So, combine one boy born without a shadow, one lonely girl who happens to be a ghost, and what do you get? A love story? Yeah, that's part of it. It's not surprising that they would be attracted; they are both outsiders of a sort and they share similar stories of a mother dying young and unexpectedly, a father finding a new companion after his grief, and how difficult it can be to let someone else into a family. But Greg also has his friend Layla, her new boyfriend Jake (that Greg can't stand), and the antics of Jake's father - who became mayor of their town after Greg's mother died. There is a lot of anger and frustration building up inside this boy, and when it breaks loose, the town is in for a wild ride. Can Greg, Eleanor (the ghost), Layla, Jake (the new boyfriend), and the town's soothsayer really figure out a way to put everything right?

Tapalansky and Espinosa have created an amusing story that also manages to touch on grief, change, growing up, and letting go. Not that the story is a downer, far from it. What story containing the world's biggest hairball, the world's biggest collection of souvenir spoons, and a psychic singalong be a downer? Great for readers who like some spookiness and action mixed in with their star-crossed lovers.

Cast No Shadow is a graphic novel written by Nick Tapalansky and illustrated by Anissa Espinosa. It is currently scheduled for release on October 10 2017. Greg has lived in Lancaster his whole life. The town's always had its quirks, and being born without a shadow means he's counted among them. When Greg discovers an old mansion in the woods just outside of town, he didn't expect to meet a smart, beautiful, funny, and dead teenaged girl named Eleanor. Yeah. He's in love with a ghost. And before he knows what's happening, Greg finds himself at the wrong end of a history lesson when the town's past, and his own, threaten to pull the two of them apart permanently.

Cast No Shadow is an engaging graphic novel. I enjoyed the unusual lack of a shadow from our main character, and the story that stemmed from that. I really liked how that played out. I also liked that Greg faces some realistic family issues, and complicated friendships. His imperfect life made his emotions and the trouble he faced that much more real and relatable as a reader. While there is a romance involved, I also liked that his best friend is a girl and the idea of girls as more than a romantic interest is clear. Although, the fact that she has her own romance negates that a little bit, her clear personality and utter lack of fitting the 'girl best friend' stereotype did help a little. I like that the town and most of its inhabitants are a little odd, and the story is unexpected in many ways. I thought the art did a wonderful job of bringing the story to life, adding details and little bits of information that made the read even more enjoyable. The combination of heart felt emotion and facing real life struggles of family and friend relationships along-side the paranormal aspects and humor struck a chord with me.

Cast No Shadow is a graphic novel with a unique twist to teen romance. I enjoyed the art and the story and think that many readers from middle grade on up through adults will enjoy the read.

Greg has been born without a shadow, which really hasn't meant anything, until he and his friend visit a local haunted house. There, Greg befriends and falls in love with a beautiful girl ghost. As Greg's friends grow up and move on, he becomes increasingly more entranced with the ghost Eleanor. Greg's rejection of the outside world begins having drastic consequences when someone begins committing terrible acts under the guise of Greg.

I enjoyed the story. I found the side characters the most interesting. The illustrations were great.

A fun ghost read good for anyone who enjoyed "Anya's Ghost" by Vera Brosgol. While it was fast paced and some parts were, thus, a little confusing, it was still enjoyable and sweet.

Who amongst us has not grown up in a weird little town, or at least known someone who grew up in a weird little town? Greg is that kid, but his town is made even weirder by a few things: the fact that he has no shadow, that his former bully is now trying to become his best friend (after a walloping by his best gal pal, Layla), and there's a haunted house on the edge of town. When Greg and Layla go to explore the haunted house, Greg encounters someone quite unexpected -- and what follows forces him to reckon with his bully, his town, and issues within himself. A quirky, well-told tale.

I really, really enjoyed this book! I honestly couldn't put it down and even reread it a few days after I finished. A few of the bubbles didn't have any text and occasionally it was difficult to read a few of the ghost-ly speech bubbles but it was so much fun! Anya's Ghost is one of my favorite graphic novels and a go-to recommendation. For years I've been on the hunt for a good readalike and I finally have found it!

