Complex characters and quirky illustrations made this a very enjoyable read. ( )

Review also posted on my blog! :)

I honestly knew next-to-nothing about this book going into it. All I knew was that it had a super cute cover, and that I'd seen it floating around the reading community lately. But I was at the library and there it was, on the shelf, so I thought, why not? What I found was a cute, fun, and humorous read.

Nimona is a whimsical and humorous story – I actually laughed out loud during quite a few scenes. Two of the strongest points of the novel for me were the characters and the artwork. Stevenson has a really well-developed artistic style. The illustrations are simple yet fun and carefree. She also does a really good job at choosing color palettes to affect the mood of certain scenes.

The characters were well-developed, and fun to read about. Nimona herself especially shone as a fully developed character with a strong personality. I also really liked Blackheart – mostly for the fact that he is basically an antihero... and not nearly as villainous as he makes himself out to be. The way Nimona and Blackheart interact with each other was another highlight of the story. Nimona shows up suddenly in his life, and even though she's really young, she is constantly schooling him on how to be a real villain.

The world that Nimona is set in was also a high point for me. The setting is this world that is a unique mix of science fiction and fantasy. Blackheart and his arch-nemesis Goldenloin are technically knights... yet Blackheart has a giant science lab, and in several battle scenes the characters have laser rifles. The setting just further added to the quirkiness of the story. Additionally, I loved Nimona's shape-shifting powers. It's something you don't see a lot in graphic or "regular" novels. I loved that she could shift into anything at any time – it really added an exciting element to the story.

Another refreshing aspect to this story was that it's actually pretty diverse. There are POC and a gay romance, (though it's not explicitly shown, it is heavily implied). I would also say that Nimona breaks gender boundaries, in the fact that Nimona is definitely the more dominant, "masculine" character, while Blackheart is actually fairly demure and less prone to action.

I did have one major problem with Nimona: the story. Frankly, in many ways the story was weak, and there were changes in the plot that occur very abruptly. For one thing, we are never really given a reason as to why Nimona wants to join up with Blackheart in the first place. Additionally, Nimona's backstory is not revealed until very late in the story. This kind of makes sense, because her backstory is a plot twist... but very shortly after it is revealed, the story ends! The characters (and myself) barely get a chance to fully react to what happens. Because of this, the ending was left very open, and I was pretty disappointed, since there doesn't seem to be plans for a sequel anytime soon.

I definitely was left wanting more from this story, and not in a good way. Many parts of the story felt "choppy" and disjointed; there wasn't a good flow from chapter-to-chapter. This may be because Nimona was originally a web-comic, so maybe I should cut Stevenson a break? I don't know.

So while I enjoyed most aspects of this novel – the characters, setting, and artwork – the story definitely could have been more developed. I was originally going to go with four stars for this read, but the more I think about the issues with the plot, I can't give this book more than three and a half stars. Despite that, I think Stevenson showed a lot of potential with Nimona, and I am eager to see what else she comes out with in the future.

Final Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½ ( )

Bombastic, heartfelt and hilarious. It is a fun read from beginning to end while subverting tropes. ( )

This was a quick fun read, but it was not very memorable for me. The most interesting part to me was the relationship between Blackheart and Goldenloin. I would recommend to anyone who really likes graphic novels. ( )

Recommended:
For a great example of how much story and building can be included in a graphic novel, for a story that grows in scope imperssively, for unexpectedly deep bonds and betrayals

Thoughts:
I found this as part of a reading challenge to read a book someone else rated five stars. And you know what? I wholeheartedly agree with that person. A surprise at it developed, I did NOT anticipate what this story would grow into. Laughter? Justice? Vengeance? Tears? It's brilliant y'all.

I was a little iffy on the art style when I started it, but it did end up growing on me. Around halfway through I started appreciating the little details and style tics, plus one particularly impressive character that actually gave me goosebumps when revealed. (You'll know who.)

The story itself was much more dynamic than I thought I'd get! I figured it would be a pretty simple job of good v. evil with some quirky characters, but no! Nimona has some issues which is maybe not a surprise given her aggressive joy in death and mayhem. But still... you can't help but love her and Blackheart. My poor little heart by the end... a tear may have rolled down my cheek. :(

I totally get why this was someone else's 5-star read. Now I can be that person for you, too. If it sounds like it might be your kind of thing, give it a shot!!  ( )