Knights Club: The Bands of Bravery – Shuky
This middle-grade graphic novel series makes YOU the valiant hero of a fantasy quest—pick your panel, find items, gain abilities, solve puzzles, and play through new storylines again and again!
The year is 1012 in the kingdom of the good king Louis the Little. Three brothers dream of joining the fearless Knights of the Royal Order—and one of these brothers is you! On your adventure you will journey through snowy mountains, mysterious lakes, and haunted forests in search of the coveted bracelets of bravery. You must solve riddles, discover hidden passages, and gather magical objects. Success depends on the choices you make, because the hero is none other than you!
My thanks to Quirk Books for a review copy which I received through Netgalley
A book where you control the story. Decisions have to be made by the reader and this will dictate how the tale unfolds. Multiple possibilities so numerous potential story paths and this means the reader can play their way through Knights Club many, many times.
Yes I did say “play their way” as this book is more about playing the adventure than seeing how the author wants the tale to unfold. Knights Club is aimed at Middle Grade readers so I would suggest readers from age 8 to 12 will probably get the most fun here.
The story features a challenge…you are one of three brothers who want to become a knight. Take your chosen hero through a series of challenges and puzzles to make his dream come true.
I had a digital copy so I sat my eldest bookworm (11 years old) down. Handed him my laptop at the first page of the book and let him work out the story for himself. A great way to ensure a few hours of peace and quiet folks!
I got updates as he played. There were lots of giggles and snickering laughs. A few perplexed sighs as he tried to predict the decision he thought he SHOULD take to get the right solution (rather than the obvious path he WANTED to take). That’s not how these books work though!
The first read took about 30 mins and then he seemed to have messed up as the story ended (unsuccessfully). Straight back in for another go and son lasted longer and seemed to have a very different tale the second time around. NB he did later confirm he deliberately took different choices as he had failed the first read…
Knights Club kept him entertained for several evenings before I prompted him for some feedback to help with this review. “Great pictures” was noted and I agreed, the artwork is perfect for the target age and have lots of visual humour to support the story. “Fun to flick back and forward to keep the story going” was another observation. Clearly the unusual approach to reading was a hit. To clarify: The story begins at part 1 but may then direct you to page 74, choose between 142 or 44 and then from there you go to page 91. Some of the choices the reader faces are drawn into the artwork so a crossroads sign may give two visual clues where the story leads next.
All good fun and it kept my son highly entertained.
Not due to be released until September but this places it nicely into the “out in time for Christmas” category. Knights Club would make an excellent and unexpected pick-up idea for a reader who may want a bit more input into their latest read.
Knights Club is published by Quirk Books and releases on 4 September 2018 in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Knights-Club-Bands-Bravery-Quests/dp/1683690559/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1532813899&sr=1-1