Graphic Novel Review – On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel/Science Ficiton
Length: 544 pages
Publisher: First Second
Release Date: October 2, 2018
ISBN-13 : 978-1250178138
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Christmas Gift
Rating: 5/5 stars
“Throughout the deepest reaches of space, a crew rebuilds beautiful and broken-down structures, painstakingly putting the past together. As new member Mia gets to know her team, the story flashes back to her pivotal year in boarding school, where she fell in love with a mysterious new student. Soon, though, Mia reveals her true purpose for joining their ship—to track down her long-lost love.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this book as a gift for Christmas.
Thoughts: This was very well done and encompasses a huge amount of story. It is creative, engaging, and was very hard to put down.
The story is mainly about Mia, a girl who drops out of a girls’ boarding school to help refurbish buildings on various planets/space stations. Mia is obviously depressed but as she works with this new crew, she forms solid friendships and starts to reflect back to a pivotal year at school where she fell in love with a mysterious new student. She was unable to say goodbye to this student when they suddenly disappeared and she has always wanted the opportunity to at least say good-bye.
This was an amazing book. The worlds are intriguing and the spaceships fanciful and beautiful. However, what really makes this story are the amazing characters; they have so much history and depth. Watching Mia work with this crew and come into her own was amazing. Learning about the members of the crew and their pasts was also very fun. This was a hard book to put down and has more of a space opera sort of feel to it than hard core science fiction.
The drawings are done in muted tones but easy to follow. Some of the spacescapes and ancient buildings are spectacular to look at. Personally I like my illustration a bit more finished feeling, but the style used here worked really well for the story and won me over completely. This is a book that I am keeping so that I can re-read it at a later date. I just enjoyed it so much. There is adventure and character growth; danger and magical-like beings.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I completely loved this graphic novel. There are so many elements to it that make it exceptional. I loved the adventures, the amazing worlds, and the complex characters. I loved watching Mia find something she loved doing and a crew she fit in with and I loved how that gave her the courage to try and fix something that had hurt her in the past. This is the first graphic novel by Walden I have read but I plan on picking more books by her soon. Recommended!!!
