Thank you for the opportunities to read this book. I have attempted it on a number of occasions but unfortunately I haven’t been able to get into it.

So bad ass and cool and I loved reading this! I really enjoyed it and will continue with the series! Fun characters, cool plot, and great art!

'The Castoffs, V. 2: Into The Wastelands' by M.K. Reed and Brian Smith is the second volume of this clever science fiction fantasy series.

In the first volume, our heroes Charris, Trinh, and Ursa defeated the evil Priestess and a robot army. Now they are travelling back to their village to report what they found. Along the way, they uncover a secret plot and may have to trust each other in another fight.

I liked the first volume a bit better. This felt like a story that is setting up the next volume. There's nothing wrong with that, and I can't wait to read the third volume, but this one felt a bit flat story-wise. The art, like the first one, is good, and I like the pen-work that kind of looks like woodcut at times.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Lion Forge, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

A likeable enough continuation, but I'm still mixed on Lion Forge collections/releases. Might have to give this another shot.

This graphic novel continues the story of Charris, Ursa and Trinh, three mages with different abilities. When Leda, the guild leader, discovers that the Surrogate, supposedly defeated, has disappeared, she sends the three mages on a new mission.
I have to say that the art was beautiful. The landscapes were gorgeous and the colors were vibrant.
There were introduced interesting new characters that made the graphic novel better.
The story was captivating and had great villans but it was hard to get through the book in the beginning. I was getting bored by the story but, luckily, it got better. By the end, I was really enjoying the graphic novel.

Still a fun and diverse story and characters however this volume felt as if it was a filler volume between major plot points.

Felt like a transition volume. Our team of castoffs returns home to recharge their batteries and train. Eventually they are sent on a rookie mission to move some equipment and take on a rogue group of mages. The story and art is still good and gives off that fantasy version of Lumberjanes vibe.

From the publisher:
Charris, Trinh, and Ursa have managed to work together long enough to defeat the evil Priestess and her hive-mind robot army, the Surrogate. They journey back to the village of Clifton to reunite with their guild, but once there, they discover that the Priestess may not be defeated after all, and a much larger threat may be looming. A secret from Ursa's past threatens to break the fragile trust between the three mages, but they must overcome their differences and work together if they stand a chance of surviving the coming darkness.

My thoughts:
Normally, even if I am reading from volume 2, either the publisher description or a brief couple of pages in the beginning of the book lets me know what is going on in the book, but this is not the case for this book. The conflict seemed to be that whatever the main characters did was not really seen as positive by everyone. In addition, the main characters seem like they are apprentices and that is also not always looked at kindly within their own "school." And then the book was over and I was left with some looming graphic that hinted of some one or some thing still being in the picture. I read enough magic books that I should know what a mage is, but I had to look it up (magician or learned person).

I think this is meant to attract the young tween reader, but the publishers need to know that the young reader does not always read things in order. It just depends what is at the library and what catches their eye. Therefore, each of the volumes needs to have enough in it to stand on its own. Unfortunately, this one does not. By the time I had a firm grasp of what was going on, I was two pages to the end of the book.

*I received this book thanks to Netgalley and the publisher in exchange of honest reivew*
The story begins where we left it with the first volume. I do not want to spoiler you so I'll tell you the strictness you need about it.
The little trio formed by our heroines, Thrin, Ursa and Charris have succeeded in a part of their intent and return to the village to alert their comrades. Meanwhile, they meet three Wizards in their journey that we will find in the course of this reading and they will come up with answers to mysteries about Ursa's life.
The mystery is squeezed, but will the three succeed in preventing the Machines destroying everything? Will they not be able to put their sticks in the wheels? Will they get along and work together?

