I grew up reading Nancy Drew, like so many others. It's been a while since I've spent any time with this famous young sleuth, but reading this adventure felt like stepping right back into sync with the girl I grew up reading about. For as much as the time period has changed around her, somehow the characters involved haven't really changed at their cores, which is the most important thing. The Palace of Wisdom includes an interesting story, beautiful and engaging artwork, and a warm feeling of nostalgia. I was predisposed to have no issue accepting Nancy in a 21st century setting, largely due to my continuing love for the Nancy Drew video game series, which has kept Nancy contemporary with little issue over the years. The Palace of Wisdom does a great job both appealing to fans of the books and video games, while also making Nancy, her friends, and her modus operandi accessible to those who may not already be in the know. Overall, I really enjoyed it, and found myself not wanting to put it down once I'd started. My only real issue with this particular iteration of Nancy Drew was a smattering of inappropriate content (some profanity from George Fayne, for example), that stuck out more than I think it was intended to. Nancy Drew has always been an extremely wholesome property, commendable for having engaging stories while also being clean. All and all, the few elements that were less than wholesome in this version of Nancy Drew were brief enough to avoid spoiling my enjoyment of the whole. It was an exciting read, and it made me fall back in love with Nancy and her friends, which feels like the whole point.

OH MY GODDDD!!! nancy drew, revisioned? with GEORGE AS A LESBIAN? this feels like it was basically made for me

i was a huge nancy drew kid growing up. i had the biggest crush on her, and if this graphic novel had been around during my childhood, it would only have encouraged that. the designs in this are flatout amazing. nancy is wonderful. bess is gorgeous. pete is absurdly handsome. george, in particularly, is amazing.

the mystery plot feels ripped straight out of an old fashioned nancy drew or hardy boys novel, at least as far as my fuzzy nostalgic memories go. it's loads of fun, but at the same time, this one doesn't shy away from important social critiques or emotionally charged moments. it had both me and my girlfriend saying "aww" or "oh my GOD" multiple times.

i received this one for free via netgalley in exchange for an honest review, and i'm super thankful for that. odds are though, i'll be buying it too when i have the chance, and then eagerly following the series as more installments (hopefully) follow! it's such a wonderful modern version of nancy drew, and the added diversity only makes it better.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this graphic novel.

I'm not hugely familiar with the Nancy Drew series and had my doubt about whether I would enjoy this or not because of that. I have to say I was really pleasantly surprised. This is a modern day retelling featuring a teen Nancy Drew. Firstly, the artwork. Beautifully detailed, engaging and it does some solid storytelling of its own. The characters are diverse, fairly well rounded, and easy to relate to. I especially liked Bess who I found quite loveable. The graphic novel itself is relatively short and the action moves at a steady pace. I'll definitely be looking out for the follow up after that ending!


Review posted on Goodreads: Nancy Drew: The Palace of Wisdom http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43837351-nancy-drew

To be honest, I‘ve never read any Nancy Drew novel before, so I can’t really judge on how this graphic novel compares to the original books.
The artwork was great, but I actually wasn’t much of a fan of Nancy. Something about her character seemed to bother me, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was...
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this novel, but there are better crime stories out there.

- I received a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.-

This is a fun reimagined graphic novel of one of the most beloved fictional character of American mystery series! Nancy Drew: The Palace of Wisdom revamps the young detective for the new generation.

This novel follows a 17-year-old Nancy who receives a mysterious letter which prompts her to travel back to her hometown. With her detective skills on hand, she will have to find out which are still her friends, her enemies, and who is trying to kill her.

It felt like a throwback happened when I was reading this graphic novel. Seeing the story unfolded through the stunning artwork, I read the whole thing in a flash. The plot presented suspense and intrigue, but it felt a little too short for me. Also, the transition was quite not smooth. Lastly, it ended on a cliffhanger which I am not yet sure how to feel.

The artwork is just wow! There are even extra ones in between chapters, plus the bonus materials. The art is beautifully drawn and full of colors. The diversity of this book is so on point. We have a nerd one, POC, and a queer punk. Although they might be quite different from the originals, they are still the characters we loved.

The reason why I didn't give it 5 stars is that it felt like it lacked depth, and just like what I've said, it seemed rush and too short.

