Beyond the Clouds, Vol. 3

Beyond the Clouds #3

by Nicke

The City’s Secrets

Thanks to the Sage’s medicine, Mia has recovered, but now she also knows she’s in danger of burning out her magic if she doesn’t learn how to control it. But where to find a wizard in this mundane world? Mia and Theo follow a legend to Karatope, the city of merchants, where every corner features something new, marvelous, or delicious—for a price! But what could a wizard be doing here? They hear of a fortune-teller and realize there’s no better vocation for someone with magical powers. Yet even after they spend hours in line, this seer refuses to see them! What does he know that he’s not sharing…?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Steampunk, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Comics, Adventure

164 pages, Paperback

First published July 4, 2019

Reviews

[F.D. Gross · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast enjoyable read. Full of fun little mischievous art panels. Theo and Mia are on a quest to find a magician that may help her with controlling her insane, monstrous cat shadow attack. Now with the help of Nora, the fortune telling thief, Theo try’s to find a way to qualm Mia’s next explosive outburst before she really hurts someone close to them.

There are some technicalities when reading this manga, where some panels are convoluted with dialogue blurbs making it difficult to understand who is talking some of the time, but this is a small oversight. Well worth the read if you like Final Fantasy inspired material.

4 out of 5 stars
F. D. Gross

[kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun and beautifully illustrated series. It’s whimsical, emotional and full of studio ghibli movie potential.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, very cute and somewhat light hearted, but the whole thing with Nora and the Bubblegum Brothers was a bit heavier, but not too heavy for a younger audience. The illustrations are very nice, but I think they would be better in color. I'd love to see a full color edition of this series!

[Strawberry Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un 3eme tome un peu plus jeunesse que les deux premiers mais toujours aussi mignon et plein d'humour 😉

[Anabel Samani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theo y Mia hacen dos nuevos amigos: un ¿estafador? y su compañera de cuatro patas 🖤

La trama avanza poco, pero sigue siendo muy disfrutable por la historia y por el dibujo.

[TheBookishHobbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many things I wish to know as I continue to read these books... where are the other winged-people and why is Mia all alone? Is she the last of her kind and she does not know? Are they looking for her? How did she end up lost? Will she ever find her way back?

Those were my thoughts as I read this volume. Again the artwork was stunning and the story itself is charming. Sorry I don't have anything too crazy to say here lol. Hope to see you when volume 4 is released in English!

[viiic · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'est toujours aussi mignon, avec encore une fois de vrais messages, importants, en arrière-plan du récit. J'aimerais justement qu'ils soient un peu plus présents peut-être ? Il y avait matière à faire pus du personnage de Nora, c'est un peu dommage, mais peut-être que j'attends les mauvaises choses de cette saga ? Dans tous les cas, je suis toujours aussi touchée par Théo et Mia.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's like a less upsetting Made in Abyss!

[Ken Yuen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute

[kaitlphere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mia and Theo make a new friend! They have to deal with a small band of thieves I didn't care for much.

[Jessica Vega · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light and fun. Story is being more adventurous and meeting new people.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another interesting installment in the series. The Lumiferret (Tama) is so cute. Mia has another moment with the black cat but they work as a team to help her.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was better than the last!! I loved Tama 🐭

[Mary Catelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoilers ahead for the earlier volumes.

Mia and Theo find the key for his scooter in missing. Trying to consult the soothsayer they had consulted the day before lands them in the midst of truths and complications.

These involve a cat toy, Mia flying to carry a rope, thugs trying to forcibly recruit someone, herbs, and more.

[Laurie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one didn't carry me away quite as much as the first two, and I was hoping to see more of the story before it ended, but it was still a great read. I just wish the wait for the next one wasn't so long and painful! 😅

[Florence Mullot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un tome d'entre deux où l'aventure est sympathique à suivre mais où il ne se passe pas grand chose au final concernant l'intrigue principale. Je n'ai rien contre, entendons-nous bien, j'ai même beaucoup aimé ce volume qui reste dans la lignée des autres avec une ambiance bon enfant et naïve qui est adorable. Mais si vous vous attendions à une grande avancée, vous risquez d'être déçus.

Mia et Théo se trouvent donc toujours dans la ville Karatope, la cité des milles marchands. Ne trouvant plus la clé de son scooter, Théo décide de retourner voir Nora, le faux devin en compagnie de Mia. Dans le précédent tome, bien qu'on ait découvert que Nora était un escroc, on sentait aussi que le jeune homme avait un bon fond, chose qui s'accentue ici. A croire qu'il n'y a pas vraiment de "vrais" méchants dans l'univers de Nicke, et franchement, ce n'est pas quelque chose qui me dérange. Certes, on a un côté peut-être trop bisounours, mais cela va tellement avec l'univers que ce n'est pas non plus un élément à côté de la plaque ou optimiste. J'adorerai d'ailleurs que le personnage de Nora soit plus développait par la suite et qu'il reste avec nos héros. Ils auraient bien besoin d'un autre compagnon, surtout quelqu'un qui a plus de "noirceur" en lui et qui pourrait leurs éviter des ennuis.

