For fans of The
Graveyard Book and Through the Woods comes a different kind of YA
fantasy graphic novel, in which a teen boy's search for his destiny leads him
into darkness.
Lean, ghostly pale, and
permanently grim-faced, Kriss has always been an outsider in his small village.
Not even his adoptive parents love him. Only Anja, the blacksmith's daughter,
brings kindness and friendship into the life of the sullen teenager. But Kriss
is haunted by dim memories of his true father, Erikk Iron Tooth, the king of
Darkovia.
When Anja's mother is
killed by a wild sabercat from the far north, the young girl's world is
shattered, and Kriss determines to avenge her. Armed with only a pitchfork, the
skinny teen sets out to kill the beast, only to learn that it's actually a dark
spirit from Darkovia, come to bring him his destiny. The spirit grants Kriss the
power to vanquish the mightiest foes, and commands him to reclaim his father's
kingdom. But his gift of power comes with a price - uncontrollable rage. And
leaving the village would mean leaving Anja, the only person who's always been
there for him. Kriss must choose between his destiny and Anja, who needs his
friendship more than ever. But his growing power, and the fiery anger that comes
with it, threatens to make the choice for him, and burn everything he holds
dear.
I really liked this graphic novel, but it was so confusing. Especially in the first part, we kept jumping back and forth in time without any explanation. I still have no idea what happened there and why it had to be so disorganized. Part of the story was very interesting. Kriss has immense powers and he seems to be haunted. However, this story isn't explored until later in the graphic novel. In the meanwhile, we follow Anja and Kriss their friendship, which is... ok. There are some feelings left unanswered, she dates someone else, typical boring story. I do think that this story could develop further and become more interesting, however, not in this part, unfortunately. Overall, this graphic novel has so much potential and it is enjoyable, but there are some questionable parts in it that could have been a lot better.
