Cute as always.

I love the Backstagers series. The first two volumes were fresh and fun and cutesy without being overly sappy and annoying. This volume didn’t read as fun for me.

I know. It’s my own fault. I checked this out from the library after seeing the cover and squealing BACKSTAGERS! to myself without reading the synopsis. This is a collection of Valentines Day and Halloween themed short stories within the universe of Backstagers, but it doesn’t really advance the plot set forth in the first two volumes. What I really loved about the first two volumes of Backstagers was the mystery that seeped through the series, and though there are traces of that here, it’s not a central characteristic.

All our favorite characters are back and we get some of the supernatural fun we like, but with the stories being so short (some at 2 or 3 pages) it’s hard to get invested in anything. Don’t get me wrong; everything is still fun! It’s just not what I was expecting and it was hard for me to feel like I got any substance out of reading this volume. Aside from Beckett’s crush, which is touched upon in the previous volume, there’s not really any new information presented about our characters, just anecdotes on love and being spooked.

The art, per usual, is great and really works for all the different stories presented.

Title:  The Backstagers
Author:  James Tynion IV and Rian Sygh
Format:  Paperback
Pages: 96
ISBN: 9781684153329

Three Descriptors: Charming, Colorful, Quirky