An amazing GN with a plot and suspense that keeps you tied to it until the end!
And that end, was just amazing!
With a story and art that really catches your eyes

This was a fantastic graphic novel! We start off with Beck and her dad in the car driving to a college visit to the University of Chicago where Beck is hoping to go in the fall. Along the way they make a stop at a gas station and something goes horribly wrong and Beck is left by herself at the gas station with a dead body. This leads her on a journey involving cops, her family, and a long held secret.

This was a very good graphic novel. I loved the story and I the twist was fantastic as well. The artwork and coloring were very nicely done too. The story was very well constructed and although there were confusing moments, I feel like we were confused right along with the main character. I would highly recommend this graphic novel for anyone. It is very well done and was enjoyable to read.

(Sorry to say as much as I tried multiple number of times I just can’t download this book saying that there is a download error at 30 percent. Yes, I use the app PocketBook suggested by NetGalley. Other files did open up but I just could not open up this one. Sorry.)

That was in October 2019!
Now finally I am able to download it and read it just today!
The story is fast paced and the art is eye popping. But sadly the plot just didn't hold good at the later half of the story. The ending was so unsatisfactory.
The first half was really good.
Thanks #NetGalley for the book #Minus

The art is great but the story is lacking. The intro scenes into a new story line can make or break itZ

Interesting premise. A summary would spoil the story, but know that there are a lot of twists and turns, lots of coincidences, and the story involves Stockholm syndrome. It's all interesting, but I had real trouble following everything. I had to go back and reread sections several times, trying to put pieces together, but it felt like more work than a well-structured mystery... like the clues weren't really there for me to find, or they weren't strong enough. And I feel like I'm a pretty good reader at this point - my concern would be how to help a student through this mystery.

Troubles I felt that I don't think spoil the plot for anyone reading the review:
The very first big incident isn't clear enough. There was an additional person in the scene that there's no way of knowing. If I'd seen a different character in one of the panels - even an outline of a different character - I would have had a good clue. Before the scene, we see that a main character has a gun, but if I'd known that there was a second DIFFERENT character with a gun, well, that would have helped a lot.
The author uses first names and then the police department uses last names, and it takes a really long time to sort every name out. I think it was a device the author was using to create suspense/mystery, but readers don't catch the story/plot point when I think we're supposed to.
There are flashbacks that feel a little disjointed. I figured out later who was in each of them and what they added up to, but again, lots of confusion that I, the reader, would have liked more support with.
There were also coincidences that felt unnecessary. A woman who the main character meets by chance at the beginning becomes too important later in my opinion.
I wonder how much my students understand/know geotagging... It's important to the story.

About Stockholm Syndrome - I wonder what the author wants readers to take away about Stockholm Syndrome. It makes sense that the victim feels the way she does, but it's interesting how the people surrounding her/also involved deal with the issue.

I think the book has some interesting subject matter. I appreciate the opportunity to read an ARC through NetGalley. Will need to figure out how to support a student who reads it.

I started off really enjoying this book. The art was great, the story was compelling ... but then it just went all downhill towards the end. It's hard to talk about this book without getting into spoilers, but my biggest question is really ... what the heck?? I totally understand the concept of found families as a narrative plot. I also understand the concept of Stockholm Syndrome as a plot. I don't understand the concept of ... whatever it was this book was trying to do. Honestly, the "moral" of this story left me seriously scratching my head and wondering if I'd missed the point. Is it supposed to be like that?? I just don't know.

Three stars for the artwork, but man ... that story. What even.

Wow.
This is really bad.
It's totally just a story about a girl with some SERIOUS Stockholm syndrome and we're pretty much expected to what? Be happy for her? Yeah, no. What could have been a pretty interesting story just comes out super bland. Also, the juvenile art style does nothing to help the story, which is sort of trying to be a suspenseful mystery but completely fails.
Just really, really dull and pointless.

