2 out of 5

…Really starting to push it, here.

Promised Neverland has, since book 1‘s revelations, existed on the fringe of smart – it more often errs toward dumb – but writer Kaiu Shirai has inputted enough character repartee to make it worth it, and it’s all cast in this over-the-top tone (supported by artist Posuka Demizu’s fish-eye angles and expressive emoting) that has buoyed the relatively silly plot twists.  It’s helped that Shirai has proven willing to back himself into corners that he writes his way out of amusingly, and also laid down some clear stakes to prove that things can and will go wrong.

This didn’t prevent trouble from creeping in once the story moved into the forest, as the world-building started to seem much more suspiciously made for convenience and plot contrivance than anything else, but again, once he got his characters somewhere that allowed for conversation mingled with action, things bounced back.

…Very temporarily.  The two main revelations in this volume – one related to the demons, the other the discovery of what was waiting at the end of Emma’s / Ray’s / The Geezer’s trek – are, to the former, sinfully stupid, and to the latter, just kind of boring.  The demon lore has been woefully lacking, and both of these pieces just underline that sensation.

It’s a lightning fast read, which is why it’s not necessarily unenjoyable, but I’ll express again that I hope the series gains a clearer sense of direction in the near future.