First Test: The Graphic Novel will be released on July 2, 2024.
Keladry of Mindelan has always known she wants to be a knight—and now, she’s the first girl to take advantage of Tortall’s new law that decrees that girls, as well as boys, can become pages. But not everyone is thrilled about the decision, and the training master, Lord Wyldon, insists on putting her on probation, which no other page has ever had to endure.
Although many expect her to back down, Kel is determined to become a knight—even though that means enduring the hatred and taunts of other pages, and even standing up to the unfair system of hazing. One day, Kel is sure, she will prove everyone who doubts her wrong, and become a true protector of the small.
The original First Test by Tamora Pierce is one of my all-time favorite books, so when I saw there was a graphic novel adaptation coming out, I knew immediately I had to read it. That said, I had my misgivings: just like when I see a movie adaptation of a book I love, I was sure it couldn’t remotely compare to the original story.
Instead, I found myself instantly engrossed in one of the best novel adaptations I’ve ever encountered.
For fans of the original First Test, there is so much to love in this book—most of the dialogue is pulled directly from the novel, and it felt much more like a visual representation of the novel than a new story with elements of it, as too many adaptations often do. Although of course cutting some scenes or sequences was necessary, I loved how Devin Grayson and Becca Farrow used panel arrangement to convey a sense of time or a montage of scenes, creating the sense of all those scenes without narrating them all individually. The art really captures the spirit and personality of all the characters, particularly Kel and Neil, and I found myself hoping as I devoured this book that there would be adaptations of the rest of the series, too!
Especially at the beginning, some of the worldbuilding might be a little confusing for readers unfamiliar with Tortall, so I highly recommend checking out the character guide and glossary in the back. Although I’m often a little leery of supplemental materials like these, Grayson and Farrow did an excellent job of creating thorough and readable guides that allow new readers to orient themselves, without making previous Tortall readers feel bogged down by pages of worldbuilding.
I highly recommend First Test to both old and new fans of Tamora Pierce’s books ages ten and up, or anyone who enjoys excellent, fast-paced fantasy graphic novels!
An e-ARC of this book was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Read our review of First Test (Book 1 in the Protector of the Small Quartet) by Tamora Pierce!
Keladry of Mindelan has always known she wants to be a knight—and now, she’s the first girl to take advantage of Tortall’s new law that decrees that girls, as well as boys, can become pages. But not everyone is thrilled about the decision, and the training master, Lord Wyldon, insists on putting her on probation, which no other page has ever had to endure.
Although many expect her to back down, Kel is determined to become a knight—even though that means enduring the hatred and taunts of other pages, and even standing up to the unfair system of hazing. One day, Kel is sure, she will prove everyone who doubts her wrong, and become a true protector of the small.
The original First Test by Tamora Pierce is one of my all-time favorite books, so when I saw there was a graphic novel adaptation coming out, I knew immediately I had to read it. That said, I had my misgivings: just like when I see a movie adaptation of a book I love, I was sure it couldn’t remotely compare to the original story.
Instead, I found myself instantly engrossed in one of the best novel adaptations I’ve ever encountered.
For fans of the original First Test, there is so much to love in this book—most of the dialogue is pulled directly from the novel, and it felt much more like a visual representation of the novel than a new story with elements of it, as too many adaptations often do. Although of course cutting some scenes or sequences was necessary, I loved how Devin Grayson and Becca Farrow used panel arrangement to convey a sense of time or a montage of scenes, creating the sense of all those scenes without narrating them all individually. The art really captures the spirit and personality of all the characters, particularly Kel and Neil, and I found myself hoping as I devoured this book that there would be adaptations of the rest of the series, too!
Especially at the beginning, some of the worldbuilding might be a little confusing for readers unfamiliar with Tortall, so I highly recommend checking out the character guide and glossary in the back. Although I’m often a little leery of supplemental materials like these, Grayson and Farrow did an excellent job of creating thorough and readable guides that allow new readers to orient themselves, without making previous Tortall readers feel bogged down by pages of worldbuilding.
I highly recommend First Test to both old and new fans of Tamora Pierce’s books ages ten and up, or anyone who enjoys excellent, fast-paced fantasy graphic novels!
An e-ARC of this book was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Read our review of First Test (Book 1 in the Protector of the Small Quartet) by Tamora Pierce!
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