Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this!
I flew through this, wow! Minus is not your typical story.

Beck is on her way to college with her kind of overprotective and paranoid dad. They stop at a gas station and she goes to the restroom: only to hear a gunshot and find that her dad has disappeared.
She can't be sure who pulled the trigger killing the cashier or where his dad might be.

This was so surprising! I couldn't see the twists coming, and this graphic novel explores a very interesting topic and huge ethical questions that I feel like are not really adressed in books. I found myself thinking about it a lot.

The art style was AWESOME: the color choices made this so special and atmospheric.

well, that was really dramatic and confusing. i think the ending was rushed, too. a lot happening to be fixed so quickly and easily.

Everything about this was so average. The story was so bad and, while it was pretty, the art style did not make up for it. There were plot holes, the story was rushed, and at times it straight up did not make any sense. PLUS the worst part is that it almost sympathizes with child kidnappers? I'm so confused by that. I felt absolutely no sympathy, but the story tried to get you to. Not okay with me at all. Two stars because I did still finish the whole thing, but it was farrrrr less than average.

In Minus by Lisa Naffziger a young adult thriller graphic novel. Beck is on der way to University of Chicago after being homeschooled most of her life. Where some events take place and she find out the truth.
I really enjoyed Minus it was really intriguing and held my interest throughout it. Also I was worried for Beck navigating these events and having to trust strangers.

*Received via NetGalley for review*

Mostly predictable, Minus is the story of a young girl who was kidnapped at a young age and raised by her abductor, believing him to be her father until her real father takes drastic action. He shoots up the gas station where Beck hides in the bathroom, and kidnaps the man who kidnapped her in an attempt to get her to meet with him. Wandering alone, luckily Beck meets a kind policewoman and an online friend, and manages to save the man she sees as her real father while dealing with the implications of everything that's happened.

The color palette in muted, which serves the themes well, and Beck is confident and mature even when she's unsure what to do. The plot moves along quickly and is realistic.

I appreciated what the author was trying to do with the story, but some elements just didn’t work. A lot felt extremely rushed, so maybe if the plot had been fleshed out more it would have worked better? Either way, I enjoyed it for the mystery aspect, but the plot had some issues that I can’t really discuss without mentioning spoilers...I wanted more from it.

Very odd subject matter. Odd character interactions, and the illustrations really didn't work well with the story. Not one I would recommend.

I don't know what i hoped for but i had no idea what i got myself into it seems and it was'nt for me. I'm not too big fan of thrillers, and it all left me confused. DNF'ed at 53%.

Thank you Netgalley, Author and Publisher for the free electronic download of this YA graphic novel.

I enjoyed the story even though the pacing and dialogue could have been written better. Some parts of the story are questionable and partly confusing. The subject matter of the story and what the message it’s trying to say was not delivered well and lost track of the story somewhere midway. The graphics could have been better especially the colors used- it was a little difficult to follow the flow and the font could have been improved for aesthetics and ease of reading.

Thank you again for the ARC.

'Minus' by with story and art by Lisa Naffziger is a young adult graphic novel about a young girl who has to come to terms with what family is.

Beck is on her way to visit a college with her dad and her stuffed cat, Minus. When they stop at a convenience store for Beck to take a potty break, things go off the rails. She comes out of the restroom to find a store in chaos and a seemingly dead clerk behind the counter. Her dad, the car, and all her stuff is gone.

Through the rest of the book, we get the whole story of what is going on. There is a lot of action and some decent surprises (and some not so decent ones, too). Beck makes a choice towards the end that I can understand, but I don't know if any capable adult would let her make. The art is pretty average and the graphic novel took my no time to read. Beck's choice really makes me question this one.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Iron Circus Comics, Letter Better Publishing Services, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

I wasn't a fan of this one at all. It felt rushed and all over the place. I wanted more nuance from the story and the issues at hand. Instead, it felt like a happy (?) ending with very little meaning.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me early access to this graphic novel. This isn’t like anything I have ever read before and as a graphic novel thriller it works! Beck was homeschooled up until she gets into college, and on the journey up she gets caught in some crossfire that will change her life forever. The plot twists were good, some predictable but the problem I had was some of the words were hard to make out due to the font! But still a good book!

Great art style and wow this story packs a punch. It takes some weird turns and I definitely got a bit teary eyed. Some bits of the do seem to be thrown together to quickly resolve multiple plot points. I did really enjoy reading such a powerful graphic novel

Oh wow, where to start...I originally downloaded the ARC via NetGalley some time ago, only to forget about it. Until yesterday when I received an email from the publisher with an easier PDF version. So, I gave it read first thing this morning. Warning, mild spoilers ahead.

Honestly, there are so many things wrong with this story. First, it's a stretch to call this a "psychological thriller" as the rep does in his email. By the time the attempted suspense comes into play, there's already so many distracting wtfs that the reader isn't likely to be invested. Here are my main issues concerning this GN:

1. The art: Now, I love this art style. It's pretty common for middle-grade GNs and many Boom studios titles. However, for a "psychological thriller," not so much. The story depicts a very adult situation, but the art is reflective of what is popular for juvenile titles. Perhaps if the story had been edgy, I could appreciate the friendly art juxtaposed with a dark story. But the narrative never reaches a dark tone, which brings me to my next problem with the title.

