Scarlett Hart Monster Hunter

Scarlett Hart Monster Hunter

By Marcus Sedgwick and Thomas Taylor

Published by First Second

Summary:
Scarlett Hart is an underage monster hunter, and the next in a line of famous hunters. With her trusty butler Napoleon, they skirt around the law, hunting monsters to keep their heads above water, all while competing the Count, an older established monster who is so obviously evil it's ridiculous. Together, Scarlett and Napoleon find a dark conspiracy, and the cause of many of the monster infestations.

Art:
The art is simple and cartoony. Nothing particularly impressive. The colors are generic, without much going on in the image. Character designs do reinforce their traits and personalities, so that's a plus. The monster design isn't the best. It goes for more generic monsters, without complex or interesting designs, The last monster especially. Overall the art is okay, but doesn't hold a candle to other things I've reviewed.

Characters:
I don't like these characters. They're one note and boring, and even then some of them don't seem to have their motivations or personalities straight. The Count is a terrible villain. He's such a stock character, it hurts me. The dialog isn't very good. There's an immaturity around it that doesn't work for me.

Setting:
The setting is early nineteenth century Britain, and it doesn't add anything to the story. It provides a look and feel, but this story could have been set on the moon in the future hitting the exact same story beats and it could have worked. There are a few faux Briticisms that rubbed me the wrong way, and over all the setting didn't work.

Plot:
Bland and boring. One note. Nothing I haven't read before. It's the classic monster hunt with slowly escalating tension, except it doesn't escalate until the final fight, and even then a secret skill the main character had is pulled out of the either so that even that doesn't work.

TL;DR:
The cover is the best part of the book. It is mediocre and uninspired.
5/10

The City on the Other Side

The City on the Other Side

By Mairghead Scott and Robin Robinson

Published by First Second

Summary:
There is a war in the fairy world between the Seelie and Unseelie involving this week's macguffin, a powerful amulet, created as a weapon by the Unseelie. Due to a lot of things, it falls into the the hands of our main character Isabel, a quiet girl from San Francisco who lived through the great earthquake. With the help of a Mushroom named Button and another human named Benjie, they must work to establish balance in the fae world, and depose the evil king of the Unseelie.

Art:
The art is playful and imaginative, with very nice colors and design work. It is pretty simplistic at times, often with inconsistent levels of detail. It can look jumbled at times. Character work is great. All of the fairies are unique and very well designed. The human characters are expressive and work well enough.

Characters:
The characters are okay. The main character is thrust into the story, merely following along with what the other characters tell her to do. The antagonist's motivation seems unclear at first, though it does make sense at the end. I liked the supporting cast. They could be funny and interesting, if one note.

Setting:
The setting is wonderful. It isn't just generic fairy forests, it has whole modern cities of fairies, and takes designs and ideas from cultures all around the world. It is hugely varied and interesting. The central tension of the world is pretty generic (light vs dark) but it has an interesting spin put on it. Over all, the setting is one of the better parts of the story.

Plot:
The plot's okay. It meanders a bit, characters often reacting instead of acting. It does what it set out to do, hitting all the necessary beats. It does get a bit muddled at times, but over all it's okay.

TL;DR:
The City on the Other side is a pleasant story with a great setting and art. It's plot is lacking, but it's still a pleasant read.
7/10