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Ever After
Stranded between safe zones, Vivi and Eva are two travelers in a countryside filled with the undead. The survivors of their world live behind barricades―and live in fear of the next attack. After their train breaks down, the young women partner up to stay alive. Vivi is struggling with grief―and guilt―over the loss of her sister. Eva is hiding the start of a horrifying transformation. Together they'll face heat, zombie hordes, and their own inner demons, searching for signs of life in a land of the dead. This graphic novel addition to an enduring genre is thoughtful and emotion-driven, but also full of zombie scares and action. "Both thoughtful and terrifying, and an unexpected take on a familiar premise."― School Library Journal
" . . . Vieweg offers an art-house take on a normally gory and typically action-packed subject . . . A melancholic but multicolored apocalyptic tale told with originality." ― Kirkus Reviews
"There's a twisted fairy-tale feel throughout, especially apparent when Vivi stumbles across a tea party reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland that is hosted by a plant-life sprouting zombie who cultivates a beautiful garden fertilized by others of her kind. Horror fans will welcome this fresh take on the zombie trope. Readers will find Vivi and Eva's plight, flight, and enduring friendship both touching and compelling."― School Library Media Connection “There is a raw, fearless physicality to [Vieweg’s] work that sets it apart.” ― Marc-Oliver Frisch, The Comics Journal
" . . . Vieweg offers an art-house take on a normally gory and typically action-packed subject . . . A melancholic but multicolored apocalyptic tale told with originality." ― Kirkus Reviews
"There's a twisted fairy-tale feel throughout, especially apparent when Vivi stumbles across a tea party reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland that is hosted by a plant-life sprouting zombie who cultivates a beautiful garden fertilized by others of her kind. Horror fans will welcome this fresh take on the zombie trope. Readers will find Vivi and Eva's plight, flight, and enduring friendship both touching and compelling."― School Library Media Connection “There is a raw, fearless physicality to [Vieweg’s] work that sets it apart.” ― Marc-Oliver Frisch, The Comics Journal
288 pages, Paperback
First published June 4, 2012
About the author
Olivia Vieweg
31 books24 followersOlivia Vieweg is a German author and cartoonist.
She studied Visual Communication at the Universtiy of Weimar.
She studied Visual Communication at the Universtiy of Weimar.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 595 reviews
March 24, 2021
There are SO MANY graphic novels about zombies on the market that it takes something really special, and/or unusual to make one stand out in a crowded field . . . and this one . . . just doesn't.
Two teenage girls are on the run from their pasts, AND the walking dead . . . and that's about it. Been there, done that with many, many better zom-books. I'm even torn about the artwork. The manga style used for the characters annoyed the hell out of me, though I liked how the pretty, perky colors contrasted beautifully with the dark subject matter.
Go for Ryan Parrott's Dead Day instead.
Two teenage girls are on the run from their pasts, AND the walking dead . . . and that's about it. Been there, done that with many, many better zom-books. I'm even torn about the artwork. The manga style used for the characters annoyed the hell out of me, though I liked how the pretty, perky colors contrasted beautifully with the dark subject matter.
Go for Ryan Parrott's Dead Day instead.
July 14, 2021
I am more stone than flesh and bone...
I've seen life, I've seen death.
I never sleep, I keep good watch...
For ghosts who'd steal my breath.
For ghosts who'd steal my breath.
Weimar, a city in Germany is barricaded and the summer is at its peak. Vivi lives in a care home and longs for a life outside that very care home. When she's given a chance to work outside, she takes it but she's quite confused and scared. She meets another girl but that girl gets infested by a zombie attack and Vivi gets even more scared and she tries to commit suicide and then she's locked up in the dark room at the care home. Vivi also sees ghosts and beings that aren't there. She doesn't know if those are real or not.
She gets a chance to run away from the care home and on her journey she meets Eva and together they decide to make it to Jena, a city where the zombie bites have a cure. Vivi ends up discovering some things within her and makes her peace with the past.
This was set in a post-apocalyptical world where zombie attacks and infestation have happened and only some have survived. I had a hard time following the story in this and the art work was really sloppy too. Story and artwork didn't match a lot of the times. I know this was translated from German, may be there was something lost in translation, I don't know. Although, the story was not bad, I just couldn't enjoy it as much as I had expected myself to because a lot of the things were never answered.
2 stars
I've seen life, I've seen death.
I never sleep, I keep good watch...
For ghosts who'd steal my breath.
For ghosts who'd steal my breath.
Weimar, a city in Germany is barricaded and the summer is at its peak. Vivi lives in a care home and longs for a life outside that very care home. When she's given a chance to work outside, she takes it but she's quite confused and scared. She meets another girl but that girl gets infested by a zombie attack and Vivi gets even more scared and she tries to commit suicide and then she's locked up in the dark room at the care home. Vivi also sees ghosts and beings that aren't there. She doesn't know if those are real or not.
She gets a chance to run away from the care home and on her journey she meets Eva and together they decide to make it to Jena, a city where the zombie bites have a cure. Vivi ends up discovering some things within her and makes her peace with the past.
This was set in a post-apocalyptical world where zombie attacks and infestation have happened and only some have survived. I had a hard time following the story in this and the art work was really sloppy too. Story and artwork didn't match a lot of the times. I know this was translated from German, may be there was something lost in translation, I don't know. Although, the story was not bad, I just couldn't enjoy it as much as I had expected myself to because a lot of the things were never answered.
2 stars
September 1, 2020
Set in Germany, Vivi and Eva meet 2 years after the zombie apocalypse begins. They make a journey from one outpost to the next while hiding from zombies and trying to deal with their changed circumstances. Vivi has mental health issues and see things that aren't there while Eva is changing physically.
Not a lot happens in this book. It's kind of boring. There are also several elements left unexplained, that I found frustrating. Maybe it was lost in translation from the original German. Vieweg is primarily an illustrator of children's books. That art style shines through here. The art is a bit rudimentary. Sometimes that adds to the horror element, sometimes it's a hindrance to the sequential storytelling. The action sequences often looked like random images plopped on the page. I couldn't tell how they fit together.