Overall, this graphic novel is a fun read. Although the hard-core fans might not like this reimagined novel, millennial readers can easily connect to Nancy and her new friends.

3.5 stars!

Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgally for review purposes.

Nancy Drew for a new generation! I grew up with Nancy Drew and am mildly obsessed with everything Drew related so I was obviously stoked to get my hands on this.

The art is absolutely perfect. All of it, even the bonus material at the end. The re-imagining of the characters SLAYEDDD. George as a badass lesbian, Bess as a confident sexpot, not to mention all the diversity included. It was so well done I wanna stand up and applaud.

The mystery was a little eh for me but still absolutely LOVED this. Can't wait for (hopefully) tons more.

"Me? I'm more of a 'shark philosophy' person myself. Keep moving or die."

I legitimately finished this within 30 minutes. IT WAS SO INCREDIBLE. When I saw this promoted on Edelweiss+ (is that how you spell it? I have no idea) I knew I needed to read it. Even though I have books I need to review coming out of my ass. But I needed it. Now, I have never read the original Nancy Drew series, but I watched the movie(s) and I adore her character. I find her to be such a badass and I just vibe with her so hard.

So, in this brand new re-vamped version of good ol' Nancy is literal fire. The good kind. The fabulous kind. I'm in love with this squad.

'Nancy Drew: The Palace of Wisdom' depicts a story of intrigue and suspense. Nancy thought she left behind the sorrowful memories of her mother and her incredible friends who seemingly forgot about her the minute she left Bayport. After receiving a rather threatening letter on the anniversary of her mother’s death, Nancy heads back to Bayport, thinking that she’ll finally gain the closure she’s been wanting about her mother’s apparent accidental death. Whilst reconnecting with her squad of close friends, and meeting the new guy, Pete, they join forces to unmask a killer when they realise that the accidental deaths that have been occurring at ‘Deadman’s cliffs’ are linked with a drug smuggling organisation in the area.

This review is not going to be as long as my usual reviews, because I will end up giving away major spoilers if I let myself go on about this comic, but Nancy Drew reminded me why so many people keep coming back to these adaptions. Nancy is both utterly charming and completely frustrating. I enjoyed the fact that the writers didn’t sugarcoat Nancy’s character – sometimes her thoughtlessness as a result of her dependence on herself and not on others, means that she forgets to let her friends know that she’s actually alive, and you know, not dead in a ravine. Nancy is incredibly intelligent and actually super trusting, but sometimes struggles with being able to showcase her emotions to the people she loves. She’s just a badass investigator, okay, even though she’s a high schooler. She also looks like a combination of The Black Widow and Kim Possible? Which I loved?

The Squad, though, is where this comic really shines. The diversity of this comic blew me away. We have a bisexual or lesbian QUEEN, George Fayne who keeps it real and her girlfriend Danika is so cute and super smart. Bess Marvin is actually an angel and the real star of the show, if you ask me. I adored her character. She was sweet, intelligent, kicked absolute ass and legitimately saved everyone because SHE IS JUST THAT EPIC.

We then have the Hardy brothers, Frank and Joe who are so wonderful and supportive. They’re just there in the background helping and being hilarious.

The scene when they were undercover buy drugs in order to find evidence was hilarious and had me in stitches.

The writing was fabulous, the illustrations fantastic and the story was memorable.

It also ended on a cliffhanger which I’m not happy about, but that just means I’m painstakingly awaiting the sequel. I rate this comic 4 out of 5 stars, only because I did feel like it could have been a bit more in the sense of being more emotionally engaging.

I've been following and enamored with Thompson's new Nancy Drew comic series since it's first episode -- fun fact, issue 3's cover was the first thing to go up on the wall behind my new desk -- but as someone who has the HARDEST time following a series from issue to issue, I was thrilled to see the compilation that is The Palace of Wisdom. I love this Nancy -- she's sharp-edged and snarky, but loves with her whole heart, and she's so damned smart. Even better, her supporting cast is diverse inclusive and inclusive while still feeling true to the originals. And as someone who is constantly looking for more teen comics from women creators/artists that I can recommend to young patrons, I'll be so glad to finally have a volume in our stacks to recommend.

