Member Reviews
I was in the mood for a quick graphic novel read and this was exactly what I needed! The story is such an original idea, however it did become slightly confusing towards the end.
I'm not sure what to say about this other than it's just that good. Relationships are a difficult road full of choices, this even gives me similar vibes to "Life is Strange" with those themes. When it comes to adolescence, it's a rocky time when people are at their most unsure. Ludo for all intents and purposes feels his tethers coming apart. As the flashbacks and recordings go on all the time, it's like viewing every event in parallel. It's also what allows people to love these characters. You can't blame or agree with anyone with how things happen, it's just what happens.
When things don't work out the way they're supposed to, it's easy to get sidetracked and think you're morally superior. But people are just complicated. All that really matters are the choices people make and just having a little faith in something better.
When I started reading At The End of Your Tether, there was not a lot that I knew about the story line.
I knew that it was based around a boy whom is trying to find his ex girlfriend, and that there would be some mystery and adventure, and pretty much this was the description on NetGalley as well, so the comic was mainly a surprise.
All together I have enjoyed reading this comic, even though I could only get this on my phone, which made reading this a little more then challenging at times.
The story line started off good and interesting, however, it is jumping back and forth between future and at times realities. In the comic I found this difficult to follow as it not always says what is happening. I would be reading normally and a page later I would be confused what exactly is happening. However, it is follow-able.. but it might cause some confusion.
The illustrations were lovely and really nicely executed I have to admit I spent more time looking at the illustrations then needed, and have possibly enjoyed these more then the actual story.
The book has started off really well, however, I feel there is still a little work needed to get this ready for publication. But no doubts, once these extra bit of work is done on the book to make it easier to follow, this book will be a great read to anyone who loves comics, mysteries and time travel.
*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free graphic novel.*
This is the story of Ludo who revisits his childhood home and wants to reconnect with his crush then. He phones her, arrives home and finds out that she has been missing for weeks. Police investigation is more of a farce, so he tries to find out what happened himself. It's time-travel obviously.
My main problem was that I didn't really get the different time-lines, I thought the story was mediocre at most, and the characters remained blunt. The drawings are good though.
2 Stars because of the Nick Cave references.
I must be completely honest here. I really enjoyed the artwork but the storyline itself left me quite confused unfortunately
Started off pretty good but as I read on it for progressively more and more confusing and I didn't understand much of the ending. Loved the artwork though , really unique.
The beginning started very good and I was very interested in what would happen next. The ending kinda ruined it for me because it got so confusing, I didn't understand what was happening.
I really liked the artwork!
Group of friends doing some kind of ritual, pseudo-arty-meaningful words, unconvincing and dreary childhood friendships – this book had me at the end of my tether patience-wise not long into it and I abandoned it very quickly. Utterly boring and unengaging – don’t bother.
This was so twisty. And I like that concept, where time isn’t what you think it is. We’re surrounded by so many different realities and timelines. Who knows when they’ll merge or overlap.
This graphic novel tells a strange and mysterious story. Our main character lives with his parents on a military base and meets a girl he begins dating. Later, the family moves away but returns for a visit, only to find that the girlfriend has gone missing. This story is told in alternating timelines which made it difficult to follow, since there were not clearly defined signals to show what timeline the characters are in. Due to the confusing nature of the storyline, I will not recommend this one for my students, but I do think people who can track multiple timelines would enjoy this story.
2,5/5 stars
I’m a bit confussed about this graphic novel.
This is a story about a boy named Ludo, who goes out seaching for his ex-girlfriend Arlo, because he doesn’t believe the local police are doing enough to find her. But then something happens and things start to get a bit weird.
The premis of this book intrigued me alot, but when it came to the story I was a bit disappointed. I felt like the storyline wasn’t flushed out enough and it almost felt like we were just being dumpes right in the middle of a story and not in a standalone graphic novel.
Overall, it has an interesting premis, beautiful artwork, but the story was a bit lackluster for me.
I received an e-arc on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ludo and Arlo met at a cookout on base when Ludo's family moved onto the base. They ended up falling in love, but Arlo went missing before Ludo could come back. In a twisty, but interesting graphic novel, V.V. Glass and Adam Smith tell the story of two young people in love.