Received a review copy from Graphic Universe and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Not a lot happens in this book. It's kind of boring. There are also several elements left unexplained, that I found frustrating. Maybe it was lost in translation from the original German. Vieweg is primarily an illustrator of children's books. That art style shines through here. The art is a bit rudimentary. Sometimes that adds to the horror element, sometimes it's a hindrance to the sequential storytelling. The action sequences often looked like random images plopped on the page. I couldn't tell how they fit together.
Received a review copy from Graphic Universe and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
September 7, 2020
This had potential, but lacked so much in the execution. The art was lovely at times, but incredibly inconsistent. The plot was interesting, but hard to follow. The zombie apocalypse clearly had some sort of bizarre twist that made it very unique, but we're never given ANY explanation for what causes that twist or how it functions. On top of everything else, one of our main characters, Vivi, consistently makes the worst possible decisions time and time again and is not just useless, she's also an endless liability to Eva's safety. The entire book was one confusing disappointment after another.
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
May 27, 2020
Not really for me but I can see the appeal behind it. I found it a bit difficult to follow which may be due to it being translated more so than storytelling issues. I quite like the artwork especially for the cover and the general idea of the graphic novel but found it's execution a bit lacking.
June 25, 2020
Thank you to Lerner Publishing Group for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.
What initially pulled me to requesting this title on Netgalley was the art on the cover and the name of the author, Olivia Vieweg. The name sounded Dutch or German and as a Dutch person I always find that interesting. I was right. Olivia Vieweg is a German author who originally published this graphic novel in German back in 2012. As such this takes place in Germany.
The story follows two young girls, Eva and Vivi. The world as they knew it changed 2 years ago when the zombie apocalypse started. Now many of the cities are hidden behind gates with a non-human operated train going back and forth between the cities for supplies. Vivi was taken into a mental health ward when she was found. Eva has been working at the gates.
The first thing I noticed is that the art isn't as consistent as the cover would suggest. They try to keep the feel of the cover going throughout the graphic novel but it doesn't always work. The colors of the sky in the cover feels whimsical and with a story with as much graphic novel and heavy emotions it doesn't feel quite right. The colors are somewhat muted. On the other hand I also think this is just the style of the author.
While the book is close to 300 pages I felt I wasn't getting enough world building as a whole. What triggered the zombie apocalypse. What about the rest of the world? How does the weeds taking over the zombie infection work? I have so many questions about these things and they should have been answered. Especially as this is a standalone work.
The characters are dealing with a lot of things. Vivi is dealing with the grief and guilt of the death of her sister. Eva feels abandoned when the apocalypse started and is dealing with a zombie mutation after having been scratched. There are a lot of themes of mental health in here. On occasion I thought it was done well. But for the most part I still felt like I wasn't getting what I really needed in this book to truly feel something for these characters.
All in all I felt that the story just felt unfinished at the end.
What initially pulled me to requesting this title on Netgalley was the art on the cover and the name of the author, Olivia Vieweg. The name sounded Dutch or German and as a Dutch person I always find that interesting. I was right. Olivia Vieweg is a German author who originally published this graphic novel in German back in 2012. As such this takes place in Germany.
The story follows two young girls, Eva and Vivi. The world as they knew it changed 2 years ago when the zombie apocalypse started. Now many of the cities are hidden behind gates with a non-human operated train going back and forth between the cities for supplies. Vivi was taken into a mental health ward when she was found. Eva has been working at the gates.
The first thing I noticed is that the art isn't as consistent as the cover would suggest. They try to keep the feel of the cover going throughout the graphic novel but it doesn't always work. The colors of the sky in the cover feels whimsical and with a story with as much graphic novel and heavy emotions it doesn't feel quite right. The colors are somewhat muted. On the other hand I also think this is just the style of the author.
While the book is close to 300 pages I felt I wasn't getting enough world building as a whole. What triggered the zombie apocalypse. What about the rest of the world? How does the weeds taking over the zombie infection work? I have so many questions about these things and they should have been answered. Especially as this is a standalone work.
The characters are dealing with a lot of things. Vivi is dealing with the grief and guilt of the death of her sister. Eva feels abandoned when the apocalypse started and is dealing with a zombie mutation after having been scratched. There are a lot of themes of mental health in here. On occasion I thought it was done well. But for the most part I still felt like I wasn't getting what I really needed in this book to truly feel something for these characters.
All in all I felt that the story just felt unfinished at the end.
June 25, 2020
2.5-3
t/w: attempted suicide
i think my favourite part about this graphic novel is the art work, it's honestly amazing. the colours are vibrant & the illustrations are just great.
eva & vivi were great characters. they were both struggling in their own way, but really grew to support & care about each other.
although this was about a zombie apocalypse & the hardships everyone now had to face, i felt like this graphic novel tried to incorporate some more positive components. these positive aspects didn't take away from the severity of the reality around them, but they were able to look at the good sometimes instead of always focusing on the bad. vivi's experience in the garden was one of my favourite scenes it was like she started to find some peace.
some things were unclear, i know viv was struggling with grief, but there was more to it. it seemed that she had anxiety & hallucinations (possibly schizophrenia?) i'm not 100% sure it was a bit unclear.
i don’t think vivi’s mental health was addressed properly i think that she started off in a really dark place & it just sort of fizzled out by the end.
i do believe that there was a lot of content that was squeezed into a short amount of space. i think if it were a bit longer & a bit more detailed it would have been more consistent & would have eliminated minor gaps in the story or areas that can be easily questioned.
