This story follows a young woman as she deals with trying to make a living by scavenging in the ruins of an ancient city filled with monsters, and as she is judged and criticized by the other people in her town for her decision to do so, when that is a traditionally male job. When strangers come to town and break into the city, it's up to her to protect them from the monsters.

I understand this is a middle volume of a larger series, so I'm sure I'm missing some nuance in my grasp of events in this book, but I really liked the characters, and the art style was dynamic and fit the story. I would definitely be interested in reading more of this series.

So the second book in the series wasn't as magical as the first one. I think its because there is more story. Similar to the first book, its mostly pictures, but we find out more about the world, what happened to the city, what the demons actually are. The mystery isn’t so mysterious anymore. That isn't a bad thing, because the book is gorgeous, and is told more through illustrations, than actual dialogue. I really can't wait for the next one to be available. ( )

Fast-paced fantasy comic

What I Enjoyed: Although I haven't read the first book in this series, Wartman does a decent job of creating a standalone plot. We get to know the characters in multiple omniscient third party point of views, with meaningful color breaks while switching. Each character is intriguing in their own right, and I look forward to seeing what happens to them in the next one!

The Downside: I wasn't sure if there will be a third comic? The end of the story certainly points to more of the story. Perhaps after the author is done working on the next Airbender...

Overall Rating: 4 stars - An enjoyable fantasy read with interesting subplots and characters. ( )

I enjoyed Over the Wall, the first volume of the Stonebreaker Chronicles a great deal, but the second (and titular) volume Stonebreaker is perhaps an even stronger work. With Stonebreaker, it seems as though Wartman's narrative has found its true start point, positioning Over the Wall as more of a prequel. Stonebreaker takes place several years after Over the Wall. While the comic continues to follow the story of Anya and Toris, it also introduces new characters and perspectives as well as additional dimensions and depth to the comic's worldbuilding. The series has also evolved visually, Hartman using different color scheme to reflect different time periods, settings, and points of view to great effect. Stonebreaker is an immensely enjoyable, engaging, and satisfying read; I look forward to seeing how Wartman develops the series further in future volumesm ( )