Review Detail

A LOST REVENGE is an adventure-filled graphic novel about family expectations, the gray area between hero and villain, and finding your own path. Uma, the daughter of Ursula, is a Villain Kid (VK) and seeking to find her place in the world. This is complicated by the way that she is perceived and what she believes she must or should do. When some kids from Auradon Prep go missing, she is asked to go find them. With her crew, she sets out on this (possibly heroic) adventure.

What I loved: This book tackles some themes that will resonate well with the intended middle grade audience. Children of this age are trying to figure out who they will become amidst a time of changes, much like Uma who is a VK but wants to forge her own path. This inner turmoil is central to the plot and makes her quite a relatable character - even if she also has a pirate ship and crew.

The story has plenty of adventure and intrigue to keep the pages turning, and the artwork does a fantastic job of bringing the story and its emotions to life. Thoughtful use of color in the background helps to set the mood and tone of each scene. The images depict the characters well with lots of emotion in expressions. There are varied use of panel shapes and numbers throughout to keep visual interest and help in conveying more complex scenes.

While there is some non-dialogue text, the words are always carefully chosen and never overpower the images. The amount of words in this one is relatively low, and it makes for a story that is conveyed largely through the images. This is a great characteristic in a graphic novel and perfect for younger middle grade graphic novel lovers.

While the story can be read on its own, having knowledge of the Disney Descendants world would definitely be helpful for immersing in the story and understanding some of the secondary characters.

Final verdict: A LOST REVENGE is an engaging middle grade graphic novel with relatable themes around family expectations and finding your own path.