Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel by Jason Reynolds, art by Danica Novgorodoff

e-ARC, 208 pages
Release Date: October 13, 2020
Published by: Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Read from: October 6, 2020
Stand-alone
Source: Netgalley
TW: Gun Violence, Death
For fans of: Graphic Novels, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Diverse Authors, Own Voices, Tear Jerkers, POC MC, POC on Cover, YA

        Jason Reynolds’s Newbery Honor, Printz Honor, and Coretta Scott King Honor–winning, #1 New York Times bestselling novel Long Way Down is now a gripping, galvanizing graphic novel, with haunting artwork by Danica Novgorodoff.

     Will’s older brother, Shawn, has been shot.
Dead.
     Will feels a sadness so great, he can’t explain it. But in his neighborhood, there are THE RULES:

No. 1: Crying.
Don’t.
No matter what.

No. 2: Snitching
Don’t.
No matter what.

No. 3: Revenge
Do.
No matter what.

     But bullets miss. You can get the wrong guy. And there’s always someone else who knows to follow the rules…

*MY THOUGHTS*

Having read this story before, I knew what to expect going in. What I wasn’t ready for, was the way this story paired with art would make me feel. And trust me, it’s pretty heavy.

Since this is a book I’ve already reviewed in a way, I’m going to mostly talk about the art. In short, I loved it. I loved the kind of muted color scheme of Black, Blue, Gold, and grays. I thought the red words were bold and were meant to stand out and it did exactly that. And I thought that the watercolor effect the art has is brilliant.

As for the story, I still had the same likes and dislikes. I LOVE the writing style. (Jason Reynolds is a BEAST.) And I still LOVE the way it’s told in 60 seconds. I don’t know that anyone else could have written a book like this. And last but not least, the ending. I still want to know what he decides. If he goes back upstairs or if he decides to follow through no matter what they’ve said. I still wonder if that’s what made him write it like this. Like is it up to the reader to decide? I’m too indecisive for that. I go back and forth and back and forth trying to make the decision that works best for me lol

This book is still a tear-jerker and still one of my favorites from Reynolds. I was so happy when I saw there was a graphic novel, and I hope that everyone else is as excited as me. You still have time to pre-order this one! Trust me, this isn’t one you want to miss.

Overall, I give this

*BLOG TOUR FOR HEAR OUR VOICES BOOK TOURS*

Trigger Warnings: There is a gun from the book pictured on the reading journal. It has been blurred out. If you’d like to see the image without the blurred out space, please check my blog’s social media where you might find both copies.

Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a Newbery Award Honoree, a Printz Award Honoree, a two-time National Book Award finalist, a Kirkus Award winner, a two-time Walter Dean Myers Award winner, an NAACP Image Award Winner, and the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors. Reynolds is also the 2020–2021 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. His many books include When I Was the Greatest, The Boy in the Black Suit, All American Boys (cowritten with Brendan Kiely), As Brave as You, For Every One, the Track series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu), Look Both Ways, and Long Way Down, which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. He lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com.

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Danica Novgorodoff is an artist, writer, graphic designer, and horse wrangler from Louisville, Kentucky, currently living in Brooklyn, New York. Her books include A Late Freeze; Slow Storm; Refresh, Refresh (included in Best American Comics 2011); and The Undertaking of Lily Chen. Her art and writing have been published in Best American Comics, Artforum, Esquire, VQR, Slate, Orion, Seneca Review, Ecotone Journal, and many others. She was awarded a 2015 New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in Literature, and was named Sarabande Books’ 2016 writer in residence. She has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony, Blue Mountain Center, VCCA, Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, and Willapa Bay AiR. Visit her online at DanicaNovgorodoff.com.

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