A thief among the Trees by SaBaa Tahir and Nicole Andelfinger

Illustrated by Sonia Liao

Disclaimer: This graphic novel is part of the An Ember in the Ashes series, I haven’t read any of them, so I went into this completely blind.

Helene, Elias, and Tavi are part of an elite group of soldiers-in-training sent on a mission to steal an extremely deadly poison from a remote island. They aren’t the only team there, as the Blackcliff Academy sends teams to this island as a rite of passage.  The island is well guarded, and the leader there expects the onslaughts because the Academy often sends students on this mission.  

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I understood about 80% of what was going on, but I think the whole thing would have had more of an impact if I knew who these characters were and the world was beforehand. There was no world building at all in this story. Nevertheless, this is an interesting story that would probably be great for fans of the novels.  

The art and coloring were beautiful, but a few of the male characters were illustrated very similarly, and not having prerequisite character knowledge, I had a hard time distinguishing them.  The jungle was gorgeous and full of vibrant colors.

The main characters are training to become assassins, so there is death, torture, and violence in this volume.  It would be best suited for high school audiences.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

Tags: Rating: 7/10, Suitability: High School, Graphic Novel, Action Adventure, Fantasy