'The Wormworld Saga Vol. 2: Shelter of Hope' with story and art by Daniel Lieske continues the story of Jonas in the weird world he has found himself in.

Jonas has been found by Raya and she is going to help him get home. They go to her village and speak to a holy man, who tells Jonas he has been chosen to fight against the fire god Unurtha. Jonas is terrified of fire, but also quite small. Maybe too small to take on such a large enemy.

I liked the first volume a bit more, perhaps because there was more introduction to the world and things were newer. This time around, it feels like the exposition takes the forefront, which is probably good to advance the story arc. The digital art style is still lush and really pretty to look at.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Lion Forge, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

A fairly interesting volume 2 with interesting characters and great art. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and I'm definitely going to continue reading it in the future.

Really hoped this one would have more to the story. Felt very much like a filler and didn't really add anything. I enjoyed the artwork and bits of culture we got, but could have been more as far as story line.

I liked this volume a bit more because we got to see more of the actual world Jonas ended up in, but still not very exciting. It was still quite slow and nothing much happened, though I do still hope there will be more excitement in the upcoming volumes!

Another installment in the Wormwood series.
It kept my interest, not sure yet if I'd want to rush out and buy the series or see how it comes to completion and wait for the Omnibus, guess that's the catch-22 of delving into a graphic novel series.

I enjoyed this book but I felt as if it was missing the charm that the first book I had. I was as enamoured as I was before. However, despite that, I still enjoyed the book. I loved where the illustrations took us as well as the plot. I can't wait to read more from this series

This is the second volume of the Wormworld Saga. Raya and Jonas are on a quest to defeat the fire god, Unurtha and save Wormworld. I loved the atmosphere and the scenery while Raya and Jonas were aboard the transport ship. I thought the gorgeous illustrations of this fantasy world of Jonas and Raya were beautifully rendered. The sunlight filtering through windows, the lush forests and jungles, and stunning vistas easily transport you to this world. Looking forward to the next volume.
At the end of this book, the author includes detailed notes on how he created his subjects and the concepts he employs in rendering his images. Also included are short and interesting stories behind the drawings in Janaka's mandala.
I received my ARC from NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors in exchange for an honest review.

“The Wormworld Saga vol 2” is a continuation of the story of Jonas Berg, a young boy who ran away from home to escape being sent to boarding school. Thanks to a portal and a mischievous cat, Jonas is trapped in the land of Ankal Aasha. He is saved by Raya, who takes him to her master, Janaka Jiva. Jiva tells Jonas of a prophecy in which Jonas must go on a quest before he can return home.

I'd give this book 3.5 stars. It is kind of a quick read at two chapters. Although, a prequel story is included as well, along with some interesting bonus content from the creator outlining his process and what inspired him. This would be a good, clean comic suitable for kids. The story follows the hero’s journey as Jonas, the reluctant hero, along with his guide, Raya, go on a journey to defeat evil. The art is fun and cartoonish. The world of Ankal Aasha is very magical-looking with lovely, vivid colors. Some parts seem rushed, but I think overall, kids will enjoy this story. If you’ve missed out on the previous chapters of Jonas’ story, you can catch up for free on the author’s Wormworld website.

This volume was a bit of a letdown after a great intro in the first book. I expected fantastical worlds of adventure, what I got was an enormous info dump and a float trip down a river. The book still looks gorgeous. It's visually stunning with a lot of influences from southeast Asia. The bright spot was the prequel that was included where we get to see where the painting came from. That story was fun! Hopefully the story picks up again in volume 3 as they reach their destination.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

In the last installment, Jonas inadvertently ended up in Wormworld after climbing through a painting. Raya discovered him there. In this new book, she takes him back to her village to meet Janaka Jiiva. Janaka tells Jonas of the how Unurtha, god of fire, was overcome and trapped by the other gods of Wormworld ages ago, but since, one of the bonds has come loose. It has been prophesied that Jiiva, god of XXXX, would send someone to defeat Unurtha, and Janaka believes Jonas is that person. Despite Jonas's reservations, he and Raya travel toward Wormworld Mountain to fulfill this prophecy. At the end of the volume, there is a short story about the origins of Wormworld and other behind-the-scenes information.

I still love how beautiful this world is and that we got to see more of it in the second volume. The plot expanded well on what happened in the first volume. I also really like how Lieske includes information about how he creates the series at the end of each volume; to me, that adds to the depth of the book. I can't wait to see how this series concludes!

I was lucky enough to read and review the first volume of The Wormworld Saga. I thought it was wonderful with some stunning graphics. This second volume has some more very colorful and imaginative graphics and a good follow-on storyline. For me it's more about the graphics so I loved it. The author takes some time at the end of the volume to describe how some of the scenes and graphics evolved -- it's always interesting to me to see the creative process in action! Reading this one made me smile. I really enjoyed it.

