Nothing Special Volume One: Through the Elder Woods

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Nothing Special Volume One: Through the Elder Woods
Author(s)
Age Range
13+
Release Date
March 05, 2024
ISBN
978-1984862822
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Two not-so-human teenagers and a friendly ghost radish face the fantasy adventure of a lifetime in this captivating graphic novel, featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes material, from the inimitable Katie Cook.

“Smart, sweet, and totally original, Nothing Special is sure to captivate.”—Sarah Andersen, New York Times bestselling author of Fangs, Sarah Scribbles, and Cryptid Club

In the grand scheme of the worlds at large, Callie thinks she’s nothing special. Sure, she’s friends with the ghost of a radish and her dad owns a magical antique shop—but she’s spent her life in the human world. Her dad won’t let her join him on his collection trips in the magical realm “for her own protection,” so she’s only caught glimpses of that world through the gates of the town where her father’s store is.

On her seventeenth birthday, Callie goes home with her friend Declan to find her home in disarray and her dad missing. Signs of a struggle point to the portal to the magical realm and when there are signs, you follow them. Now it’s up to Callie, Declan, and Radish to band together and bring him home. As they face creatures good and bad, and all sorts of adventure, Callie and Declan may just find out that they are both special in their own ways after all.

The first season of mayhem, magic, vegetables, and adventure from Katie Cook’s beloved Webtoon, Nothing Special, is collected in this gorgeous graphic novel, which also features exclusive behind-the-scenes content.

Editor review

1 review
Fantasy Graphic Novel
Overall rating
 
4.5
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0
Nothing Special Volume One: Through the Elder Woods is a graphic novel geared towards teens that has fantasy elements as well as a coming-of-age story.

Callie was raised by her father who owns a magical antique shop. He often travels to a magical realm for work but insists that Callie stay in the human world for her safety. Callie and Declan become fast friends once they realize they both can see sprites (typically dead plants). The mystery begins when Callie's father goes missing on her 17th birthday. The two friends venture to the magic realm to search for him. Once in the other realm, Callie makes friends with a radish ghost who helps Callie and Declan along their crazy adventure.

The characters are well-written and relatable. Callie is your typical 17-year-old trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs. Her struggle is very relatable, even though some of what she is questioning has to do with magic. Declan is a supportive friend and his crush on Callie makes me want to root for him. The banter between Declan and the radish made for some humorous moments.

This graphic novel was written and illustrated by Katie Cook, and her illustrations are captivating. The magical realm is filled with vivid detail and is exactly how I picture a magic forest to look like. Additionally, Cook does a fantastic job of conveying emotions through different facial expressions, which greatly enhances the storytelling.

I highly recommend Nothing Special Volume One: Through the Elder Woods for fans of fantasy graphic novels.
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