I was a little confused by this graphic novel at first, but as you go on, the story makes a lot of sense. I really enjoyed it and read it in one sitting. The artwork is absolutely beautiful and the story was told beautifully. I would definitely read this novel again as there are things I definitely missed on the first go-round. Multiple rereads help to discover more about the story. I was really touched by the storyline when it all came together. They were two people who could never be together on the same "track" and were always on different timelines.
I want to check out more of V.V. Glass and Adam Smith's works as this graphic novel was so beautiful. I love V.V. Glass's artwork and Adam Smith's writing is amazing.
I’ve read (and loved) many graphic novels, so I was excited to check this book out with a free copy from NetGalley.
The art is gorgeous, but the story was really hard to follow. The time travel aspect was confusing and the dialogue needed some work. When you are working with a visual medium like this, awkward dialogue can really break the story.
I would read something from this author again, but I hope that he manages to get his dialogue and continuity of story a bit more polished.
* Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review *
While I liked the beginning/middle storyline, the choppy back and forth of the different timelines/time periods and the explanation of time travel really confused me.
Great artwork though!
There isnt too much to say about this. Good artwork but a really confusing story. I was drawn into the story but the time jumps make the story confusing and there are just a few too many disparate parts.
2.5/5 Stars
Ludo was 15 when he met his ex-girlfriend, Arlo. Years later, after his army mom moved bases, Ludo is hoping to reunite with Arlo. He calls her and they agree to meet the next day. When Ludo arrives on her doorstep, he discovers that she has been missing for the past week. When he believes local police are doing nothing to find her, he decides to take matters into his own hands.
I was initially drawn to this graphic novel because of the gorgeous cover. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed with the story. It felt as though you were dropped into the middle of a series, rather than a standalone story. The plot was not very clear, and for the most part I was confused for the majority of the story, but by the end it did come together.
Overall, interesting concept, but I think it could have been executed more effectively.
Very hard to follow, especially once the time travel is acknowledged.
Interesting concept but the time thread is disjointed.
Firstly thanks Netgalley for sending me this book to read and review.
I didn't know what to expect from this one. I'm glad I read it and I really liked the art style, which surprised me (it really grows on you)
The storyline is a bit hard to follow but builds beautifully and honestly I just want more!
The characters and the things they are going through and the depth that is given to the characters in how they move and look combined with the way they talk is great.
I want more Ludo and more Arlo.
Definitely worth a read friends when it comes out
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4 stars
A story about love, loss, and grief but not in the way you expect.
I really enjoyed this graphic novel, the art by V.V. Glass was fantastic, and a perfect conduit for Adam Smith's fragmented writing style.
Although the plot was a little bit confusing in some places, by the end I think that this added another layer of depth, making the story more interesting to reread. Personally, I was more intrigued than put off by the elements of the story that I didn't understand. I was easily drawn in by the setting and the stories unexpected supernatural elements.
The relationship that developed between Ludo and Arlo is intricate and well constructed. Their dynamic is easy to understand since we see so much of their relationship from so many points in time. This easily explains their attachment to each other (or lack of attachment) and not only fuels the plot but also motivates characters to act. Both Ludo and Arlo have agency and I enjoyed seeing them make all the wrong decisions.
Overall, this is a unique and wholly original graphic novel that I would recommend to lovers of Donnie Darko. It’s been compared to Paper Towns by John Green but I don't think that this comparison does the book justice and instead sets readers up to be let down.
⚠️Trigger Warning⚠️: mental illness, violence, motorbike accidents, scarring, major character death.
Pre-order this Graphic Novel from Oni Press and receive your copy when it’s released on the February 11th 2020.
I received an advance review copy for free via NetGalley in alliance with Oni Press, and I am leaving this review voluntarily 📚
I love the illustrations in this graphic novel, they are bright and easy to see what is going on. The expressions on the characters faces are easy to read and it really lifts the story.
I like how the sentences and dialogue aren't super long. They are quick and easy to read, the story isn't drowning in words, to take away from the readers ability to draw information from the imagery.