A fun throwback to the choose our own adventure books of the early 2000s updated to a modern and visually pleasing graphic novel format. The story is written well enough for a older elementary student to follow without being too simple to be entertaining. The artwork is well done and doesn't take away from the written narrative,

My 9 year old loves Choose Your Own Adventure books, and we had to read through this one several times so he could experience ALL the endings! Very fun. My only complaint is that the choose your own adventure format is not very friendly to use in a digital format.

You simply can't go wrong with CYOA. I slightly preferred the text ones to this graphic novel versions because IMO it added more to the story to conjure things up via your own imagination, but I guess this approach would work wonders for a more reluctant readership (who might then progress to the traditional text-based books, which in and of themselves used to appeal to kids who didn't necessarily consider themselves readers).
If I could make a wish I'd ask for a decent grown-up version of CYOA, something that's neither "funny" nor dumb or meta or whatever, but something along the lines of a Stephen King CYOA or somesuch. :)

With thanks to Netgalley and the author and publishers for allowing me to review this book.

Back in the day I was a big fan of the 'choose your own adventure books.' and Journey under the sea doesn't disappoint, I was taken b ack to my childhood. I tried a few different 'endings' so good, some not so good.

The only downside was that the choose your next page' didn't work as well on the kindle as it would in the physical book.

But it all a good book that children and adults will enjoy.

Ready for a fantastic adventure?!


In Choose Your Own Adventure: Journey Under the Sea, YOU are the main character! As an underwater explorer, you must be prepared to embark on a mission to find the lost city of Atlantis!
Are you ready?!

This adventurous graphic novel is perfect for ocean lovers and anyone seeking thrills but also for kids who are hesitant to spend giant chunks of time reading or for kids who might not enjoy reading blocks of text. You can spend as much or as little time as you'd like with the story and you can always come back to new ones in the future!

I read a few Choose Your Own Adventure-type books as a kid and thought they were a lot of fun to read because you're reading the same book but getting a new adventure each time.
This was a lot of fun to read as an adult, too, despite that I ended up at 'The End' just five or six pages into my first adventure! I didn't get much further the second or third time, either, but each time was a new adventure and I did finally make it to Atlantis!

No matter your chosen path, you're sure to enjoy the wonderful illustrations, underwater creatures, the technology, and the overall adventure woven into each page!
Enjoy your journey!

This was a very vibrant book, but honestly, it was so hard to read as an ebook.

The story became very confusing and i felt like some parts didn't fit, but the graphics were gorgeous

Growing up I loved these story books. Now as an adult this has thrust me back 35 years! A great book ideal for upper key stage two.

This book follows that classic "Choose Your Own Adventure" plot, which will be great in schools and classrooms where students are into it as a strong series that needs some more modern updates. However, if students have not fallen for previous CYOA, then it likely will not be a good match for them.

I am a big fan of the Choose Your Own Adventure concept and series of books. This is only slightly unusual because when the series brand was publishing, in the 1980's and early 1990's, I was not doing very much reading. But the idea of a reader getting to dictate the path of a journey is appealing to me (why are all these books targeted to young readers - do adults not want to choose a path?).

When I saw this new Choose Your Own Adventure book, I was eager to get a copy. What I didn't realize was that this was a graphic novel, which, when I opened the book, I thought was going to be distracting. But it's quite the opposite. Adding the art enhances this!

It's hard to define the story when the book is actually many stories in one but the general concept, as you might guess from the title, is an undersea adventure. From the natural world of large aquatic animals to the fantasy world of underwater bipeds and their kingdoms, these adventures can take you to many places.

I did not read this book cover-to-cover, but I did read through a few different paths. Sometimes the journey was brief, sometimes a bit longer. The excitement level varied but mostly based on my choices.

Combining the popularity of graphic novels with the tried-and-true success of the Choose your Own Adventure series is pure gold. These will likely be popular additions to school and personal libraries. I look forward to some more exciting adventures.

The artwork is appropriately exciting without being too specific to a style or artist.

Looking for a good book? Choose Your Own Adventure: Journey Under the Sea by Andrew E. C. Gaska and E. L. Thomas, with art by Dani Bolinho is an exciting return to the Choose Your Own Adventure series, now as a graphic novel.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved the “Choose Your own Adventure” books as a kid and was excited to receive this book! This book is great for younger readers because not only is the reading experience more engaging but the stories can be fast paced too which helps keeps the interest. I would recommend this book and the others in the collection!

Super intriguing take on choose your own adventure books - i think i need exposure to a few more of these before completely being sold, but loved the concept!

Like many, I was a fan of choose your own adventure books as a kid. With my children becoming readers, I wanted to introduce them to this genre.

What's even better is this is a graphic novel. Which means it's more like a comic style book with amazing illustrations. There is immense detail within to pages that really bring the story to life.

The story is an underwater adventure in the search for Atlantis.

I love the explosion of graphic novels for kids in recent years. I feel they are the perfect way to encourage reluctant readers. Adding a CYOA aspect adds another element.

I read this via an e-reader, but I truly feel this type of book is better enjoyed as a physical copy, flipping back and forth as you CYOA.

Choose Your Own Adventure – Journey Under The Sea.
Written by Andrew .E C Gaska and E C Thomas.
Illustrated by Dani Bolinho.

I was sent a free digital copy by Omni Press via NetGalley, in order to give an honest review.

I am mad about gamebooks - ( I don’t discriminate- I will happily play more simple style books such as Choose your Own style books, through to more complex thousand section doorstops of a gamebook ).

However, it’s taken me a while to get my head around comics as gamebooks.

My initial assumption is they would be too fast to complete, or not have enough depth.

But, I have been proven wrong in the past.

