Baba Yaga's Assistant

So, after reading a few novels recently which all had adultery at their heart, I felt that my latest read should be a little more, relaxed, shall we say? And, considering that I need to get on and read books from my tbr pile, I decided upon this one, for a quick read.When I originally picked this graphic novel, I did so because of the illustrator, Emily Carroll. Having read a couple of other graphic novels by her, I was eager to find something else that she had worked on. She does not disappoint this time round either. Carroll's illustrations perfectly enhance the tale by Marika McCoola. McCoola's tale perfectly uses elements of folk and fairy tales, to tell this tale. Carroll's colour palette is fantastic, bringing the illustrations and characters to life.For a quick read, this novel was perfect.

This graphic novel is for younger readers, but I picked it up because the art style is really cute and I'm currently interested in Baba Yaga's character and folklore.The main story is great. Poor Masha has been left alone after the death of her beloved grandmother, who used to tell her stories and teach her things while her dad was off doing whatever (it's not specified). I felt really bad for her because her dad surprises her at the beginning of the book with his new fiancée and her daughter - like he's already replaced her with a new, ready-made family. I actually really despised the dad and he wasn't even the main villain of the story.So, feeling like she's no longer wanted - and her dad not really doing anything to stop her - Masha goes off to seek Baba Yaga and become her new assistant, spurred on by the stories that her grandmother used to tell her. For the story being about Baba Yaga, to a certain degree, she isn't actually in it a whole lot and I was a bit let down because of this.It's still a cute story for younger kids and I think it shows a lot about forgiveness and being brave enough to do the right thing. The art really brings the story to life and the story and illustrations combined make a very visually appealing book for kids. Definitely worth picking up for those interested in fairy tale type stories.

Ho comprato questo volume per i disegni di emily carrol, fumettista che adoro. In effetti anche stavolta sono carini e l'utilizzo del colore per veicolare emozioni e lassi temporali diversi è ottimo. Personalmente la storia non mi ha entusiasmato, ho trovato i personaggi poco coerenti e non troppo chiari.In ogni caso è un fumetto carino per adolescenti o bambini, ma non lo consiglierei per adulti.

An awesome story about growing as a person. I loved the ending. You can forgive someone but still do what is best for you regardless of what they want. Beautiful art.

This is a wonderful graphic novel, so beautifully drawn and an amazing story!