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Nightschool: The Weirn Books #2
Nightschool, Vol. 2: The Weirn Books
When Alex's sister, Sarah, vanishes and all memory and evidence of her existence is erased, Alex is determined to get to the bottom of her sister's disappearance. What better place to start her investigations than the Nightschool itself? But when she discovers that sneaking into the Nightschool isn't as simple as it might seem, Alex enrolls as a student. But is she prepared for what she might find?
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 27, 2009
154 people are currently reading
1213 people want to read
About the author
Svetlana Chmakova
38 books1,616 followersSvetlana Chmakova (Russian: Светлана Шмакова) (born 1979 in Russia) is a comic creator. She is best known for Dramacon, an original English-language (OEL) manga spanning three volumes and published in North America by Tokyopop. Her other work includes the 2-page The Adventures of CG for CosmoGIRL! magazine and the webcomic Chasing Rainbows for Girlamatic. Though born in Russia, she immigrated to Canada, where she graduated from the Sheridan College Classical Animation program, in 2002. She then began to publish her manga on the Internet, where her works were found by CosmoGirl! magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
August 24, 2014
I enjoyed this and was planning to give it a higher rating until I went to order the next volume and saw that the series ends at books 4, which means this book ends halfway through the story -- which is absolutely not how it feels reading it. This reads like something still beginning; the setting and world-building are still going on and we're still being introduced to the characters and the supernatural types. It's good world-building, but way too rich for such a short series. What a waste. I've read the next book as well and can't imagine how the last book can be anything other than a hurried crunch. I don't know if the publisher decided to shitcan the series or the author sucks at pacing or what, but it's a disappointment.
August 14, 2015
This volume is more linear than the first one, with part of it being Alex's introduction to the Nightschool, and the second part focusing on action. It's still engaging, funny at times, and has great art.
(Grumble, grumble. The library doesn't have volumes 3 and 4 :/ )
(Grumble, grumble. The library doesn't have volumes 3 and 4 :/ )
July 10, 2010
Originally posted here at Anime Radius.
Yen Press, in my mind, has always stood for quality works: Zombie-Loan; Time and Again; Black Butler – and now this, Nightschool, an OEL manga by Svetlana Chmakova in which magic and dark mischief rule the day – err, night. When the sun goes down, that’s when the real fun starts – but in the series, that’s when all the troubles start too, especially for our heroine Alex who is forced to infiltrate the spookiest school on the planet to save her vanished sibling from disappearing completely. The Nightschool is certainly no Hogwarts or even Jordan College from the His Dark Material series of novels; it’s an odd and twisted place where there’s the occasional forest and pond and the layout of the building shifts as day turns to night – and the staff is a bunch of oddballs themselves who are perfectly fitted to work in a place like the Nightschool. But as we follow Alex into her first adventures in the Nightschool, we find out that this school is holding a whole world of secrets and even Alex doesn’t know the half of it. All of the layers of intrigue and secrecy and twists are slowly coming to the surface and it’s hard to stop reading when you’re so invested in finding out what exactly is going on. Spoiler: you won’t find out in this volume . . . but you will certainly be clamoring to get the third volume after reading the last handful of pages. Cliffhangers ahoy!
The Nightschool atmosphere – a mixture of strangely beautiful things and darkly threatening things – is pretty much made by Chmakova’s outstanding artwork. In this volume, there are plenty of delicious scenes featuring the magic spells and unusual happenings that are hallmarks of the series, and it is in these scenes that Chmavoka’s skills truly shine through. For example, look at the scene in which Alex and the head of the student council meet for the first time. It is certainly an explosive occurence, as the air between them literally bursts open with uncontrolled magic – and the visions that had been seen in the graveyard by the Hunters’ seer. Is it classically beautiful? No. But is it extremely eye-catching and inventive? Yes, and I’d rather have Chmavoka’s inventive and creative artwork which keeps the attention drawn to each panel than the dull boring artwork that follows the classical aesthetic seen in some manga.
