Is it hard to read?
No, the direct dialogue, fast pace, and linear story make it accessible. The more demanding part is its questions about heroism, morality, and violence, rather than the language.
Fiction · Fantasy · Science Fiction · Comics & Graphic Novels
Nimona
Highly regardedEisner Awards, 2016Reading facts
✓ Checked- Reading effort
- 28 / 100Light
- Length
- 272 pagesHarperTeen · 2015
- Reading time
- 5 h 30 minat 50 pages an hour ·
- Pace
- Fast
- Emotional intensity
- 4 / 5
About 5 h 30 min · at 30 minutes a day, about 11 days
Estimated from the page count of this edition. Dense books can take longer than the estimate.
About the book
In a kingdom where medieval knights use advanced technology, a shapeshifting girl named Nimona appoints herself sidekick to Lord Ballister Blackheart, a disgraced knight turned villain. Together they set out to expose the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics and its champion, Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin. Blackheart has rules against killing, but Nimona sees little reason to limit either her powers or their plans.
Reader notes
Quick dialogue and visual jokes keep this full-color YA fantasy graphic novel lively, even as its questions about heroism and violence become harder to laugh off. The humor can be gleefully destructive, and the fighting has serious consequences. A restrained romantic thread between the rival knights contains no sexual content.
How it reads
- Writing style
- Dialogue-driven · Direct · Witty
- Tone
- Dark · Humorous · Irreverent · Tense
- Structure
- Linear
- Driven by
- Character · Plot · Relationships
- Setting
- Institutional
Reading complexity
- Writing
- 2 / 5
- Ideas
- 3 / 5
- Structure
- 3 / 5
- Background knowledge
- 1 / 5
About this profile
Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).
- Writing
- How much attention the sentences and language require.
- Ideas
- How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
- Structure
- How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
- Background knowledge
- Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
- Emotional intensity
- Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.
Themes
- Friendship
- Identity
- Morality
- Oppression
- Power
Content notes
- Violence
- Strong
- Sexual content
- None
- Swearing
- Mild
- Substance use
- Mild
- Abuse
- Mild
- Self-harm or suicide
- None
Standing and awards
Highly regarded
- Eisner Awards, 2016
- National Book Award finalist, 2015
- Angoulême International Comics Festival nominee, 2016
Questions readers ask
Does it stay light and funny?
No, quick dialogue and visual jokes keep it lively, but the humor grows darker as violence has serious consequences. Questions about heroism become harder to laugh off.
How strong is the violence?
Strong violence is the main concern, with fighting that has serious consequences and humor that can be gleefully destructive. Blackheart has rules against killing, while Nimona sees little reason to limit her powers or their plans.
How much romance is there?
A restrained romantic thread runs between the rival knights, with no sexual content. It sits alongside Nimona and Blackheart’s efforts to expose the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics.
How long is it?
About 272 pages in the HarperTeen 2015 edition. Fast pacing, quick dialogue, and visual jokes keep the full-color graphic novel moving.
Which edition is shown here?
HarperTeen · 2015 · Paperback. ISBN 9780062278227.
How long does it take to read Nimona?
About 5 hours 30 minutes at 50 pages an hour, based on the 272-page HarperTeen edition. Dense books can take longer.
About the author
ND Stevenson
N.D. Stevenson is an American cartoonist and animation producer whose work pairs brisk, joke-driven storytelling with close attention to identity, loyalty, and the rules that communities impose. His graphic fiction moves through quick dialogue, action, and sudden reversals, often placing unruly young characters against institutions that claim the right to define them. Nimona turns a shapeshifter’s partnership with a disgraced knight into a science-fantasy challenge to official ideas of heroism and villainy. In Lumberjanes, supernatural mysteries unfold through the distinct strengths and banter of five friends, with friendship functioning as a practical method of survival. Stevenson has also brought this interest in adventurous ensemble storytelling to television as the developer and showrunner of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.
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Edition and details
- Publisher
- HarperTeen
- Publication year
- 2015
- Format
- Paperback
- Pages
- 272
- ISBN
- 9780062278227
- Edition language
- English
- Original language
- English
- First published
- 2015
- Genres and form
- Fiction · Fantasy · Science Fiction · Comics & Graphic Novels · Young Adult · Comedy
- Editions
- 10
- Languages
- 4 (English, Spanish, French, Unspecified)