2. The story: So, I was intrigued from the very beginning, but that's also where it started to wobble for me. As soon as Sandra picks up Beck from the roadside, I had a gut feeling that I was in for some obvious foreshadowing. And oh wow, was there obvious foreshadowing. I don't know that I have ever not DNF'd a YA story, prose or subsequent art, that had such blatant "this will be connected" moments. Perhaps the mild violence at the beginning and the potential violence at the end, as well as the MC's age, is why this has been labeled YA, but this story reads like a juvenile title. Maybe the foreshadowing would pass as a middle-grade selection, but YA reader will most def spot the inconsistencies and plot gaps.

3. The story, cont'd: Also rather prevalent are the plot gaps, the inconsistencies, and the assumption that readers will suspend disbelief because of great storytelling. Just a few things that don't make sense: a child doesn't think to look in her toybox for a toy she can't find; Beck's hair goes from chin-length to well-past shoulder length in two months (btw, that's likely a years growth for the average person); lastly, the police don't tell Beck how the wire works, which is so unreasonable it's almost laughable.

As for the story gaps, the unforgivable choice made by the author is not reuniting Beck with her biological mother when the showdown is over. She's still a minor - where does she go? Obviously, the biological mother is engaged - I mean, Beck walks right by her in the police station, and she's shown on a news report that Beck sees. There's no evidence given that she is incapable of taking care of her child, who is practically grown anyway. I was a social worker in a previous life. Unless there is proof of gross negligence or absolute poverty, that child goes home to her mother, if not immediately, then soon enough. Even if Beck turns 18 the day after the warehouse showdown, is it reasonable to believe that the only contact she has with her mother is email? No texting? Facetime? In 2019? Sigh...

I'm now speaking to librarians: if you received and reviewed the press kit for this title, please take time to look at reader reviews before you purchase this title. The offered "selling points" are so off the mark, I just can't even. In the end, the only consistent theme is "geocaching is bad." It's ridiculously prevalent and not at all mentioned by the publisher or professional reviwers, which is insane to me.

I have so many other notes about this title, but this review is already so much longer than I planned. My honest opinion is that this title is a no-go for YA readers and a very hesitant maybe for a middle-grade audience. Believe me when I say that the Goodreads rating is a pretty accurate reflection of the content of this title. It's not a thriller, it's not a coming-of-age story, it's just not good storytelling in an industry in which such amazing female artists as Raina Telgemeier, Svetlana Chmakova, Victoria Jamieson, Jennifer Holm, Terri Libenson, Ngozi Ukazu, Noelle Stevenson, Vera Brosgol, Mariko Tamaki, Faith Erin Hicks, Jen Wang, Kate Beaton, and Katie O'Neil are creating awesome graphic novels for juvenile and YA readers, just to name several.

In the press kit, Lion Forge is promoting Minus as a bridge title from juvenile to YA, but it just doesn't work. Save your money and make a better choice for your YA collections.

This was an odd one. I didn't find the artwork interesting or appealing, and the dialogue was quite painful at times. I did race through it as I wanted to find out what happened, but I was left a bit disappointed. The story ends with (SPOILER) the main character maintaining a relationship with the man who abducted her as a baby. The more optimistic interpretation would be that we are all free to choose our own family; realistically it seems more like it's saying that the main character is so profoundly traumatised that she can't break free of her abductor. Which is... pretty dark. Either way I didn't find it very satisying. But to be fair, it was a fun read, and I raced through it.

Cool concept - bad execution. The story was too brief, unbelievable, and just weird. While many thrillers like this rely on suspension of disbelief it felt like there was just too many gaps in this story to be able do it for this book. This would have made a great novel if it had been fleshed out more, but in its current state it definitely missed the mark for me.

Everything about this book was just okay.
- The story was enjoyable, but not mindblowing.
- the art style was nice, but not the best I've seen.
- There was not so much depth to the characters, but they were okay.

I don't have that much more to say about this.

As a thriller, this graphic novel did a pretty good job. The story was short and rushed, though, so there was a lack of depth to the characters because of that. I also didn't feel very good about the ending. It was way too problematic for me... I don't think it was justified or should have been.

A wonderful graphic novel that manages to combine a compelling narrative and illustrations to create a wonderful experience for the reader.

I wanted to like this book more than I did, and I was on board for a lot of it, but the way the story wrapped up really threw me and made me feel uncomfortable enough that it was hard to enjoy.

I requested this on NetGalley because I was intrigued by the description of this book, and for the most part, it was an interesting fast-paced thriller. Beck was a likable character I wanted to root for, and it was fun to watch the plot unfold, so there were certainly good elements to the story.

**SPOILERS FOLLOW**

My two main complaints were the connections between the characters and the ending. Each person Beck met seemed to be connected to the main plot in some integral way, and the unrealistic quality of this started to bother me. Beck running into one character tied to her, her father, and her past may have been written off as being coincidental, but it seemed like every person in the book that she encountered by chance was intricately woven together in a way that just didn't make a lot of sense.

I also had some big problems with the ending and the book's treatment of Beck's biological father vs. her "adoptive" father. Though this would of course be an emotionally complex and even traumatic situation for Beck, it's barely presented that way--it seems like everyone writes off her biological father as the bad guy, and though the man who raised Beck goes to jail, she seems to have no ill will or negative or even complex feelings toward him at all. In fact, the big reveal of what has been done to her barely seems to phase her. I didn't think the situation was treated with enough nuance or understanding of just what a serious and abusive crime Beck's "father" had committed.