Spill Zone: The Broken Vow by Scott Westerfeld and Alex Puvilland

Hello everyone,

I am so excited to be part of the Spill Zone: The Broken Vow Blog Tour. I did a little happy dance when I got the invitation to be part of it because Spill Zone (book 1) was a new surprise favorite from last year (read my review of Spill Zone) and it's one of my most anticipated reads of 2018.

Before we get into my review, check out Spill Zone's new paperback cover.

I'm all 😍😍😍😍 over it.

Publisher: First Second
Release Date: July 10, 2018 << out this Tuesday!
Source of my copy: publisher
Series: Spill Zone #2
My rating:

Synopsis
All hell breaks loose in the second volume of New York Times–bestselling author Scott Westerfeld's visionary graphic novel duology.

Three years ago an event destroyed the small city of Poughkeepsie, forever changing reality within its borders. Strange manifestations and lethal dangers now await anyone who enters the Spill Zone. Addison got close enough to the Spill Zone to touch it, literally. She survived the encounter, but came back changed.

It turns out she's not alone. North Korea has its own Spill Zone, and a young man named Don Jae is the only one who made it out alive. Alive, but changed. Now Addison, Don Jae, and, curiously, a rag doll named Vespertine, share an unholy bond and uncanny powers.

From Scott Westerfeld, the inspired imagination behind the New York Times bestsellers Uglies and Leviathan, comes The Broken Vow, the second volume of our highly anticipated new graphic novel series.

Now that books 1 and 2 are (or will be come Tuesday this week) both out, just pick both up and binge them because waiting a year for The Broken Vow killed me.

After reading (and loving) Spill Zone last year and having so many unanswered questions, my mind buzzed with crackpot theories and I was so hyped for book 2. Having read The Broken Vow now, I am happy to say that book 2 was worth the wait. The Spill Zone duology is not to be missed!

One of my favorite parts of the book was the relationship between Addison and her sister Lexa. Addison was this badass motorcycle-riding, take-no-shit woman, but we get to see her vulnerable side with Lexa. I love the sisterly bond between them throughout the story. Another favorite of mine was Vespertine and my only big issue with The Broken Vow was how her storyline ended. I expected more of her character (fueled by all my crackpot theories) and ended up finishing the book feeling incomplete and with more questions about her.

I'm not going to get into the specifics of The Broken Vow because of spoilers but if you read Spill Zone, you probably had a lot of questions. Like I said, I had A LOT of crackpot theories, but while my over the top imaginings couldn't quite compare with what we get in book 2 (to be honest, my expectations were ridiculously high) I am happy with the conclusion we got. The author did a good job connecting all the characters together for one explosive ending and Addison's story was wrapped up really nicely in the end. While all of my major questions were answered, the ending was left open enough that other characters (*ahem* Vespertine) could star in their own companion novels.

Just like I mentioned in my Spill Zone review, I really enjoyed the graphic art in the duology. I really like the slim lines and kind of minimalist feel of it. We don't spend as much time in the Zone in book 2 so the colors used were a lot more subdued black, blues, and purples, but when the scene did shift to the Zone we get the signature riotous bright yellow greens, oranges, blues, and bright red. I really liked the jarring contrast that pulled me into the action and the story. The Broken Vow had fairly minimal text and relied more on that art to tell the story, which is just how I prefer my graphic novels. As in the first book, I thought the art to text ratio in The Broken Vow is perfectly done.

I highly recommend The Spill Zone duology to fellow graphic novel readers. Compulsively readable and entertaining, I highly suggest getting both books and binge reading them one right after the other. Don't sleep on this duology!