Description: The students of Gotham's most prestigious prep school are back and they've just survived one heck of a year within the walls of Gotham Academy. Now it's time for everyone to look back and experience some of the lost adventures from the school year that was.

Review: It is hard to call Gotham Academy Volume 3 a "volume" since it contains six meandering short stories that are written and illustrated by different graphic novelists. There were only a handful of stories that I liked and many others I disliked. While I liked the concept of the yearbook I was surprised how early it released considering how many unanswered questions that surfaced with the first two volumes of this series. What made reading this volume difficult is the inconsistency with the narrative text and the artwork of different graphic novelists who take a crack at the Detective Club. Overall this volume felt disjointed and I did not enjoy it.

Rating: 2 stars

Words of Caution: There is some PG-13 violence in the graphic novel. Recommended for Grade 7 and up.


Description: When you're Gotham Academy student Olive Silverlock, winter holidays can be a drag. Luckily, when a new student shows up at Gotham Academy to keep her company while the other students are away, Olive finds what could be a brand new friend...or a whole lot of trouble. And when Maps, Kyle, Colton, Pomeline and the rest of the students of Gotham's #1 prep school return for a new semester, the adventures are twice as mysterious and twice as dangerous!

Review: I am not sure if Gotham Academy Second Semester is a spin off series for Gotham Academy or a continuation of the overarching story. All of our main characters return to a new semester. I was a bit hesitant to read this one since I was really disappointed with Gotham Academy Vol. 3, but ended up really enjoying this one. The plot and tension of this volume is a slow burn. Olive has a new roommate that starts to have a negative effect on her. We also have a small mystery where students have been brainwashed and kidnapped by a disgruntled teacher. At first glance I thought the graphic novel was pretty average since I figured the mystery early on but as I read on I was glad to discover a twist in the last half of the story. We get more background information on Olive's family history, what fuels her dark side, and there is a new romance development that I'm very curious to see where it goes. Luckily, the romance is not a love triangle. The volume does end on a cliffhanger so it might be a while to read what happens next. Gotham Academy Second Semester returns to the dark, gothic mystery setting that first grabbed my attention and made me curious about this series. I am glad that it is back on track.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong violence in the book. Recommended for strong Grade 8 readers and up.

If you like these books try: The Nameless City series by Faith Erin Hicks