Can this man ever write a bad book? No. Not even changing format can put a dent in the storytelling of Westerfeld. This story ends way too soon, and I want more so please write faster. What is the spill zone? Not sure exactly yet, but something happened. And now the residents are zombie want-to-be’s and the animals can talk to you. Plus there is this energy and things stand on their own. Most who were in the zone the day of the accident did not survive as human. Except for a few kids, such as our heroines little sister. Addison makes a life for herself and her sister by braving the spill zone to take pictures and selling them to the highest bidder. When one of her collectors gives her a chance to make more money then she would need to move, she takes the chance. But the one thing we don’t know is if she will survive. Once again, I say write FASTER! I want to know what happens next.

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No one can deny that Westerfeld has a very creative imagination. This is certainly creative. It’s also one that rides that fine line between weird scifi and freaky horror scifi. And this volume gives you just enough information to whet the curiosity. Especially when you start to learn things about Lexa’s doll and the North Koreans enter the scene (sorry, nope, I’m not giving you any more than that). I personally will definitely be looking for the next volume when it comes out. That said, it’s not for everyone. I wouldn’t be comfortable handing this to teens unless the final version of this cleans up the language some. It seems aimed more at the new adult audience than young adult. The ARC had enough strong language to earn it a very solid R if turned into a movie. So know the reader you hand this to. Those who like slightly freaky scifi mysteries and can handle the language should enjoy it (and also be frustrated that they don’t have more of the story right now).

I wanted to love this because I love most Scott Westerfeld, but something about it didn't grab my attention.

Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld is everything you would expect from Scott Westerfeld: unique, mind-blowing, and fantastical. I cannot believe this books is not getting more hype because it is going to be a series that readers will not be able to put down and readers will be so anxious to read the next one. I loved the premise that is so mysterious and only little clues sprinkled throughout the book to help you figure things out, but there is SO MUCH more to know--I cannot wait for the next book!

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for the opportunity to read and review Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld. Spill Zone is fan art geared toward young adults. The art feels frantic and rushed and the drab colors help portray the devastation that an environmental accident caused. The story is interesting, but dreary and a bit creepy. There is some swearing to show the amount of worry and danger of the story. I can see readers of graphic novels and dystopian stories enjoying this book- 3.5 stars.

Addison and Lexi were orphaned by "the Spill" a mysterious event that destroyed a small town and turned its victims into "meat puppets" similar to zombies. Animals and insects in the area have mutated and other weird stuff is going on in the now restricted zone. Addison earns money to support herself and her sister by sneaking into the restricted area and taking photographs of the horrifying sights.

What caused The Spill? Was it an accident or something more sinister? And why does Lexi's doll speak to her?

This is a fun and creepy graphic novel. Although the situations are incredible the characters are realistic. I can not wait for the next installment.

Scott Westerfeld’s newest story, Spill Zone, is a graphic novel illustrated by Alex Puvilland that takes place several years after Poughkeepsie suffered a major “spill,” and while nobody knows exactly what that entailed, nanotechnology and a nuclear power plant are mentioned as being involved. Whatever it was changed things inside the city, leaving behind fantastical creatures, changed animals, and “meat puppets” (think zombies). Addison’s twelve-year-old sister Lexa escaped that night, driven out on a bus with some other school children by a mysterious driver. Her parents, working at the hospital that night, did not. Addison herself was out of the city that night partying. Now she takes care of her sister (who hasn’t spoken since the incident), making money by illegally sneaking into the “spill zone” to take pictures which she secretly sells to collectors. When one of those collectors breaks her cover, she offers to pay Addison to go back in to the zone (worse, into the hospital her parents might still inhabit) and collect something at the behest of the North Koreans, who covered up their own smaller spill a few years ago.

Spill Zone is a fast moving story. Westerfeld doesn’t spend a lot, or really any, time on backstory or detailed explanation. What was the spill? Who knows? How did it change living creatures or create new ones? No idea. Might we get answers to those questions and others in later installments? Maybe, maybe not. Instead, the book throws you right into the zone’s existence, first building up some tension via several methods, both textual and visual: first person narration by Addison that references the strange creatures and dangers, creepy horror-type images (canted old house in the dark, a forest), a frog snagging a fly to get us in predator-prey mindset, a pair of nervous soldiers guarding a checkpoint meant to keep people out, and an unsettling rag doll. By the time we reach the zone itself, we’re primed for something dangerous and indeed, things go less smoothly than usual on this trip in.