Nancy Drew: The Palace of Wisdom has Nancy come back to her hometown of Bayport when she gets sent a mysterious letter. Once there, one thing leads to another and from the mystery of the letter leads her into uncovering a murder.
I found out about Nancy Drew due to the film made years ago with Emma Roberts. This was the first thing I ever read about her.
The story of the comic was enjoyable. I found that it gripped you into wanting to read more of what was going on. It made me curious as to what would happen next for the team.
I loved the art style and enjoyed how each chapter gave you a different cover art with different artists. I find that having a comic with a pleasant art style gives me more interest in reading the comic than having one I dislike.

*ARC has been provided to me by Netgalley and its publishers*

Another great Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys graphic novel adaptation that I've read. I would have given this a perfect five star, but I observed that the way the eyes of some of the characters drawn are similar to each other and that sometimes Pete was drawn too feminine even though he's a guy. I enjoy reading the story because it is fast-paced and that some of the other characters, such as Bess, are quite easy to like.

I guess those who are an avid fan of the Nancy Drew books might not fully appreciate this modern presentation of this famous book character because they will find a bolder or more rebellious Nancy in this comic book. But for the new generation of readers, they will definitely adore Nancy and her friends because they represent how generation z or iGeneration are.

Shall we start with the obvious? Artwork!
I really, really enjoyed all the artworks in this one! Especially the extra ones in between chapters and at the end of the book. Those are so gorgeous that I could spend a whole day watching them.
I did really like the actual graphics too. The pictures are great and clear and lively, if that makes any sense. But the one thing that really bothered me in the arts were the texts. At some points it just didn't fit in the bubble which made it really hard to read and kind of left me guessing the correct word for the part. Either the bubbles should have been bigger or the font just a tad smaller.

The story though! Gosh I didn't realize how much I missed Nancy Drew before I read this one. And as a graphic novel even! Probably made the whole experience even better.
Nancy was just like herself. Her little posse is a great mix of different types of people. Nerdy ones, the good girls etc, you get what I'm trying to say, right?

The storyline grabbed my attention from the very beginning and kept me interested in the book the whole time. Never once did I just want to quit reading, quite the opposite.
Yet I still hoped for something more. It felt too short for my liking. A little rushed, even. I know I like fast paced books but Nancy Drew was a little too fast paced. In one second we were at Nancy's new home, with her new posse and the next second she was already back at her old town with her old posse, all deep in this mystery. Pretty much just as fast it was all solved.

The ending. Let me just tell you that that cliffhanger was bad! I don't even know if there's another one coming out and if there is, when is it coming? Because I needed it like yesterday! It was kind of that bad, the cliffhanger.

All in all this was an amazing fast read to get me finish at least one book every now and then but also one that didn't need that much brain work to read and understand what's going on.

4.5 stars. This graphic novel/comic was so fun! As someone who read Nancy Drew a lot when I was a kid, it was amazing to read a version more geared towards teenagers and older. The art style was beautiful and I loved the different styles for each issue cover.
It had the old characters Bess and George and even the Hardy Boys! As well as a few new characters.
I couldn’t stop reading even though it was relatively short and that ending! I’m not sure when the next issues are coming out, but I hope it’s soon!

This was such a fun and fast-paced read. I loved this modernized re-imagining of Nancy Drew.
The artwork was crisp and fun. I enjoyed how diverse each of the characters were and that we even had some queer representation. The story-line was entertaining and the interactions between the characters was amusing and left me smiling. The only complaint I had was that I never felt truly connected with the characters, even Nancy. However, this is an issue that I am sure will be remedied as the story continues in further volumes.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read and the ending to this story left me wanting more. I will most likely be picking up the rest of the series when it is released.

When I first saw a book offered through NetGalley I was excited, after all I am from the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys generation. I grabbed it before I really knew that first it was a comic book and animated and that it was not the Nancy Drew of my days.

So it's maybe a little unfair to write what I thought, but I wasn't impressed. The characters did not have the same personalities and were modernized into today. I didn't feel the storyline progressing congruently and didn't feel that I could follow it as I would have liked. And I don't remember anyone in the Hardy Boys Series or Nancy Drew series swearing. Couldn't really connect to the characters. They changed a bit too much for me. Sorry.

