FROM PANEL TO PANEL • B Marks the Spot (Knife’s Edge by Hope Larson & Rebecca Mock)

[quote]Twelve-year-old twin adventurers Cleopatra and Alexandra Dodge are reunited with their father and realize that two family heirlooms reveal the location of a treasure that is their birthright. When they set sail with Captain Tarboro on the Almira, they know they’re heading into danger—the ocean is filled with new and old enemies, including their nemesis, the infamous pirate Felix Worley. But like a coral reef that lurks below the surface of the waves, trouble is brewing between the siblings. Alex is determined to become a sailor and is happy with his role aboard the Almira, but Cleo—the only girl on the ship—is tired of washing dishes in the galley. In an effort to find her own purpose, she begins studying sword fighting with Tarboro, but neither Alex nor her father approves. Can the twins remain close as they pursue different goals and dreams, or will their growing differences tear the family apart before the treasure can be found?

In this follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Compass South, Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock once again create an outstanding seafaring adventure.[/quote]

[note note_color=”#DC143C” text_color=”#ffffff”]DO NOT READ THIS UNTIL YOU’VE READ COMPASS SOUTH.[/note]

Now that they’ve found their father, Alexander and Cleopatra—the redheaded twins—set off another adventure to learn more about their mysterious parents. As they try to outrun and outwit Felix Worley and his band of pirates, the twins, their father, and Captain Tarboro set out to find the coveted treasure everybody wants a piece of. Along their adventures, they struggle to find their place on the Almira, meet old friends who give them shelter, learn more about people’s past, and maybe find treasures. Welcome to another adventure with Alexander and Cleopatra.

WHAT TO EXPECT ON ALEX AND CLEO’S ADVENTURE IN KNIFE’S EDGE

The twins learn about their birthright and their mother, Hester.

As they reunite with their father, they learn secrets of their birth, which brings more questions than answers. The things they find out about themselves and their parents is a bit of a twist. Not only is Dodge not their biological father, their mother Hester may still be alive! Alex and Cleo set out to learn about their parents and Felix Worley’s hatred for the twin’s parents, and answers may lie in the buried treasure on Marshall Island.

The twins want to be more than who they were, especially Cleo.

It’s hard to find your place on a ship, especially when you’re a girl. Alex is swabbing the decks and learning to be captain of his very own ship, but Cleo? It seems like everybody wants to be a lady and help the cook, but that’s not what she wants! She doesn’t want to be her father’s tea girl; she doesn’t want to be relegated to the kitchen. She wants to learn to fight to protect herself. Readers will see Cleo struggling to find her place in a male dominated world, where all she wants to do is break free from her expected duties as a girl. Her struggles are ones her brother cannot understand, so it brings about tension between the twins.

You learn the truth about why Felix Worley is after the treasure.

Knife’s Edge opened my eyes to who Felix Worley is, and I was actually surprised by why he wanted to find the treasure so bad. His desire to find the treasure is to find one specific thing that made him the man he is today. It’s quite a sentimental item to him, and he’ll risk everybody’s lives to get it back. He’ll stop at nothing, and he’ll use trickery and stories to get what he wants.

The art is just as amazing as it was in Compass South.

Rebecca Mock, goddamn. It’s so rich and beautiful. Look!

Who will love this comic? Lovers of the first book, Compass South. Also anybody looking for an adventure. This is an excellent graphic novel that continues on the story of the redheaded twins who want to find about their birthright and mother, pirates, gender roles, and many characters you’ll fall in love with. Every time they have a set back, they continue to forge on ahead. You’ll want to be on this adventure on the Almira.

[note note_color=”#DDB349″ text_color=”#ffffff”]Are you convinced? Add to your TBR on Goodreads. Go buy Knife’s Edge from your local comic book store, or these online retailers: Amazon · Barnes & Noble · The Book Depository · Indigo. Or borrow it from your library. [/note]

ABOUT HOPE LARSON & REBECCA MOCK

Hope Larson adapted and illustrated A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel, for which she won an Eisner Award. She is also the author and illustrator of Salamander Dream, Gray Horses, Chiggers, and Mercury. She lives in Los Angeles.

Rebecca Mock is an illustrator and comics artist. Her work has appeared in various publications, including the New York Times and the New Yorker. She is co-organizer of the Hana Doki Kira anthology. Compass South is her first book.