The Devil's Music - Review

Author: Nathan Page & Drew Shannon

Genre: Graphic Novel

Format: e-book

Pages: 320

I cannot thank Nathan Page and Drew Shannon enough for an early copy of The Devil's Music! It was the best thing I've seen in my inbox all month! What follows is my honest review and probably a lot of fangirling. I'm not sorry.

The Devil's Music takes place just a few months after the first book, The Witch's Hand. Enough time for our group of heroes to start to heal from what happened over the summer, and too that the four of them have bonded, and their powers of grown in the few months that have passed. We also finally get a look at the Faculty, the mysterious group that guides magic users.

Not only do we get a bit more on the back story of why the Faculty exists, but we also get more of the back story of the Montague family. Mostly because their mysterious Uncle blows into town without really a reason. I have to say I'm thankful for our cautious Nathan made the twins about their father's family, but I'm also thankful he didn't use their Uncle as a way to split the twins up. While I'm always game for an evil twin trope, I love the bond that Pete and Al have in this story. They are each other's rocks and I just want them to be happy!

I enjoyed the main story of the second book. Nathan Page dives into the trope of selling your soul for talent but uses it his way to tie newcomer Gideon to our main characters. So it was a trope I knew with a story I didn't. Which kept me reading because I needed to know why this song was affecting its listeners, and how it was tied to our rockstar. It's a solid mystery with a few twists and turns, that easily fits into what we're learning about Al and Pete's parents. And, the history of magic in this timeline.

I will have to that I was a bit disappointed in Chuck this volume when Al raised concerns about Pete and Gideon. While I understand the period and why she was worried about Al's intentions, she should have known Al better. He looks like an asshole, but Al has the biggest heart, and watching him get hurt by that album was the worst handful of pages. Just rude. 

And, yes Al is my favorite character. However, could you tell?

I will say these kids aren't half bad detectives, and I still think this would make a good tv show! David and Shelly are two of my favorite fictional parents. There is a lot to unpack when it comes to the Montague family history, and it can't be easy deciding how to tell anyone that story, especially teenagers. I also adored the way David handled Al's bout with depression. It was validating and allowed Al to have a piece of his father at the same time. Which for the time period Nathan chose for this story is saying something.

As for the mystery, I liked the way it unraveled and how our team split off so the readers could get a full look at what was happening. I liked that Gideon was able to clean up his mess, at least in Port Howl, and that both twins got a bit of a happy ending. Here's to hoping they get to keep it. I think Rachel is good for Al, she doesn't take his crap.

I cheered for both the twins when got their person in this book. I adore them both!

Lately, I cannot describe how much I love Drew Shannon's art on both volumes of this graphic novel. There are so many little details on every page, and the color palette is always perfect. And I love that he went with a more old-school design on the characters and everything to fit the time period of the story itself. It works together. 

And, really this book left me with only one real question. Is there going to be book three? Because you just don't end a book like that! Who was lying? Where are the lying, or just exhausted teenagers who don't know what they want? WHY WOULD YOU END IT THERE?

Okay, so maybe several questions, but really, I need a book three! Please!

HAPPY READING!!