One of the interesting things about Nightschool so far is that it hasn’t really explained any of the mysteries that run through its main story. There are a lot of questions and practically no answers, and this is something not often seen in an OEL manga. After all, looking at series like Queenie Chan’s The Dreaming or even Chmakova’s own earlier work with Tokyopop, Dramacon: series like those tended to wrap up their main conflict and storylines in 2-3 volumes; rarely does an OEL manga break the five volume mark. There’s Bizenghast and to a certain extent Princess Ai, plus series like Megatokyo which were originally web comics . . . and that’s pretty much it, until now. It looks like Nightschool is aiming for a high mark for many series: keeping the mystery going strong and interesting and being able to extend it through multiple books. Does it have the staying power to do so? If the second volume is any true indication of where this series is going, then it is a definite yes. It is a series any fan of atypical fantasy series would be well advised to keep an eye on; Miss Chmakova is doing amazing things and deserves a large audience of content readers.
Yen Press, in my mind, has always stood for quality works: Zombie-Loan; Time and Again; Black Butler – and now this, Nightschool, an OEL manga by Svetlana Chmakova in which magic and dark mischief rule the day – err, night. When the sun goes down, that’s when the real fun starts – but in the series, that’s when all the troubles start too, especially for our heroine Alex who is forced to infiltrate the spookiest school on the planet to save her vanished sibling from disappearing completely. The Nightschool is certainly no Hogwarts or even Jordan College from the His Dark Material series of novels; it’s an odd and twisted place where there’s the occasional forest and pond and the layout of the building shifts as day turns to night – and the staff is a bunch of oddballs themselves who are perfectly fitted to work in a place like the Nightschool. But as we follow Alex into her first adventures in the Nightschool, we find out that this school is holding a whole world of secrets and even Alex doesn’t know the half of it. All of the layers of intrigue and secrecy and twists are slowly coming to the surface and it’s hard to stop reading when you’re so invested in finding out what exactly is going on. Spoiler: you won’t find out in this volume . . . but you will certainly be clamoring to get the third volume after reading the last handful of pages. Cliffhangers ahoy!
The Nightschool atmosphere – a mixture of strangely beautiful things and darkly threatening things – is pretty much made by Chmakova’s outstanding artwork. In this volume, there are plenty of delicious scenes featuring the magic spells and unusual happenings that are hallmarks of the series, and it is in these scenes that Chmavoka’s skills truly shine through. For example, look at the scene in which Alex and the head of the student council meet for the first time. It is certainly an explosive occurence, as the air between them literally bursts open with uncontrolled magic – and the visions that had been seen in the graveyard by the Hunters’ seer. Is it classically beautiful? No. But is it extremely eye-catching and inventive? Yes, and I’d rather have Chmavoka’s inventive and creative artwork which keeps the attention drawn to each panel than the dull boring artwork that follows the classical aesthetic seen in some manga.
One of the interesting things about Nightschool so far is that it hasn’t really explained any of the mysteries that run through its main story. There are a lot of questions and practically no answers, and this is something not often seen in an OEL manga. After all, looking at series like Queenie Chan’s The Dreaming or even Chmakova’s own earlier work with Tokyopop, Dramacon: series like those tended to wrap up their main conflict and storylines in 2-3 volumes; rarely does an OEL manga break the five volume mark. There’s Bizenghast and to a certain extent Princess Ai, plus series like Megatokyo which were originally web comics . . . and that’s pretty much it, until now. It looks like Nightschool is aiming for a high mark for many series: keeping the mystery going strong and interesting and being able to extend it through multiple books. Does it have the staying power to do so? If the second volume is any true indication of where this series is going, then it is a definite yes. It is a series any fan of atypical fantasy series would be well advised to keep an eye on; Miss Chmakova is doing amazing things and deserves a large audience of content readers.
January 15, 2013
As soon as I finished the first one I had to pick this one up right away and keep reading. The story and characters are just that great. It seems like everyone in these mangas have a secret that their hiding from everyone else. It makes you want to keep reading just to find out what i may be.
