I did enjoyed Graphic Audio's execution of their graphic audio adaptation, I only had one issue. Without spoiling too much I will say that out of the books I've read so far Harris for sure has an issue withwriting in Black characters just to kill them off. She does that more than once in this story. This story is no exception and it annoyed me, given her history with The Sookie Stackhouse series (I AM only 5 books into that series).
Overall, part 1 of the graphic audio of Cemetery Girl was good, I'm not rushing to listening to part 2 but I am interested in listening to it sometime this year (2024). I'm giving this 4 out of 5 stars instead.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5 Stars
I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]
📖Genres: graphic novels, mystery, paranormal, urban fantasy, young adult(?)
📚Page Count: N/A
🎧Audiobook Length: 01h 58min
👩🏾🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5
----
The Pretenders Part 1 of 3 of the dramatized adaptation of "Cemetery Girl" is the first half of the dramatized version of the graphic novel of the same name written by Charlaine Harris and Christopher Golden. This is the story of a girl who died temporarily after a brutal attack by someone who wanted her dead. The male attacker abandoned her in a cemetery and when she wakes, she's able to see ghosts or spirits.
This was an interesting story premise and I did enjoyed Graphic Audio's execution of their graphic audio adaptation, I only had one issue. Without spoiling too much I will say that out of the books I've read so far Harris for sure has an issue with
Overall, part 1 of the graphic audio of Cemetery Girl was good, I'm not rushing to listening to part 2 but I am interested in listening to it sometime this year (2024). I'm giving this 4 out of 5 stars instead.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5 Stars
I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, Violence, and Alcohol
mollywetta's review against another edition
3.0
This was disappointing. The art was good, but the story felt flat and derivative. Full review to come.
kleonard's review
4.0
Strong introduction to a new series. Well-paced, well-drawn, with sympathetic and realistic characters.
audryt's review against another edition
5.0
Solid start for a YA comic series starring a teenage girl who doesn't remember who she is, but knows that someone is out to kill her.