Niobe: She is Life

NIOBE: She Is Life #1-4

by Sebastian A. Jones, Amandla Stenberg, Ashley A. Woods (Illustrator)

Niobe, the child of prophecy first introduced in The Untamed, is on the run both from her destiny and those who would see it unfulfilled. She finds shelter among her mother’s people, but when a boy is murdered it sets off a series of events that will lead to war.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics, Young Adult, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Art

128 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Zana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, this was... Really not good.

I was looking for black comic book creators for Black History Month, and from the synopsis, this was right up my alley.

But now I regret wasting my time reading this. It felt like I was dropped in the middle of a comic run without a summary for me to understand the world and the characters. Even worse, as the story went on, things just happened for no reason. Suddenly, Niobe is in love with the half-orc? And then Niobe has sisters that were living in secret? What.

The story was so incoherent that it felt like an incomprehensible fever dream.

Literally nothing flowed well. The story was all over the place. Characters did things and said things with no rhyme or reason. Each chapter ended with a really long block of text that was supposed to convey information about the world and its characters, but they meant nothing to me because those events weren't even touched on or mentioned by the characters.

I think the dialogue was supposed to read like something from a previous century, but it ended up being so stilted and weirdly indecipherable. Like that's not how people talk to each other or convey information and feelings to each other.

Also, I wasn't a fan of the art at all.

This was such a huge disappointment.

[Kazza · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one, but the structure was confusing and the story was choppy. *sad face*

[Lupita Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I anticipated this one so much and visited many bookstores/comic bookstores searching for it. I enjoyed it overall however it lacked the build up & background that many engaging & powerful comics have. That said- I definitely plan to read volume 2- I still see some potential in the plot.

[Sahara Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

What? Now let me start this with I loved the images. The images were probably the best part. Everything else *flushes down the toilet* This may be harsh for a graphic novel, but I didn't understand what the story was or really where it was going. Even then I had no frame of reference for the characters, the setting, the plot. Hence the, what?

The authors could've set up the first parts of this better. It's a no for me dawg.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art was fabulous but the story was a little confusing. It felt like there was a prequel I was supposed to read for missing detail and character development but, all in all, it's a beautiful book and one I'll continue to keep my eye on.

[BookBlerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niobe is a brown half-human, half-elf girl on the run from her father. When she literally and metaphorically becomes lost, she must rediscover her fighting spirit among a hidden monastery of dwarfs, elves, and orcs. Yet Niobe must endure discrimination and new love before she discovers her true potential.

The story is an epic fantasy adventure that is introspective and empowering. Niobe is a compelling lead because she has to question her past, religious faith, and her own feelings as a teenage girl and heroine in the making. Also, it is refreshing to see a brown female elf lead instead of the same old blond hair blue eyed leads.

Ashley A. Woods artwork is simply gorgeous, with drawings that almost seem like watercolor paintings. The colors are vivid and eye-catching and the characters are drawn in a style reminiscent of the Elfquest comic series.

Overall, I loved this comic & I'm looking forward to the next series.

[Chris Talbot-Heindl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this sooooo much, but I really didn't. I bought this at Denver Comic Con after asking the table for a graphic novel that was specifically written by non-cishet-men or POC - as that was my goal for Comic Con. Niobe sounded exciting when they explained it to me, and it had absolutely beautiful cover art, so I was expecting and hoping to love it.

But, the story was very choppy and confusing. There were a ton of made up words with no explanation of what it meant. Half the time I wasn't sure if something was a title, species, or name. The exposition between chapters was extremely confusing, and half the time, I wasn't sure what it was referencing.

I still want to give other portions of this story a try; I just might get them from a library rather than buy it.

[Captain Comic Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both better and worse than the Untamed oddly enough. The focus on Niobe gives more depth to her character, which I actually wanted when I started to read, but it starts in the middle of nothing and the plot seems kind of out of left field. To be fair, I might be missing a part of it since I only have the 2 graphic novels of the Untamed, but still. This concept would probably be better as a novel so the author could fill in all the holes.

[Brianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another two stars for the art, because I can not tell you a single reason anything happened in this book. I don't know why they fell in love, I don't know why sis is running from her daddy, I don't know where that Orc's daddy came from or why they were battling him. This is just pretty art and vibes. If anyone would like to tell me what this story is about, I'm all ears.

[Books Over People · Rating 2 out of 5]

Art 5. Story 1.5.

[Nando Gigaba · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not the type of person who uses the phrase "I really wanted to like it" because for me it's often a clear choice between liking something and disliking it. But I have been looking forward to reading this graphic novel since I bumped into the Stranger Comics social media page nearly 3 months ago. I finally got my hands on Niobe: She Is Life and Niobe: She is Death #1. But after reading this book, "I really wanted to like it" came first into my mind.

I don't know if reading The Untamed: A Sinner's Prayer before picking up Niobe: She Is Life would have alleviated my confusion. The dialogue and plot were very confusing, though the illustrations were amazing.



I loved the gallery on the book. Some of my favorite images from the gallery:

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

The visuals of this graphic novel are stunning. I enjoyed the story and the plot, but it was a bit too fast paced and confusing in areas.

I liked all the supernatural elements and the fact that the characters were of color. It was nice to see that representation.

I would recommend this novel to fans of fairies and graphic novels.