October 24, 2022
I like this one better than the first one, but the main character is a little bit annoying, but I am intrigued by the story. It's also a little edgy with the swear words.
July 17, 2011
Alex, still searching for her missing sister, Sarah, enrolls in Nightschool in order to look around where her sister was night keeper.
I love the artwork here and would read this series even if the story wasn't good. But, this series has an excellent story as well. I'm intrigued with the odd characters and strange occurrences in the Nightschool, as there are plenty of mysteries here. I'm sure the next volume will have Alex and Mr. Roi interact and I can't wait to see that. B rating.
I love the artwork here and would read this series even if the story wasn't good. But, this series has an excellent story as well. I'm intrigued with the odd characters and strange occurrences in the Nightschool, as there are plenty of mysteries here. I'm sure the next volume will have Alex and Mr. Roi interact and I can't wait to see that. B rating.
December 31, 2018
I really like this series! The characters are very well-developed and interesting, the story seems fairly complex, and I really like the art as well. I'll keep reading.
Reread 8 years later: Again, didn't remember a single thing about this series, but yep!
Reread 8 years later: Again, didn't remember a single thing about this series, but yep!
August 7, 2011
The weird just keeps getting weirder. Sarah has disappeared and no one even remembers she ever existed. Alex is having memory loses. Three Hunters have had their time stolen from then. To top it all off, the super hot Mr. Roi keeps refusing to show-up to teach his classes!
May 4, 2015
The story is very interesting, the characters are fascinating and the drawings are A-mazing! I don't know why I'm not giving 5* yet. Maybe I'm waiting for some good answers first. I'm falling in love with the characters though!
June 28, 2010
The awesomeness continues! If you're into anything supernatural, you need to read this series!
November 1, 2015
a great addition to the nightschool series. Can't wait to get started on the next one!
August 20, 2011
I'm enjoying this story - my only problem with manga like this is that each book is so short and the story goes slowly b/c there isn't enough room for more.
September 2, 2011
I'm continuing to enjoy this, for the same reasons cited in my notes on vol. 1.
January 18, 2012
Talk about a cliffhanger! I'm loving this even more than I did in the beginning. I love the astrals, especially Alex's.
May 11, 2020
I never thought I'd get something that hits the "magic school" and Shadowhunters vibes in manga form, but here we are, and I'm loving it. I'm here for it, and I'm going to see this crazy train through to the end of the line, honey.
Let's be real for a second here though, this volume is a LOT of build-up to the remaining two, I'm sure. The rising action of this story has just kicked itself into high gear, and I'm living for it. I think my only minor complaint at this point is the allotted time frame we're given in this book for some of the...events that are occurring. It seems like there's maybe 48 hours left now that certain things need to happen by, otherwise the situation will escalate, and it's a little disappointing to consider the idea that these volumes will be taking place over such a short time period. But I'm going to stay positive and hope for the best, because I do enjoy Svetlana Chmakova's writing a lot.
Additionally, I just want to say that I relate to the character of Alex pretty hard in this volume. As someone who was also just taken from being homeschooled and thrust into a public school, it was nothing short of embarrassing and frustrating to be assumed to be behind on my education and then to have to prove to teachers that I was actually at a higher level of learning than a lot of my classmates and needed to go into AP courses. Seeing that, with Alex? My middle school self felt seen and validated, and I am thriving because of it.
Let's be real for a second here though, this volume is a LOT of build-up to the remaining two, I'm sure. The rising action of this story has just kicked itself into high gear, and I'm living for it. I think my only minor complaint at this point is the allotted time frame we're given in this book for some of the...events that are occurring. It seems like there's maybe 48 hours left now that certain things need to happen by, otherwise the situation will escalate, and it's a little disappointing to consider the idea that these volumes will be taking place over such a short time period. But I'm going to stay positive and hope for the best, because I do enjoy Svetlana Chmakova's writing a lot.