The plot since it started, badly, "I managed to work together long enough." When? Where is it? is it so much that they all bear three together and you tell me to work long enough ?! No. The rest then is quite truthful, except that at the end of this volume there is almost nothing particularly striking apart from the secrets that come out (which were already as clear as water) and a departure of magicians who go against their own "coven".
The cover I really enjoy, even though I have seen that there is also a lighter version, tending to the orange and looks much more beautiful. Not that I do not like it, I love blue but that makes it more visually and does not obscure the characters. the title is always similar to the previous title and subtitle. This time we have a new translation. The Castoff: Into the Watland. It's not really the mirror of history but it's okay, let's leave it and go on.
The setting is fantastic and the era has a do not know it post-apocalyptic but I can not tell why it's not specified but we are in the village of Clifton where our heroes come in where they are their mage companions.

The characters we will find are the same as those in the previous book plus some additions.
There is always Charris, Thrin and Ursa, but we will have a chance to know them better than ourselves and to know each other. To make his entry there will be Rosalba or better Ro, a girl with really amazing powers that will help our young female team in the mission. We will surely know a little better about Leda, a person who is wise, intelligent and understanding. by the impression of being a smart Maga but also sweet as a mother.

The central pin this time is not well defined because this book seems to be almost preparation for the next. I liked it, but I think between the first and the next, they could have made it very easy to make it better. Brushing it does not make justice to the story.
The graphic is the same as in the previous book and in that regard I have nothing to do but if at some point it seems to be drawn by one and at some moments from another. But I think, being so many people working on us, they swap in that direction. What amazes me is why to create a series of books so long if the story unfolds in small doses: they could have built a bigger book to keep them all and avoid unnecessary passages, such as those in this book.
The only interesting thing that happens is to see so many different types of magicians clash with each other to practice and test themselves, nothing more. history seems to be blocked to make room for other details and the main thread follows a spiral still dim to see something essential. There is still nothing to focus on yet.
In essence, history has many potentialities but authors prefer to divide books into more or less controversial parts. It would have been a much more practical volume with many pages but containing the full story. it almost seems that they have tried to pull the story forward by force, setting aside the lead.
I still advise, because despite everything, it is a light and unpretentious Graphic Novel. Ideal for spending time. My rating for this book: 3 stars.

Great read with fabulous and sometimes fun illustrations. It was a little tough to connect as I hadn't read book 1, but still a good read.

In this second volume, the trio of apprentice mages are off on another adventure, but this time they are unsure which other mages they can trust in a world of secrets and lies. Ursa's past becomes an issue between the friends as her true family history is revealed. Trinh receives some extra training in combat, and Charris picks a fight with a much more experienced mage.

I liked this story for the interesting plot and good characters. There's a lot of action and imaginative scenes, but some of the characters are fairly one-dimensional. I look forward to seeing more development for them in future volumes.
There are also far too many secondary characters and side characters to keep track of. Especially the ones that are not actually in any of the scenes. Some mage runs off and they are all talking about him, and I can't remember who the hay he is because he's not in the actual scene.

I love the story setting of the mages vs. the machines, and all the complexity of that history. It was especially interesting to see how regular human without magic react to the mages in different ways, sometimes fearing them, sometimes grateful to them, and often prejudiced against anything different from themselves. I'm really interested to see what happens as these three groups fall back into conflict.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

I wasn't 100% on board with book one, so it felt important to give this one a try. Book 2 really gives you a sense of the series on a whole, the direction it will take, how the author will develop character and introduce new elements. This one was right in line with the first one. It's a complex story with plenty to explore and understand. THe new complications and characters are well integrated into the plot.

The artwork is nice. I sadly, could not get much into this and I think it was more of a technical issue, rather than the books fault. No matter what I did, the comic did not want to change pages, so I could not even read the whole thing.

A direct continuation of part one, without any recap - which is a pity as I didn't like that at all, and have long since forgotten what it was about.

I didn’t like volume one and volume 2 didn’t change my mind. Volume one was annoying because of all the “girl drama” instead of working as a team. Volume two is the same story over again, except this time the apprentices are arguing with the seasoned mages. I like the concept of the story, but find the execution lacking. More time is spent on the in-house drama instead of the cybernetic war, and I find it lacking because of this reason.

