A treasure hunt is a solid concept for a graphic novel. We have excellent locations, lots of natural beauty. And with a secret society in the mix there's plenty of action. Orlando includes a fair measure of character pathos as well. The plot just goes in directions that were difficult for me to accept. A strain on my willing suspension of disbelief.

Oh dear. Three young teens, who it appears have had a combined total of zero lessons in how teens actually speak, are in the Florida Keys because one of them knew of a shipwrecked treasure and needed the others as cover for exploring it. Except he thinks the actual rewards are now in three forts on the Keys – because, you know, a clue like "a stone foundation brick" can ONLY EVER POSSIBLY MEAN ONE THING. Except… there's a bigger except, as they have to stumble over who is what sexuality before they can do anything. Except – there's an even bigger except, and it is the true masters of the hunting treasure trade, who are seven dudes who permanently wear shark-shaped masks and monitor every single conversation within hearing of any smart device for key words. Such as "stone foundation brick", perhaps.

This is pathetic, drawn incredibly badly, scripted as dumbly as possible, and of course has fallen down the woke "straight representation is evil" trap. There wasn't a single redeeming thing about it – and that was before Sharkie and his men turned up, looking like G-Force fanboys gone wrong. Bad? It's in a rare "this has to be a joke, surely?!" category.

Silver Vessels by Steve Orlando is a captivating dive into a world where technology and humanity intersect in unexpected ways. Orlando's storytelling prowess shines as he intricately weaves together elements of science fiction, mystery, and human emotion. Set against a backdrop of stunning visuals and vividly imagined landscapes, the narrative follows the journey of characters grappling with the implications of advanced technology and its impact on society. With compelling characters and thought-provoking themes, "Silver Vessels" offers a thrilling and thought-provoking read that will keep readers engaged until the very last page.

This is a great YA graphic novel with adventure, colour, action, imagination and also all sort of diversity. It is a nice story of adventure with young people going up against the bad guys and making discoveries but also making discoveries about themselves.

Copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I liked the overall idea of the story, but not how the author pulled it off. I also wasn’t a big fan of the art style, especially since the protagonists were supposed to be (pre) teens, but looked like they were in primary school.
I do appreciate the queer rep though and I’m pretty sure a younger audience will like Silver Vessels a lot more than I did.

This one ended up being such a cute and fun read. In it we follow three teenagers on the cusp of entering high school, all three of them very much in a space where they are figuring out their own identities, but also scared of change and what those revelations might mean. Josh is the leader of the three and he becomes obsessed with the recent discovery of a shipwreck and the fact that the fabled treasure that should have been inside the ship is not there. He hatches a plan for he and his friends to visit his grandfathers for the summer so that they can go on their own treasure hunt. Lots of hijinks ensue as they search down the clues and find amazing things, get roped in by a questionable group and face the consequences of lying to their grandfathers. It's a fun story, full of adventure as well as heart.

This adventure is told in the format of a comic strip, and I think that might encourage some readers to engage with it differently. It's probably different from the kind of thing I'd usually read, but I did find it a lot of fun. I also connected with the characters and their values. The book is so bold and bright, and the pictures really stand out on the page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

Thank you so much for letting me read this graphic novel. This is a fun adventure story for older middelgrade or young ya readers. The artstyle fits perfectly for these age categorys.

Thank you NetGalley and Maverick for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review! 🥰🫶
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I had so much fun with this! I should definitely read more books that involve treasure hunts. That being said though this was grounded in reality, the plot is something that realistically wouldn't happen. But once you get over how unlikely it is for these kids to go on this hunt, it's a fun read! This reminded me a lot of James Patterson’s middle grade series Treasure Hunters which I remember loving. This is such a crazy story about three kids who get hired by this shady organization to find a hidden shipwreck. It's such a fun book.
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I loved all the queer rep in this! Our MC’s has two grandpas who are active SCs and one of Joshua’s best friends begins to use they/them pronouns and comes to the conclusion she likes she/they by the end of the story. Along with that, Joshua’s other best friend has a crush on him and spoiler they end up getting together. I love how the rep was included and it wasn't a big deal and just was there! I really enjoyed reading, it felt like I was watching a movie! 😊🫶

I had so much fun. Quick fun read.
The trio is so iconic. Love them, such cuties.

It wasn’t just fun though. There were some deep and important messages.

Honestly some of it really didn’t suit how kids their age would act. It was way too sophisticated/insightful and suggestive. Is that just me?

Literal old men spying and using children for their use. Disgusting.

-Friendship
-Found family
-Vacation in Florida Keys
-Love and crushes
-Queer
-Questioning everything
-Adventure
-Treasure hunting
-Beautiful art
-Gay grandparents

Quotes

“Us? Make history?”
“I can barely make breakfast.”

“Each of us has their own definition of treasure.”