All that said, really the focus is more on the characters and their relations to one another than on the creatures and zombies—though they do of course play a role. Addison is sharp, tough, determined, proactive, and fiercely protective of her sister. Her sister meanwhile is tough in her own way and just as protective of her older sister and Addison is of her, though Addison is unaware of this or of how she protects her. Which brings us to the third, and most surprising main character—that aforementioned rag doll, who is not only conscious and able to speak to Lexa, but has the sharpest, driest voice in the whole story. Two other characters have minor roles but are clearly set up to become a bigger piece of the story: one is a young soldier who clearly cares for Addison and the other is a young North Korean who was in their spill zone and has emerged somehow different, the knowledge of which prepares us for another event which I won’t detail.

The visuals were a somewhat mixed bag for me. Ironically, I cared least for the images of the zone itself, which were too abstract and muddy for me in terms of the more odd aspects of it, which I thought robbed that strangeness of its full impact, though I’ll grant that abstraction very well may be intended to heighten the intellectual distance, make them less familiar, It just didn’t have that effect for me; others may respond differently.. On the other hand, the real world images, particularly the domestic ones were wonderfully done—evocative, atmospheric, and vivid. And though I didn’t personally care for the zone imagery, there’s no doubt Puvilland employs a nice range of colors and style and moves deftly between them.

Spill Zone ends unresolved, with a pretty big (and great) cliffhanger, and it’s easy to see lots of people waiting impatiently for the next installment. I know I will be.

This story moved so quickly! I was instantly pulled in and wanted to know all about the mysteries of the Spill. I still can't tell if her sister's doll is good or bad. The color choices for this graphic novel were very interesting and different than what I had seen before. The protagonist is easy to root for and likable, I hate that it just ended - I need book two now!

This is so freaking WEIRD. I am dying to know what the heck is going on in this story, it is SO intriguing. The ONLY negative is that the art work is absolutely horrible.

I love Scott Westerfeld's other books (woo, Leviathan Trilogy!) so when I saw he was doing a graphic novel about a "spill zone" I was all: I need it now, please. Thanks to the wonderful existence of NetGalley, I got to read a copy. It's definitely intended to be the first book in a series, so don't expect a lot by way of answers, but all of the questions got me hooked immediately: what caused the spill? What even *is* the spill? What the hell happened that night in Poughkeepsie? What's up with that North Korean guy? (Also, since when does NYC have a North Korean embassy? And such a nice, huge one, too? I thought we didn't do that with hostile foreign governments...). Are the lifeless "meat puppets" of the people left in Poughkeepsie still alive? What the hell is that giant wolf-tentacle-thing? Can the doll Vespertine actually talk? What did the spill do to Lexa? What is it doing to Addison?? I need to know. I absolutely must have volumes 2, 3, 4 and 5 immediately.

What an intriguing storyline. I regret that there is not more at this time because I felt like I had way more questions than what got answered. I've found myself trying to come up with further theories of what's happening or why it's happening because I can't stop thinking about it. The questions I have!
I'm a fan of the art style as well.

The Spill Zone is what remains of the town of Poughkeepsie after some massively unexplainable event took place. Was it aliens? A chemical spill? There's no one left inside to tell, and the outside world finds this all just a little curious. What remains inside no one really knows, but it's weird and can't be good.

Addison and her little sister Lexa live alone, just on the outskirts of the Spill Zone. With their parents lost in the Spill, it's up to Addison to provide for and take care of Lexa. She does this by sneaking in to the Zone and taking pictures to sell of the mysterious things she sees. It's scary and dangerous, but her sister needs her. Her sister who was inside the zone when all hell broke loose. Her sister who hasn't spoken since that day. Her sister who has a very fracking creepy doll named Vespertine who somehow manages to talk psychically to her [Lexa], unbeknownst to Addie.

The Spill Zone is eerie not just because of the story, but because of the crazy illustrations as well. The doll Vespertine looks like the next Chucky- only WORSE! She's seriously freaking sinister looking. I really enjoyed this graphic novel and found it kept a good pace. But, what the heck is up with the 0-60 stop in .2 seconds?! Talk about a cliffhanger. I need to know what happened. I need to know now!!! Please oh please let Westerfeld have book 2 already waiting in the wings. This girl needs to know what happens next!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy and opportunity.

Fantastic! I can't wait to read the next installment.

The kids that like creepy scary books are going to love this one. Great art work and the colorist is excellent. My main complaint is the same as that for the secret coder GNs - it ends on a cliffhanger but before we've had any kind of a completion of a self contained story. This is very annoying - especially for kids and especially because the time lag between books in the GN world is so long.

Very compelling and great visuals. I loved all the color used for the Spill Zone, I think this might be the most colorful post-apocalyptic kind of book I've ever seen. It's a good first book, sets the scene and characters well and leaves you wanting more. I always like it when they don't explain the event much, that uncertainty is a lot more interesting to me.