Fly by Night is a young adult graphic novel set in a small town. Our main character is a young girl named Dee whose twin sister Beth went missing at some point before the beginning of the story. Her parents are divorced, father remarried and his new wife is pregnant.

Beth's disappearance is a festering wound for this small family. The dad has friends in the police department who are promising to give the case all the attention they can. Beth's mom has been living alone for a while now and dealing with the grief of her missing daughter on her own. It shows. Dee is very emotional and her father is in his own way.

He also, at one point, takes his anger out on his wife, calling her a failure as a mother and wife and saying what happened was her fault. Dee steps in and he realizes what he's saying and eventually gives a real apology for it but it's apparent that this family is broken. The twins' parents weren't good together and now one is missing which has broken their hearts.

While staying with her mom, Dee now sleeps in the same room she shared with her missing sister. There are a lot of tears throughout the book.

Even though Dee doesn't actually have to go back to school to graduate--she's got enough credits--she chooses to go back to the school the girls used to be at together. She wants to see if there are any clues and see the friends she herself had.

We're introduced to her best friend Tobi and another character. Apparently, Beth had started dating a boy named Lucas. After the girls' family split, they hadn't talked the way they used to. So she knew he existed but that's really it.

There's also a company that wants to build a pipeline through protected pinelands. And with the head of the company looking as much like a greasy business man as anyone I've ever seen, it's looking like it'll be difficult to protect the lands. Even though there's a council that's dedicated to doing just that.

Add in some supernatural elements and things sound like they should be pretty good.

They would, meh, decent. The pacing was off, it was lagging in some places, just awkward really. And it felt like it was trying too hard to give both of the main ideas the exact same amount of time.

Pipeline issue, finding out about Beth but it didn't really work that way. Because the supernatural elements become bigger and the answer to what happened to Beth felt a little weak. We get to know the full truth, but still. The pacing toward the end felt very fast. Like they knew they needed to wrap it up.

My biggest issue with that was the fact that everyone ends up accepting the existence of some things way too easily. I mean it's just like "huh, 'k" and they kept it moving.

The art was interesting. No color, only black and white. It makes certain panels really striking when there's a lot of black and the white cuts through it but I wonder what it would have looked like with splashes of color to enhance it. It didn't bother me, life time manga reader, but sometimes a little more would have been nice.

The character designs were interesting but some details got a little difficult to read. And the diversity that I could see, one woman is obviously African-American and I felt she avoided stereotyping. In fact she's a teacher wearing box braids. That's something I would have loved to see growing up on my actual teachers that wasn't an option for them. So for that, I was happy.

All in all, a weak 3. It's just barely there. But it's an interesting read. I think it's sort of bitter sweet with the way it ends.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley. Thank you to them and the publisher.

I dnf’d about 35% in. I couldn’t get engaged into the story and I couldn’t connect with the characters.
I don’t often read graphic novels but I have enjoyed them before. This one just didn’t do it for me.
The representation was there, love to see that, but the story behind it was lacking.

This is such a well written story. I was not anticipating the twists and turns of the story and was absolutely glued to the page. The artwork was well done and I particularly enjoyed how the monsters were drawn. The setting was also well illustrated and utilized in the story. It was also great to see how involved the students and the whole town were in their efforts to stop the pipeline, It was a great inspiring element to the story and fit into the larger mystery well. All around this was a captivating book.

This story was very compelling. Dee and her sister Beth were split up when their parents divorced. Beth has gone missing and Dee and her dad, who is a cop, return home to provide support to her mom and, of course, see how they can help. Dee starts going to the same school Beth went to and learns about a local oil company that wants to tear down the local pinelands that she and her sister used to play at. Dee spends the rest of the story both investigating her sister's disappearance and trying to stop the oil company. Along the way she discovers the truth of a local urban legend that lives in the pinelands and they help her discover and eventually reveal what happened to her sister.
The images were in black and white and I'm not sure if the final copy will be as well. It wasn't terribly hard to follow but the parts with the visions about what happened to Beth those were hard to interpret due to the way they were drawn.

