Bea Reviews Love: The Lion by Frédéric Brrémaud & Federico Bertolucci

Series: Love #3
Publisher: Magnetic Press 
Source: eGalley - the publisher in exchange for an honest review & Hardcover - the library 
Release Date: July 12th, 2016
Challenges:
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository*  | iTunes | Barnes & Noble
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Blurb from goodreads:

The third volume in the lavishly illustrated series of wildlife graphic novels, each following a single central animal through an adventurous day in their natural environment. Each tale depicts genuine natural behavior through the dramatic lens of Disney-esque storytelling, like a nature documentary in illustration.
Both heartwarming and heartbreaking, this volume focuses on a solitary Lion as it wanders the plains of Africa, handling the daily hunt, and vicious rivalry, without a Pride of its own. The circle of Life takes center stage in a world where predator and prey trade places on a regular basis, and Family is something worth fighting -- and dying -- for. This exciting tale, written by Frederic Brremaud, is told without narration or dialogue, conveyed entirely through the beautiful illustrations of Federico Bertolucci.
A beautiful, powerful tale of survival in the animal kingdom that explores the all-too-identifiable, universal concepts of Life, Courage, Aging, and ultimately Love.

My Thoughts:

I read the first book in this series, "Love: The Tiger" and thought it was an interesting idea. I missed the second book but grabbed this one when I saw it. This was one of a slew of books that wouldn't open in Adobe Edition and I ended up getting it from the library after it released.

The artwork in this is indeed lush, even stunning at times, though the color palette is more subdued and somber, a reflection of the story's geographical setting. I missed the vibrant colors form the first book but they would have been out of place in this one.The actual drawings were full of detail but at times the details were murky. It was frequently difficult to know which of the lions on the page was the one we were meant to be following; sometimes he had a dark mane, sometimes a light one, and sometimes no main at all. The blurb says the story occurs in a single day but it didn't read that way; it seemed to take place over a longer stretch of time. The panel arrangement and the artwork often made for a confusing story line. Like the first book, the scenes are graphic; Bertilucci and Brrémaud make no attempt to soften up how brutal and violent life in the wild is. A few pages were too much for me and I skimmed or skipped over them. The ending was heartbreaking and the last of page of panels was bittersweet.

The story was difficult to follow and the artwork, while often gorgeous, added to the confusion. Unlike the first book, we do get names of some of the different animals in the story, as part of some extra artwork at the page. "Love: The Lion" didn't wow me but if you want an unglorified, non-Disney look at a day in the life of a lion, this book should fit the bill.