The Wormworld saga is a YA comics that stands out for the stunning aesthetics. The story is a known one – a boy rushes through a magic kingdom without knowing how or why, from a hidden room at his granny’s house. In here he will be forced to face his strong fear of fire while running from a panoply of strange monsters and humans that can turn out to be enemies.
Of course, he will befriend another young person, in this case a girl, that will help him survive and accommodate to the peculiar nature, while taking him through forests and cities to accomplish his destiny.
The series has been adapted to a board game with the same art – in both that is something that stands out – awesome landscape where the fear of the unknown intertwines with the fascinating animals and insects.
The result is an easy to read story, an escape from the real world to the main character and to the reader.

The Wormworld Saga Vol 2 is a fantastic follow up and a gorgeous piece all on it's own. Perfect for juvenile readers who want to jump head first into another world and follow along as a very real main character deals with challenges and adventures. I found this fantasy romp to be a great read and absolutely will be offering it to kids who look for something out of the ordinary scope of books they come across today.

This second time round, I found all my doubts about the series compounded. The look remains wonderful, the situation reasonable – even if it is a bit too much hippie-dippy Indian mystical fantasy for my taste. But the problem remains that this is another light-on-drama, heavy-on-exposition, episode, where the padding really shows much more than the springs. This is a mattress of immense size, by the look of it, and I don't fancy having to see just how big it actually will end up. It's a comfy mattress, but boy – few will be the people actually around to witness the end of it, at this rate. Then the prologue here, and the copious design sketches and behind-the-scenes pages show there may be a whole bed showroom to get through.

In “The Wormworld Saga: Shelter of Hope” we get a glimpse of what is in store for our protagonist Jonas. He’s a kid stuck in a whole new world which looks great, but is also full of dangers. All he wants now is to find a way back home.

This is volume 2 in the Wormworld Saga. I loved the artwork in the first book and in this volume it is just as gorgeous if not even more beautiful. The Wormworld is very well thought out and detailed. The colors used in the artwork just give it an epic feel.

I didn't enjoy the story in this book as much as the first volume. I love a little back story and The Wormworld Saga definitely gives you one. In the Shelter of Hope we get a glimpse of a possible epic battle to save the world, but we're not there yet. Before that happens we get a lot of information on the Wormworld and its history and possible future and the role that Jonas will have in it all. So this volume, again, feels like a build up to the endgame. Not a whole lot is happening in this part of the story, which gives more opportunity to focus on the artwork, but isn't really exciting. Regardless, I liked this one. The background information makes this feel like you really step into a world and become a part of it, instead of getting a glimpse of it while the protagonist does his part.

All in all, this was a fun continuation to a possible epic story and I can’t wait to read the next volume to see what Jonas is going to do and if he could possibly save the Wormworld and overcome his fears.

*thank you to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

5 stars!

I can not begin to say exactly how beautiful this book is! The illustrations alone are enough of a reason to purchase an actual physical copy of this. I have to say, I LOVED IT! The story picks up from where book 1 ended and just like the first book this one also did not dissapoint. Raya and Jonas are once again, setting off on an adventure, quest, together while Jonas must learn to believe in himself and be the boy that others seem him as. A coming of age story that is a must to read. Highly recommended for all ages, not just middle grade readers, but anybody who lacks the ability to have faith in themselves.

Only the text came through in this download, which revealed a wonderful plot. I know the book series from a previous copy and would recommend it.

I've followed The Wormworld Saga ever since Daniel Lieske published it as a comic online. The breathtaking art is the main reason why you'd want to read this.

Both volumes 1 and 2 ended just as the story was starting to get really interesting, and that is my only qualm with this comic. At two chapters per book, no matter how arresting the art is, the content leaves something to be desired because the story is so brief.

However, volume 2 made up for it since it includes a bonus chapter showing an earlier generation of children who travel through the painting just like Jonas did; plus, a tiny bit of information about why these magical portal paintings exist in the first place. If that extra little backstory hadn't been there, I was ready to rate this 4 stars instead of 5, so I'm definitely looking forward to more of those!

The end of the book contains behind-the-scenes info on Daniel Lieske's artistic process. It is very detailed and has useful tips for both budding and professional artists.

With book two, we get a better understanding of the plot of the series though unfortunately it does fall into the typical 'chosen one questing through strange fantasy world' that we have seen so often. New cities are introduced and more of the world is revealed. But each volume is so short (though correspondingly inexpensive) that I still wish there were more in each volume and a bit higher price. It's just not enough - more like a chapter out of a book rather than a volume.

Story: Jonas is taken to Raya's city - and is told he is part of a prophecy to help fix a broken seal that could release a vengeful god of fire on the world. Jonas just wants to go home but he will have to fix that world first before he can return.

The art is, as always, quite beautiful. It's more the raison d'etre for reading the series than the story itself. In this volume, we have a beautiful sunken city, lanterns on rivers, and plenty of gorgeous forests and jungles to enjoy as Jonas goes on his quest.

Also included in this volume are: a short story of how the magic picture was created as well as several pages where the author/artist discusses his concepts, how he visualizes them, and his computer graphic modeling for several scenes. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

A beautifully rendered graphic novel for a junior audience. Lots of fun adventures and a splash of spiritualism.