At its core, "Two Graves" is a story about the power of love, loss, and the enduring strength of the human spirit. Through Emily's journey, readers are reminded that even in our darkest moments, there is hope for redemption and renewal. The story's themes of forgiveness and acceptance resonate deeply, offering a message of hope and healing to anyone who has ever felt lost or alone.

In "Two Graves Vol. 1: Wish You Were Here," creators come together to craft a truly immersive and unforgettable reading experience. With its stunning artwork and emotionally resonant storytelling, this graphic novel is a must-read for fans of dark fantasy and supernatural drama. As the first volume in what promises to be an epic saga, "Two Graves" sets the stage for an enthralling series that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Although I'm a little burned out of all the Persephone retellings from the past few years, Two Graves actually does it well.

2/5 stars

this would be a dnf if it wasn't a netgalley book.

i feel so uncomfortable rating a book i disliked so much. i had most of the same problems as everyone else. the book felt like it needed a few more drafts. i was confused the whole time.

there was so much potential with the various stories, postcards, and death mythology to be something i really loved/loved pondering. i love horror comics and i know sometimes they are supposed to make you feel unpleasant, but this did not balance enough story development to counteract the overwhelming existentialism. i just felt horribly stressed about being alive while reading it.

that being said, it does get some stars for novelty. i feel like american road trip novels rarely hold such an eerie and fantastical vibe. also, the stories at the end of each "issue" in this comic volume brought a unique element to the whole book. beyond the novelty, there's three main things i enjoyed:

1. the art style/paneling was beautiful
2. the ending text bubble transformation
3. the quote "power cannot stand even one hard truth; never could."

i may have disliked most of the book, but i think this group of collaborators has so much potential.

DNF @ page 38/ 2 stars

This graphic novel was very beautifully drawn, but I was not invested. I have promised myself to DNF books when I don't feel obligated to read them any longer this year. This is a casualty of my DNF year. I also saw that the majority of reviews were not positive, so that didn't convince me to continue.

This story was very intriguing, although a bit of a slow start for me personally! I loved the mysteriousness of the characters in the beginning and the story as it unraveled. The art is amazing and gives me that good-feel many comics tend to.

I really did love this concept, but unfortunately the plot wasn’t always clear to me and felt more like the setup for things to come. However, the art style is gorgeous and some of the lines truly winded me, which still made it an enjoyable read.

This was pretty confusing but also really awesome. I wish the plot was more clear but I still enjoyed it. I liked where it was going, just wish it was easier to grasp the plot and backstory. I also really didn’t understand why there were random stories in between chapters that weren’t even graphic novel. They were actual book pages thrown into the middle of a graphic novel which felt very out of place and not fun. It felt like a chore to read them. I read graphic novels when I’m not in the mood for actual books. Anyway, good story and idea, bad way of going about delivering it.

It's a beautiful story.. round, developed characters who you cannot help but love. The story moves you asking and creates so much empathy in the reserve, which is something that young adults need to feel for others.

**Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4)/5**
I had no expectations coming into *Two Graves*, I was genuinely surprised by how moving I found this graphic novel retelling of the Persephone myth.

I initially picked up Two Graves solely based on the intriguing read-alike comparisons to two works I love dearly–The Sandman and The Invisible Life of Addie Larue–and I think these comparisons actually really capture what worked for me about Two Graves. Graphically and stylistically, it reminds me very much of The Sandman with dark, and otherworldly imagery. Narratively–like Addie Larue–the work has a sort of moody, impressionist, and lyrical nature that communicates strong emotion with a surprisingly limited amount of dialogue/direct explanation.

That being said, this work should not be reduced to its comparisons–this is a really unique retelling with a captivating story (a difficult feat, considering the number of Persephone retellings I’ve read in the past year). The interplay between short essays and then graphic sections conceptually interesting and not something I’d seen done quite in this way in a graphic novel before. I also enjoyed the bonus content and “behind-the-scenes” looks at the development at the end.

Between the plot and the visual style, I do think this is not a book you can speed through, so it may not work for readers who want something quick or easy to follow or with a clear narrative arc from the jump. I was initially unsure how I felt about this book, but I’ve come to appreciate it more on reflection. I would definitely recommend reading and then re-reading this one to appreciate the details and thoughtfulness of everything happening in this graphic novel.

I can think of many young adults and adults who love graphic novels, mythology, science fiction, and fantasy who I would recommend reading Two Graves. I personally look forward to reading more in the series!

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you, NetGalley, Image Comics, and Genevieve Valentine, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

Dark and well done. Grabbed you from the start and you really wanted to know more, where it was going and how the character ended up here

I really wanted to like this more than I did because the artwork is stunning but the story was confusing. I understood by the end of it but it was difficult to get there.

