I think young audiences who are far less likely to question world-building elements that don't make sense (*coughprettymuchthewholebookcough*) will enjoy this far more than older, middle-grade readers and above.The positive underlying message is that even though we may not have the same capabilities as other people, everyone has their own strengths that they can utilize. The art is also cute with bright colors, so it's a treat to look at. However, the lack of any background information as to why...

In a world where we throw away and continually buy new things comes a tale of a Neon Knight that collects broken toys and fixes them and also makes new things with them as well. A character who does recycling! Woo!The artist is the same one who illustrated Five Worlds and the illustrations are phenomenal in this book as they were in the other ones. The story was okay for me. It didn't grab my attention as Five Worlds did. That being said, it is a different writer, but it was just alright for me....

I unfortunately have no idea how to rate this. The art is wonderful and colorful and inviting, and the story is...confusing. More than once I checked to see if I had accidentally skipped pages because the story made little sense. There is a lot going on with a bullying element, a friendship element, a “we all have our own unique gifts to offer” element, a “it’s better to repair than constantly buy new” piece, something about chemicals and catalyzing? And toys, but they’re alive? All in about 100...

This book excels in design and imagination. Personally I love Boya Sun’s illustration style and color palettes. The world construction is a little confusing but I think this is more of an issue for older readers not kids. I think kids will just accept this world of chemical combinations and making. Coro and Beryl’s friendship is tested by their differences, but ultimately their mutual respect wins out. The plot is not fully fleshed out but it is a fun, quick read that is sure to stir your imagin...

The illustrations were not my favorite, a little too washed out and round-cartoony, it reminded me a bit of a softer Pokemon. I liked that the main character is a girl, and the layout of the graphic novel panes. I thought the story was a bit confusing. I felt overall that it might be appealing to younger readers, but the story would probably be something that children age out of and do not remember well.*eARC Netaglley*

i read this so quickly i didn’t even process the story

Chasma Knights by Boya Sun and Kate Reed Petty, 112 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. First Second(Roaring Brook (Holtzbrinck)), 2018 $18Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: GBUYING ADVISORY: EL –OPTIONALAUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGHBeryl is a toy maker and inventor. Everyone in her world is a knight of some kind, some can do more than others, like Oxygen Knights and Sulfur Knights, but she is just a lowly Neon Knight so she can catalyze anything. When she meets Coro, things change –Coro can catalyz...

I dunno, this is probably far too deep a dive into what is in fact a very cute children's graphic novel but I've started typing & I can't seem to stop. The art in this book is amazing; it's creative, & bright, & beautiful. I see where the story was heading but the execution leaves something to be desired. The basic idea is that the main character can't do the think that everyone else can (& is constantly mocked for it) but she can invent and fix stuff. The other main character is the best at doi...

They didn’t have kids’ comics like this when I was growing up, but it’s my pleasure to read them now with my own children. The details are hard to summarize (and a bit confusing), but this story is about the journey of accepting who you are and the friends you make along the way. Pretty standard fare for a kids’ / YA tale, but the amazing art and fantastical setting make it feel unique and piquant. My favorite graphic novels lately, like “Chasma Knights” and “Cucumber Quest,” have been for kids....

4.5/5This book was great, y'all are just mean.Let's just get to it.What WorksCHEMISTRY LOREIf you're a grown up reading this review, you've probably taken a chemistry course or two. If it's been a while, lemme do a quick refresher to explain why this is important.The elements on the periodic table have different degrees of reactivity when it comes to forming compounds. Some are highly reactive, some are not. This is based on the available space in the element's outer ring of valence electrons. T...

Beryl is a Neon Knight, the one type of human-like creature with the least social standing, and apparently, the least capacity for special powers that other knights can use to transform "toys" into super-powered vehicles, tools, and entertainment. I think young readers will follow the obscure story because the simplified description sounds like regular life - people acquire toys and use them until they are broken or used up, and then get new ones. Beryl, inhibited from exploiting the toys becaus...

If I only based this book on the illustrations, it would rate 5 stars. The colors are bright and the creatures cute and interesting. Unfortunately, the story pulls the rating down, way down. It is so confusing. It starts without any frame of reference for the reader, which is especially bad since it is a children's book. There are references to chemicals and science, but it is all over the place so that the reader does not actually learn anything about those subjects. Basically, the story is abo...

This graphic novel invites readers to consider being creators instead of just consumers of technology and other products. I was a bit confused as to what exactly the Chasma Knights powers were for most of the story, I guessed it was the ability to fuse with the toys they wish to play with to make them come to life, and I was right, so the confusion I felt mostly fueled my need to finish this story to find out if I was right. Neon Knights cannot fuse or "catalyze" with toys and for this they are

Lately I’ve been interested in exploring graphic books. I like the original standalone, not those derived from comic books or established pop culture. These newer voices are harder for me to find, but I recently read one published by graphic book imprint First Second. I thought it was an independent press, but it turns out to be an imprint of MacMillan, one of the Big 5 publishers. Their website had a lot of graphic books, mostly targeted at young readers, and I requested several from the librar...

Chasma Knights is a wonderful graphic novel for young readers. The main characters are great models for kids, they are inventive, kind, independent, and brilliant. I enjoyed Beryl and Coro’s developing friendship. It was awesome to read a story with a positive female relationship at its core, plus these two characters are hardworking, determined makers. My only qualm is that the world building and toy system are a little confusing, I can imagine a lot of it going over the heads of young readers-...

The director of the children's department has a subscription where every month Junior Library Guild sends us five usually fantastic books of their choosing.I'm not sure what they were thinking when they sent us this one. It seems to want to be a girly version of Pokemon crossed with Transformers where toys evolve catalyze into other things, and supposedly . . . good stuff happens. I guess. The plot's a convoluted mess, and the cotton-candy world made my teeth ache.Hopefully the kids will like th...

Beryl lives in the Chasma. She is what is called a Neon Knight, which means she cannot bond with or play with toys like the rest of the other knights can. These special toys have elemental cores that can be catalyzed with the core of the knight. But because there are so many toys, knights tend to toss old ones away and buy new ones all the time. Even though Beryl is looked down upon and cannot play with toys, she has other brilliant ways to save tossed away toys and make a special impression in

"You're the only one I know who will like this." Here, that was how my bookseller advertised it to me (because I'm kinda the one person that goes towards what no one buys in that bookshop and stays away from what everyone else buys).And that wasn't too far off from the truth I guess, because I really enjoyed it, while at the same time having no idea how to "sell" it to someone else.The art is cool and colourful, but it felt very dense and complex in terms of world building for something aime

This is a very cute graphic novel about discovering what you are good at. It follows Beryl a Neon Knight and her journey through bullying, making a new friend, losing the friend, and finally figuring out what it means to accept yourself.In the Chasma Knights society different knights are held in different esteem. Beryl is part of the lowest group, the Neon Knights, they are looked down upon because they can't "catalyze" with toys like the other Knights. It sounds confusing, but it is so cute and...

Confusing but cute. I really liked the theme of reusing discarded materials and repurposing waste, but the worldbuilding was very unclear. There's like... Brandon Sanderson-style alchemy going on? It's a cool concept, but seems like it would need to appeal to an older audience than the sugary sweet Candy Kingdom colored world suggests. In theory, I love the blend of girly and sciencey, though, like a grown-up Interstellar Cinderella or anything Princess Bubblegum of Adventure Time. I also didn't...