After being home schooled for most of her life, Beck is nervous and on her way to college. Her overprotective and paranoid dad is driving her to college and dropping hints about staying home, but Beck is excited about going to university and doesn’t have plants to change her mind. Their trip is going great until they stop at a gas station so Beck can use the bathroom. When Beck comes out, the gas station is trashed, and her dad is gone. Scared and confused about why her dad took off without her, she takes off on foot and hopes to meet up with some friends she made through her university online group until she contacts her dad. Along the way, Beck discovers the truth about her life and why her dad has always been so paranoid.

I thought this book had an interesting concept and it really drew me in before it went off the rails. I think Lisa Naffziger had something going there early in the story. It’s clear that something is up with Beck’s dad from the start. He’s paranoid, doesn’t think Beck should use her phone unless it’s to communicate with him, and has rules about the kinds of apps she can use and how to not draw attention to herself. It’s very clear that he abducted her at some point in her life but that she doesn’t know this since she was raised by him.

Once Beck is separated from her dad, I could see why the story is marketed as a thriller because I felt on edge like Beck did. However, the story starts go to off the rails as Beck tries to find her dad. The story asks me to suspend more and more belief the closer it gets to the end. At some point, I couldn’t spare anymore. The way Beck’s abduction case is handled is questionable at best and there’s more focus put on her kidnapper’s perspective and well-being in relation to her than there should’ve been.

I understand why Beck is attached to her kidnapper. He’s raised her and that’s who she sees as a parental figure. That said, this aspect could’ve been handled much better. I also wish that we saw her reuniting with her mom before the story ends rather than her kidnapper. It seems to cater to Beck’s “father” more than her and her biological family for a story about someone who was kidnapped and just had their entire life changed again when he finally gets busted.

I think the opening was great and the artwork is nice, but it lacks depth and compassion for Beck and her biological family. Overall, it comes off as one big kidnapper’s redemption arc and that’s not something I can get behind.

★☆☆☆☆ | *deep sigh* What the fuck?? (SPOILERS)

I hate writing 1-star reviews but this is just so problematic...

Is kidnapping children suddenly okay just because the kidnapper didn't abuse the child? Not to mention, it's a white man kidnapping a Native girl and the moral is she was happier with him than with her biological father who went batshit crazy AFTER SOMEBODY KIDNAPPED HIS FRICKING CHILD???!!! Yeah, I would go on a murder rampage myself...
<a href="https://truthout.org/articles/indigenous-children-face-extreme-rates-of-removal-and-state-violence/">A reminder of that Indigenous children faced and still face extreme violence when taken away from their families</a>

Also, the story didn't really hold up -- there were just so many coincidences?? How is that even supposed to be believable?

The art was ok, I guess.

Damn, the opening of this graphic novel is great. It begins with a mystery, and throws the main character into danger by the third page. We start off only knowing that Beck is home schooled, and that her father is very protective of her. From there we go on a ride that is so full of weird coincidences it would have made Charles Dickens happy.

Without giving too much away, it is determined that Beck knows that her father is not her "real" father, but that it just seems to be one of those things that adults do from time to time.

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Screen-Shot-2019-09-21-at-12.31.13-AM.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5438" />

My only problem, and it is a major one, is that the first half of the book is trying to build up to the conclusion, but as we get closer to the answers, everything collapses into itself, and we get a rushed explanation of what is going on. It is almost as though the author ran out of pages.

So while the story gripped me, in the beginning, as we approached the ending I was having a hard time keeping track of all the players. And the ending left me with more questions.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I did not care for this book, while the art was fantastic I did could not get into the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this because it sounded like such a great mystery but the plot really messed with me and I just couldn't get behind the plot twist. I wasn't a fan of the characters that much either, the art was pretty good though.

So, I read this in one sitting because I just had to find out what was going on. I am dying to know what happens next in this story.

An e-ARC was given through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I remember setting it aside around the second or third chapter just because I didn't feel like it captivated me enough, only to get back into it another day and finishing the rest of the book in one sitting. 

Minus is a fast-paced thriller, family drama that starts with a very calm car ride and the main character, Beck telling her dad that she wanted to pee. Then everything turns messy after that. Throughout the book, there was a main story and flashbacks of the past that adds on to the confusion that was happening. It didn't really make much sense to me until it was all revealed towards the end. And even still, I was confused. 

