Lydia is a regular 18 year old girl looking to find a way to appease her ex-soldier father while still living her dream of being an artist. Her father will not allow her to go to University and be surrounded by “wimps”. But when a chance visit to a booth during a University recruiting day at school leaves a brochure in her hands, a solution presents itself. Mertownville University has an Arts/ Justice program which her father accepts.

Everything seems set for Lydia until she gets there. Then, lots of questions arise to trouble her. Why is the city surrounded by Border Guards? Why does she need a pass to get in? How is it that her teachers recognize her when they’ve never met? And why is her dorm mate afraid of even speaking the word “Justice”? The answers are mostly in Volume 1

I have to admit that I liked these books much more than I expected to. The characters are all very well-defined with personalities that leap off the pages. They are all “real” and I found myself laughing out loud often, especially in scenes between Lydia and her father. The art is fresh while being deceptively simple and everything has its own coherent look. The art is fun, but the writing is the kicker.

4 ½ stars for Volume 1. 4 stars for Volume 2. ( )

Lydia is a regular 18 year old girl looking to find a way to appease her ex-soldier father while still living her dream of being an artist. Her father will not allow her to go to University and be surrounded by “wimps�€?. But when a chance visit to a booth during a University recruiting day at school leaves a brochure in her hands, a solution presents itself. Mertownville University has an Arts/ Justice program which her father accepts.

Everything seems set for Lydia until she gets there. Then, lots of questions arise to trouble her. Why is the city surrounded by Border Guards? Why does she need a pass to get in? How is it that her teachers recognize her when they’ve never met? And why is her dorm mate afraid of even speaking the word “Justiceâ€?? The answers are mostly in Volume 1 J

I have to admit that I liked these books much more than I expected to. The characters are all very well-defined with personalities that leap off the pages. They are all “realâ€? and I found myself laughing out loud often, especially in scenes between Lydia and her father. The art is fresh while being deceptively simple and everything has its own coherent look. The art is fun, but the writing is the kicker. ( )