“That’s surprisingly bold, from a sensodyne user.”

“Gag me with a spoon.”

“The most beautiful things in the world are the things that don’t last. They change, their time passes, they’re rare. That’s what makes the time you have with them special.”

This almost reminded me of Goonies or Ohana, but it has a different twist and some cool technology. I feel like the kids were supposed to be young high schoolers, but they really looked jr. high aged to me. The story was good, but I have a lot of issues with the part of the story where a bunch of random guys roll up and start talking to the kids and the kids don’t automatically walk away. They end up working with them and taking goodies from them. Not a great message there.

I want to preface this part with the fact that I read all kinds of books. I do not care if it’s a straight relationship or LGBTQ+. There is LGBTQ+ representation in this one, but it felt forced. It felt like the author was trying to shove as much into this little graphic novel as possible.

The overall story of this was interesting with the treasure hunting and adventure of the tree teens. I felt that character development fell short, we got to see and get to know the grandparents more than we got to know the kids. The kids character development felt kind of forced as you didn't see and character growth progression it was just this was their confusion and it magically was resolved in the end. With the topic these kids were facing I would have loved to see more of their journey figuring it out then what there was. The art was very well drawn and really brought out there adventures.

I very much appreciated the LGBTQ representation in this book. I also enjoyed the adventures into the other worlds. Were they worlds? I’m not sure. It was interesting, though. I could’ve done without the apex shark head people. The story would’ve been better if it was just kids going on fun adventures, I didn’t need all the weird adults trying to ruin things for them. It took me forever to finish this one, because the story just didn’t keep me interested enough. I had to force myself to finish the book. I’m giving this 4 stars only because of the pretty pictures and the lgbtq characters and the resources at the end. If it wasn’t for that, it would be a 2 star book easily. The story just wasn’t what I wanted it to be. Nevertheless, I appreciate what it was trying to do at least.

Bright, bold, colorful. The art in this graphic novel is beautiful and helps in telling the story perfectly.
The story is that of summer adventures, fun, friendship, and… then some more.
I loved the LGBTQ representation (of course!), and my personal favorite was how it does not feel age specified. There are twists and turns, and it feels like it might be appealing to any age, really, starting from middle-grade. As long as you are into graphic novels that have deeper meaning and a solid story, this one is for you.

This starts off pretty good before it goes off the deep end. Three friends go to spend the summer with one of their grandpas and his husband in Key West. They went down there to find a lost pirate treasure. That's when things get goofy. You'd expect it to be lost underwater. For some reason instead it's buried under three Civil War forts that really do exist. Put they are all way below ground and filled with dinosaurs for some inexplicable reason. The first time it happened I thought it was some strange museum display because they didn't seem to move at all until one of the kids took something. The bad guys are these ultra rich guys who wear shark hats. It's just the kind of dumb I've come to expect from Steve Orlando.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book before publication.

This was such a cute story full of twists and turns, grand adventures, and representation. The age of the characters was a little hard to distinguish. The kids look so young but they’re supposed to be in high school, or about to enter high school. I teach ninth and tenth grade kids-they look older than these kids. Having LGBTQ children as the leads in a book, as well as their sidekicks, made my heart swell. Representation is so important in middle grade and young adult stories. We have an established male adult couple who hint at familial issues. We have a boy who likes his friend, the protagonist, and doesn’t know if his friend likes him back. We have a non-binary character. These characters are from different ethnicities, races, genders, and ages.

The art is stunning, full of texture and color. Many of the frames moved like a movie, and so a lot of the imagery in the book made the experience more than just reading.

Students in my school would definitely enjoy reading this, and I plan on adding the book to my classroom library.

Silver vessels is a fun summer graphic novel following a group of kids who are looking for a treasure hunting adventure. They are approached by a group of adults who specialize in searching out rare artifacts and think it’s their chance to do something big. But that strange group isn’t doing everything on the up and up.

This graphic novel isn’t exactly for me, since I found the words to image ratio higher than I usually like for a light read and I found the premise a bit unbelievable once I was in the story. However, for what it is - a middle grade summer adventure story - I think it’ll be a fun ride for those interested.

Thank you Mad Cave Studios, Maverick, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This fun treasure hunt explores topics of friendship and making difficult decisions. Gorgeous artwork makes the story come to life.

This is a very cute graphic novel..
Its a very balanced book having various elements in it. It not only caters to the adventurous spirit of the story but also has a touch of LGBTQ to it. It talks about the feelings of the kids when they come of age.
The characters were so well developed. the plot of the story was complete and it kept the readers glued to the passages. There were small world buildings here and there.
The language of the book was not only simple but also lucid. The illustrations were not only colourful but also bright
ratings : 3.7/5
.Thanks to netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

The villains in this were wild. It felt like the things the kids were doing and running into were a little too fantastic for how grounded it tried to me. Overall, it was a run romp though.