‘Death & Sparkles: Book 1’ with story and art by Rob Justus is a graphic novel about a couple of unlikely characters who become friends.

Death has a lonely job that can generate lots of paperwork. He can’t really be friends with anyone. Then he meets Sparkles the unicorn. Sparkles is so popular that he struggles with the burden of fame. Then he dies. Or seems to. With Sparkles missing, greedy opportunity arises, but friendship, even a strange one, can overcome many obstacles.

I found parts of this to be too wordy, and hard to read based on lettering colors. The joke of Death being stuck to Sparkles went on longer than I wanted, but it’s not a bad story and the art was fun.

This story was well-told and engaging throughout. I think it will definitely find its right audience and continue to inspire.

I have a dark, ridiculous sense of humor so this book was perfect for me. I couldn't love this more.

Unicorns, sparkles, and death make an unlikely combination. But in Death & Sparkles, all these mashes together in a dark and colorful graphic novel. The illustrations are fun and dark at the same time adding to the chaos of the two characters. The unicorn is self-centered, death is grumpy and falling behind his work which makes this pair the odd couple. While the pairing and premise are interesting the pace and panels fall short. The pacing seems to lag at points and wants more acceleration. While the panels feel overwhelming and bursting taking away from what is happening in the story.

This book was unexpected but in a good way. I loved the cover and the title so I gave it a try. Amazing Characters. Amazing Art. Funny but serious. It touched on some very important topics. Highly Recommend

Big themes and hilarious writing make this a macabre, middle school winner. Death is... well, Death. He touches things, they die, he doesn't discriminate. Sparkles is a self-obsessed social media celebrity who also happens to be the last unicorn. His manager loves making money off of Sparkles, which turns out pretty poorly for Sparkles, who discovers some hard and fast truths about friendship when he and Death meet. Sparkles, seemingly immune to Death's touch, is stuck on Death in the most hilarious of ways, leading to the two becoming the unlikeliest of friends. On one hand, there are fart jokes aplenty. On the other hand, there are incredible discussions about the pervasiveness of social media, the cult of influencers, and the fake friends that follow celebrity. There's an ecological subplot that I expect will come back in future books that shows how even the most genuine intentions can get lost in the murky social media waters, causing a vicious cycle where getting attention for a necessary issue feeds into the popularity machine, leading to the distortion of the message. Thought- and discussion-provoking, yet laugh-out-loud funny, Death and Sparkles is a good start to a new series.

If you're like me, you tend to find unicorns a bit sappy. Something about the idea of a perfect, pure being isn't especially compelling to me. Pair that same unicorn with death, though, and something wonderful happens. Death and Sparkles are the ultimate odd couple. Their day-to-day experiences are on opposite ends of the spectrum. They are literally stuck together, thrown into a quest. It will come as no surprise that their journey proves they have more in common than they expected and that their assumptions about each other and about the world are inaccurate. The plot is very tongue in cheek but still has real messages to share. An entertaining read that holds up to repeat reading.

Death and Sparkles is adorable and funny. This graphic is about Sparkles the last unicorn, his fame, and of course Death. Sparkles is famous and has MILLIONS of friends, but he's lonely and just wants to play some videogames. Death his a hard worker, but given that his touch kills literally anyone, he's also lonely. When Sparkles "dies" in an unfortunate sock incident, Death and Sparkles begin a reluctant friendship filled with laughter and various hilarious accidents. Rob Justus has the most amazing flair for facial expressions and I found myself laughing out loud at nearly every page. Great graphic, I hope to see more adventures from Death and Sparkles.
PS - Death's turtle collection was pure genius and so sweet.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was super cute and made me giggle. It took a bit for me to get into it, as the beginning was a bit on the grim side and I have just had two large losses in my life recently, so the beginning where death is discussed hit a little close to home for me, but it isn't for too long, so I was able to get past it with little issue.

The storyline was cute and also smart, with a focus on how the media can get people to focus on stuff and not on things that truly matter. Definitely a cautionary tale, but told in a non-preachy way.

I really enjoyed seeing how the friendship between Death and Sparkles. It was fun and organic and when Death got angry at the end, that made me laugh out loud while reading.

Not quite sure what the age range on this one would be, maybe upper middle reader and higher? The bit about death at the beginning is dark and an adult might want to view it before handing it to a child, depending on if the child has experiences loss before or not and how well they handled it. Could be used as a good way to start a conversation about death, or could start one, so adults be prepared.

4 solid sparkly stars!

My thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

This is silly and fun and just weird enough that there are kids who will absolutely love it. And what better idea than Death being friends with the sparkliest of all creatures?

Kids will find some fun and humor here. The art is eye catching and i really enjoyed the palette. Who knew Death and a unicorn would end up great friends?

Death & Sparkles by Rob Justus is a middle grade novel currently scheduled for release on September 7 2021. Being Death isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Sure, you’re all-powerful, but collecting souls involves a ton of paperwork, and it’s impossible to have friends when everything you touch instantly dies. Being Sparkles the Last Unicorn isn’t as fun as you’d imagine, either. Maybe it seems like the whole world wants to be your bestie, but really people just want you to pose with them for selfies, or use you to help them sell stuff. Everything changes when Death and Sparkles meet, and realize they might just be one another’s first chance at a real friend. But before they can even enjoy the bromance, the whole world starts freaking out about this unlikely pair. Will fame or BFFdom prevail?

