The Deep & Dark Blue is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Niki Smith. It tells the story of identical twins Grayce, a transgender girl, and Hawke, a cisgender boy, who have to flee from their home when their cousin stages a coup on the kingdom and kills the rest of their family.
Smith's debut middle grade novel was published on January 7, 2020 by a Little, Brown and Company imprint, and was received positively by critics, who praised the writer's worldbuilding and the novel's affirmative look on transgender identity.
Receptionedit
The Deep & Dark Blue received a starred review by Kirkus Reviews, which praised its usage of bright colors to draw attention to certain aspects of the story, as well as the novel's "[d]ynamic panel layouts" that "give the story momentum and help communicate the tone." The reviewer also praised the diversity of the supporting cast.[1]Publishers Weekly praised the "anime-inspired illustrations" by Smith, including the facial expressions shown by the characters, as well as the "capable worldbuilding and a positive look at transgender identity" present in the novel.[2]
Writing for the School Library Journal, Kelley Gile noted the novel's art style was inspired by mangas. Gile also mentioned the palette used in the novel, calling it "integral to the story".[3] Kiri Palm, for the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books said the novel "offers a refreshing spin on the crossdressing-for-noble-reasons trope" due to Grayce's story of self-discovery as a trans woman. Palm also mentions how the art plays a part in Grayce's revelation as it "allows the reader to slowly discover Grayce's comfort with feminine attire and the responsibilities of her new life in the Sisterhood", while her brother is not able to accept the same role.[4]
In a review for The Comics Journal, Hillary Brown criticized the cover of the book, mentioning how some of the choices by the author "makes it feel like Smith is new to comics," but praised other aspects of the novel, such as the author's choice to not stretch "into a trilogy." Brown mentioned in a positive note how there is a bigger focus on "the discovery of one's true gender than in fighting sequences," and called the fighting scenes boring but "Grayce's face as she struggles with her new knowledge is touching and evocative." The reviewer also called attention to the pages' layout, saying Smith plays around with it to "create interesting compositions," and the color. Brown concluded the review by saying the novel "doesn't transcend its audience, but it plays to it okay."[5]
^Brown, Hillary (March 5, 2020). "The Deep & Dark Blue". The Comics Journal. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
^"The US-Based Lambda Literary Awards Program Names Its 2021 Finalists". Publishing Perspectives. 15 March 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
^"2021 Great Graphic Novels for Teens". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2021-01-05. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
^"The 2021 Rainbow Book List". Rainbow Book List. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
^"Best of 2020". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
April 15, 2024
deep, dark, blue, graphic, novel, written, illustrated, niki, smith, tells, story, identical, twins, grayce, transgender, girl, hawke, cisgender, have, flee, from, their, home, when, their, cousin, stages, coup, kingdom, kills, rest, their, family, authorniki,. The Deep amp Dark Blue is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Niki Smith It tells the story of identical twins Grayce a transgender girl and Hawke a cisgender boy who have to flee from their home when their cousin stages a coup on the kingdom and kills the rest of their family The Deep amp Dark BlueAuthorNiki SmithLanguageEnglishGenreGraphic novel LGBT literature Young adult fictionPublisherLittle Brown Books for Young ReadersPublication dateJanuary 7 2020Pages256AwardsALA Rainbow List Top 10 Lambda Literary Award for Children s and Young Adult Literature shortlistISBN978 0 316 48598 2This article needs a plot summary Please add one in your own words July 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message Smith s debut middle grade novel was published on January 7 2020 by a Little Brown and Company imprint and was received positively by critics who praised the writer s worldbuilding and the novel s affirmative look on transgender identity Reception editThe Deep amp Dark Blue received a starred review by Kirkus Reviews which praised its usage of bright colors to draw attention to certain aspects of the story as well as the novel s d ynamic panel layouts that give the story momentum and help communicate the tone The reviewer also praised the diversity of the supporting cast 1 Publishers Weekly praised the anime inspired illustrations by Smith including the facial expressions shown by the characters as well as the capable worldbuilding and a positive look at transgender identity present in the novel 2 Writing for the School Library Journal Kelley Gile noted the novel s art style was inspired by mangas Gile also mentioned the palette used in the novel calling it integral to the story 3 Kiri Palm for the Bulletin of the Center for Children s Books said the novel offers a refreshing spin on the crossdressing for noble reasons trope due to Grayce s story of self discovery as a trans woman Palm also mentions how the art plays a part in Grayce s revelation as it allows the reader to slowly discover Grayce s comfort with feminine attire and the responsibilities of her new life in the Sisterhood while her brother is not able to accept the same role 4 In a review for The Comics Journal Hillary Brown criticized the cover of the book mentioning how some of the choices by the author makes it feel like Smith is new to comics but praised other aspects of the novel such as the author s choice to not stretch into a trilogy Brown mentioned in a positive note how there is a bigger focus on the discovery of one s true gender than in fighting sequences and called the fighting scenes boring but Grayce s face as she struggles with her new knowledge is touching and evocative The reviewer also called attention to the pages layout saying Smith plays around with it to create interesting compositions and the color Brown concluded the review by saying the novel doesn t transcend its audience but it plays to it okay 5 Accolades edit Accolades for The Deep amp Dark Blue Year Accolade Result Ref 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Children s and Young Adult Literature Shortlist 6 YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens Selection 7 Rainbow Book List Top 10 8 2020 Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Books Selection 9 References edit THE DEEP amp DARK BLUE Kirkus Reviews Retrieved September 20 2021 Children s Book Review The Deep amp Dark Blue by Niki Smith Publishers Weekly Retrieved September 20 2021 Gile Kelley The Deep amp Dark Blue School Library Journal Retrieved September 20 2021 Palm Kiri January 2020 The Deep amp Dark Blue by Niki Smith review Bulletin of the Center for Children s Books 73 5 229 doi 10 1353 bcc 2020 0057 S2CID 214035490 Brown Hillary March 5 2020 The Deep amp Dark Blue The Comics Journal Retrieved September 21 2021 The US Based Lambda Literary Awards Program Names Its 2021 Finalists Publishing Perspectives 15 March 2021 Retrieved September 20 2021 2021 Great Graphic Novels for Teens Young Adult Library Services Association YALSA 2021 01 05 Retrieved 2022 01 01 The 2021 Rainbow Book List Rainbow Book List Retrieved 2022 01 01 Best of 2020 Kirkus Reviews Retrieved 2022 01 01 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Deep 26 Dark Blue amp oldid 1192319970, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
