Review by Booklist Review
Four teens get more than they bargained for when they break into a cemetery on Halloween in Shammas' whimsically creepy graphic novel. After a late-night diner breakfast, Garrett, Ty, Marissa, and Radwa head to the cemetery to "party with ghosts," where they find a mausoleum housing an elaborately costumed automaton holding a wooden candle with an invitation to "make a wish." Naturally, they do, and they find themselves transported to the surreal Confetti Realms, where the automaton introduces itself as Tom and sets them a task to complete--a simple debt collection of four teeth--before they can go home. With Tom's map and a list of the debtors, the teens set out on a strange adventure where their interpersonal dramas--grief, depression, romantic angst--take center stage, leading them to surprising revelations about what they truly need. At turns playful and menacing, Karnessa's detailed artwork is populated with fanciful creatures and anthropomorphic animals, calling to mind Alice's Adventures in Wonderland or Over the Garden Wall. Colorist Oshiro leans into the Halloween vibes with rich, warm fall colors and eerie blue-toned moonlit scenes.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up--It's Halloween night, and teen friends Radwa, Garrett, Ty, and Marissa head to the cemetery to summon a ghost to ring in the holiday. After a close call with guards, the teens find themselves in a mausoleum in the presence of an automaton and a wish-making candle. Feeling curious and reckless, the four teens take turns making a wish. Moments later, a fully animated automaton informs the teens they've left their homes and are now in the Confetti Realms, and if they hope to return home, they'll need to collect four teeth for him before the start of the Transfiguration. With no other options to make their way out, the teens set out on an unpredictable and revealing journey. Rich with deep autumnal tones and intricate scenery that can be mined for its copious attention to detail, this absurd adventure, replete with anthropomorphic animals, calls to mind the bedlam of Alice in Wonderland. Through this metaphorical representation of the confusion of adolescence, topics such as mental health, consent, and interpersonal relationships are all touched upon in easily understandable ways, sometimes seriously and sometimes with a measure of dry humor, but seldom wrapped up neatly or without consequence. Of the four teens, Garrett is white; Ty appears Black, while Radwa and Marissa are of an unspecified race/ethnicity. Queer representation (nonbinary, gay) is included. VERDICT This eccentric portal fantasy will resonate with teens questioning their identity, value, and place in the world while simultaneously providing them with escape.--Alea Perez
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A sentient puppet transports four teenagers to another dimension and tasks them with a grim mission in Shammas' YA graphic novel. On Halloween night, Marissa, Ty, and Garrett are in a diner making plans to go to a cemetery and answer age-old questions: Do ghosts exist, and can they get drunk? Marissa's former friend Radwa shows up after a concert, and the four proceed together to the graveyard. While there, they end up in a mausoleum that houses a giant puppet, described as a "horrifying dimension-hopping mechanical spider." On a candle the spider holds is a sign that reads, "To all the dreamers who seek what is lost: make a wish." Radwa suggests that they do what the sign says, and after they each pretend to blow out the candle, the artificial arachnid, named Tom, comes to life and whisks them away to a place he calls Confetti Realms. Tom tells them it's the night of "the transfiguration" and he's short four teeth to pay for his entry into the ball. To return home ("More or less," Tom says cryptically), the teens must collect those teeth for him. When the group finds out the truth about transfiguration, the idea of staying there and leaving behind their real-world problems becomes increasingly compelling. Karnessa's full-color illustrations employ brightness and warm tones to create a vivid fantasy world with a layer of creepiness underneath it. The teens appear diverse--each of the main four has a different skin tone, and Ty, who uses they/them pronouns, is implied to be nonbinary. The many characters they encounter during their quest are fun and creatively imagined, from gambling frogs and dancing bears to fantastical talking birds with the power of mimicry. A well-illustrated comedic and sometimes eerie tale of friendship, identity, love, grief, and confronting one's fears. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