Additionally, I just want to say that I relate to the character of Alex pretty hard in this volume. As someone who was also just taken from being homeschooled and thrust into a public school, it was nothing short of embarrassing and frustrating to be assumed to be behind on my education and then to have to prove to teachers that I was actually at a higher level of learning than a lot of my classmates and needed to go into AP courses. Seeing that, with Alex? My middle school self felt seen and validated, and I am thriving because of it.
March 7, 2020
Svetlana Chmakova is one of my favorite middle grade graphic novelists, and when I saw she had a YA series also, I jumped on it.
NIghtschool is a quadrilogy revolving around a school that hosts normal high school classes and students during the day, but at night, the classes and students are very different, and not a little dangerous. The second volume sees Sarah missing, but no one except her sister, Alex, remembers that Sarah ever existed, or so it seems. Alex enrolls in the Nightschool in an effort to find out what happened to her sister, and becomes acquainted with students Rochelle, Ronee, Remy, and Sion. Rochelle wants to be Alex's friend, but Alex's power/curse won't allow friendship. Ronee, it turns out, actually does remember Sarah, and reluctantly helps Alex in her search.
Nightschool Vol 2 is a satisfying follow up to volume 1, and I look forward to reading the remainder of the series.
NIghtschool is a quadrilogy revolving around a school that hosts normal high school classes and students during the day, but at night, the classes and students are very different, and not a little dangerous. The second volume sees Sarah missing, but no one except her sister, Alex, remembers that Sarah ever existed, or so it seems. Alex enrolls in the Nightschool in an effort to find out what happened to her sister, and becomes acquainted with students Rochelle, Ronee, Remy, and Sion. Rochelle wants to be Alex's friend, but Alex's power/curse won't allow friendship. Ronee, it turns out, actually does remember Sarah, and reluctantly helps Alex in her search.
Nightschool Vol 2 is a satisfying follow up to volume 1, and I look forward to reading the remainder of the series.
May 22, 2019
Ooohhh. The plot thickens.
Obviously the girl with bat wings must be something that escaped from the seal. But why did she erase Sarah from existence? And why can only the people who have the weird cowl thing going on still remember her? I wonder if Roi will remember her? The school seems a bit too free for all, I'm not sure how they would manage to grade anything, but then again the same was true for Hogwarts so I can't complain too hard.
Yup. Looking forward to the next one. I had to stop reading so that I could get a decent amount of sleep. Ending was again, a super cliffhanger, so I am actually quite proud of myself for exercising discipline and not reading the third one.
Obviously the girl with bat wings must be something that escaped from the seal. But why did she erase Sarah from existence? And why can only the people who have the weird cowl thing going on still remember her? I wonder if Roi will remember her? The school seems a bit too free for all, I'm not sure how they would manage to grade anything, but then again the same was true for Hogwarts so I can't complain too hard.
Yup. Looking forward to the next one. I had to stop reading so that I could get a decent amount of sleep. Ending was again, a super cliffhanger, so I am actually quite proud of myself for exercising discipline and not reading the third one.
April 27, 2022
Alex enrolls in the Nightschool in an attempt to find her missing sister.
The art in this, while pretty simplistic, is quite good and I am invested in several of the characters. I love Alex's astral which is drawn as a black and white creature that helps her and is rewarded with cookies. There are some weird and creepy things happening at this school: a river shows up in the middle of a hallway to allow a mermaid to arrive for a lecture; students try to fine-tune control of their astrals by having them move water from one glass to another with a teaspoon. I'm enjoying the imagination the author shows.
The art in this, while pretty simplistic, is quite good and I am invested in several of the characters. I love Alex's astral which is drawn as a black and white creature that helps her and is rewarded with cookies. There are some weird and creepy things happening at this school: a river shows up in the middle of a hallway to allow a mermaid to arrive for a lecture; students try to fine-tune control of their astrals by having them move water from one glass to another with a teaspoon. I'm enjoying the imagination the author shows.