I thought the story was fun and engaging. It had the perfect blend of humor, suspense, and romance. The conflict Greg goes through-- both internally and externally-- was so relatable and for me set this story above others I've been reading. I thought the concept behind the existence of ghosts was so original and helped set it apart from your usual ghost story. The art was fantastic and really conveyed a lot of the humor. I definitely lingered on some panels because I loved the expressions of the characters and details in the drawings. I also appreciated how solidly middle school this read was. This might be a weird comment, but I struggle trying to find books that appeal to 6th-8th graders without overprotective parents objecting to the content. This was exactly the book I've been looking for in every way, shape and form. Thank you so much to Nick Tapalansky and Anissa Espinosa for such a great title!

Cast No Shadow seemed very interesting and cute, but in a way failed to deliver. It felt incomplete with too much stuff in it to work out fully. Greg lives in Lancaster and for some reason he doesn't have a shadow. He ends up in a mansion only to meet this ghost girl with whom he falls in love, but ghosts aren't here forever and Greg's hiding shadow has other plans like taking over. Cast No Shadow is a love story, a ghost story and about youth, friendship and whatnot. I'm just baffled how the shadow thing was never explained or basically why anything happens. Aside from Greg, and perhaps the ghost Eleanor, none of the characters have enough persona or a role in the comic. Everyone just passes by. It's hard to depict the plot, since it's full of great things, but none of them have enough space to develop into anything and the shadow, it's somehow the whole point, but nothing.

The art is wonderful and fits the story very well. The round and cute shapes are even somewhat melancholic, which is great and hollow at the same time. Cast No Shadow is actually quite sad and our lovers cannot have one another, which was a cool thing. I liked how Greg had to accept that and grow up to see that it's not necessarily the end of the world. The comic isn't bad or even that sporadic, but the whole thing isn't what it could be. The potential is tremendous, but not used well enough. Simplifying would've made wonders, really. Overall an OK comic though.

I just finished reading “Cast No Shadow” and have very mixed feelings about it.

On the one hand, I LOVED the artwork. Graphic novels really aren’t my thing. I try to find and read them because my students like them so much, but I’m pretty ambivalent myself. Usually, I just read the words and skip over the pictures – they really don’t add much to the story, as far as I’m concerned. However, in this graphic novel, the artwork is what saved the day. I thought the ways the various characters’ speech was distinguished was ingenious (white, black, and grey speech bubbles, circular and square text boxes)! I also appreciate how what was said first was higher than what was said next. The panels were just SO EASY to read and follow. I liked that the size and placement of the panels was varied, but always easy to follow, as well. The detail in the drawing of characters’ faces made their expressions crystal clear. And the detail in the pictures added so much to the telling of the story. I just can’t say enough good things about the artwork!

On the other hand, the story itself had lots of holes, it seemed to me. The whole premise seemed interesting – a boy, Greg, with no shadow who befriends a ghost. I really thought there was going to be more to the story of WHY he had no shadow and how that impacted his life. But, no. Greg didn’t care that he had no shadow; his family didn’t care that he had no shadow; and after one person being punched, his peers ignored the fact that he had no shadow. So, it really seemed to be a non-issue. Then, we have this ghostly girlfriend. Greg meets her, is the only one who can see her, and instantly falls in love with her. No fear, no confusion, no questions… just true love at first sight. You also have the fact that this ghostly gal is happy in her home, but Greg, her living boyfriend, becomes obsessed with getting her out. Why? No one can see her? He’ll just look crazy walking around town holding an invisible hand and talking to thin air. Why would be he so dead set on her leaving the house?!? No idea. Then, you have Greg’s shadow who suddenly reappears for VERY vaguely explained reasons, but it’s run amok and is actually destroying the town. Because his shadow is made up of all of the things he wishes he could do. ??? Huh??? And then it is revealed that the only way to stop his shadow is for it to meet up with his ghost girlfriend. But we never have any idea why. It just is. Then, there’s the whole other issue of Greg, who hates his new stepmom because she’s not his real mom. He hates, hates, hates this woman. But, after one sit down and offer to help, he completely accepts her and loves her and welcomes her whole-heartedly into his plans. While, at the same time, Greg’s father and step mom have completely, no questions asked, accepted that Greg actually does have a shadow, it has somehow become separated from him, and is running around destroying the town. Sure, nothing strange here. It’s just all too bizarre and illogical and poorly explained to be believed. I can go along with strange, ghostly plots when there is some kind of well-explained rationale, but here, all of these elements just seem thrown into a blender and poured into a glass. No connections to be found. Very confusing and not very interesting.

Because of the artwork alone, I’d give this book 3 stars – but it’s a close call.

