ALA Booklist (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

When a teenage girl gets kidnapped to participate in a paranormal roller derby competition, she begins to question her dreams and desires for her own future in this lively comic. Mina Murray is a 13-year-old figure skater who suffers a fall and breaks her arm. While she's waiting for her mom to bring her home and beating herself up over the outcome of the competition, she's swept away by two young vampires to a practice rink to be on their vampire roller derby team. The captain, Val, quickly catches Mina up to speed: the Blood City Vamps need a human jammer for their upcoming bout against the Mavens (a team of witches). Through practicing with the Vamps, Mina learns the difference between competing as a single person and competing with a team, and when the Blood Moon Brawl arrives, Mina is still scared but ready to jam. The familiar sports story gets an engaging twist with the paranormal creatures, and Mina letting go of perfection in favor of having fun with something new is relatable and sweet.

Publishers Weekly

Thirteen-year-old figure skater Mina Murray’s dreams of one day winning Olympic gold are forfeit when an ill-timed fall on the ice ends her career before it even begins. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for Mina, she uncovers an alternate route to athletic fame when a roving gang of young roller derby vampires called Blood City Vamps kidnap her to join their team as a last-minute jammer against the Mavens. Training with the Vamps—especially their bold, brave captain Val Halla—reinvigorates Mina’s love for skating, but when a strange creature from Val’s past puts Mina’s life at risk, Mina must choose her own path: return to her regular life or face unknown dangers and remain with her new companions on the Paranormal Roller Derby track. In this high-octane double graphic novel debut, Anderson expertly captures the supernatural complications of tossing a human into a creature feature rivalry and the struggles of finding one’s place in the world. Hill’s lively illustrations, rendered in bright, eerie neon, winningly encapsulate the frenetic pace of derby, striking a refreshing balance between spectral sports romp and queer found family narrative. Characters are portrayed with varying skin tones. Ages 8–12. (Apr.)

School Library Journal (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Gr 7–10— Thirteen-year-old Mina Murray dreams of becoming an Olympic figure skater. After she lands a quadruple axel in competition, she suffers a bad fall, ruining the performance and breaking her arm—her Olympic dreams dashed. While waiting for her ride, Mina is abducted and swiftly introduced to the world of the Paranormal Roller Derby (PRD). The Vamps need a new jammer (a position that must be filled by a human), and they offer Mina a deal: if she agrees to join their team, they will heal her arm. As Mina learns the ins and outs of the PRD, she also gets to know her teammates and makes personal breakthroughs as well. Mina's lack of understanding of the paranormal world is reflected by the limited worldbuilding. However, rules and roles of the PRD are clearly defined and easy to follow, and the team members are introduced with pronouns included. The full-color artwork makes it easy to follow the chaos of the derby with clearly distinguishable teams. VERDICT An entertaining story about a teen finding her own place in life and starting down her own path. Recommended where paranormal graphic novels are popular.— Lisa Rowland