Fence Vol. 3 (Fence #3) by C.S. Pacat & Johanna the Mad

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Other creators involved in the making of this comic bind-up include: Colors by Joana LaFuente, Lettering by Jim Campbell

🌻 Fence Vol. 1 – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Fence Vol. 2 – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I believe in all of you. As a team, I believe we can win the state championships.”

Readers, this is probably my favorite volume thus far in the Fence series! This volume completely took me by storm and while I love the first two volumes, volume three is on a whole other level. From the diversities to the high tension, my breath was hitching this whole entire time. Everything this volume delivers is perfection and I’m so upset that it’s over already. I’m ready for that next volume, stat! I really want more because these characters are absolutely wonderful and the atmosphere is so easily to get caught up in. I could literally talk your ear off about how much I loved this volume. Okay, enough of me gushing and let’s talk details.

With volume one and two, we had many levels. Think of this series as a giant onion and we, as the reader, are slowly peeling back the layers to this series, these characters, and Fence as a whole. This volume was very emotional focused. The stakes are higher, some of the characters are right at the tip of losing everything, and we get some really intimate moments between characters and family members. We truly see so much diversity in this series and the moment the word family was dropped in this book, I was all over it! We even get more tension building between Nicholas and Seiji, which I almost died. But my favorite so far has been the truly intimate moment shared between Tanner and Kally. They are my OTP and I was living for their little moment. And we do get scenes with Bobby, but we really could have used more scenes with Bobby!

My truly favorite part about this volume was the various family dynamics. I’m a complete sucker for any book with diverse family dynamics. I come from various family dynamics and seeing so many family dynamics had me feeling some kind of soft and sappy. We don’t see a lot of diverse families in books and for a graphic novel to come out and throw so many into the mix, it’s a win for those of us who come from different family structures. If I had to pick one of the best moments in this book, the families all coming together under one roof and seeing all the fencers interact with their families would be at the top of my list.

As with every graphic novel that turns into a bind up, I like to do a spoiler free breakdown (to the best of my ability). I did this for the first and second volume and now I’m going to do it for this volume as well. If you haven’t read Fence Vol. 1 yet, then please go do so or at least read my review for the first volume. The next portion may contain spoilers, but I will do my best to keep it as spoiler free as I possibly can.

🌻 Chapter Nine – This chapter kicks off with Nicholas vs. Kally. The stakes are high this time for both fencers. If either of them loses this match, they won’t make the team. Nicholas shows his speed and Kally shares the memories they had since they made it onto the fencing team. It’s a bitter-sweet kind of chapter. However, Seiji ends up finding himself watching Nicholas’s match. The ending of this chapter left me holding my breath and if it wasn’t a spoiler, I’d tell you what it is.

🌻 Chapter Ten – All the families are introduced. They’ve all come to see their fencers and wish them luck at making the team. Even though it’s an emotional time for all the fencers, Nicholas and Seiji have unfinished business with one another. It all boils down to this match, Nicholas vs. Seiji, but when they come together something remarkable happens that no one except Coach has noticed before. This chapter is full of high tension and emotions, but the ending between Seiji and Nicholas is completely precious.

🌻 Chapter Eleven – The beginning of this chapter starts with Seiji and Nicholas in awkwardness. However, the tides soon get turned when Eugene’s family comes to stand with them. We begin to learn more about Eugene and why fencing is some important to him and his family. We also learn about how hard Eugene’s mother works so she can send Eugene to school to fence and I’m not going to lie, I got really soft and sappy at this. We also see Aiden vs. Jay in this chapter. This match is super important for Nicholas and Eugene because this is the match that will determine whether or not they make the fencing team. The stakes are high and there’s a sense of doom looming in the air. There’s also a lot of glimpses of Jay’s feelings and what happened between him and Aiden. The ending of this chapter ends on a bittersweet note with Seiji giving Eugene some tips and Nicholas walking out.

🌻 Chapter Twelve – Everything boils down to this chapter. All of the fencers find out who will make the spots on the fencing team. Eugene and Nicholas are both up for the reservation spot, but neither of them wants to let on about how they’re really feeling. And after all of this time, Seiji finally calls Nicholas by his name! My two precious cinnamon rolls are making slow strides and I’m living for each moment! Also, Coach’s reactions are absolutely perfect for each circumstance that happens, she deserves more credit! Bobby and Dante make a brief appearance, it’s a bittersweet moment. And soon enough, Harvard is breaking everyone out of their classes and taking the fencing team on a little adventure. This whole chapter concludes with Aiden and Jay talking things out.

“But when they’re together – something extraordinary happens.”

Overall, I don’t want this series to end. I’m not ready for it to be over and I need the next volume right now! The complete wrap up of this graphic novel was just perfect and I can’t get enough of these characters. I’m eager to see Nicholas and Seiji’s relationship bloom and grow. I’m super excited just not excited about the waiting. If you haven’t picked this series up yet then please give it the chance it deserves. It’s such a good series and these characters will make you fall in love with them.