Mia et Théo nous prouvent qu'ils ont bon coeur et qu'ils ne s'arrêtent pas aux apparences, rien de bien surprenant, certes, mais ici j'ai trouvé qu'ils prenaient tous les deux un autre tournant. Ils sont dans l'action, encore plus ici, et c'est une évolution qui tend, je pense, à s'accentuer depuis leur départ. Prendre leurs vies en mains, mais aussi choisir leur combat. Laisser Nora, bien que cela ne soit pas dans leurs caractères, auraient été un choix plus "judicieux". Notre duo aurait évité des problèmes, et pu avancer dans leur quête. Mais ni l'un, ni l'autre, ne voit les choses de cette façon. Nora est quelqu'un avec qui ils ont créé un lien. Je ne pense pas non plus qu'ils ont vu plus loin que le moment présent, mais pour eux, venir en aide au jeune homme coulait de source.

Les ennuis qu'ils rencontrent étaient inévitables, et ont conduit à une situation périlleuse. Certes, nous n'en apprenons pas plus, mais dans le traitement de l'affrontement, j'ai cependant trouvé que Mia comme Théo n'étaient plus seulement spectateurs, mais acteurs des événements. Encore une fois, ils essayent de trouver eux-mêmes une solution. Ce n'est pas parfait, loin de là, mais ils essayent. Une bonne évolution donc qui je l'espère sera plus exploitée par la suite.

Je n'ai pas trop compris les dernières pages par contre. En livret bonus, pourquoi pas, ou que l'auteur nous en parle en quelques pages, mais pourquoi nous remettre ce qui est, pour nous, le début de l'histoire que l'on connaît. Certes, il est intéressant d'apprendre qu'à la base de Beyond the clouds, se cachait une courte histoire mais j'aurais préféré un autre chapitre "inédit", je l'avoue.

[Mladoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un tome 3 dont l'action est très ramassée dans le temps. A Karatope, Mia et Theo cherche un renseignement auprès du "devin" prénommé Nora. Celui-ci va peu à peu dévoiler sa véritable nature. Une bande organisée et beaucoup plus nuisible va s'emmêler. La bête qui sommeille en Mia va revenir faire des siennes.
Une attention spéciale à Tama, la lumibelette (quelle superbe idée de créature ^^). Globalement, j'aime toujours autant le dessin même si je trouve que le trait aérien se prête davantage aux décors forestiers qu'aux ruelles sombres de la ville, les scènes de combat manquent parfois de lisibilité et les personnages sont encore un peu lisses (surtout notre duo principal).
J'aime néanmoins beaucoup cette atmosphère de magie dissimulée et de faux semblants. Hâte de découvrir ce que va donner cette association imprévue.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.

Mia and Theo continue to try to get the fortune teller to help them find a magician to help Mia, but the fortune teller refuses once more. Mia and Theo catch him after he's been ruffed up by a street gang, and Theo gives him some salve to help with his bruises. They learn that his name is Nora, and he has a "partner", a little ferret named Tama who "helps" Nora locate lost items. It turns out, Tama is extremely attracted to shiny things, and usually steals them, then Nora uses his "fortune telling" powers to help "locate" the item that Tama has stolen. The thugs come back and kidnap Nora. Mia, Theo, and Tama plan to rescue him. They turn out not to be the best rescuers, and Mia once again loses control of her magic, making it even more pressing that they find someone to train her.

Despite there being a moment of darkness when Mia loses control of her magic, this series is fairly wholesome and one that might appeal to middle grade audiences. Despite Nora being uncovered as a fraud, Theo and Mia still see him as someone worthy of saving, rather than leaving him to an unknown fate with his kidnappers. Hopefully, Nora becomes a new companion or someone important to their tasks because otherwise, the quest Theo and Mia have undertaken isn't really furthered by this volume.

The illustrations are a little bit hard to follow within the action sequences in this volume because there really isn't a lot of exact detail in any of the panels. Theo and Nora are very similarly designed, so readers will have to pay attention to which character wears goggles (Theo) in order to tell them apart. I definitely appreciated the art style much more when Theo was exploring the forest in volume two; seeing the etherial nature of the shading an inexact outlining on a cityscape is less enjoyable.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12

[Doc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Return of the cat.