- arc provided via netgalley in exchange for an honest review
t/w: attempted suicide
i think my favourite part about this graphic novel is the art work, it's honestly amazing. the colours are vibrant & the illustrations are just great.
eva & vivi were great characters. they were both struggling in their own way, but really grew to support & care about each other.
although this was about a zombie apocalypse & the hardships everyone now had to face, i felt like this graphic novel tried to incorporate some more positive components. these positive aspects didn't take away from the severity of the reality around them, but they were able to look at the good sometimes instead of always focusing on the bad. vivi's experience in the garden was one of my favourite scenes it was like she started to find some peace.
some things were unclear, i know viv was struggling with grief, but there was more to it. it seemed that she had anxiety & hallucinations (possibly schizophrenia?) i'm not 100% sure it was a bit unclear.
i don’t think vivi’s mental health was addressed properly i think that she started off in a really dark place & it just sort of fizzled out by the end.
i do believe that there was a lot of content that was squeezed into a short amount of space. i think if it were a bit longer & a bit more detailed it would have been more consistent & would have eliminated minor gaps in the story or areas that can be easily questioned.
- arc provided via netgalley in exchange for an honest review
July 2, 2020
2.5 Stars
This sounded like such a great concept but I think I would've appreciated more explanation or background on the zombies. I didn't find the two lead characters to be very believable or relatable and I ultimately didn't care what happened to either of them.
Received via Netgalley. All opinions are expressly my own.
This sounded like such a great concept but I think I would've appreciated more explanation or background on the zombies. I didn't find the two lead characters to be very believable or relatable and I ultimately didn't care what happened to either of them.
Received via Netgalley. All opinions are expressly my own.
Read
March 23, 2018Ich weiß nicht, ob ich jemals in der Lage sein werde, Graphic Novels irgendeine adäquate Wertung zu verpassen – aber das waren zwei sehr faszinierende und intensive Stunden, die ich mit dieser Schönheit verbracht habe. Jetzt werde ich erst einmal meine Gedanken dazu sammeln.
August 8, 2023
A moody tale of a zombie apocalypse featuring two girls on a desperate road trip from one safe haven in the German city of Weimar to another in Jena about 12 miles away. It's fairly typical stuff, with each learning about the other and herself but also about the zombies they dodge and cross paths with. The characters are engaging and the natures of the zombies are interesting if a bit vague and confusing at times.
There's a movie version I'm thinking I might check out sometime. There's also another, shorter version of this graphic novel and I wonder if it might be better without all the padding added for the film.
FOR REFERENCE:
This is an English translation of the German graphic novel Endziet, but it needs to be noted that there are two different versions of Endzeit originally published in German. The first version from 2012 is about 75 pages and was originally submitted as Olivia Vieweg's academic thesis. She adapted that graphic novel into a screenplay that became a 2018 film called Endzeit and also known as Ever After. So the second version from 2018 is a 285-page adaptation of the film's screenplay rewritten, redrawn, and eventually translated into English by Vieweg.
There's a movie version I'm thinking I might check out sometime. There's also another, shorter version of this graphic novel and I wonder if it might be better without all the padding added for the film.
FOR REFERENCE:
This is an English translation of the German graphic novel Endziet, but it needs to be noted that there are two different versions of Endzeit originally published in German. The first version from 2012 is about 75 pages and was originally submitted as Olivia Vieweg's academic thesis. She adapted that graphic novel into a screenplay that became a 2018 film called Endzeit and also known as Ever After. So the second version from 2018 is a 285-page adaptation of the film's screenplay rewritten, redrawn, and eventually translated into English by Vieweg.
August 3, 2020
Being a fan of all things zombie, I jumped at the chance to read this story by a new-to-me author/artist and the story premise sounded interesting. Vivi and Eva live in a walled city, safe from the zombies outside. Everyone has their job....including monitoring and repairing the fence. After an altercation with a zombie at the fence, Vivi and Eva escape the city on an automated cargo train. The train breaks down and they are stranded together between safe zones. They have more to face than zombies. Each girl is facing their demons. Vivi mourns the loss of her sister. And Eva comes to understand what transformation is in her future.
I enjoyed the art in this graphic novel. It's intense and perfect for the story line. But the story lost me for the most part. There was no background on the zombies, what happened, or much at all on how the town came to be set up or how it works/who is in charge, etc. And at times, I couldn't quite grasp what was happening to the two main characters, especially at the end. Not sure if something was lost in translation or if the story was meant to be secondary to the art.
I still enjoyed this graphic novel....but would have loved it with a bit more story and explanation of the situation. The cool art carried it for me though. I liked the use of color to make the girls stand out in the bleak, destroyed environment. The zombies are creepy...most looking like skeletonized ick. And the depiction of horde attacks were really cool!
This is the first graphic novel by Olivia Vieweg that I've read. I'm definitely going to check out more of her work! This one is a bit of a miss for me because I couldn't really follow the story line in places and some background is lacking....but the art is great!
**I voluntarily read a review copy of this graphic novel. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
I enjoyed the art in this graphic novel. It's intense and perfect for the story line. But the story lost me for the most part. There was no background on the zombies, what happened, or much at all on how the town came to be set up or how it works/who is in charge, etc. And at times, I couldn't quite grasp what was happening to the two main characters, especially at the end. Not sure if something was lost in translation or if the story was meant to be secondary to the art.
I still enjoyed this graphic novel....but would have loved it with a bit more story and explanation of the situation. The cool art carried it for me though. I liked the use of color to make the girls stand out in the bleak, destroyed environment. The zombies are creepy...most looking like skeletonized ick. And the depiction of horde attacks were really cool!
This is the first graphic novel by Olivia Vieweg that I've read. I'm definitely going to check out more of her work! This one is a bit of a miss for me because I couldn't really follow the story line in places and some background is lacking....but the art is great!
**I voluntarily read a review copy of this graphic novel. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
August 10, 2020
I received a copy from Lerner Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Vivi and Eva are living in a world ravaged by the zombie apocalypse. Leaving the safety of the place they called home, they find themselves out in a world of wonder. The problem? This beautiful world is also riddled with the undead while the two fight to survive the horrors of their past and present.