Getting DRCs of graphic novels can be a mixed bag. I love being able to preview graphic novels and decide what my students might like, but sometimes (like in the case of Fly by Night) you only get bare-bones illustrations instead of colorful, intense graphics that enhance the story.

So while I enjoyed the story here (twin sisters separated, one goes missing, environmental protests, a strange creature in the woods who likes...beef jerky?), I feel like having the full illustrations really would have made this an even better read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for an arc of this graphic novel!

When Dee moves back to her hometown to help search for her missing twin sister and be there for her mom, she hopes that her knowledge of her sister will help her to find something the police haven't--and she's right. She uncovers a plot by a businessman in the town, as well as the origins behind the mysterious 'Jersey Devil'.

The art in this book is gorgeous! I love Dee's character design and can't wait to see this in full color! I liked the story and thought it had an interesting message. It was captivating and I read it all in one sitting! Can't wait to see the finished form of this one!

Pub Date: Nov 16, 2021

Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief

I really enjoyed this graphic novel! I am a huge cryptid fan and have always been fascinated by the Jersey Devil so it was really cool to see it in here!

This was great. I felt uncomfortable while reading it just because of the ambiance and the way it crept into my skin... my mind... I'm not going in the woods at night alone anymore.

This book was only okay to me. I enjoyed the environmental aspect, and liked the idea of what was in the woods. However, I felt the story dragged in some places and then the ending was so fast. The art style also was not for me.

I quickly have to thank Random House Graphic for providing me an eGalley of Fly by Night to read and review.

I definitely want to check this out when it comes out to see what the color version is like because the eGalley was in black and white. The illustrations were great and I think seeing it in color will make it just that more special. I know there are a few that I want to see what it would be like in color.

At the time I got this to read (late summer) I was definitely in a graphic novel frame of mind and was devouring all kinds of graphic novels/comics etc and this definitely made my top ten list of favorite graphic novels to date.

Fly by NIght had a little bit of everything mystery, conspiracy, a touch of the paranormal, family (a twin sister goes missing), and environmental issues.

Our main character is Dee and she lives with her father and his new wife. Dee’s mom and sister Beth live in another city. When Beth goes missing Dee goes back to help with the search. She knows Beth would never just disappear and is determined to find her even when she is told not to. But Dee is determined to help find her sister even if it means risking her own life.

I won’t say much more than that because I will easily give it away so I suggest you pick this up to read. It was really interesting and I enjoyed reading it. It has a little bit of everything for everyone. It covers an interesting topic and that is the building of the pipelines and how a corporation will do anything to make it happen with no regard to what it will do.

As a huge fan of urban legends, "true" crime, and graphic novels, this was an excellent story to read. Dee and her father return to New Jersey to help her mother search for her missing twin. She was last seen in the woods and the case is running cold. Dee begins getting involved with her childhood friends as the town is protesting the addition of a pipeline through the woods. The same woods that happen to be the home of the Jersey Devil. Lots of strange things happen, lots of emotions and tears are shared, and in the end good things happen. I loved the inclusion of the urban legend, and the twist on it too. I don't know if the finished graphic novel will be in color (I hope it is!) but the artwork is great and the characters have such real personalities. Wonderful story.

Mystery, Twins, Cryptids, Environmentalism, Murder?! Did... did I just read a Gravity Falls graphic novel? Just kidding. Although if you're a fan of Gravity Falls or Over the Garden wall - this one is right up your alley.
The story itself is gripping right from the start - a missing twin in a creepy woods with plenty of family tension and awkward new kid at school vibes. The clock is ticking right from the start for Dee as she takes the hunt for her sister in her own hands. Throw in evil corporations destroying natural habitats and some cryptids, it's got a solid base to keep the reader going.
Sometimes the story is a little slap-dash, and I can't tell if it adds tension by speeding through the events or just some confusion for the reader.

