A friend sent me some graphic novels and so that’s what I’ve been reading! The first one sent to me was The Deep & Dark Blue (graphic novel, 256 pages) by Niki Smith.

“After a terrible political coup usurps their noble house, Hawke and Grayson fee to stay alive and assume new identities, Hanna and Grayce. Desperation and chance lead them to the Communion of Blue, an order of magical women who spin the threads of reality to their will. As the twins learn more about the Communion, and themselves, they being to hatch a plan to avenge their family and retake their royal home. While Hawke wants to return to his old life, Grayce struggles to keep the threads of their new life from unraveling and realizes she wants to stay in the one place that will allow her to finally live as a girl.”

This is a really good story with great artwork. Hawke and Grayce are both aptly named, as they both display the behavior of their namesakes. Hawke is definitely a stereotypical, restless, royal young man who sees immediate action and blurting out whatever he’s thinking, whenever he thinks it as appropriate behavior. And Grayce is just like her name suggests, careful, considerate, and deliberate.

The story moves very quickly and there is no part extra anything anywhere in this story. What do I mean by that? I mean that everything moves the story and the characters forward at breakneck speed, which is good. This was a really quick read for me and I really did enjoy it.

I think if I was to change anything about this book, I would add page numbers. It’s printed on thick, glossy paper, which helps the stunning visuals and artwork, but also made it difficult for me to tell if I had turned to the correct page.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and rate it as a three on my rating scale. I’m glad I own a copy and I’m sure I will read it again at some point in the future.

Smith, Niki. The Deep and Dark Blue. Hatchette Book Group, Inc., 2020.