Appealing to what could only be a high-interest/low–reading level audience, McDonald falls short of the mark. Set against Nagar’s at-times oddly psychedelic-tinged backgrounds of cool blues and purples, the mood is strange, and the overall ambiance of the story markedly absent. Using modern language, McDonald spins the well-known tale of the two young, unrequited lovers. The richly satisfying conclusion won’t keep readers from demanding a third volume.Ī bland, uninspired graphic adaptation of the Bard’s renowned love story. Addie and Lexa are white, Jae is Korean, and there is diversity in secondary characters. Puvilland’s ( Spill Zone, 2017, etc.) colorful, jagged, totally alien art is the perfect partner for this trippy tale. Groundwork laid in the first volume pays off in nearly nonstop action here. Bestseller Westerfeld’s ( Nexus, 2018, etc.) second installment is the quintessential page-turner. Vespertine’s eventual revelations about the nature of the Spill harden Addie’s resolve to get out…but also make the situation so much more complex. Of course, the American government has their eyes on the situation too.

However, Lexa’s possessed rag doll, Vespertine, has other ideas for the family, and the North Koreans-who had a similar incident-have sent their Spill survivor, a youth named Don Jae, to investigate conditions in Poughkeepsie. Addie has made ends meet by selling photographs of the bizarre conditions inside the Zone, and she possesses growing paranormal abilities thanks to a very close encounter with “the dust.” Now that she’s sold an artifact from the Zone for $1 million, she can leave.

When the Spill occurred three years ago, Addie and Lexa’s parents became two of the thousands of floating corpses in the wasteland that was Poughkeepsie, New York. Addie has finally made her big score: Does that mean she and her little sister can escape the Spill Zone?

Scott westerfeld spill zone