I received an ebook copy from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

So pretty much the only experience I've had with either Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys [who are in every issue of this as well, despite not being mentioned in the title] was another reboot comic I read a little over a year ago called The Big Lie [from the same company I think, although I'm not sure if they're supposed to be connected or not]. That being said, I really enjoyed this but I'm not sure how die-hard fans of the originals will feel about it, but if you're open to new interpretations of classic stories then I think it will be a really fun read. The art is super cute and I loved all the characters and character designs. The mystery was exciting and held my attention and I'm definitely interested to see what is going to happen in the next volume.

Thanks to Dynamite Entertainment and Netgalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was a huge Nancy Drew fan as a young girl (The Sign of the Twisted Candles was my jam) so I had to check this one out. In this graphic novel, Nancy Drew has been rebooted for a 21st century teen audience and some of the key characters we know and love have been updated accordingly.

The art itself is colourful and vibrant. The characters look cute although there is a tendency for them all to look very similar to one another. There has been a good effort to ensure there is a variety of representation including racial diversity and LGBTQ characters. Bess is chubby (properly chubby, not just pleasantly plump as she was described in the books) and one of the hot guy characters is attracted to her. Might not seem like a big deal but as a chubby teen this was not a dynamic that I ever remember seeing except when it turned out the popular guy was playing a joke on the fat girl so it was nice to see.

The comic also touches upon current themes like racial tensions with the police and inequality but still feels fresh and fun and it would appeal to old and new fans alike. The main story was interesting enough, if a little simplistic and predictable, but I know this can be one of the limitations of the genre.

Overall, a modern and topical update to the Nancy Drew universe with cute art and a fun, fresh feel. What's not to like?

I still have all my old yellow Nancy Drew hardcovers. The pages are a bit wavy from summer trips to the beach and one book has a particularly nasty streak of brown dirt embedded on the fore edge from a camping incident. Nancy is peak nostalgia for me and I’m always here for reboots or adaptations that will update Nancy and her friends for an introduction to a new generation of kids.

And maybe Nancy Drew: The Palace of Wisdom can be that for some. But the comic is amateurish and doesn’t hold up to the slightest criticism. It feels like a story that was written collectively by 30 people over a Twitter conversation. It’s so all over the place and nothing connects together in any sensible way.

Nancy is such an obnoxiously unbelievable character. One example (out of many, I assure you): her friends praise her for being Girl Scouts-level prepared for any situation but Nancy just can’t seem to remember to keep her cellphone on her when she gets into dangerous situations! But Nancy wears black lipstick and dresses like she’s trying to get featured on the Hot Topic Instagram account and they just can’t stay mad at this loveable Mary Sue, even though each character spends half of every comic freaking out about Nancy’s safety. She’s seventeen years old and answers to no one! No one! (Seriously, there’s no adult presence in her life. I’m concerned.)

I didn’t care for the art at all. There’s instalove, dialogue that’s clearly adults trying to write hip teenagers, and a plot that made my eyes roll (the storyline was “whack” as these teenagers might say!).

My favorite part was the collection of cover variants at the end.

If I had to describe this comic in a word: delightful. I never read the Nancy Drew books as a kid so I’m not as familiar with the characters / how they’re being reimagined, but I loved these spunky, crime-solving teens. And the inclusion of the Hardy Boys was really fun, too. The artwork was fun and overall this comic gave me some excellent Veronica Mars vibes which I was in to. I absolutely can’t wait to read more.

This was a solid addition to the Nancy Drew universe as a graphic novel. The illustrations were pretty good and the story was enjoyable enough. Nancy and her buddies looked a little like the girls from Mean Girls, but otherwise, she was the strong detective everyone loves. The story wasn't as easy to solve as the early Nancy Drew novels, but it wasn't unsolvable. My middle grader enjoyed the book as much as I did.

I loved the art! The story was generally entertaining, but it felt much more "Veronica Mars" than "Nancy Drew." I have trouble seeing Nancy as someone who would ever keep things from her friends. She also has such a good reputation that the cops are willing to work with her in most cases, so having them not believe her because she's a kid seems very out of place. I think I would have liked this graphic novel better if the characters names had all been changed and it wasn't sold as a Nancy Drew story.