Review by Booklist Review
After a terrible car accident, Raven loses nearly all her memories, including everything about her life with her foster mom, Viv. Viv's sister, Natalia, takes the 17-year-old in, and with the help of her strong-willed cousin, Max, Raven starts to regain a sense of herself, even if she still can't remember anything. But odd things start happening: Raven hears voices, her thoughts make bad things happen, and a bird-shaped shadow looms over her. Plus, a new boy at school seems a little too interested, too quickly in Raven. It isn't until prom night that all is revealed, and Raven remembers her life before in a traumatic way. Garcia makes great use of teenage emotion and drama in this origin story, and it's nicely carried out in Picolo's expressive artwork, largely in black, white, and gray. Calderon uses cool color washes, featuring lots of purple, for Raven, which emphasizes her powers and keeps the focus of the story on her. Superhero fans are the natural audience, but hand to teens who like moody, character-driven fiction, too.--Traci Glass Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
After an accident kills her foster mother and leaves Raven with amnesia, she is sent to New Orleans to live with her foster mother's sister. There, she quickly bonds with her new foster sister and finds school friends while finishing her senior year. She also starts to have nightmares, hears the thoughts of people around her, and can seemingly cause bad things to happen just by thinking about them. Recovering her memories might explain these strange phenomena, but Raven isn't sure she wants to be the person she was before. Garcia (the Beautiful Creatures series) reframes Teen Titans comics character Raven as a young adult discovering her powers, focusing more on issues of identity and navigating teen social spaces than on superheroic battles (though this reboot has some of that, too). Picolo's spare, effective use of color and slightly edgy art helps situate the story in a supernaturally tinged world of high-school drama. Readers without prior knowledge of the character may be confused by the jumpy plot and vaguely developed characters, but Garcia's exploration of the connection between memory and identity offers a promising entrée to the Teen Titans series. Ages 13-up. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up--Seventeen-year-old Raven grieves the loss of her foster mother, but she can't remember her at all--the car wreck that took her mother's life took Raven's memories, too. Raven moves to New Orleans to live with her foster mother's sister, Natalia, and Natalia's daughter Max. At school, Raven is overwhelmed by the deafening anxieties of her classmates. Not only can she sense their emotions but when she wishes ill on the school mean girl, she discovers that her dark thoughts actually come true. Raven and Max must learn what's causing these strange abilities. Meanwhile, Natalia knows a sinister force is operating on Raven and seeks the counsel of the spirit world. Garcia's ambitious origin story of a Teen Titan is funny and unequivocally feminist. Her Raven is curious and kind, but the star of this tale is Max, whose fierce loyalty, unending patience, and strong moral compass make her the best friend we all wish we had. Raven's romance with the all-too-perfect Tommy Torres initially feels tacked on but ultimately finds a place in the increasingly complicated plot. In Natalia's appeals to the spirit world, Garcia presents an empowering representation of New Orleans African American spiritual life. Picolo's gorgeous illustrations are dynamic and nuanced. Particularly lovely is the New Orleans scenery; the ornate balconies and crumbling graveyards evoke the gritty beauty of the city. Raven's style (a chic, violet-tinged bob; dark hair and nails; combat boots) will appeal to budding punks. VERDICT Lovers of superheroes will appreciate this complex origin story.--Anna Murphy, Berkeley Carroll School, Brooklyn
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Mother. Gone. Memory. Gone. Seventeen-year-old high school senior Raven rebuilds her life in New Orleans after a car accident takes away everything she knows.Raven now lives with her late mother's sister, a voodoo priestess and "the Mother of Souls," and her daughter. Raven searches for clues to her past while navigating conventional teenage social problems: a mean girl and a cute boy. She also contends with other people's emotions invading her mind and the tricky tendency for her own mean thoughts to manifest into reality. While she cannot remember anything from before the accident, she suffers continual nightmares featuring a multieyed spirit. A compelling storyline pulls readers into Raven's turmoil, guiding them competently through the floating panels of expressive artwork. The muted palette pairs perfectly with the noir tone of Raven's search for her origins. The respectful but not extremely nuanced inclusion of matriarchal African heritage religions such as voodoo is more empowering than campy. In one notable scene, the spirits of dead "mothers, daughters, sisters, and grandmothers, voodoo queens and warrior women of O'rleans" are called forward to gather and vanquish evil alongside Raven. Picolo's (Icarus and the Sun, 2018, etc.) ghostly images of girls and women from different eras erupting from their graves to surround and support their earthbound sisters elicit good chills. The diverse cast is indicated through names and variations in skin tone.Well-paced and thrilling; readers will fly high with Raven's tale. (Graphic fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