I love all things zombies, so I was excited to get this book and read it. It’s dark and sad while somehow managing to have a positive and lighthearted message. I know that this sounds like an odd combination, but I swear that it works for the story. It does get very dark, and there is an attempted suicide very early on, but it does get positive down the line.
Vivi and Eva are living in a terrible situation. They’ve survived zombies for two years and have horrible memories associated with the beginning of the zombie apocalypse all the way up to the present. Unfortunately for Eva, she’s hiding that she’s been infected and is turning into a zombie, so she lashes out quite a bit. Meanwhile, Vivi is continuing to deal with depression and PTSD along with the guilt she has about her sister. While they both feel very alone, they’ve also accidentally found a friend in each other.
What I like about this comic is that it’s a slice of life story. We don’t find out why or how the zombie apocalypse started or how many communities full of the living are out there. The story only tells us what Vivi and Eva are going through in the present. Anything we learn about the past is through their memories, and anything about other people are based on who they meet along the way. I think it’s an interesting take on a zombie story because it’s not about the zombies nor is it necessarily about surviving the apocalypse. It’s about two people finding a way to survive the hardships they’ve each been dealt and discovering there is light for them to hold onto.
While I enjoyed the story, I also loved the artwork. It’s absolutely beautiful. If Olivia Vieweg’s other work is translated into English, I will definitely check them out.
Vivi and Eva are living in a world ravaged by the zombie apocalypse. Leaving the safety of the place they called home, they find themselves out in a world of wonder. The problem? This beautiful world is also riddled with the undead while the two fight to survive the horrors of their past and present.
I love all things zombies, so I was excited to get this book and read it. It’s dark and sad while somehow managing to have a positive and lighthearted message. I know that this sounds like an odd combination, but I swear that it works for the story. It does get very dark, and there is an attempted suicide very early on, but it does get positive down the line.
Vivi and Eva are living in a terrible situation. They’ve survived zombies for two years and have horrible memories associated with the beginning of the zombie apocalypse all the way up to the present. Unfortunately for Eva, she’s hiding that she’s been infected and is turning into a zombie, so she lashes out quite a bit. Meanwhile, Vivi is continuing to deal with depression and PTSD along with the guilt she has about her sister. While they both feel very alone, they’ve also accidentally found a friend in each other.
What I like about this comic is that it’s a slice of life story. We don’t find out why or how the zombie apocalypse started or how many communities full of the living are out there. The story only tells us what Vivi and Eva are going through in the present. Anything we learn about the past is through their memories, and anything about other people are based on who they meet along the way. I think it’s an interesting take on a zombie story because it’s not about the zombies nor is it necessarily about surviving the apocalypse. It’s about two people finding a way to survive the hardships they’ve each been dealt and discovering there is light for them to hold onto.
While I enjoyed the story, I also loved the artwork. It’s absolutely beautiful. If Olivia Vieweg’s other work is translated into English, I will definitely check them out.
June 16, 2020
⭐1 Stars⭐
Eyecatching but lacking in substance.
What drew me to this book was the concept and the cover, both captured my interest and promised a unique story in a saturated genre. But unfortunately, Vieweg's story was muted, disjointed and underwhelming.
It felt like I was missing half the story because the narrative was so fragmented, we move from one event to another leaving plot points standing and characters lacking depth. The lack of chemistry between the cast meant I felt no empathy for Eva or ViVi and that any interactions between them felt strained. This was made worse by the fact that their dialogue inferred nothing about their character arcs and every decision they made seemed to just be a way to move along the plot or establish a new setting.
The art style is nothing special, I thought it would be used to draw attention to the disparity between the domestic and the horrific aspects of the story but it wasn't. The juvenile illustrations made it difficult for me to take the story seriously and sapped any suspense from an already dry plot.
Overall, I think the concept of the story is better than its execution in this case. This may be partially due to the fact this is a translated work but with that said the story still should have been able to stand on its own and impact the reader emotionally.
Trigger Warning: Self Harm, Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Ward, Body Horror, Graphic Violence, Self Medication.
NOTE: While researching for my review I found that this book is also a webtoon which you can read here and there is a film called Endzeit which follows the same plot also written by Vieweg. I am interested to see if a different medium would help me connect with this story more.
Eyecatching but lacking in substance.
What drew me to this book was the concept and the cover, both captured my interest and promised a unique story in a saturated genre. But unfortunately, Vieweg's story was muted, disjointed and underwhelming.
It felt like I was missing half the story because the narrative was so fragmented, we move from one event to another leaving plot points standing and characters lacking depth. The lack of chemistry between the cast meant I felt no empathy for Eva or ViVi and that any interactions between them felt strained. This was made worse by the fact that their dialogue inferred nothing about their character arcs and every decision they made seemed to just be a way to move along the plot or establish a new setting.
The art style is nothing special, I thought it would be used to draw attention to the disparity between the domestic and the horrific aspects of the story but it wasn't. The juvenile illustrations made it difficult for me to take the story seriously and sapped any suspense from an already dry plot.
Overall, I think the concept of the story is better than its execution in this case. This may be partially due to the fact this is a translated work but with that said the story still should have been able to stand on its own and impact the reader emotionally.
Trigger Warning: Self Harm, Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Ward, Body Horror, Graphic Violence, Self Medication.
NOTE: While researching for my review I found that this book is also a webtoon which you can read here and there is a film called Endzeit which follows the same plot also written by Vieweg. I am interested to see if a different medium would help me connect with this story more.
August 17, 2020
Welcome Back!
All month so far my reading has been going at full speed. I have been tackling tons of books on my TBR and loving it. But this week as I expected I have hit a minor reading slump, my attention has turned to the thousand other things that have started up again but I still trying to get myself to read at night, on breaks, and listen to my audio book whenever I can. This was my usual routine last year and it worked out great so I just need to get back into the swing of things. I am still on track to have a pretty great reading month and complete my Goodreads reading goal for the year (so that alone is amazing)! One of the books I picked up recently was a graphic novel called Ever After, I was given an E-ARC of this book on Netgalley so thank you so much to the publisher. I really love reading graphic novels and manga (I find I can read a whole one before bed or during a work break and its a great mood/mind cleanser for me)!
