Graphic Novel Review – East of West, Vol 7 by Jonathan Hickman, Nick Dragotta (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Teen+
Genre: Fantasy/Graphic Novel
Length: 128 pages
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: September 19, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-1534302143
Stand Alone or Series: 7th volume in East of West
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
“The final year of the apocalypse begins! Armies rage! Nations at War! A family fights to be reunited.”
Series Info/Source: This is the seventh volume in the East of West series. There are ten books total in this series. I borrowed this book from my library.
Story (4/5): The Hidden Nation is consolidating its power. Meanwhile Chamberlain is working to help the rebellion bring down the White Tower once and for all. When Chamberlain also betrays the Bride of Death (Xiaolian), she gets seriously pissed and is out for war. I think this is one of the most enjoyable volumes in this series so far, it was definitely one of the most cohesive stories as we start to see how all these plots are coming together.
Characters (4/5): We see the depth of Chamberlain’s machinations in this volume more than any other and I enjoyed getting to understand his character better. Xiaolian is also featured, which was awesome because I enjoy her character a lot. I was a bit disappointed that we don’t see barely any of Death and Babylon.
Setting (4/5): As mentioned in previous reviews I really enjoy the world-building here. This time around the story and settings are more focused without as much jumping around. I appreciated the focus and thought it helped the story to flow better.
Writing/Drawing Style (4/5): This continues to be well drawn, with detailed artwork that has excellent color. The illustration is easy to follow and does a great job depicting things. The writing was more cohesive in this volume than in previous volumes, which much less jumping around. I liked the flow to the story better in this volume than in any other previous volume,
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was my favorite volume of this series so far. I appreciate that the story made decent progress here and flowed more smoothly. Things are really heating up in this world and I am curious to see what happens in volume 8.