I enjoyed this volume, as well. I maybe, enjoyed the storyline of the first volume a bit better, but this one was still entertaining. The artwork was just as wonderful in this one as it was in volume one.

I never had a chance to check the 1st volume of this comic series; that's why I'm not familiar with the story and the characters. I'm torn on giving this either 3 or 4 stars, but I chose to give 4 stars because Duncan, the new addition to their adventure, looks like a fun character to watch out.

The first quarter of this 2nd volume has a slow pace that's why I got a little bored while reading it, but the latter part is where the exciting scenes are. I would be delighted if only I could also see the 1st issue, and I'm also anticipating the 3rd installment of this series.

I had such high hopes because I genuinely enjoyed the first one, but this issue was SO slow and boring.
The girls go on a looooooong journey...ooooh, exciting! Also, the art style seems weaker this time around, like it was rushed or something.
I won't be reaching for volume 3, unfortunately.

During the Get Graphic Readathon I read an early copy of The Castoffs Vol. 2: Into The Wastelands by M.K. Reed and Brian Smith. The Castoffs is a graphic novel series filled with magic, mechanical enemies, and a trio of girls who go from adversaries to friends.

I had the opportunity to read volume one of The Castoffs a few months ago. When the opportunity arose to read an early copy of volume two I simply couldn’t turn it down. As always, major spoilers will be avoided, but minor plot points will be discussed (nothing that wouldn’t be on a dust jacket).

If you missed the review for The Castoffs Vol. 1 or want to catch up on the series you can check it out here.

This volume continues the journey of the three main characters – Charris, Trinh, and Ursa – a group of apprentice mages still learning their craft. In this volume, the girls travel back to their guild in Clifton. There, they receive a new mission, while the veteran mages go on a mission of their own as the Priestess may not be as defeated as previously believed. Though the three girls now trust one another, that trust is fragile. Ursa’s past come back to haunt her, and threatens to strain their bonds.

Like volume one, this volume featured art with lots of thick lines and bright colors. The background in some panels was quite minimalistic, something which I don’t quite remember feeling about the first volume. (Of course, the main characters were in a desert the majority of the time which in itself could be considered minimalist as far as background or scenery is concerned.) That isn’t to say the backgrounds are dull or boring. Quite the opposite, in fact. Several scenes stick out in particular, featuring a dark purple/blue background which, after the view finally zoomed out to allow more scenery in the panel, turned out to be a starry, almost mystical (and very beautiful) night sky.

Overall, I enjoyed this volume. The pacing felt a bit slower than that of the first. Normally slow pacing doesn’t bother me, but I felt the story dragged just slightly.

There is not a lot of forward momentum on the overarching plot, the still ongoing fight between the mages and their largely robotic enemies. These things are touched upon and being dealt with in a more behind the scenes fashion by the veteran mages within the Guild, but not in the very direct manner of the first volume. What we do is character development and backstory as well as a bit more about the Guild and its other members.

We are introduced to some new characters. A few mores students are introduced in this volume. Adult mages, some who belong to the guild and some who do not, are also introduced. I really liked some of the adult mages, and look forward to them being further included in the story.

The fight scenes are, once again, very good. These fights are some of the strongest things this series has to offer. Out of the three main characters only one has an ability that allows for a straight fight. Even so, all the characters are thrust into the action, sometimes on their own. The invisibility and charming abilities are used very efficiently, making for some real creativity and interesting situations.

Though this volume did feel a little slow, I liked it overall. It was a good continuation of the story with some needed downtime after the ending of volume one. Still, it would have been nice to see a little more action, or at least forward momentum, in the beginning of volume two. Even so, I will be continuing with this series. If you enjoy fantasy stories with teenage characters and a magical theme, check this series out.