If cel-shade art, adventure, mystery, and suspense are aspects that you feel are missing from your life, then The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks is the book series for you! The art is a unique style that is rarely utilized in media and blends into the tone of the narrative as well. Its cel-shade art, blending colors with thick dark shades that emphasize the world and characters around it, are eye candy for first-time readers who are just getting into graphic novels or for someone looking to have an aesthetically pleasing reading experience.
Set in a parallel version of Ancient Asia, the story unfolds when a boy named Kaidu moves into, yep, you guessed it, The Nameless City! Kai is sent on a ship with other young men to train as soldiers of the city. Kai discovers that the reason behind the city’s unique name is because it has been conquered countless times. Each conquest meant a new name until it grew its infamous name, The Nameless City. As Kai explores the city, he bumps into a girl named Rat, a child of the streets and an orphan, who sees Kai as an intruder since he is not a familiar face and does not respect the city and its culture.
Kai and Rat start rough yet find themselves growing closer while helping each other. In time their chemistry evolves, as they run across the rooftops, trade skills, and goods to survive. I enjoy Faith Erin Hicks’ choice in showing a calendar every chapter to show how many days have passed. You can tell through the days that Kai soon goes from skeptical about the city to falling for the nameless city, and sneaks in as much as possible to explore new locations. One afternoon Kai and Rat find vital information that forces them to work together to stop a disaster that can end the little peace that the Nameless City has. Can they stop this threat? Who is trying to destroy the nameless city? Why don’t you find out today? You can read The Nameless City right now available on eBCCLS and other comics by Hicks on Hoopla.
Written by:
Andre Lebron
Circulation Assistant
Hoboken Library Staff Picks 
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