November 12, 2020
The second book in the series has Alex needing a night pass from the school. She may and may not have seen the ghost of her disappeared sister. She finds out her sister held a position as nightkeeper at the school.
She goes ahead and applies to the school and is accepted. Three of the students are ill and unconscious in the infirmary. One of the teachers says astrals are dumb but she definitely doesn't agree with that. Someone wants a seer.
There is also a section of fan art in these books and a lot of that is really good.
She goes ahead and applies to the school and is accepted. Three of the students are ill and unconscious in the infirmary. One of the teachers says astrals are dumb but she definitely doesn't agree with that. Someone wants a seer.
There is also a section of fan art in these books and a lot of that is really good.
July 13, 2019
This series draws you in. I want to know what's going on, what's Alex's secret, where's Sarah, the Hunters are a right mix of characters and the school is very strange, which I get it supposed to be.
The art is very expressive, I like the sneaks of colour in the middle, and when the more magical side of people shows, the art flows beautifully.
I did like Alex taking down the patronising teacher a notch.
I'm looking forward to seeing more of several characters secrets come out.
The art is very expressive, I like the sneaks of colour in the middle, and when the more magical side of people shows, the art flows beautifully.
I did like Alex taking down the patronising teacher a notch.
I'm looking forward to seeing more of several characters secrets come out.
Read
September 3, 2019night school the weekend books vol 2 by Svetlana chmakova
fiction
night and school
all the abnormal creatures go to school at night
all things and humans should get to go to school
What you liked most/least and why I like all the abnormal creatures and the wolves cause I am in to that stuff I don't like is the rippers they are not very spelling g
fiction
night and school
all the abnormal creatures go to school at night
all things and humans should get to go to school
What you liked most/least and why I like all the abnormal creatures and the wolves cause I am in to that stuff I don't like is the rippers they are not very spelling g
October 18, 2019
This book was a bit more interesting but still leaves you with unanswered questions. I hope book 3 brings the heat, and when I opened it up, so far it does.
Paranormal lifeforms from vamps, wolf-people, werns (still trying to figure this one out), witches, etc.
Disclaimer: I borrowed a copy from the library and giving my honest opinion of the read.
Paranormal lifeforms from vamps, wolf-people, werns (still trying to figure this one out), witches, etc.
Disclaimer: I borrowed a copy from the library and giving my honest opinion of the read.
January 20, 2021
I really felt like this volume was definitely a bridge volume as it was building more of a foundation for certain situations. There's definitely tension building between the different groups and we are starting to see how things tie together. I definitely felt like it's setting up the next volume really well and left some things on a cliffhanger, but also felt like I was left with a lot more questions than answers. Still, it was a super fast read and I can't wait to happen in the next couple volumes and find out how some things get resolved.
January 3, 2018
Yes yes YES! This series is so cool! Love the flow, the plot, the ideas, it’s definitely not your ordinary supernatural book, though it holds classic knows (ex: vamps) but the focus is on the new. And I love it ❤️ (she really did a great job)
Great series. 4.5/5 Stars.
Great series. 4.5/5 Stars.
Read
May 3, 2020So, I kind of forgot what was happening in this storyline -as this just continues on with the story. It's not overly impressive, but the mystery of what happened to Alex's sister and what's happening to the three kids definitely has me intrigued. Will definitely be continuing with this.
July 26, 2020
Love it, thoroughly hooked. Enjoying the story, the artwork, even minor characters seem well developed, the relationships complex without melodrama. So glad I found this when 4 books are already availalbe!
Read
December 13, 2021I love the night school stories so much! They are so wonderful. I know that this story is closed and a new one has started but omg was it good. I love the diversity of the characters it was just a great read. I look forward to what is next in this world of magic.
October 23, 2017
awesome story, just my favorite style of manga drawing.
June 6, 2018
Het begon al wat beter te worden, maar het is het mij niet waard om het laatste deel te vinden. Ik begrijp er gewoon te weinig van
June 20, 2018
oh no everything is getting scarier.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews