Series Title: Nightschool: The Weirn Books
Author: Svetlana Chmakova
Volumes Reviewed: 4 (complete)
Publisher: Yen Press
US Release Date: April 2009 - October 2010
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Paranormal Fantasy
Content Rating: Teen (violence, scary situations)
Format Read: Paperback
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase*: Azon | B&N | BookDepo | Indiebound | RightStuf
Summary (of Volume 1):
Schools may lock up for the night, but class is in session for an entirely different set of students. In the Nightschool, vampires, werewolves, and weirns (a particular breed of witches) learn the fundamentals of everything from calculus to spell casting. Alex is a young weirn whose education has always been handled through homeschooling, but circumstances seem to be drawing her closer to the Nightschool. Will Alex manage to weather the dark forces gathering?
* * *
Series Notes: This is a 4-volume series, and all volumes have been released. There will also be a spinoff series for younger readers set in the same world, similarly titled The Weirn Books, the first of which releases May 2020.
An original American manga first published in the now defunct monthly manga magazine Yen Plus, Nightschool: The Weirn Books is a quick and engrossing 4-book series set in the Night World of witches (called weirns), paranormal creatures (vampires, werewolves, demons, mermaids, etc.), and the people who hunt them. When three cursed young girls start exhibiting unusual powers just as people mysteriously vanish from Nightschool memory, the Night World guardians and their students scramble to find answers and save the world from ancient evils. Packed with unique magic, violent action, and intriguing mystery with a thrilling climax, you'll want to have all the books on hand for an afternoon binge thanks to the volume cliffhangers.
Chmakova's art is bold but playful with dynamic, diverse characters that exhibit a wide variety of intense and comical expressions. Although the story is rather dark with a lot of pain and violence and deadly curses, there is also a lot of snarky humor to lighten the mood. Both blood and found family relationships play a large part in all the characters' decisions, especially pushing the three girls to step out of their comfort zones to find and protect the ones they love. My only complaint about Nightschool is, at only four volumes, it is too short and fast a read - I would've loved more time to get to know the characters, explore the world, and expand the plot. Luckily an upcoming companion series, although catering to a younger audience, will finally do just that starting May 2020.
Conclusion: A violent but also playful story with magically unique characters, intense action, great snark, and intriguing depth. With its witches, hunters, and paranormal creatures I highly recommend it for fans of shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
*Purchase Notes: The single volumes of this series are currently out of print but as of March 2020 some volumes are still available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble Marketplace, and RightStuf - links at top. However, two 2-in-1 Collector's Editions will become available May 19, 2020, and are currently available for pre-order (again, see links).
An original American manga first published in the now defunct monthly manga magazine Yen Plus, Nightschool: The Weirn Books is a quick and engrossing 4-book series set in the Night World of witches (called weirns), paranormal creatures (vampires, werewolves, demons, mermaids, etc.), and the people who hunt them. When three cursed young girls start exhibiting unusual powers just as people mysteriously vanish from Nightschool memory, the Night World guardians and their students scramble to find answers and save the world from ancient evils. Packed with unique magic, violent action, and intriguing mystery with a thrilling climax, you'll want to have all the books on hand for an afternoon binge thanks to the volume cliffhangers.
Chmakova's art is bold but playful with dynamic, diverse characters that exhibit a wide variety of intense and comical expressions. Although the story is rather dark with a lot of pain and violence and deadly curses, there is also a lot of snarky humor to lighten the mood. Both blood and found family relationships play a large part in all the characters' decisions, especially pushing the three girls to step out of their comfort zones to find and protect the ones they love. My only complaint about Nightschool is, at only four volumes, it is too short and fast a read - I would've loved more time to get to know the characters, explore the world, and expand the plot. Luckily an upcoming companion series, although catering to a younger audience, will finally do just that starting May 2020.
Conclusion: A violent but also playful story with magically unique characters, intense action, great snark, and intriguing depth. With its witches, hunters, and paranormal creatures I highly recommend it for fans of shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
*Purchase Notes: The single volumes of this series are currently out of print but as of March 2020 some volumes are still available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble Marketplace, and RightStuf - links at top. However, two 2-in-1 Collector's Editions will become available May 19, 2020, and are currently available for pre-order (again, see links).
Scribble Rating:
4.5 of 5 Scribbles
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