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Book Review: The Wicked + The Divine by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie & Matthew Wilson

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Published 12th November 2014 by Image Comics.

23093359Goodreads Synopsis: Every ninety years, twelve gods incarnate as humans. They are loved. They are hated. In two years, they are dead. The team behind critical tongue-attractors like Young Avengers and PHONOGRAM reunite to create a world where gods are the ultimate pop stars and pop stars are the ultimate gods. But remember: just because you’re immortal, doesn’t mean you’re going to live forever. Collects THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #1-5

My Review: I can’t even begin to describe how excited I was about reading The Wicked + The Divine, when I spotted the first volume in Waterstones! I had been reading a lot of tweets about it on Twitter as the individual issues were released, but had to wait until the volume was published as I missed the first issues. There was so much hype surrounding this! And, of course: Gillen, writer, McKelvie, artist, and Wilson, colorist, are the super team that created Young Avengers – without doubt the best series I read last year.

The concept really intrigued me: Re-incarnated gods… as pop stars? It sounded crazy but inventive (And there are some really interesting ways to look a the concept); I was sold. The Wicked + The Divine had me completed gripped from the opening pages and I read the entire volume in one go (then cried a little a lot).

The plot was such a good crime story, laced with paranormal elements (and some really cool outfits.): Luci is seemingly framed for murder, and locked away in prison, so London student Laura decides to investigate and find the truth, investigating into the somewhat sinister worlds of the re-incarnated gods.

On the mythological side of the story, I think I missed some references; I read on Goodreads that the Gods all relate to different famous legends, which brings a whole new depth to the plot: I’ll have to reread it!

Jamie McKelvie’s illustrations, along with Matt Wilson’s beautiful colouring, were flawless. I loved the artwork in Young Avengers, so I knew I would enjoy the art in this series. The whole comic was drawn so beautifully: I loved how the Gods, particularly, were drawn. The outfits and the hair were SO cool. I will disappointed if I don’t see cosplay… OH WAIT LOOK AT THIS AMATERASU ONE OHMYGOSH.

Overall, The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 1, was definitely as great as I hoped it would be – and worth the wait to read it, too. I’m so excited about reading on in the series soon! I’m sure it will be a future classic. Gillen has crafted a truly individual story that had me completely absorbed, and I can’t even describe how much I loved Jamie McKelvie’s illustration. I’m counting down until Volume two now… because AGHHH THAT ENDING.

My Rating:

four and a half

I purchased a copy of The Wicked + The Divine in a local bookstore.

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Book Review: Stitch Up by Sophie Hamilton

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Published 1st May 2014 by Templar books.

20434644Goodreads Synopsis: Information is power, but image is everything…

Dasha Gold enjoys a life of indulgence, made possible by her powerful and wealthy parents. But this privilege comes at a price – extreme image control, including cosmetic surgery to transform her into a living logo for their brand.

Presented with a way out, Dasha embarks on a hunt for the truth that takes her across a divided and CCTV-dominated city, in the company of maverick Londoner Latif.

But money talks and the Golds own the media. Who can Dasha really trust?

My Review: When I started Stitch Up, I knew I was in for an action packed, thrilling read- but I think I underestimated just how action packed and thrilling it would be! Stitch Up had me completely hooked, right from the beginning.

The world building was so amazing. Stitch Up really stood out as a dystopia novel; Sophie Hamilton’s vision of a near-future London was so memorable. It’s controlled by media giants, visibly divided between the rich and the poor and is pretty much on the brink of a big-brother style society, with CCTV around every corner. In a lot of aspects, it is actually very similar to London right now, which gave it a really scary edge!

I really grew to like all of the characters- especially Latif, who’s the supporting character and the teenage, ‘rebel’ boy who saves Dasha from a dangerous London street just after she’s run away. I really did like Dasha; she’s in a really complex decision at the beginning of the book (should she run away, and be free but have to live as lower class and in the shadows, or should she stay with the Gold family, live a life of luxury… but have major plastic surgery to become a living logo?) and she felt very realistic, making really harsh decisions. She was quite relatable. One thing I didn’t really like about her though was the fact that she seemed snappy towards the people who help her, and cover up all of her traces.

The plot progressed in a way I wouldn’t have ever imagined! Every few chapters or so, just as the reader thinks they’ve got the resolution sussed out, there’s a shocking plot twist or event that changes the entire course of the story. It’s ridiculously clever, too. I loved the way everything came together towards the ending- all of the pretty complex drama fit together like a jigsaw and I was left gob-smacked, kicking myself for not sussing it out!

Overall, I really enjoyed Stitch Up. I began it hoping for a pretty fun read, and I got way more than what I expected. This is Sophie Hamilton’s début novel… And so I can’t wait to read more from her in the future (Especially the sequel to this book, Mob-Handed!). The characters are relatable, modern and generally just awesome. I found the plot scarily possible, and really interesting. I’ve never seen the topic of image, and media handled like this in a book before. I highly recommend Stitch Up if you’re looking for a new favourite thriller novel.

My Rating:

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I received a copy of Stitch Up from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.