Although I did enjoy the art in this book I just couldn’t get into the story enough to continue so I had to DNF.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publishers for giving me an early release copy in exchange for my honest review.

For readers who can't get enough of Persephone and Hades, here is the next story for you. The first in the series, this gorgeously illustrated graphic novel is a fantastic read. I am looking forward to what the next installment entails.

I liked this read. It was unique and I really enjoyed the artwork. Interesting premise,l and definitely worth the read.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel.

I felt the story was quite unique and loved the relationship between the main characters and their transformations throughout the story.

The art work was beautifully done and was very immersive.

My only complaint is that at times I felt the story was slightly disjointed however this did not impact my enjoyment of it.

I would definitely read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics from providing me with this arc.

I love the art style, colour/tone of this book and I feel it really matches the story. Also, the concept gives me 'Supernatural' vibes with the hand-print and Death on a road trip concept. Overall I enjoyed this! It was a fun and interesting read! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 :)

Emilia is on a seemingly ambiguous self discovery road trip with death to scatter her mother’s ashes in the ocean. This was a really intriguing story but felt largely unfinished or like I had started in the middle of a storyline. There were a lot of parts that I felt like I didn’t fully understand what was going on. I really enjoyed all the characters, I just wish there was more context. The artwork is absolutely gorgeous and I will definitely be giving this a reread once a volume two is available- hopefully it can fill in some gaps for me because this is a great story idea.

This is a retelling of Persephone. I was really interested in the summary and the artwork is great. However, I really couldn't get into the story. I DNF'ed about halfway in because I was just very confused and unsure if it would all come together. We're tossed into the middle of a story and I assume more background information is revealed as the plot continues, but I just didn't have it in me to keep reading to find out. I think this series has potential, but it wasn't for me at this point. Maybe I'll try it again another time.

This was an interesting graphic novel with a cool art style. The story was a little difficult to follow at first, however, once you realise it's a loose retelling of Persephone's story, it makes much more sense.

Hunh, I didn't even realize this was a volume one until I went to catalog it on my Goodreads.

So this is a weird one for me. Sometimes, after reading a book, I'll go check out other reviewers' opinions on the afore-mentioned Goodreads because I feel like I should maybe be having a different reaction to the book than I'm currently experiencing. General consensus is useful for seeing whether I'm reacting from a very specific mental and emotional point or whether the book is just... like that. Two Graves Vol I falls, I'm afraid, into the latter category.

More specifically, it is a very odd book that has confused obfuscation with mystery and suspense. I didn't understand half of what was going on and why, and the few answers I did finally get in the narrative just felt anticlimactic. As of the time I'm writing this (October 1st; the book's publication date got pushed back, if you're seeing this review much later than that,) I'm going through a pretty bad emotional period, where an unexpected betrayal has caused me to constantly question my own judgment. Fortunately, the opinions of other reviewers assured me that I am far from alone in feeling mystified by the choices made in this book.

With that settled, I can actually talk about Two Graves without thinking I'm doing it a disservice by possibly being partial or obtuse. The story is about a young woman named Emilia who's gone on a road trip with Death. She can't die, at least not until she carries her mother's ashes from California to the Atlantic. But she can inflict pain and worse, not just on the wicked whose paths cross hers but also on Death himself. Through all this, the unlikely pair are being tracked by a trio of mysterious Hunters determined to stop them.

From doing what? I honestly couldn't tell you. We do learn a little bit about what Emilia can do, tho not really why. We also learn about the circumstances under which she and Death embarked on their mission. Tbh, I wasn't at all convinced by it. In terms of tone and clarity, this book very much reminded me of a gothic romance, where the emotions and scenes are what matter, the strikingly beautiful tableaux. Certainly not the motivations or explanations of any of it.

And that's fine, if you like that sort of thing. Ming Doyle and Annie Wu do a decent job of depicting the goings-on. I was actually most impressed by several of the interstitial chapters written by such luminaries in the sff world as N. K. Jemisin and Jennifer Margret Smith. In fact, N.K. Jemisin's short autobiographical piece about her battle with her mom over prom, and how that stood in for so much of what was contentious about their relationship, really resonated with me.

Maybe this book gets better in subsequent chapters. I will hardly be first in line to find out, but I wouldn't overlook it entirely either.

Two Graves, Vol. 1: Wish You Were Here by Genevieve Valentine, Ming Doyle & Annie Wu was published October 24 2023 and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9781534325975">Bookshop!</a>