Graphic Novel Review – The Hidden Loch by Marlaine Maddux White, Claude St. Aubin (2/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy/Graphic Novel
Length: 142 pages
Publisher: Penny-Farthing Productions
Release Date: August 22, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-0999170908
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Copy from Publisher for Review
Rating: 2/5 stars

“There is a separate world secluded deep beneath Scotland s infamous Loch Ness. It is called THE HIDDEN LOCH and it has existed for thousands of years as a serene community of extinct and mythological creatures totally unknown to the human world above. In order to find the answer of how to protect this ancient ancestral realm from encroaching humans (Drywalkers), Nessandra, a young plesiosaur, is forced to depart the safety of her secret underwater paradise to embark upon a journey of tantalizing discovery. She and her three brave companions, is destined to learn that the vast ocean depths lying before them are a far more dangerous and awe-inspiring place than they could have ever imagined. Their adventures transform their understanding of the world at large especially as it has evolved in ways which are a stark contrast to what they had always known to be true while growing up in The Hidden Loch. It is a time of great crisis even impending doom for The Hidden Loch, and the outcome of Nessandra s critical mission may well determine the ultimate fate of the unique and beautiful world she calls home!”

This was the second graphic novel that I received from Penny-Farthing Productions to review. The first was Audrey’s Magic Nine and me and my 11 year old son both enjoyed that graphic novel. However, we did not enjoy this graphic novel; it had a lot of issues.

My son read this first and when asked how he liked it I got a very reserved “Why don’t you read it first mom and then we can discuss.” Definitely not a lot of enthusiasm there. So I read it and I completely agree with him.

Initially I was drawn in by the bright and beautiful drawings of the creatures in the Hidden Loch. The colors used are beautiful. However there are some issues with the drawing; especially characters’ eyes which are mis-sized and look just…wrong in a number of places. It gives you kind of a creepy vibe; which is not the intention of the story.

The story itself ends up being incredibly…well…spastic. It jumps from the Hidden Loch, to the a researcher in the modern world, to a military group in the modern world. There is a lot of jumping around and a ton of dense dialogue that was somewhat difficult to navigate through. Seriously this graphic novel was so distracted by itself that it made my brain hurt. When my son and I discussed after he put it very well: “Mom, it was just too much. Too much jumping around, too much going on too quickly, it was very tough to stay focused on what was happening.”

I struggle to figure out what sort of age group this is actually for. The Hidden Loch scenes are very childish at first but then you are dumped into people fighting over the Loch monsters and
military conspiracies. Members of the Loch are murdered and the story gets a bit violent and complicated. I think it’s an okay read for middle grade audience but some of the story will seem too “babyish” for that audience. This is way too complicated and violent for a younger age group through.

In the end I actually struggled to finish this. The artwork was distracting because of the “wrongness” of the facial symmetry and some of the perspective issues in the images. The story was overly complicated, jumping willy nilly from group to group and full of incredibly dense dialogue. This graphic novel tries to do too much and it ends up as a muddled confusing mess.

Overall this graphic novel was not a positive experience for me or my 11 year son. We both struggled with it. The colors used throughout are beautiful but both the artwork and story need some work. Maybe if this had been spread out over a few books, with more attention to the art and less dense dialogue, it would have worked better. However, as is, I can’t recommend.

Some wonderful fantasy middle grade graphic novels series I can recommend are: Amulet, Zita the Spacegirl, Cleopatra in Space, Mighty Jack, The Three Thieves, Knife’s Edge, Bird Boy, News Prints, The Nameless City, Bone, Chronicles of Claudette or Dream Jumpers.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Goodreads Reading Challenge
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge