Member Reviews
I have tried to download the book several times to be able to read it and review it, but so far it has been in vain, so unfortunately I still cannot open the file. :(
I Thank Netgalley for giving me This graphic novel in exchange of my honest review.
I liked this as much as I can say I liked it, but I didn't enjoyed it at all, as a Colombian, I can relate in a lot of parts of the story, but some others just seemed cringey or off.
"I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own."
"Life's a pitch for teen football star, Adrian "Colombian Cannon" Molina. With his powerful shot, he seems a shoe-in for the European junior league........" this line wins my ❤️ heart. Can't stop recommending it to all my reader friends. Have no words for it's charm. Don't think or blink, just go grab it or request it as soon as possible. In love with it. This graphic sports novel is more than it's name, it's super fantabulous.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really really enjoyed this graphic novel. The art style was very engaging and colorful, which helped further the impact of the story as it continued from panel to panel. The story itself touched on a lot of important topics', (i.e. bullying, racism) while also being extremely diverse in both the ethnicity aspects, but also with some LGBTQIA+ representation, which added a lot to the storyline. I originally requested this ARC because the main character was Colombian, as am I, but I was pleasantly surprised and happy to see how much more the story had to offer. I would recommend this to anyone who would want a light, fun, & easy read, even if they don't typically read graphic novels & I hope to see another volume in the future!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
World Class by Jay Sandlin is a YA sports graphic novel that will appeal to any soccer (football) fan. The story revolves around Adrian "Colombian Cannon" Molina, who is offered a scholarship to an elite prep school. However, not everything is as perfect as it seems. Adrian strikes up a rivalry with Titan Evans, the star of the school's soccer team. Things take a turn for the worse. Soon, Adrian is being hit and threatened, and he begins to suffer anxiety attacks as a result of Titan's bullying. Will Adrian be able to keep his scholarship at the school? Will he be able to withstand the relentless bullying?
Overall, World Class is a great and exciting graphic novel that features a Hispanic protagonist. It will appeal to fans of the graphic novels Fence and Check, Please. I really enjoyed reading this graphic novel, and I could not put it down. I ended up finishing it in a few hours. One highlight of this book is the slick, almost futuristic art style. The colors really pop off the page. I felt like I was reading a superhero comic. Another highlight of this book is the great storyline. The creator handles bullying and anxiety attacks in a mature way that will educate teen readers without appearing "preachy." If you're intrigued by the synopsis or if you're a fan of sports graphic novels, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in February!
I LOVED this graphic novel. There’s diversity, LGBTQIA+ rep, and I felt the storyline behind it was very wholesome. I’ll keep this spoiler free.
I really hope there’s a second installment at some point in the future. This was light and fun at parts but also touched on topics that are very important (racism)
The only con for me was that it felt short and rushed in parts. But that could also just be because I really wanted it to keep going. I really liked how he found his team/family and realized that sometimes the big goals can be reached but not required for happiness.
What an amazing work!! Jay Sandlin has done a commendable job. Overall, a great reading experience. Highly recommended.
Thank you NetGally for letting me review this graphic novel.
This graphic novel really reminds me of the Super Strikers (can't remember if that's correct) cartoon and honestly, it's giving me a nostalgia while reading it.
The art style really unique, I honestly did like it. The only think I think I didn't like was that the expressions that the characters shows sometimes not there, or I think aren't showing to what the dialogues are pertaining to.
There's also rep diversity in here which I thought was good. I'd honesly like this to have a 2nd issue because honeslty, this is such a fun read, this absolutely be a good series.
Also Adrian, I think he's the character I like the most and love their friendship and the gang!
I'd also like to add that the execution or pacing seemed to way much faster than I'd like and a little bit short? Like, I honestly would have love it more if we get to see more interaction and not just the action scenes.
Overall, I really did enjoy it. Would love to have another issue of this one!
TW: Racism
Roy of the Rancheros, perhaps, as a comic with lots of footie action and antagonism between two up-and-coming star strikers gets to show Latinx readers their future heroes and villains all in one. What I got with was pretty much standard fare, the likes of which I was reading in my weekly of choice back at the start of the '80s. What I didn't get with was the weird English nonsense – two teams provide a commentator each for a match and there's mucho quibbling about education in English and/or Spanish; the hero is worried about his type of guy not being picked by "preparatory schools" in London. Now, either they've mistranslated football academies or they have less than zero idea about "soccer" in Britain. (And featuring Nottingham FC as a trophy-winner kind of suggests the latter, it goes without saying.) It's all done with the vim and heart of a traditional football book, with the hero forced to find an underdog status on his way to the top (also bromance, also white-characters-equal-evil racism), but there is as I say a heck of a lot more of the fantasy than even this genre normally provides. Three and a half goals.
Thank you netgalley for this arc. I kinda liked the story and the illustration are great to look at. Word font and the word style are perfect.
3.75 stars
I got this mainly because the main character is Colombian and I am too so I was excited and curious about how the story was going to be.
I was pleasantly surprised how fun and interesting this was.
I liked the art work and the arc of the characters.
I adored the representation of male friendships with Adrian and Luciano. It was refreshing and fun to read about them.
Overall this was a fun entertaining read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this Graphic novel in exchange for an honest review
I have attempted to download World Class on multiple apps so I can review it and it will just not download. If and when I am able to, I will update my review accordingly. Thank you.
Adrian Molina is a striker in football, and is recruited for the Regents football team. He and the other striker, Titan Evans, don’t get along at all, but he makes it through his bullying with Luciano DeSilva and the other members of his new team as they make their way to the U17 Championships.
I actually really enjoyed this. I don’t normally read graphic novels, but this was a very good read. It was full of diversity, in everything from race to sexuality, and was very funny as well. I also really liked that Adrian and Luciano became very close friends without them being written as LGBT. Which is weird for me to say, because I love gay books, but we also need more representation of close male friendships that are just that, close male friendships, so guys know that it’s okay to be close with each other without being scared of “losing their masculinity.”
I do think, though, that the facial expressions of the characters were sometimes incorrect/didn’t make much sense. Again, I don’t read many graphic novels, so aim not an expert, but the art wasn’t the best it could have been in my opinion. I loved the bright colours though.
Overall this was a really fun, quick read with lots of things to laugh over and think about. Anyone who likes sports-related things, especially football (or soccer, for US people), would enjoy this, as well as people who like graphic novels in general.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this graphic novel!