Crema is the kind of graphic novel that I should like, but something was falling flat for me. Maybe it was the fact I have read a lot of graphic novels recently and it is time for a break. Or maybe I have read a lot of GLBTQ+ books (which are great, but sometimes I need to cleanse the palette). Maybe it is actually a bad book and/or story. Maybe I was in the wrong frame of mind while reading. Maybe I was in the wrong place to read. Or maybe I was not the audience Johnnie Christmas was writing for.
Christmas, Dante Luiz, and Ryan Ferrier created a story about two girls, several ghosts, and lots of coffee. These ingredients make up this supernatural love story with bumps, bruises, the good, the bad, the ghost scared of churches. It all comes together to try and stop evil coffee companies, bad memories of the past, even more evil ghosts and make sure love conquers all. A dark humor, with elements of ghost stories and thriller horror come together in a cozy, but exciting at least fourteen to adult read.
Love is the main theme and how one gal, Esme’s connection to ghosts. Her connection with these two things come to a head when she meets the granddaughter of the family that runs the farm that supplies the coffee to the cafe, she works in. Beautiful as she is fiery, Yara wants to sell her families legacy, but family secrets, determined ghosts and Esme’s attraction get in the way. And when the two finally find themselves on the same page, things might not be able to be saved after all.
The cover is softer and sweeter than the internal imagery (such as Esme is shorter, having gentler features). The illustrations are all cream and coffee colors. There is little in the way of non-browns, tans, beiges, etc. They are busy, crowded, and sometimes it is hard to tell a couple people apart (Yara and one other character have similar features). They fit the tone but are not necessarily my first choice for what could have been done. I did not dislike them, but not my favorite.
I knew the name Johnnie Christmas sounded familiar, and when I looked them up, they are part of the Angel Catbird series and Swim Team.
