Tantalize: Kieren's Story - Cynthia Leitich Smith, Ming Doyle
This graphic novel was a long time coming. When I read TANTALIZE in 2007, my first blog post on Karin’s Book Nook, I wished there had been more about Kieren. Now, finally, we get to see his point of view.Kieren is in love with his best friend, Quincie. Their relationship should be no problem because he knows she feels the same way about him, but Kieren is a hybrid werewolf and will need to leave to join the pack soon. He knows it will break her heart when he leaves and if they are romantically involved it will make it even harder for Quincie. Keeping his distance from her is difficult, but for the best. He manages just fine until Quincie’s parents are killed in a car accident. Kieren can’t help but be there to support her.His concern for Quincie grows when she starts spending more time with the new chef at her parent’s restaurant. Her uncle convinced her to change the theme to attract the wannabe vampire crowd. The transformation takes a lot of work – decisions about the new decor and new menu seem to take all of her time. Kieren doesn’t trust Brad, the new chef. Something doesn’t seem right about him and when people start disappearing from the community, Kieren gets even more concerned.Watching the mystery unfold through Kieren’s eyes is just as exciting as reading TANTALIZE from Quincie’s point of view. The only thing that prevents this from being a great graphic novel is the art. The illustrations are too rough. All the people look old because of the hard lines used to draw them. Even Kieren’s 4-yr-old sister looks too old. Color would have made it better too. The cover illustration is beautiful, it’s a shame the same artist didn’t do the inside panels. The art work aside, this is a must read for lover’s of the world created for TANTALIZE, ETERNAL, and BLESSED.