When her twin sister goes missing in their rural New Jersey town, Dee returns to their rural town in order to hopefully find out what happened to Beth. This small-town mystery with a touch of the supernatural was a pleasant story to read. Tara O'Connor tells some very unique stories that have an almost slice-of-life feel when reading them, which is why even though there was tension, it was also tempered with an air of calm. I think readers of both mysteries and the mysterious will enjoy <i>Fly by Night</i>.

Recommended.

Fly By Night tackles the important environmental issue of pipelines and their dangers while incorporating both real-world and fantasy elements. Several genres collide in this graphic novel: realistic fiction/activism, supernatural/fantasy, and mystery/thriller.

Dee moved away from her hometown with her father when her parents divorced; when her sister, who stayed with their mother, disappears, she returns with her father and is desperate to find out what happened to her. She becomes involved with an activist group at her school that is trying to stop a corporation from building a pipeline that will go through their town and disrupt the local environment. Meanwhile, she heads into the woods to try to find her sister - and finds a strange creature there.

There were a few points during this story when I was a little confused about what was happening in the images, and I needed the later text to help clear it up. I’m not sure if this was intentional, since Dee was also confused and shocked by some of the events in the book. It was off putting at times, but for the most part everything was explained and ended up making sense.

Otherwise, the illustrations were great; the ARC had black and white images, but based on the first copy pages I assume it will be full color. I’d love to flip through a finished copy, since I think it will be a different experience and beautiful in color!

Overall, an interesting read which brings up important aspects of pipelines and activism while also incorporating unique elements.

A mystery, twins, and a cryptid?! This graphic novel is awesome! I love the art style and the storyline equally. A twin returns to her mother's home to find her missing sister. Along the way she meets new friends, romantic interests, and a legendary creature (the Jersey Devil). A good read for middle grade//ya comic fans.

A YA graphic novel that tackles environmental issues (specifically a pipeline destroying the pinelands), activism, a mystery of the main character’s missing twin, high school drama, and supernatural characters rooted in the pinelands. The illustrations were moody and fascinating. I am eager to see this graphic novel in full color as the first few pages of the eARC were done so vividly.

A moody, atmospheric mystery with elements of the supernatural and themes of environmental activism. I would have loved to see the illustrations in full color - guess I'll have to wait for the finished book!

I LOVED this YA graphic novel! It was an emotionally-charged story that had a bit of everything - mystery, conspiracy, environmental issues, sisterhood, a touch of the paranormal - specifically the Jersey Devil, which I'm sure was influenced by Tara O'Connor's interest and insight into her home state of New Jersey. I was a little surprised and thrown off by the paranormal/fantasy twist, but was quickly drawn back in by the plot progression. I don't want to give away too much, but the concept and depiction of the Jersey Devil, which is an incredibly popular urban myth (who am I to say it isn't real), was truly unique and beautiful. Honestly, the story read like one of Courtney Summer's amazing young adult mystery/thriller novels (e.g. Sadie, The Project), especially in terms of sisterhood and grief, but with a paranormal twist and the added impact of stunning illustrations. This is a must-read for fans of Courtney Summers (Sadie), Rory Power (Wilder Girls), Claire Legrand (Sawkill Girls), and Natalie D. Richards (One Was Lost). I struggle to think of any YA graphic novel titles that fall in with Tara O'Connor's "Fly By Night," so I will most definitely be on the look out for more of her books in the future!

This was a very complex, genre-bending speculative YA graphic novel. I appreciated all of the points O'Connor was trying to touch on (the evils of pipelines and white-dude corporations, the importance of community activism, the power of friendship), but it did seem like this book was trying to do too many things at once, from time to time. The fantastical elements with the jersey devil (who prefers to go by a different name) were both fun and poignant, which was impressively done, and I loved the character designs there. I also appreciated the arc that Dee's search for her twin sister Beth took--I won't spoil anything, but it's intense and sends and important message. Overall, this is a solid graphic novel, with lots of plot but also lots of heart.