Thank you for allowing me to read this early release so I can review. This book was worth the time just needed a bit more "something" to make it stand out

This was a really cute ghost story but one that was incredibly confusing in parts where I didn't understand who was narrating or what thr characters were actually talking about. When you write how people speak, I get that you're going to have a lot of "you knows" and such. But in a comic you can't make those filler words the bulk of a conversation. Not everything goes literally without saying. I understand that the blank word bubbles will be filled before final publication but the one page of blank bubbles when Ruth is having the heart wrenching conversation definitely left a gap in the story. Can't wait to read a finished copy to see what she actually said that made everything in that scene work out.

Despite all that I'd still recommend to anyone who loves a good ghost story, especially one with a dash of romance!

Greg and his friends live in Lancaster, in a town that's lately become obsessed with tourist traps. This latest one is a giant hairball. No lie. Greg is kind of an attraction on his own: he was born without a shadow. He's normal in every other way; he just doesn't have a shadow, which just makes him one more quirky thing in a town full of quirks. When Greg explores an abandoned mansion just outside of town, he meets Eleanor, who could be the perfect girl for him - "smart, beautiful, funny, and man, she totally gets me" - if only she weren't dead. Eleanor is a teenage ghost, living in her family's old mansion, and chasing out the creepy living that go in and mess up her home, but she has a soft spot for Greg.

Greg's got a lot going on in his home life, too: his dad's girlfriend, Joyce, has just moved in, and Greg isn't happy about it. He doesn't want anyone taking his dead mother's place. As he deals with the frustration of having a new person in the house, and a girlfriend who can't leave her haunt, something is set in motion; Greg has unwittingly set a dangerous entity loose on his town. What are the chances he can save his town, smooth over his relationship with his father and Joyce, and have a happily ever after of his own?

Cast No Shadow is a touching exploration into grief and loss. Greg retreats from the world to cope with his mother's loss and his father's subsequent relationship; aside from his female best friend, the strongest relationship that emerges in the book is with a dead girl. Greg's suppressed feelings find another way to emerge, causing destruction and danger for everyone around him. It's a great story to put into older tweens' and teens' hands, helping them cope with feelings that may be too overwhelming to confront head-on. The black, white, and gray illustrations add a nice, ghostly feel to the story and come in handy when finer plot points fall into place.

A nice addition to middle school and teen graphic novel collections, and a good secondary reference for kids dealing with grief and loss. Find more of author Nick Tapalansky's work at his website, and illustrator Anissa Espinosa's work at her Tumblr.

Great premise, though the story becomes disjointed at times. Characters' relationships are a bit muddled in the middle of the story. Recommend for upper elementary and middle school.

This was interesting and the art is really fun but the story didn't continuously flow for me.

Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance reader's copy, provided via NetGalley.

Greg, born without a shadow, discovers an abandoned mansion on the outskirts of town where he meets and falls in love with a ghost. Nicely done YA graphic novel.

This was completely charming! I loved all of it--the art, the characters, and the story. It was a nice, lighthearted read.

Meet Greg, a teenage boy with a lot of weight on his shoulders. When family and friend issues get to be too much for him he confides in his new ghostly girlfriend, Eleanor. (I'm really loving the names for these characters!) The rest of the book is dedicated to solving his life issues and helping Eleanor out.

Yup, I'm totally great at summarizing. A+.

Any who, this graphic novel is fantastic in my opinion. It is well written with a teen audience in mind. I love the illustrations and the dialogue was quirky and engaging.

Something specific that I enjoyed was the fact that when Greg had questions about Eleanor he went and did research at the library.

F- yeah, research!

Also, I think this would be a really good book to use in bibliotherapy. (view spoiler) I believe that a teen, and any person of another age group, going through the same experiences as Greg would be able to easily relate to his struggles and hopefully find their own meaning in his healing process.

TL;DR I enjoyed this graphic novel immensely.

Could not review,thanks for the offer of the free ARC.

I absolutely loved this graphic novel. The style of the illustrations was very fun and inviting, and I really liked that it was easy to tell, from the illustrations, what was supposed to be happening. The characters were a little overblown in personality, but not badly so, and they felt believable to me. I thought that the story was fresh and interesting, and I would definitely recommend this to anybody who liked supernatural stories with a touch of humor and heart. Well done!

I liked the story, but I do wish the "shadow" plot line was explained more thoroughly. I know its format probably limited it. The characters were quirky, which is what kept me reading.