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saramarie08's review
4.0
Shahidah is a scholar who hails from the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, and she finds herself in Wales searching for the Cauldron of Annwn, one of the Thirteen Treasures of the world, and an object said to give eternal live. But Shahidah is not alone in her quest. Following close behind her, led by one of her fellow scholars, is the forces of Margul Khan. If the Margul gets ahold of eternal life, he is sure to conquer the known world! Shahidah uses her quick wits, and sometimes impressive fighting skills, to track down the mystery of this supposedly mythological item.
Read the full review, and find more graphic novel reviews, at The Graphic Library.
Read the full review, and find more graphic novel reviews, at The Graphic Library.
ayaha's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this creative graphic novel with a pretty cool Muslim heroine! Set right before the fall of the Abbasids to the Mongols in the 13th century, this historical fantasy imaginatively draws on the histories of the Mongols, Abbasids, and the Welsh.
As it was marketed and as other reviewers mentioned, it is definitely an Indiana Jones-style adventure, complete with mythical monsters, relics, and themes of curiosity, bravery, and betrayal.
Shahidah is a young scholar from Baghdad's House of Wisdom, sent by the Caliph as an explorer of the world's mysteries. Her adventure here is to find a magical cauldron in Wales before the Mongol enemy gets to it. I absolutely love that Shahidah is not just culturally Muslim. Her character is shaped by her faith in Islam--adamantly making it clear that she doesn't drink, reciting ayat ul-kursi when she's scared, etc.
However, I do wish I got to know her as a character better. Sure, she has pretty cool titles--scholar and explorer from the House of Wisdom, "Compass" of the Caliph, etc.--and skills and even weaknesses. But I don't feel like I totally understood her *personality.* What's her motivation? What's her back story? How did she get to where she is now, and why does she have the strengths and weaknesses that she has? Even though it's the first volume I feel like I missed significant details in her origin story. I would've liked to see more inner conflict rather than outer conflict.
Other than that, I found the plot, worldbuilding, and other characters really intriguing and I'd definitely read the sequels if/when they're released.
As it was marketed and as other reviewers mentioned, it is definitely an Indiana Jones-style adventure, complete with mythical monsters, relics, and themes of curiosity, bravery, and betrayal.
Shahidah is a young scholar from Baghdad's House of Wisdom, sent by the Caliph as an explorer of the world's mysteries. Her adventure here is to find a magical cauldron in Wales before the Mongol enemy gets to it. I absolutely love that Shahidah is not just culturally Muslim. Her character is shaped by her faith in Islam--adamantly making it clear that she doesn't drink, reciting ayat ul-kursi when she's scared, etc.
However, I do wish I got to know her as a character better. Sure, she has pretty cool titles--scholar and explorer from the House of Wisdom, "Compass" of the Caliph, etc.--and skills and even weaknesses. But I don't feel like I totally understood her *personality.* What's her motivation? What's her back story? How did she get to where she is now, and why does she have the strengths and weaknesses that she has? Even though it's the first volume I feel like I missed significant details in her origin story. I would've liked to see more inner conflict rather than outer conflict.
Other than that, I found the plot, worldbuilding, and other characters really intriguing and I'd definitely read the sequels if/when they're released.
jakegray's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
bluehairedlibrarian's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
While I enjoyed much of this book, it took a lot of effort to make it past the first ten or twenty pages that are full of long, hard to pronounce names of towns, tribes, and historical elements. I felt disoriented and unsure what was truly going on until mid-way through the book. Afterward, the book seemed to go full steam forward without taking much room to breathe. Shahidah is an interesting character, who I would enjoy going on more adventures with, but something about this book doesn't make me feel inclined to read further. The mcguffin wasn't very special and the mystical elements not fully explored. Some how this book is too short and too long at the same time. It's fine, but not for me.
shannonleighd's review
3.0
barb4ry1's review
3.0
Nice art, great colors, solid plot, uninspiring (somewhat) characters. An ok read.
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