Teen Tuesday: A Thief Among the Trees: an Ember in the Ashes Graphic Novel by Sabaa Tahir

A Thief Among the Trees by Sabaa Tahir and Nicole Andelfinger. Illustrated by Sonia Liao. 144 p. Archaia, July, 2020. 9781684155248. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Happy Tuesday! Only two more school day Tuesdays after today! The last day of school is two weeks from today! I am so ready to end this school year. Teen Tuesday features A Thief Among the Trees by Sabaa Tahir. If Ms. Tahir's name rings a bell, it's because I recently finished her Ember in the Ashes series. It was then that I discovered this graphic novel prequel to the events in the series. This first book in a planned three-book adaptation tells the story of Helene and Elias as Fivers during their training at Blackcliff Academy. They and their best friend, Tavi, are a team that is competing with other teams of Fivers to land on an isolated island in order to steal a rare poison.

Knowledge of the series is not necessary to enjoy this suspenseful adventure, but fans will enjoy this peek into the formative years of Elias and Helene. The full-color art leans toward the dark and murky and similarities between characters sometimes causes confusion. I'd be interested in reading the next installments.