I’m lucky enough to own the first 2 seasons of Van Ryder’s Graphic Novel Adventures gamebooks, each with its own set of rules depending whether you are assisting Sherlock Holmes in a mystery, or battling your inner Werewolf in a fantasy setting.

And before this I came across Marvel’s You are Deadpool, with it’s zany 4th wall breaking humour.

So, I was in fact quite keen to have a go at an official Choose Your Own Adventure graphic novel version.

The plot is suitably intriguing - You are part of a scientific expedition to explore the deepest oceans using a nifty underwater vehicle called the Seeker.

Your aim – To discover Atlantis of course!

The first thing that struck me about this gamebook was a real stand out.........

THE ARTWORK!!!

I mean, I know that you would hope that attention would be given to this, but I’ll let you into a little secret – I’ve never found artwork as striking as really immersive written descriptions.

Nonetheless, in this instance, I was totally blown away by the detail of the under water scenes – from an epic scene of destruction as your main ship is ripped to shreds, to moments of extreme tension with deadly large amphibian creatures swim in for the kill.

In fact, once I completed the book, I made sure I had one last look at the entire book, just to savor the whole feel of the book - ( I will only keep this digital copy for around 40 days before it disappears ).

However, unlike most of the other comic gamebooks that I’ve come across, this gamebook’s sections last at least a page ( or multiples of ).

This is in contrast to other comic gamebooks where a section might only be a few panels long.
This enables these gamebooks to be quite complex, as they allow a great number of sections, as well as room for puzzles and other fun things.

So, with Journey Under the Sea being restricted to having sections of at least a full page, it does limit the complexity of the choices and the length of the story paths.

This means that story paths are generally over pretty quickly, although some do link up with other paths to make a longer story.

This means that some interesting plots, such as being a potential spy for an Atlantean underclass ends abruptly.

Nonetheless, there is a real variety of different situations you can find yourself in, including some surprising outcomes when you think its all over, when in fact new opportunities present themselves.

And there is a fairly shocking end when you are offered to be given gills, and then end up about to be granted your wish in a fairly deadly fashion......

Altogether, this is a stunning looking gambook.

The actual gamebook’s gameplay is a little more ordinary that does not take full advantage of the comic format.

Even so, I’d be intrigued to see how this series progresses, to see if other books build on this one.

** “This book will be different from others you’ve encountered; for here, YOU and YOU alone are in charge of every decision and every pathway YOU take. How the story ends rests solely on YOUR shoulders.” **

“Choose Your Own Adventure: Journey Under the Sea” by Andrew E.C. Gaska and E.L. Thomas and illustrated by Dani Bolinho is a fun graphic novel based on the original “Choose Your Own Adventure” story by R.A. Montgomery.

As the story takes you on a journey to discover the lost city of Atlantis, you are forced to make decisions — do you investigate chasms and water quality; do you join the people of Atlantis and if so, temporarily or permanently; or do you join other people living in the underwater realm?

Filled with very colorful illustrations, the graphic novel contains many different story choices. However, I felt each story line was a little simple and too short. I think they could each have been expanded more as the ends of each storyline often came too abruptly.

Also, many of the story lines could be construed as having almost a New Age vibe, like being one with the universe and being one’s own light. I was looking for a little more adventure.

But “Journey Under the Sea” is definitely a unique take on the classic “Choose Your Own Adventure” stories, and is a good tool to draw in readers who may not want to undertake an entire novel.

This book is recommended for children ages 9-12, grades 4-6, and is due out Sept. 20.

Three stars out of five.

Oni Press provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

Choose Your Own Adventure: Journey Under the Sea is an underwater adventure graphic novel where the reader is on a mission to find Atlantis. As a child, I loved CYOA style books and it was so interesting to a graphic novel version. This book would be a great read for younger readers as each storyline is relatively short and easy to follow. The only difficult thing with this book was the fact the e-version made finding each page more difficult, Thank you Oni Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this graphic novel.

As a Gen Xer, there are few things better than Choose Your Own Adventure books. I read every available story I could get my hands on and kept track of all the endings to make sure I got each one. Journey Under the Sea combines CYOA and graphic novels into a whole new world of fun. The graphic novel versions will certainly appeal to today's readers. Though, I did find reading an e-version less fun because the story is page-specific which doesn't line up with the e-reader page. Other than that, this was an excellent read and adventure.

Thank you NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

This was perfect! As a child I was a HUGE fan of these books! So I was super excited to read a graphic novel version.

The story was easy to follow great for younger readers! I can’t wait to share it with my son! The illustrations were spot on. This is a great adaptation to a great book! This widens the audience! So for all the young readers out there that need the comfort of a graphic novel this one will surely fit the bill.

An underwater adventure book in which the protagonist is the reader, who must choose his path on an expedition in search of Atlantis.
A very entertaining and lively read, ideal to liven up a boring afternoon. I only hope that the final edition will have links or an interactive index to redirect the reader to the page where their adventure will continue, otherwise the adventure can easily turn into a nightmare.

I never read any CYOA-books, but it seemed interesting to try something like this in the format of a graphic novel. And I liked the concept a lot, the art style is great and obviously a ton of work went into this book for it to work.
But I have to say, what didn't work for me in this was
1) to read it digitally. This is definitely not suited as ebook as the scrolling got annoying and I always saw other pages when trying to find the right one. In addition, the page numbers were not visible enough for it to properly work.
and 2) I thought all the endings happened to fast and there were too many negative ones for me. It felt like most times the story went only for 2-4 pages before ending and then I had to figure out where the hell I get back to the recent point to chose differently, which did not work well.

It’s been a while since I last read a choose your own adventure, but I thoroughly enjoyed coming back to the genre. Loved the art style, but think this is definitely a book better enjoyed when you can flick straight to the relevant page, rather than scrolling forever.