The Good Neighbors

The Good Neighbors
By Holly Black & Ted Naifeh
Graphix, 2023. 352 pages. Fantasy Graphic Novel

Rue Silver's mother has disappeared... and her father has been arrested, suspected of killing her. But it's not as straightforward as that. Because Rue is a faerie, like her mother was. And her father didn't kill her mother -- instead, he broke a promise to Rue's faerie king grandfather, which caused Rue's mother to be flung back to the faerie world. Now Rue must go to save her -- and defeat a dark faerie that threatens our very mortal world.

If you love stubborn female characters and faeries that are a little twisted then you have to know about Holly Black. This graphic story was originally published in three separate volumes between 2008 and 2010, making it one of her earlier works. I enjoyed having the combined set to make the story more cohesive and to ensure I didn't have to suffer any cliffhangers. The black and white illustrations skillfully contributed to the gloomy atmosphere of both the town and the story. My only complaint is that I missed seeing more of the inner-thoughts of the characters. However, I believe that comes from the way that graphic novels are paced, which can also be a plus. You can move through the story a lot faster. Overall, I enjoyed the story and the characters, and seeing an earlier iteration of this authors work.

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