Nightlights

Lorena Alvarez’s Nightlights is so brilliant that I considered adding a 6th coffin to my rating system, because 5 out of 5 just doesn’t seem like enough. With gorgeous illustrations that demand multiple readings and a chilling story that stays scary no matter how often you revisit this brilliant book, Nightlights explores an artist’s imagination, inspiration, insecurity, and fear. It will ring true to anyone who has ever filled a page or a canvas and wondered, “Is this any good? And if it is, will I ever be able to do it again?” Sandy is a young artist who would much rather draw than pay attention to school lessons or do homework. Her inspiration comes by way of a delightful metaphor—she catches balls of light before she falls asleep, dreams of adorable and unearthly creatures and landscapes, and then draws them when she wakes up. These dreamscapes continue in Sandy’s waking hours, though, interfering with more “important” things in life like learning about the mathematical significance of pi. Young artists will feel a kinship with Sandy and identify with her struggle to be taken seriously. Her affinity for “doodling” is dismissed by her parents and teachers—Alvarez pointedly depicts Sandy’s Catholic school as a place where individuality and freedom of expression are methodically stamped out—and only her new friend Morfie seems to notice her art at all. (Speaking of Sandy’s school, I must applaud Alvarez’s art for its diversity: Sandy’s schoolmates reflect an incredible range in terms of body type, size, skin tone, hair texture, and mobility.) Though Morfie’s praise of Sandy’s art seems positive at first, all creators will soon recognize Morfie for the insidious creature that she is: the beautiful but terrifying personification of the constant need for affirmation, which ultimately stifles and warps creativity. There is an added layer of tension on top of what is already a clever, suspenseful story: the struggle between your desire to keep reading to find out what happens next and your desire to linger on Alvarez’s gorgeous art. The lush illustrations and sumptuous color palette of Sandy’s imagination beg to be savored; you could spend half an hour poring over the double-page spreads and still not take in all the subtle color gradations and adorable details. Alvarez’s soft, organic shapes flow smoothly from one to the next, revealing underwater gardens and floral jungles that feel slightly alien but also feel like home. Nightlights is a wonder, with an eerie narrative that readers will want to race through and breathtaking art that they’ll want to linger over and study for hours. Its brilliant, relatable central metaphor for artistic self-doubt makes it perfect for any age group. Lorena Alvarez is an astonishing talent, and this stunning graphic novel is one that you must read.

From the pacing to the art to the cover to the back literally i love everything about this book! Its probably one of the most beautiful things ive seen! I wanted to buy this for my 8 year old cousin because she is absolutely in love with graphic novels and surprisingly she likes alot of "scary" things. I saw alot of reviews stating that it was a bit too scary for their kids and while at first i took that with a grain of salt because i do feel more than 80% of the time that statement is a bit exaggerated! Opening the book and getting to the more creepy parts i would say while its something i absolutely love! the pacing the the building up of the darker parts of the story can be a overwhelmingly dreadful ( though if you keep reading to the end its resolved!) I recommend sitting down with your little one and read it with them because i think its a wonderful book and while i do think my cousin would like it, its a little too much for her to read on her own (it might overwhelm her) ! Otherwise im so happy with this purchase as an artist because it literally fueled me with inspiration to work on my projects that ive been lagging on haha.. but 10/10 i love this book and im glad i got to add it to my library!

Spooky kids story with truly beautiful art. Just be aware that it has an uncertain ending. Not that it is a tragic or bad ending, but it is left open to interpretation. Maybe a little too spooky for kids younger than 5 or 6. Parents that absolutely require a clear cut happy ending will not like this, but artistically hip parents will love it, maybe even more than their kids do (which is me). But even if the story is a little odd for you, the art is positively spectacular. The two page spreads are beyond great. I only wish there was another follow up story! Nice big size and quality binding as well.

It’s gorgeous, but the ending is abrupt. I’ll keep this book for artistic inspiration.

Bought this for our daughter. She loved it, the illustrations were great, colours are vibrant. Not that many pages tho. But I guess with every good book, I just didn't want it to end so quickly.

My eight year old loved this book! It might feel a tad scary to some kids, but my daughter is into Harry Potter at 8 years old, so this level of scary is quite mild comparatively.

Beautiful artwork, Very reminiscent of Spirited Away and Pan’s Labyrinth. Definitely for older then 8 yr olds unless they like darker stories. My kiddo didn’t know I purchased and when I left it in her room she was immediately glued to it. She loves graphic novels and comics.

People need to chill. The “naked girl” doesn’t have any defining features as male or female and doesn’t even have a butt crack. Yes, this book is creepy but my 8 yr old loved it. The story is suspenseful and great!