[Phobean]

Tried it. Put it down. Tried it again. Had my comics & D&D loving partner try it and he couldn't make it though either. Not my cup of tea, turns out. But go on, Niobe comics team! Publish your books! Get your coins! 🙌🏾

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful, but it moved a bit quickly. I would have appreciated more details in between scenes and more world-building; the lack of this caused me to not believe the relationships that developed. I wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did.

[Tiffani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the artwork. Kind of feel like I came in during the middle of the story. Maybe it will all make more sense in future issues.

[D.T. · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all, this story didn’t establish the story or the passing of time AT ALL. We’re just told by everyone that Niobe is a killer. Okay. The pacing is just off though the artwork suffices. I think the worldbuilding here could have been really fun. You see magical creatures and different species just roaming around, but we don’t have enough time to digest it.

You also get characters magically in love because they said so. When did this happen? I could see maybe a love triangle starting up, but there was NO development for either party, including the love rival. Even the platonic characters are barely introduced. No time to build an attachment to anyone.

The "half-blood" distaste is a little banal because it’s not delved into fully; for "this world", why is race-mixing (or interspecies relationships i.e orcs and elves) looked down upon?

Overall, with more planning, this could have been a fun series. There are some interesting lines in the dialogue (I am Esufey. I do not make mistakes. You are macgrom. You blunder when you are born; You are legend, my king. But you are not he prize; home is where the hatred hurts most), but it needed to be held together by a more in-tact story.

SN: I find the cover of Amandla’s face here very unsettling. I understand they were the character inspiration, but no. It feels creepy.

[Christina Jarvis · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was incoherent and I didn’t understand why anything was happening. The worst part for me was when I turned the page and two characters were in love all of a sudden, for some reason. But that feeling applied to all sorts of other events in the book. No build up to anything and it felt like there was at least one missing page between each one that was there.

This was my first graphic novel so I was thinking the format just wasn’t for me until I read reviews after finishing so I’ll give another one a go before deciding but it will have to be one that is better established and written. The stars are just for the art.

[Darcy Roar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat disappointing. The illustrations are lovely & there's clearly a ton of amazing mythology backing up the story, but it dumps us in the middle of something and then never gets around to explaining itself particularly. Like I accidentally read book 2 instead of the first one (I didn't but I had to check). It just feels like the story wanted to move too fast while still giving us a lot of action (for an into it's remarkably hard to do both & Niobe doesn't manage it at all). Maybe the next one will be better? Finger's crossed, it's got a ton of potential.

[Alysses · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was all IN up until the battle became about "you have both fallen in love with me and you are making this fight about that and not something totally different". Falling in love in like a span of two days or at least it felt like that. The artwork is gorgeous. I'm even enjoying the storytelling but it is missing a cohesiveness of sorts. I don't even think we need a prequel. It's more like the author wanted to say something but forgot how to say it and kept going without coming back to complete the thought.

I'll pick up the next one.

[Erin Bookishness · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niobe seems to pick up a few years after Untamed leaves off and we only get one brief and uninformative flashback which makes this book feel like it starts very abruptly but the story telling is clearer than anything we got in Untamed. The art style has shifted pretty significantly, the whole book has a much brighter feel to it, both art wise and emotionally. So now that I’m three books in I feel like I have a grasp on the world these books take place in but I do wish that we got information a little more smoothly. You have to work to piece together what is going on here.

[Kate Atonic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated omnibus collection (of four graphic novel installments) with bonus collection of fan art of the characters. The mythology is rich and well thought-out. I had a really hard following the story, though, in part because my brain just refuses to keep weird fantasy names in short term storage if they’re more than two syllables long or an unusual number of consonants. It’s my failing, not the author’s so I rounded up.

Also - I think maybe I should have read Untamed first?

[Tandiwhe Kongela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, real rating is 3.5-75. Most of my qualms though with the story I think are just because of the fast past nature of a graphic novel. There are characters and relationships I wish were developed more, cultures and hierarchies that I wish were explained more.

The plot is interesting, the art beautiful, and thankfully it doesn’t have the excessive blood and sex of the first Untamed book… I just think I’d personally enjoy the story more if it was in a novel format where you can delve deeper into the story and the characters.

[Eujean2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A visually beautiful book. It’s higher fantasy than I am used to and would have appreciated a slightly slower pace so I could learn more about the world and the characters. That said, I would read the next volume.

[Mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't realize that I was coming into the story half way until it was pointed out to me. And yet I couldn't stop reading, the world it's been built in and the characters are on point, and each stand out in their own way.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am obsessed with Ashley A. Woods art and Darrel May’s layout design in this graphic novel.
So many striking images that will stay with me. The story itself felt muddled and dependent on the prior lore of Asunda- But it is difficult to find a preferred reading order. I love Niobe’s strength and am very interested to further explore the world of Asunda, however I felt the love story was a bit rushed and confusing to follow.

[Dax · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are GORGEOUS! The story is interesting and I look forward to seeing where they go from here. My only real criticism is there were a few typos/misspellings that pulled me out of the story a couple times.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did, but it seems like the beginning of something great and the art and characters are wonderful.

[A.B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, the plot feels a little as though it's rushing head long toward... something. The result is a story that left me wanting a slower build to let me invest in the characters.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful art and an interesting premise. I wish that more time was spent with character development and world-building. The story was told at a very quick pace that left me confused at times.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one took awhile to pull me in, but I think its doing that for the sake of good world building. This could be a good longer run series, quite excited for the next volume.