SPOILERS AHEAD
Vivi and Eva live in an apocalyptic Germany, where the two girls find themselves together on a train that they are not exactly supposed to be on. The girls have been living in a safe area (well mostly safe) but when they hop on the train they are exposed to the apocalypse. The train should be traveling to another city, where they will be safe, and Eva will even be able to get some medicine she needs to survive. However, the train suddenly stops in the middle of nowhere, the girls check and are sure nothing is blocking its path, so they decide to try and wait for the rescue team. After it's clear they are either not coming or something bad happened to them, the girls know they must venture out and try to get to the city and a safe place on their own. On their journey to the city the girls will share a lot with each other about themselves and their past while working together to try and survive.
This graphic novel was beautiful! The colors, the illustrations, it was all so beautiful. I could not get enough of it. I kept looking at the panels and flipping back and when I was done reading I even went back and just looked at some pages to see certain panels again. On top of the beautiful illustrations and colors, the story was amazing. I love both of these main characters and I was rooting for them to both make it to the city (this is not me saying they do not make it, I am just saying I was 100% routing for them both because I love them so much). I went ahead and ordered myself a copy of this graphic novel and I can not wait to see all the panels again physically!
Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars
P.S. I think this might be a movie as well but I am totally unsure so if anyone knows about it let me know below!
**Thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
All month so far my reading has been going at full speed. I have been tackling tons of books on my TBR and loving it. But this week as I expected I have hit a minor reading slump, my attention has turned to the thousand other things that have started up again but I still trying to get myself to read at night, on breaks, and listen to my audio book whenever I can. This was my usual routine last year and it worked out great so I just need to get back into the swing of things. I am still on track to have a pretty great reading month and complete my Goodreads reading goal for the year (so that alone is amazing)! One of the books I picked up recently was a graphic novel called Ever After, I was given an E-ARC of this book on Netgalley so thank you so much to the publisher. I really love reading graphic novels and manga (I find I can read a whole one before bed or during a work break and its a great mood/mind cleanser for me)!
SPOILERS AHEAD
Vivi and Eva live in an apocalyptic Germany, where the two girls find themselves together on a train that they are not exactly supposed to be on. The girls have been living in a safe area (well mostly safe) but when they hop on the train they are exposed to the apocalypse. The train should be traveling to another city, where they will be safe, and Eva will even be able to get some medicine she needs to survive. However, the train suddenly stops in the middle of nowhere, the girls check and are sure nothing is blocking its path, so they decide to try and wait for the rescue team. After it's clear they are either not coming or something bad happened to them, the girls know they must venture out and try to get to the city and a safe place on their own. On their journey to the city the girls will share a lot with each other about themselves and their past while working together to try and survive.
This graphic novel was beautiful! The colors, the illustrations, it was all so beautiful. I could not get enough of it. I kept looking at the panels and flipping back and when I was done reading I even went back and just looked at some pages to see certain panels again. On top of the beautiful illustrations and colors, the story was amazing. I love both of these main characters and I was rooting for them to both make it to the city (this is not me saying they do not make it, I am just saying I was 100% routing for them both because I love them so much). I went ahead and ordered myself a copy of this graphic novel and I can not wait to see all the panels again physically!
Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars
P.S. I think this might be a movie as well but I am totally unsure so if anyone knows about it let me know below!
**Thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 10, 2020
Stars: 1.5/5
I feel like the author/ illustrator attempted to "show not tell" but it just did not work out. The execution wasn't there and a lot of the time I had to go back to really understand what was happening in that part of the book.
I feel like a lot of images were missing which led me to feel like parts of the book were missing, as if I were opening up to random chronological pages and the story made no sense.
I would suggest perhaps more dialogue so the reader could understand the situation more. I really struggled to understand the characters and they were interesting characters! I tried to receive the message through that reader-writer connection through a story but I really couldn't and it disappointed me. Something is missing and it made the story confusing and unenjoyable.
The story is there, I got the overall gist, but the ending was confusing. Is it all in the psych patient's head? If so, it's a bit of a childish and cliche ending.
I just did not relate to this book at all. The art was ok but couldn't say it was anything special. Just not my cup of tea.
I feel like the author/ illustrator attempted to "show not tell" but it just did not work out. The execution wasn't there and a lot of the time I had to go back to really understand what was happening in that part of the book.
I feel like a lot of images were missing which led me to feel like parts of the book were missing, as if I were opening up to random chronological pages and the story made no sense.
I would suggest perhaps more dialogue so the reader could understand the situation more. I really struggled to understand the characters and they were interesting characters! I tried to receive the message through that reader-writer connection through a story but I really couldn't and it disappointed me. Something is missing and it made the story confusing and unenjoyable.
The story is there, I got the overall gist, but the ending was confusing. Is it all in the psych patient's head? If so, it's a bit of a childish and cliche ending.
I just did not relate to this book at all. The art was ok but couldn't say it was anything special. Just not my cup of tea.
January 13, 2021
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ↠ | two and a half stars*
⠀⠀mmmm... what the fuck. i'm going to be completely honest here, i didn't understand half of what happened in this. i almost enjoyed it more because of this? i think the concept is there, but the execution (both in storytelling and art) lack severely. this might make a better novel with a lot more detail and plot happenings.
⠀⠀*:this might drop down to two stars, both in the goodreads rating and in my review. even if it doesn't, it is important to note that i am genuinely considering it.
↠ ebook
↠ 01.13.21
↠ annotated? no
⠀⠀mmmm... what the fuck. i'm going to be completely honest here, i didn't understand half of what happened in this. i almost enjoyed it more because of this? i think the concept is there, but the execution (both in storytelling and art) lack severely. this might make a better novel with a lot more detail and plot happenings.
⠀⠀*:this might drop down to two stars, both in the goodreads rating and in my review. even if it doesn't, it is important to note that i am genuinely considering it.
↠ ebook
↠ 01.13.21
↠ annotated? no
August 21, 2020
I actually fell in love with this graphic novel. A post-apocalyptic, dystopian story-line with a science fiction, supernatural flare, what's not to love. And the ending? Exactly as it should be.
Would have been a 5 star rating if there had been a bit more backstory on the two main characters. May have gotten lost in translation.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Olivia Vieweg for an ARC in return for an honest review.
Would have been a 5 star rating if there had been a bit more backstory on the two main characters. May have gotten lost in translation.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Olivia Vieweg for an ARC in return for an honest review.
May 22, 2020
This is a zombie apocalypse, journey story set in Germany.
Vivian is sad about losing her sister to zombies. Eva is changing into a plant thing.
And they are trying to get to a new city, because reasons.
It is also not clear if the transformation into a plant creature is part of becoming a zombie, or if it a different transformation completely.
I'm not sure if anything was lost in the translation, but I was confused. While I liked the suddenness of the zombies coming, and how people mistook what was happening, as they would, the rest of the story was just people running from zombies, and I always find those type of stories on the dull side.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
Vivian is sad about losing her sister to zombies. Eva is changing into a plant thing.
And they are trying to get to a new city, because reasons.
It is also not clear if the transformation into a plant creature is part of becoming a zombie, or if it a different transformation completely.
I'm not sure if anything was lost in the translation, but I was confused. While I liked the suddenness of the zombies coming, and how people mistook what was happening, as they would, the rest of the story was just people running from zombies, and I always find those type of stories on the dull side.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
June 3, 2020
This is like watching Caroline, I did couple of years ago. Don't let the innocent cover fool you. It is creep-fest and horror walk down the lane. Not recommended for people like me. Not recommended, period. I am going to have some serious nightmares now.
July 7, 2020
ARC provided by Netgalley and Lerner Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
I was intrigued by the concept and art style this graphic novel has to offer however there was a lot lacking in this story. First of all, there was no explanation for the zombies or a back story of what is happening you're just thrown into the midst of an apocalypse. Although I really loved the art style it's unique choice of pastel colours, the story didn't grip me until the end. The characters aren't that memorable either it all feels like a blur.
I was intrigued by the concept and art style this graphic novel has to offer however there was a lot lacking in this story. First of all, there was no explanation for the zombies or a back story of what is happening you're just thrown into the midst of an apocalypse. Although I really loved the art style it's unique choice of pastel colours, the story didn't grip me until the end. The characters aren't that memorable either it all feels like a blur.
September 28, 2020
There felt like a lot of promise initially, but I was confused most of the time. It took quite a few times for me to get through this and because I wasn't into it it felt like it went on forever. I will say that the artwork was great. I think this may have been the case of the "it's not you, it's me."
Thank you Lerner Publishing Group for this eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Lerner Publishing Group for this eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 12, 2022
Two friends try to survive the zombie apocalypse in this pretty good zombie horror Ya graphic novel. be sure to check this out at your local library and wherever books and ebooks are sold.
September 9, 2020
a weird and twisted zombie apocalypse graphic novel.
my mind is spinning right now. there are so many open spots in this book and it’s all happening very fast, so you’re left with an empty feeling afterwards. a feeling of “wtf did i just read? what just happened?” mix all of that in with an unreliable narrator and a bunch of weird things happening so you’re not sure what’s real and what’s not, and you got yourself a mind fucking book. because there are so many empty spots, you can theorise and try to guess what it’s all about but you’re also not sure what really happened? if anything is real? if the maincharacter is completely insane and is actually alone in the world? or if only some of the characters are real? i really don’t know what all of my theories are about, i’m still trying to process this book. even though the book didn’t say anything about my theories being true, i still have a feeling something is not right. that we definitely didn’t see the whole picture. and it’s messing with me right now. can someone else read this so i have someone to talk to before i go insane too? am i already insane? is the book actually not mind fucking and i’m just a very confused person? did the book mess with me by me not knowing if it’s actually messing with me or not? now i feel like vivi, not knowing what’s real and what’s not. ahhHhh. am i reading too much into this? will i ever get answers to my questions?
i’m trying to get my mind together so i can write this review, but i keep thinking about the book and it’s messing with my head.
i read the book in one spot. the plot was happening so fast and i just couldn’t put it down. at one point, i checked the page count and noticed i was over halfway and i was kinda shocked, because it didn’t seem like i had been reading for very long.
the artstyle is gorgeous. i think it fits really well with the plot and the story and the gory parts. i will definitely check out the author’s other works! i might pick up one of her books in german.
thank you netgalley for providing me with an ebook version of this book in exchange for an honest review!
my mind is spinning right now. there are so many open spots in this book and it’s all happening very fast, so you’re left with an empty feeling afterwards. a feeling of “wtf did i just read? what just happened?” mix all of that in with an unreliable narrator and a bunch of weird things happening so you’re not sure what’s real and what’s not, and you got yourself a mind fucking book. because there are so many empty spots, you can theorise and try to guess what it’s all about but you’re also not sure what really happened? if anything is real? if the maincharacter is completely insane and is actually alone in the world? or if only some of the characters are real? i really don’t know what all of my theories are about, i’m still trying to process this book. even though the book didn’t say anything about my theories being true, i still have a feeling something is not right. that we definitely didn’t see the whole picture. and it’s messing with me right now. can someone else read this so i have someone to talk to before i go insane too? am i already insane? is the book actually not mind fucking and i’m just a very confused person? did the book mess with me by me not knowing if it’s actually messing with me or not? now i feel like vivi, not knowing what’s real and what’s not. ahhHhh. am i reading too much into this? will i ever get answers to my questions?
i’m trying to get my mind together so i can write this review, but i keep thinking about the book and it’s messing with my head.
i read the book in one spot. the plot was happening so fast and i just couldn’t put it down. at one point, i checked the page count and noticed i was over halfway and i was kinda shocked, because it didn’t seem like i had been reading for very long.
the artstyle is gorgeous. i think it fits really well with the plot and the story and the gory parts. i will definitely check out the author’s other works! i might pick up one of her books in german.
thank you netgalley for providing me with an ebook version of this book in exchange for an honest review!
May 21, 2020
Thanks to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for providing me with an e-arc!
This story takes place in a world after the apocalypse. Zombies roam the world outside of protected cities. Meet Vivi, a young girl in a psychiatric ward who accidentally leaves the city on a train, and Eva, a girl who's on her own and has to get by, leaving on the same train to find the medicine to her illness.
There's a warning at the beginning of this book for mental illness and graphic violence, and it quickly became clear why. It was necessary to the story though, seeing as there were zombies to fight. Besides that, I loved the colors the artist used. The flowers and the landscapes were so beautiful!
The story progressed a little fast for me sometimes, making it hard to follow. I had to look back at earlier pages sometimes to see if I missed anything. It wasn't entirely clear how the whole zombie thing worked. Are they chasing humans? Can they sometimes be reasoned with? This pulled me out of the story a little bit.
Still, it also adds to the sense of confusion and fear the main character Vivi has.
All in all it's a nice graphic novel to read if you're into zombie apocalypse stories!
This story takes place in a world after the apocalypse. Zombies roam the world outside of protected cities. Meet Vivi, a young girl in a psychiatric ward who accidentally leaves the city on a train, and Eva, a girl who's on her own and has to get by, leaving on the same train to find the medicine to her illness.
There's a warning at the beginning of this book for mental illness and graphic violence, and it quickly became clear why. It was necessary to the story though, seeing as there were zombies to fight. Besides that, I loved the colors the artist used. The flowers and the landscapes were so beautiful!
The story progressed a little fast for me sometimes, making it hard to follow. I had to look back at earlier pages sometimes to see if I missed anything. It wasn't entirely clear how the whole zombie thing worked. Are they chasing humans? Can they sometimes be reasoned with? This pulled me out of the story a little bit.
Still, it also adds to the sense of confusion and fear the main character Vivi has.
All in all it's a nice graphic novel to read if you're into zombie apocalypse stories!
June 21, 2020
3 stars
I am not really a apocalyptic fan with all those zombies it is just not my vibe.
I love the illustration and the work of the artist especially but there was too much of gore for me and I think for those people who like the drama of zombies would like this book.
It is about two girls named vivi and Eva who were leaving the city and they were running away from the zombies cause it was too hectic and when they bite u become one. The typical zombie vibes....
I am not really a apocalyptic fan with all those zombies it is just not my vibe.
I love the illustration and the work of the artist especially but there was too much of gore for me and I think for those people who like the drama of zombies would like this book.
It is about two girls named vivi and Eva who were leaving the city and they were running away from the zombies cause it was too hectic and when they bite u become one. The typical zombie vibes....
February 6, 2023
Very interesting
September 19, 2020
A HUGE thanks to Lerner Publishing Group, Olivia Vieweg and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book. This is an honest review, all opinions are my own.
I did quite enjoy the artwork and the basic story line in this plot- seemed fairly straightforward for a zombie novel. The one thing that kept me from giving it the full 5 stars was that I felt like a lot was missing in translation, this was originally in German. Not to say that it was bad by any means, but it really felt lacking in some parts where I could tell it would've been stronger in its native language.
The artwork was beautiful, I loved the colors and the style and that's a huge reason for 2 of the 3 stars. I love the style so much and that alone had me wanting to read more.
Would still recommend this as a quick zombie read for anyone looking for some new zombie graphic novels. This wasn't quite as graphic as The Walking Dead, being that it's YA, but it does have some graphic moments,
I did quite enjoy the artwork and the basic story line in this plot- seemed fairly straightforward for a zombie novel. The one thing that kept me from giving it the full 5 stars was that I felt like a lot was missing in translation, this was originally in German. Not to say that it was bad by any means, but it really felt lacking in some parts where I could tell it would've been stronger in its native language.
The artwork was beautiful, I loved the colors and the style and that's a huge reason for 2 of the 3 stars. I love the style so much and that alone had me wanting to read more.
Would still recommend this as a quick zombie read for anyone looking for some new zombie graphic novels. This wasn't quite as graphic as The Walking Dead, being that it's YA, but it does have some graphic moments,
August 25, 2020
I received this graphic novel from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
OK, honestly, not that big on reading zombie books at the moment given my mental health and oh yes the pandemic outside. But I couldn’t resist this graphic novel. It just looked and sounded too good to pass and so I clicked on request.
I have to say that the book was quite confusing story-wise. I get the whole apocalypse, everyone is going to die, etc. etc. But we get thrown in what feels like the middle of the story. I had no clue why Vivi was locked up in that hospital and not allowed to go outside. What was up with that old man? Then she goes outside and meets new people and we even switch to another girl, named Eva. The girls, Vivi and Isabelle, have to go fix the barricade. From that point the story was still confusing, but at least we get zombies and I am always in for that. Some action. I do wonder why Eva let two newbies handle the barricade without making sure they were armed and prepared to fight. How stupid are you? I get that you don’t want two newbies in your team, but they are your fucking responsibility. That poor Isabelle. 🙁
But then everything gets confusing again, and I just had no clue what I was reading. Did I miss something? Should I have read something before this one? I thought only American graphic novels liked to throw you in the deep end…
And the confusion just keeps on going throughout the story, at times I just had to go back because did I miss something? Is it like this in the original German GN? Or did things just get left out or mistranslated?
