The fall of the house of West

Aurora West is finally allowed to patrol alone, but she is not just honing her hero skills, she is covertly investigating her mother's unsolved murder. She has got a good lead, but her dad, famed hero Haggard West, is reluctant to even talk about his late wife, let alone sit idly by while Aurora puts herself in danger. As she uncovers more clues and draws closer to her mark, she learns the heartbreaking truth about her mother's death, but she is also unwittingly leading her father into a trap. Pope and Petty have constructed a tight stunner of a plot, which is both action-packed and full of compelling characterizations, particularly Aurora, who movingly learns the depth of both her own strength and her father's fragility. Rubin's stylish grayscale artwork stuffs each page with slanting perspectives, granite-jawed heroes, grotesque monsters, and meaningful glances, and while the small trim size often makes the pages seem cramped, the line work and panel layouts are unmistakably cool. Readers who loved Aurora from the last series installment will be delighted that she is back for more.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2015 Booklist

Gr 7 Up-Determined to find her mother's killer, Aurora West, daughter of hero Haggard West, has finally started to patrol the monster-infested streets on her own, despite the protests of her father and her mentor. While the first volume, The Rise of Aurora West (2014), in the prequel series to Pope's Battling Boy (2013, both First Second), was disappointingly more setup and character backstory than action, this volume instantly makes up for lost time. This installment is filled with numerous traps, shoot-outs, and interrogations. However, the book's greatest strength is in the moments between the chaos, as characters are wonderfully fleshed out. As characters slowly reveal their secrets, readers discover, along with Aurora, that the heroes she has always looked up to are cracked and bruised. Rubín's Robert Crumb-inspired artwork is a wonderful throwback to the Silver Age of Comics (1956 to circa 1970). Villains are grotesque and cartoonish, while the heroes have chiseled jaws and perfect posture. The illustrator's choices perfectly echo the themes throughout the narrative. Diagonal gutters and Batman-style sound effects not only add to the nostalgic feel but expertly move the action forward; readers will be flipping through the pages as fast as the bullets flying over Aurora's head. VERDICT The strongest series entry so far-one helluva read.-Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A teenage superheroine vows to destroy the monster that killed her mother but discovers vengeance doesn't come without dire consequences. Following The Rise of Aurora West (2014), Aurora and her notorious superhero father are still haunted by the long-unsolved murder of her mother by a nefarious seven-fingered monster. Determined to solve the mystery herself, Aurora also yearns to break free from the shadow of her famous father. Venturing out alone, she stalks a fiendish syndicate of masked monsters that has been terrorizing her home, Arcopolis. Through her unrelenting search, she discovers a shocking truthcould she have played a role in her mother's murder? Now imbued with her newfound dangerous knowledge, Aurora must make a decision that could not only save her family, but the city at large. Rubn's frenetic black-and-white illustrations stylistically complement Pope and Petty's breakneck-paced plotting. True to the genre, the story explores notions of good and evil but provides no easy answers. Aurora is a powerful heroine who is refreshingly free of sexualized buxom stylings, instead relying on her intelligence and strength. This is a must-read for readers tired of traditional superheroes with endlessly shifting storylines and vast back stories. With their wholly original worldbuilding and cinematically explosive pace, Pope and Petty have created a strong female protagonist that should easily appeal to both genders. Forget the capes and tights: this is an entirely accessible and richly imagined superhero tour de force. (Graphic adventure. 13 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.