Sequels are always an interesting read. They can be the best book in the group or the worst. They can also be so much later than book one that you forget everything about what happened before.
And that last one is what happened to Kingdom of Water: A Graphic Novel (the Rema Chronicles #2) by Amy Kim. I started reading (via an online reader, due August 2025) and said, “Who are these people again?” Therefore, read volumes one and two close together. Spoiler: There will be a third one, but the story of books one and two is mostly wrapped up. The story of the two volumes is that a young Earth girl (Tabby) learns of a parallel world that has direct ties to her father, who has since passed and was terribly secretive. Tabby and her new (maybe) friends must fight magic, prejudges and their feelings for each other. The typical fantasy action ensues, ghosts and goddess and priestess and head guards all play a role. And Tabby learns some dark truths. What is not dark, is the illustrations. These are boldly colored, though they do seem a bit repetitive at times, making backgrounds and people mesh together. A few small details do set some apart (there is a character with green to their hair, some have makeup/tattoos), but overall one needs to pay attention. It also has a slightly disappointing ending for me.
What did not have a disappointing ending was Grand Slam Romance V02: Major League Hotties by Ollie Hicks and Emma Oosterhous. But first, read book one to get the ins and outs of the dynamics. The good thing is there are no sexual innuendos, because it’s all out in the open! Just your typical group of ballplayers having fun on and off (with and without clothing) the field. There were several characters, but unlike book one I did not try to keep score. You need to know five or six characters and watch the drama and balls fly. The colors of illustrations are bold, they are not overly repetitive, but you do see familiar patterns. The details of images are there to backup the text, the text is there to let you know what text is there to let you know. I wish there was less drinking and drug use shown, but that’s a modern story for you. It can be read by at least 14 and up, but really aimed at physically adult readers. The ending, while not something I would necessarily choose for myself, but practically from page one I was “If this ending doesn’t happen I am not going to book three.” I will be going to book three.
Book three in the Double Booking series might not be on my reading list. After Volume 2: When and Where Wolf by Pangburn, Kim Shearer and Nic Touris I decided I would have to read a physical copy or nothing. I enjoyed book one, The Tail of the Mummy Cat. I liked how we got one sibling’s side of the story, then flipped it over (or kept scrolling), for the second sibling’s story. The themes are universal (sibling issues, friendship issues, family situations, mysteries) and they are colorful, minimalistic and add to the funny images. However, I felt there were glaring holes in Otto’s story. Much in Nan’s story (the second part) could have been included with Otto’s part. Instead of traveling with their mother (book one), the brother/sister duo are on the high seas with their dad who is acting off and Otto is convinced is a werewolf. And Nan’s side of the story is you might want to be the Alpha of the pack, but you do need to follow your moral compass and do the right thing, then everyone can have fun. The climax is a bit dramatic, but this is not the most serious book.