Alabaster Shadows

Alabaster Shadows

By Matt Gardner and Rashad Doucet

Published by Oni Press

Another good book with a few holes. Alabaster Shadows is about two kids Carter and Polly, who move with their parents to a town named Alabaster Shadows. That night, Carter finds a portal to an alien world, and the two of them must team up with a group of local kids who all are in some way connected to the portal to thwart the evil villains plans which are never revealed or spelled out. As I said, holes.

This book is good, but I feel like I’m only saying that because I have been trained to except that kind of reasoning over the years by listening to Welcome to Night Vale, the greatest podcast ever. And it looks a lot like Night Vale: a desert town, mysterious occurrences, a dark and vague antagonist. To someone who hasn’t had this acceptance of weird hardwired into their brain, the book’s plot meanders, with many things not being explained enough and many things relying on chance to make sense. The villain, as stated before, seems not to have a clear motive, besides keeping everyone in the dark. Maybe it’s world domination, I’m not sure. But the characters are good, and the art and monster design are good, which is a plus. 

TL;DR: 7/10

Should you buy it: Yeah, if you are wiling to accept some plot weirdness.