The Steel Prince #1 (Shades of Magic Graphic Novels, #1)

by V.E. Schwab

[writehollydavis]

3.5/5. I was so excited to read this prequel revealing more backstory about Maxim Maresh as a prince (a steel prince at that) before he becomes King of Red London. I really enjoyed the story and dialogue, which oozed with Victoria's wonderful prose and craft. However, I was disappointed in the art style. It was hard for me to tell which characters were which since many of them look and dress similarly. Also, the fight scenes were very confusing and I found going from panel to panel so choppy that I actually skipped to the end to see if I was supposed to be reading this backward!! I used to read a lot of manga, so I'm used to very intricate but slowed down scenes in comic book form. I love the Shades of Magic world, so I'll likely be picking up the other volumes, but I still wish they'd used a different artist and slowed down the pacing of each panel.