This was...different. It was an interesting premise, and if you are looking for a funky sci-fi GN, this is a great choice.

I thoroughly enjoy anything and all Nathan Hale as an educator. I found Apocalypse Taco to be no different. Even though it completely deters from what his historical fiction graphic novels usually are, this hits the nail on the head for my fantasy readers. Completely original and a fun, horrific storyline.

How very, very strange. Maybe too strange. It's like a fever nightmare. The plot is, simply, confusing. Characterization is minimal. And some panels are too busy. Add in a less than satisfying conclusion and this gets a pass from me.

Review TK for Teenreads.com

TACO APOCALYPSE was by far one of the most entertaining and original graphic novels I’ve read in a while.

Set in an unnamed town, the book opens with two young teens helping their drama teacher mom at an all night crew for the Brigadoon, the show they’re putting on. When the pizza disappears due to the hungry wrestling team, their mom allows Sid, one of the student crew members and her sons to go get food for the rest of the group. When they get to the Taco Bear and place their order, they’re attacked by a creature in their taco bag. They rush back to the school to find everything distorted and changed. Weird mashed up figures take place of their crew members and the building and surroundings become gooey and gummy. Even the sky has changed colors. They soon realize that the tacos were to blame and they may be the only remaining people in the town.

Received via NetGalley for review.

Nathan Hale sure knows his audience! A perennially popular author in many middle-school libraries, Hale hits it out of the park again with this graphic novel. Weird, fun, and fast paced, this little graphic novel attracts your interest right from the title and never lets up with its surrealistic and humorous take on your typical "kids save the world" plot line.

As a mom with readers I am always looking for books my kids will love. My kids are ages K-7th grade and each one has bee reading since they were 4 years old. (I know freaky Right!)

Each child has there own personality but when we are able to find a author or book series my kids all like I buy everything since book.

Nathan Hale looks to be the next author who will be sitting on our 400 childrens book shelf.



The story is a fun adventure that children will be able to understand and laugh as Sid, Alex, and Ivan since of the biological engineering gone crazy. The author creates a fun story that is fast pace and keeps children of all ages and parents engaged until the story ends.



My kids have now read this book almost every night before bed.



Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Nathan Hale Apocalypses Taco

Sadly, the images and text did not come through in this download. I am a fan of Nathan Hale's writing, so I will take this opportunity to recommend his other work.

Interesting premise with bursts of action and chunks of explanation. I can see middle school fans of sci-fi and surrealism getting into this.

What an amazing trip from Nathan Hale! Over one long night, three teenagers sent on a food run during an all-night play rehearsal get caught up in a genetic experiment gone wrong. Reality itself starts bending, and the three kids have to try and save the universe with the help of a graduate student who's literally all arms. Did I mention it was trippy? Very good fun.

Nathan Hale already has legions of fans because of his Hazardous Tales series. Apocalypse Taco will either delight these fans with its creepy, weird tale or alienate them due to its extreme differences from Hale’s previous books. Apocalypse Taco is a fast-paced story that keeps you wondering until the unsettling end.

This graphic novel tells the story of some drama students who go on a late night food run and end up at a mysterious Taco shop. Instead of tacos and nachos, however, they are given food that is really aliens/monsters who come alive and attack them. I wasn't impressed with this story. I found it slow moving and dull, despite the monster/alien attacks. I didn't really enjoy the plot and the dialogue between characters wasn't believable, in my opinion.

I did not expect that the first five star rating I would give in 2019 would go to a graphic novel, let alone a middle-grade one. However, Apocalypse Taco bothered me enough (in a good way) that I actually had to check and verify it was a kid’s book! Even in black and white, the illustrations and story in this novel were enough to get my imagination going. (Not to burrito around the bush, but if your kiddo gets nightmares easily, I’d probably avoid this one.)

There was more than one panel in this novel that had my scalp crawling. Nathan Hale has a wicked imagination and the world that he conjures up in Apocalypse Taco is a terrifying one. It started so innocently that I think the sheer twistedness of it caught me off guard. The ending of it had me leaning away from my e-reader and saying some words that don’t belong in a middle-grade graphic novel review.

Apart from the “Eww, gross!” factor, this is a fast-paced novel with clear plot, and lots of action. The panels are laid out in an organized, easy-to-read fashion. The language is appropriate, and the middle-graders act their age. The length is perfect, as well.

I had planned on having a little bit of fun with this review, peppering it with more food puns, given the title. But, it’s hard to wanna taco ‘bout food when the book you’ve read has put you off even fake Mexican food for at least a few days.

Overall, Apocalypse Taco feels like a Twilight Zone/ Outer Limits episode, and I highly recommend it. If your children (or you) like things creepily off-kilter, it’ll be right up your alley. I will be recommending this to my local library and then checking it out as soon as they get it as I cannot wait to see it in color. I’ll also be checking out more work from Nathan Hale in general.

Hale has created another fantastic tale. Apocalypse Taco takes us into the world of bio-engineering gone mad. Kevin wants to fix the world's problems and thinks he has the perfect solution - only problem is, like many scientists, he becomes obsessed and quite mad. When Axl, Ivan, and Sidney are charged with collecting food in the middle of the night for their school's drama program, they are dragged into Kevin's nightmarish world.

An interesting story line, and great graphics make the story come alive. The only character I did not care for was Axl and Ivan's mother, the drama coach. Throughout the entire story she comes across as a *****. I was not a fan of the ending either. While I am a greater fan of the Hazardous Tales series, this one shows Hale's creativity just as much.

I want to thank NetGalley and Amulet Books for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.