I liked the idea that someone who isn't your biological father can be more of a father to you than the biological one. It shows that loyalty and love aren't because of blood-relations but because of time, effort and care. I also really liked that the characters were all somehow linked which made it very interesting. 

Personally, it was a little too fast-paced since half the time I was confused about the flashbacks and the whole police department/ interrogation scene/big reveal made me feel very lost about who's who. Thankfully, everything was clear to me before the final scene.

Beck is on a road trip with her dad, headed to move in to college. Things go south pretty quickly when the pair stop at a gas station for a break. While Beck is in the bathroom, she hears gunshots. She walks out to discover the employee is dead and her dad is missing. The bulk of Minus explores what really happened that day.

The best adjective I can find to describe Minus is meh. The fact that this is meant to be a young adult thriller was what originally got my attention, but I never really got in to the storyline; the illustrations didn't really draw me in either. Generally, everything was just okay in my opinion. Things really picked up in the last 20 or so pages, but then it was just over. The entire graphic novel seemed really rushed and a lot of the key details were not believable to me.

*Thank you to Netgalley, Letter Better Publishing Services, and Iron Circus Comics for the ARC of this book. This was a voluntary review.*

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!</i>

Minus by Lisa Naffziger is a YA mystery/thriller graphic novel about a girl named Beck, who has been separated from her father, and her journey to find him. A mystery/thriller graphic novel was a new one for me. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but it ended up being a really fun time! This is a relatively longer graphic novel, coming in at 186 pages, but I remained engaged and enthralled the whole time. I will say the art style isn't my favorite, but that is, of course, a personal preference, and it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story! Ultimately, however, I did end up giving this one a three star rating, as I did find the story to be kind of confusing at times. Overall, though, it was a really fun time, and I highly recommend you checking it out!

I really didn't enjoy this book. Given the premise I thought I would but it was pretty dull, the mystery was obvious, and everything seemed too neat or something. I also thought the emotions seemed forced and unrealistic. Wasn't a big fan of the art either.

Beck is on her way to start the University of Chicago when things go horribly wrong. She gets separated from her dad at a Naperville gas station during a hold up. After meeting a woman (Sandra) along the road who agrees to take her to Chicago, she connects with some friends and receives a message from her dad. Except her friend's girlfriend doesn't take her to meet the dad, but instead drops her off at the police station. Turns out her dad is not her dad and the man responsible for the gas station shooting is after her as well.

There were a lot of coincidences in this story that stretched its believability for me. [The woman who picks up Beck on the highway happens to be a police officer and just happens to be the mom of Beck's friend's girlfriend. Not only that but she is the ex-partner of the man responsible for the shooting. Then there is the fact that Beck was kidnapped as a child. Her kidnapper turns out to be the ex-husband of the woman Sandra. So Beck just happens to randomly be picked up by a stranger who is the ex-wife of her kidnapper/dad and the ex-partner of her real dad. And if that is not enough the new friend Beck has made online in anticipation of starting college just happens to be this woman's daughter's boyfriend. So many coincidences and connections that I just didn't believe it. (hide spoiler)] I also thought the message was pretty terrible. Just because her kidnapper didn't abuse her doesn't mean he was a good dad. He kidnapped her! Why does it seem like all is forgiven for that? Why doesn't Beck reconnect with her real mom? There is a level of acceptance for the kidnapping that seems pretty unacceptable.

Beautiful illustrations and a great colour palette. Good for fans of Raina Telgemeier.

The plot is an interesting one to be the subject of a graphic novel but this intrigued me and will appeal to young teens who love some mystery.

However, there are a series of events and connections between characters that just don't feel authentic to me. Add in Beck's responses, which feel bizarre to me, and the plot is all a bit strange.

While I could see lots of flaws in this graphic novel, I know that the kids in my school will really like it. Perhaps teenagers are less concerned with plausability and plot holes but I just know the things that bothered me wouldn't bother them.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

I don't usually read books with this kind of topic (abduction), but I have to say that this one used it well.