Death & Sparkles is well matched in text, story, and artwork. I liked the way it shows the personalities and perspectives of Death, Sparkles, and the lizard brothers. Their adventures were sometimes very sad, showing how power or fame is not all it is cracked up to be, and sometimes very funny and unexpected. I liked that it was divided into clear chapters, offering the different perspectives and aspects of the larger story. I liked the commentary on greed and fame just as much as the bonding and laughs as Sparkles and Death got to know each other. I really enjoyed this read and look forward to more from the author.

Death & Sparkles is a fun and engaging read that will appeal to a wide range of readers.

Death and Sparkles take Bromance to the next level in this laugh-out-loud, potty-humored romp through the afterlife.

Sparkles has it all. Fame, glory....cupcakes. Death has nothing but claims and bureaucracy. How can this rainbow barfing unicorn and death beckoning pair become best friends? After an unfortunate incident with merchandized socks, Sparkles has eaten his last cupcake when Death calls. However, instead of meeting the big cupcake in the sky, Death's power fails and the two are hurled back to earth where Sparkles has some unfinished business.

The art is fantastic and unexpected. Blue and gray watercolor illustrations are interspersed with pops of color. This graphic novel is for older middle-grade readers who will enjoy the older humor, but kids of all ages will want this series to continue.

This one was a little weird but a lot of fun. I'm not quite sure of the target audience as there were some pages with no words and some with huge paragraphs. At the beginning I wasn't really feeling it but the art kept me intrigued to keep going, the style is really fun and all the characters look really cute. It's also a very pleasing color palate. The main thing I love about this book is the friendship between Death and Sparkles, they are cute, crazy, and ridiculous in all the best ways. I didn't quite get the story of the lizard bros or how it didn't go anywhere. I'm also a little sad how not much is discussed about the manager. The story is very nonsensical but in a way I think kids will enjoy very much. There were also some fun bits for adults in case they read along, I was really amused about all the paperwork jokes. Overall it was a quick read that although I was a little confused at times I still had fun along the way.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for my unbiased opinion.

Death & Sparkles is a surprising friendship story which leaves room for growing into a series. It's silly and will mostly be enjoyed for the absurdity of the situation (Death having a unicorn horn stuck in his butt). I could see giving it to fans of Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon.

I'll start with the positive... The illustrations for this graphic novel were really quite beautiful. However, there was often too much text, without the illustrations really driving the story. And, maybe I'm not the right audience for it, because I didn't really understand the point of any of it. It sort of felt like one long rant about what's wrong with our world (celebrity culture, bureaucracy, etc), rather than having a plot or message. I thought it was going to be more about death itself, based off the first few pages, but it's not. I just have a hard time picturing any type of person that I would recommend this graphic novel to.

Based on an ARC provided by NetGalley.

I received an electronic ARC from Chronicle Books through NetGalley.
Interesting concept. Sparkles the last unicorn dies in an ultra publicity stunt. Death touches them and sends them on their way. Death has done this many times and it's just part of his schedule for this day. However, something changes with this encounter and Sparkles is returned to the living. Doesn't matter how many times Death touches them, Sparkles returns. While this is happening a second plotline is introduced about three alien lizards who have lived on earth and helped civilizations improve life here. They are pushing to make people more aware of climate change and water conservation. To do this, they attempt to have Sparkles speak out on their cause. All this in the first couple chapters. From there, readers see both stories unfold as Sparkles learns about humility and friendship; Death finally isn't so lonely, and the Lizard Bros become the next superstars and forget their causes. Justus brings the fun, the absurdity, and the deeper messages to think about. How quickly, characters trade real relationships for fame and money. For me, much of the book runs along the same gag and could have explored further character interactions. Perhaps that is coming in the next book.

I read this graphic novel in one sitting and it was cute, funny, and dark. Sparkles is the last unicorn and meets Death when performing a dangerous stunt that their agent pushed for. It is a tale of friendship and cautions against the issues that come with fame. The story is straightforward and enjoyed the art style.

I would like to add a copy to my classroom library for the students who enjoy graphic novels.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy.

I loved everything about this graphic novel. The story is wonderful, and Sparkles and Death complement each other very well because they are very different.

Sparkles is the last unicorn and is world-famous for over-the-top stunts. Death is a loner because his touch will kill you, and he also hates paperwork. They meet because it is Sparkles' time. Sparkles thinks otherwise and fights to come back which leads Death and Sparkles on an exciting journey.

The artwork is amazing and works perfectly for a unicorn that barfs rainbows and Death who is allergic to flowers, which I guess is a side effect if you get stuck with a unicorn horn. I thought this graphic was very funny and look forward to more adventures of Death and Sparkles. I also can't wait to share it with my patrons. It is just that good.

Loved the artwork throughout the story. However, I found the middle to lag a bit for my tastes, with long blocks of text, and I wonder if younger audiences would be able to focus as much on that? But, ultimately, it's an adorable story with some good moral undertones without taking itself too seriously.