Also, I am sorry, but how did Vivi walk ALL THAT WAY on freaking flip-flops without ever having pain or discomfort? We do see later that parts of her feet were wounded, but nothing else. Believe me, I walked a lot on good sandals, specially made for walking, and my feet were BLOATED and red and hurt like heck after I walked a lot on them for a couple of days (like 5-7 hours a day). I just cannot see how someone can walk on flip-flops for days, even run on them. No. That is just like the lady from Jurassic Park running from the freaking T-rex on her heels. No. Just no.
I am also confused about the zombies? So some people become zombies? Others just become plant thingies? Or half-plants and still human?
We do learn something about the characters. Vivi lost everyone around her in a gruesome way and was found by that warden from the hospital (which finally explains why she is at the hospital), Emma is changing into something and the apocalypse happened on her birthday (wow, worst birthday ever?). I have to say I hated what she did there, the choice she made. No just no.
I did like how the mental health, depression, fear, anxiety, and also guilt was presented in this book.
I love that this one takes place in Germany. Bless. I have read so many zombie books and almost all took place either in the US or in the UK. I am happy to see another country for once.
There is enough zombie action that I really liked and that was well-done.
The art was also quite nicely done, it doesn’t entirely fit with the apocalypse, but I did like the style. I love how soft it all is.
The ending… OK I guess. I just don’t know what to say about it other than that it fits totally with the very confusing story we have had.
Not sure if I would recommend this one. 🙁
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
OK, honestly, not that big on reading zombie books at the moment given my mental health and oh yes the pandemic outside. But I couldn’t resist this graphic novel. It just looked and sounded too good to pass and so I clicked on request.
I have to say that the book was quite confusing story-wise. I get the whole apocalypse, everyone is going to die, etc. etc. But we get thrown in what feels like the middle of the story. I had no clue why Vivi was locked up in that hospital and not allowed to go outside. What was up with that old man? Then she goes outside and meets new people and we even switch to another girl, named Eva. The girls, Vivi and Isabelle, have to go fix the barricade. From that point the story was still confusing, but at least we get zombies and I am always in for that. Some action. I do wonder why Eva let two newbies handle the barricade without making sure they were armed and prepared to fight. How stupid are you? I get that you don’t want two newbies in your team, but they are your fucking responsibility. That poor Isabelle. 🙁
But then everything gets confusing again, and I just had no clue what I was reading. Did I miss something? Should I have read something before this one? I thought only American graphic novels liked to throw you in the deep end…
And the confusion just keeps on going throughout the story, at times I just had to go back because did I miss something? Is it like this in the original German GN? Or did things just get left out or mistranslated?
Also, I am sorry, but how did Vivi walk ALL THAT WAY on freaking flip-flops without ever having pain or discomfort? We do see later that parts of her feet were wounded, but nothing else. Believe me, I walked a lot on good sandals, specially made for walking, and my feet were BLOATED and red and hurt like heck after I walked a lot on them for a couple of days (like 5-7 hours a day). I just cannot see how someone can walk on flip-flops for days, even run on them. No. That is just like the lady from Jurassic Park running from the freaking T-rex on her heels. No. Just no.
I am also confused about the zombies? So some people become zombies? Others just become plant thingies? Or half-plants and still human?
We do learn something about the characters. Vivi lost everyone around her in a gruesome way and was found by that warden from the hospital (which finally explains why she is at the hospital), Emma is changing into something and the apocalypse happened on her birthday (wow, worst birthday ever?). I have to say I hated what she did there, the choice she made. No just no.
I did like how the mental health, depression, fear, anxiety, and also guilt was presented in this book.
I love that this one takes place in Germany. Bless. I have read so many zombie books and almost all took place either in the US or in the UK. I am happy to see another country for once.
There is enough zombie action that I really liked and that was well-done.
The art was also quite nicely done, it doesn’t entirely fit with the apocalypse, but I did like the style. I love how soft it all is.
The ending… OK I guess. I just don’t know what to say about it other than that it fits totally with the very confusing story we have had.
Not sure if I would recommend this one. 🙁
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
July 19, 2020
• EVER AFTER
This comic gripped me from start.
The start in the mental hospital wing, a pretty obsessive caretaker, awkwardness of Vivi, sudden appearance of mental patients and the mention of people needed for work had me hooked.
Then after some pages new gripping characters, fast paced incidents and then the zombie portion hit me hard. Before even getting out of it suddenly a death of a character in brutal way.
Honestly even though the comic book is of 300 pages it totally disnt felt like that.
It was very fast paced. The incidents the surviving everything was really well put together and the characters were drawn in very relative ways.
Eva was also avery badass strong character whom I admire and love. She is trying survive even though she know theres no way for her to be alive soon and Vivi is finding her own way to happiness to feel contained to feel that she belong somewhere
For a fast paced 2 hour read I would suggest everyone to pick up this book
• Character development- 5☆
• Story Plot- 4☆
• Side characters- 2.5☆
• Flow of the story- 5☆
This comic gripped me from start.
The start in the mental hospital wing, a pretty obsessive caretaker, awkwardness of Vivi, sudden appearance of mental patients and the mention of people needed for work had me hooked.
Then after some pages new gripping characters, fast paced incidents and then the zombie portion hit me hard. Before even getting out of it suddenly a death of a character in brutal way.
Honestly even though the comic book is of 300 pages it totally disnt felt like that.
It was very fast paced. The incidents the surviving everything was really well put together and the characters were drawn in very relative ways.
Eva was also avery badass strong character whom I admire and love. She is trying survive even though she know theres no way for her to be alive soon and Vivi is finding her own way to happiness to feel contained to feel that she belong somewhere
For a fast paced 2 hour read I would suggest everyone to pick up this book
• Character development- 5☆
• Story Plot- 4☆
• Side characters- 2.5☆
• Flow of the story- 5☆
July 19, 2020
Loved loved loved this. Adding it to my favourites list for zombie graphic novels. Hoping there's a continuation of the storyline. Well done imagery as well with illustrations.
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