Looking for a magician to help teach Mia to control her dangerous power Theo and her discover a fortune teller and ask for this help. However with his steadfast denial to help what are a pair of young travelers to do. In this volume Theo and Mia discover the truth about Nora the fortune teller as some thugs try to enlist him into their gang but when he refuses trouble will be brewing as Mia and Theo step up to help him whether he wants it or not. We discover the truth of Nora's partner and the secrets of his fame as well as see the return of the enormous black cat Mia summons when she see's Theo in trouble. Is it getting harder to control and will it hurt anyone significantly? I guess you'll have to read to find out for yourself. :)

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mia and Theo seek advice from a fortune teller in Karatope as the look for a wizard to help Mia learn how to control her magic. The fortune teller may or may not be reliable, but he definitely seems to need Mia and Theo's help.

I love Mia and Theo's kind hearts. The dialogue in this one was a little harder to follow than the first two so not as enjoyable for me, but I'm wondering if that is a translation issue. Looking forward to the next book in their adventures.

Notes on content: 3-4 minor swears. No sexual content. The "fortune teller" is mixed up with a mean gang lord who beats him and his pet up.

[la.libreria.di_sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

In italiano sono stati pubblicati solo i primi tre volumi. Mi sono subito affezionata a questa serie.

Ho sempre cercato di non giudicare un libro dalla copertina ma in questo caso il mio istinto ha suggerito di prendere questi volumetti solo per la copertina bella. Al che mi sono detta: se la copertina è così carina allora allo stesso modo è carina la storia. E dopo aver letto tutti e tre i volumi semplicemente ho adorato. Oltre ai disegni dolcissimi la storia mi ha coinvolta molto e mi sono affezionata a Theo e poi anche a Mia. Spero che a coloro che leggeranno questa serie in futuro possano amarla come la sto amando io

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is really really good! I find this volume a little less entertaining because in my heart of hearts I felt like they would have done a little more traveling...but this is just because I know from my daughter's words (she has read the series) it ends in 5 volumes, and I feel as if this volume could have progressed things a bit more. With that said, new friends are added to the cast and crew so there is more enjoyment to be had! The mysterious black cat has returned! This book was as other readers say a 3.5-star book, but I rounded upward instead of down. It's very entertaining and Nicke deserves tons of credit for the story and art.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I am intrigued as to Mia’s background and origin and eager to see her & Theo succeed, this volume was frustrating. Theo and Nora were so close in appearance that it was hard to keep straight who-was-who. I am sad to see how far they are getting from the city where Theo lived. I was captivated by that town and the characters in his life and wish there were either side stories about them or a return to that setting. In addition, there was also very little plot movement in this volume. If I have to wait a year between volumes, I expect more development in the story.

[LaurelineAndchouki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je le dis à chaque tome mais je suis subjuguée par la couverture, par le travail d'illustration tout au long du tome. Le trait de dessin est fin, original et juste sublime.

L'histoire de nos deux amis se poursuit. Mia et guérit elle va donc pouvoir partir à la recherche d'un professeur pour apprendre à maîtriser ses pouvoirs. Toujours accompagnée de son ami Théo, les mystères apparaissent petit à petit et la relation entre nos personnages se précise petit à petit.
Hâte de voir les tomes suivants pour en découvrir plus sur Mia et son histoire.

[Drine Psylook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le deux était tellement bien et annonçait une histoire intéressante, que je suis un peu déçue par ce manga. J’ai moins aimé ce troisième tome.
Théo et Mia sont tout aussi sympathiques que dans les précédents mais je suis incapable de déterminer ce que j’éprouve pour Nora.
J’ai nettement moins aimé les dessins. Je les ai trouvés moins beaux, moins travaillés, davantage brouillon.
https://psylook.kimengumi.fr/2020/12/...

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un manga toujours aussi beau, mais j'ai trouvé l'histoire moins prenante que dans les deux premiers tomes, sûrement parce que ce tome est plus court que les précédents. J'aime cependant toujours autant les dessins, ils donnent tout son charme l'histoire et pour ça, j'attends la suite avec impatience !

[holly rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite from the series so far, but of course I still love it! Nicke’s artistry is simply breathtaking every time I open one of her books. I especially loved the little tidbit she put at the end about her visit to a French Christmas market! That was so sweet, especially her reaction to the funhouse! I laughed so hard.

[Eléonore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ce tome suit bien la logique des deux premiers, bien que Théo et Mia n'avancent pas du tout dans leur quête. Ils traversent des aventures, se font un nouvel ami, mais on ne sait rien de plus et c'est assez dommage, j'espère que les tomes suivants apportent les réponses aux questions sans nous bâcler.

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm already long lost. This volume is relatively self-contained but I'm struggling to remember how this all ties to the overarching story (definitely a me problem, not necessarily indicative of the quality of the writing)

[Courtney Kleefeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really cute manga--the plot is picking up a bit and I'm starting to understand/recognize some of the potential overarching themes of the series. I still absolutely love the artwork. That alone is part of what keeps me reading this one. It's very aesthetically pleasing for me and whimsical.