Book Review: Oyster War, by Ben Towle

Writing Quality: 4/5
Personal Enjoyment: 3/5
Wider Appeal: 3/5

I bought Oyster War for the children's graphic novel section of my library, but I think it's appropriate for teens and adults as well. I feel like that's pretty rare: a book that can be enjoyed equally by all ages, without the adults feeling like they're being talked down to.

I'm not really sure what genre to categorize this book in. Historical fantasy? Magical realism? Mythology and folklore? Based on the Oyster Wars in the Chesapeake Bay that took place from the mid 1800s to the mid 1900s, this story draws on superstition, real history, and local tall tales to create a fantastically fun book.

The characters are fun, if a little one-dimensional. The ending was fairly predictable, but I enjoyed the process of getting there, and there were a few surprises along the way.

Oyster War is a graphic novel, and it's one of those spectacular examples of the format that's written in such a way that the writing and the art cannot be divided without losing all the meaning. The art is beautiful and also super cool. :) I also loved that each character's face was so distinct! So many comics and graphic novels have characters whose facial features look so similar that they get confusing in busy panels, but take a look at the individuality of these characters:

While there is a good amount of text and dialogue, there are also quite a few wordless panels, and Ben Towle tells so much of the story so eloquently and without a single word.

At the end of the book, Towle writes about different aspects of Oyster War: what was true, what was made up, what was pulled from local folklore... I loved learning a little bit, while also being able to enjoy something that was so fantastical.

I would recommend Oyster War to any reader who seeks out unique graphic novels, and doesn't mind sacrificing depth of character for the sake of an interesting story. I'd also recommend it to anyone interested in the history and legends of the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding areas.

Recommended ages 10+. Portland: Oni Press, 2015. Print. 167 pages. ISBN: 9781620102626.

Book Review: Shades of Milk and Honey, by Mary Robinette Kowal

Jane Ellsworth is a 28-year-old single woman in an alternative Regency-era England where magic is commonplace, and viewed as another "womanly art," similar to drawing or music. She and her younger sister Melody, as most of the young women of the time period are portrayed, are very preoccupied by their marital status and the interest of the eligible bachelors.

I was disappointed in this book. I've really come to appreciate good chick lit, and the entire time I was reading Shades of Milk and Honey, I kept thinking that it was so similar to Pride and Prejudice, except that it was a pale imitation. The characters really missed the mark for me. Jane Ellsworth and her younger sister Melody (and pretty much everyone else) are simple, flat characters that the author seems to have pulled out of a book of basic character types. Jane is the plain but talented one who's resigned to spinsterhood, and Melody is the pretty but vapid one, and each of them are envious of the other's blessings. Their mother is sickly and obsessed with marrying them off, their father is beneficent but distant, etc., etc. I did identify with Jane a little bit. I'm the older daughter in my family, and I used to be jealous of my sister's model-worthy good looks while she envied my singing voice and artistic abilities. Except that we got over that when we were teenagers. I'll remind you that Jane is 28 years old, and her sister is in her early 20s. I'm just not sure if I believe their behavior was realistic. Beyond that, Jane's romantic story line was completely confusing. The love interest didn't have much screen time, and I only remember one extremely ambiguous and extremely brief description of what he even looked like. There was no tension between the two, just ambivalence and a mild quizzical feeling, so when they were suddenly in love, I felt like I should be flipping back through the chapters looking for when that happened.

All of that said, I did finish the book in one day, so it wasn't all bad. I liked the world that Kowal created, and her magic system was interesting, albeit without depth or purpose. Magic has so many possible useful applications, other than decoration, that could have been (but were not) explored. I feel like this whole book was like that. Enjoyable and mildly interesting, but without the real depth and social commentary that was present in Austen's books.

With some reservation, I would recommend this book to someone looking for very light reading set in a Regency-era England with magic.

Rating: 3 stars