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1siobhan's review
3.0
*I reiceved an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free comic.*
France, early 1900s. When their father is killed, the three Francœur children fully rely on their mother to support them in the slums of the city. When she has to leave too, a mysterious stranger who knew their father shows up. Aristophania takes the three children in whilst also employing her mysterious powers to fight against evil. Yet the children cannot accept the new boundaries as they want to know the truth: who killed their father and why? Where is their mother? And what is the Countess Aristophania really up to?
The story is a mixture of fantasy and realism, the comic is well drawn and interesting to read. (I had some problems reading the text of the comic which is why my rating is a bit lower than the story deserves.)
3,5 Stars.
France, early 1900s. When their father is killed, the three Francœur children fully rely on their mother to support them in the slums of the city. When she has to leave too, a mysterious stranger who knew their father shows up. Aristophania takes the three children in whilst also employing her mysterious powers to fight against evil. Yet the children cannot accept the new boundaries as they want to know the truth: who killed their father and why? Where is their mother? And what is the Countess Aristophania really up to?
The story is a mixture of fantasy and realism, the comic is well drawn and interesting to read. (I had some problems reading the text of the comic which is why my rating is a bit lower than the story deserves.)
3,5 Stars.
tactical_peanut's review
2.0
The art was breathtaking and I wish I could just judge Aristophania on that, because then it would have easily gotten 5 stars, but unfortunately the characters were all unlikeable and the story never actually took off.
elna17a9a's review
3.0
Received via Netgalley for review.
I'm not sure if it's because I was reading on a computer, but some of the text wasn't the easiest to read. The text boxes had a lot crammed into them, and the words became kind of blurry.
I don't mind that we didn't get a lot of background on the kingdom of Azur and the children's father and his place in the court - the context clues were enough to figure out what was going on. The artwork was beautifully matched to the tone of the story (drab and colorless for the slums, bright and beautiful for Azur), and the characters were distinct and well-realized.
I'm not sure if it's because I was reading on a computer, but some of the text wasn't the easiest to read. The text boxes had a lot crammed into them, and the words became kind of blurry.
I don't mind that we didn't get a lot of background on the kingdom of Azur and the children's father and his place in the court - the context clues were enough to figure out what was going on. The artwork was beautifully matched to the tone of the story (drab and colorless for the slums, bright and beautiful for Azur), and the characters were distinct and well-realized.
isobelsnotesss's review
2.0
Advanced reading copy supplied from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
Hearing that this was a fantasy set in early 1900s Paris I was very excited going into it. It had a great intriguing start and... kind of tailed off into boredom for the majority of the pages. I think a lot of it was too text heavy and the colour palette for the slums was just boring to read. Obviously, there's not really a way to make a slum colourful, but the boring brown nature of it took away some of the excitement.
Still, the reveals near the end were interesting and I'm sure the rest of the series will be very good. I just don't think this comic was a very engaging start to the story.
Hearing that this was a fantasy set in early 1900s Paris I was very excited going into it. It had a great intriguing start and... kind of tailed off into boredom for the majority of the pages. I think a lot of it was too text heavy and the colour palette for the slums was just boring to read. Obviously, there's not really a way to make a slum colourful, but the boring brown nature of it took away some of the excitement.
Still, the reveals near the end were interesting and I'm sure the rest of the series will be very good. I just don't think this comic was a very engaging start to the story.
kleonard's review
3.0
I liked this first installment in a French graphic novel series. This volume establishes the setting in 1900 France, and provides us with an origin story for the three protagonists. These are impoverished siblings, Victor, Basile, and Calixte Francoeur, whose father is killed and whose mother has been sent to prison. Enter a mysterious older lady of considerable wealth and power, Aristophania, who takes the children to her estate . After the children witness magic and unexplained events, Aristophania explains that their father was a member of the same magical order as she, and they can choose to join her in it or continue in their mundane lives. I'm a little leery of the rich-person-fixes-it-all trope indicated by this first volume and the somewhat stereotyped and as-yet mostly undeveloped children--the fighter, the scholar, the innocent--but I'd like to read more. The art is gorgeous and evocative.
mouseg's review
3.0
Three children are hiding in Paris and end up in a magical land. This is the beginning of their story. This gave me Chronicles of Narnia vibes.
I enjoyed the art in this, but I think my favourite was the black and white panels at the beginning. The first half of the comic is very brown and dull, probably how the poor part of early 1900s Paris was. Once we pass into the land of Azur, we end up in a sea of green. I wonder if the magic is connected to the earth?
3.5 stars
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed the art in this, but I think my favourite was the black and white panels at the beginning. The first half of the comic is very brown and dull, probably how the poor part of early 1900s Paris was. Once we pass into the land of Azur, we end up in a sea of green. I wonder if the magic is connected to the earth?
3.5 stars
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
escapinginpaper's review
3.0
** Free copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. **
Aristophania follows three young siblings in early 1900s Paris. Raised by their mother after their father was killed, the Francœur siblings have only known struggle. When their mother is arrested and they find themselves alone, the Francœur children encounter a mysterious and magical woman claiming to know their father.
I definitely liked the premise of this story - I love magical worlds that exist on the fringe of the "normal" world. In a lot of ways, this read as Dickens meets high fantasy, and I loved the mood that gave.
I did feel a little let down, however. Reading this felt simply like a "taste" - almost like reading a prologue rather than a fully developed novel.
Technically speaking, I also need to criticize the choice of font for the speech bubbles. It was incredibly difficult to read, especially on a screen. (Granted, I did read an ARC, so maybe this has been changed since publishing?)
Lastly, (I always have to say something about the art), the art was a major positive. Very well-drawn and appealing to look at. I especially applaud the use of color to emphasize mood and setting.
Overall, this story showed promise, even though I felt a bit unfulfilled. I'm intrigued enough to probably pick up volume two.
Aristophania follows three young siblings in early 1900s Paris. Raised by their mother after their father was killed, the Francœur siblings have only known struggle. When their mother is arrested and they find themselves alone, the Francœur children encounter a mysterious and magical woman claiming to know their father.
I definitely liked the premise of this story - I love magical worlds that exist on the fringe of the "normal" world. In a lot of ways, this read as Dickens meets high fantasy, and I loved the mood that gave.
I did feel a little let down, however. Reading this felt simply like a "taste" - almost like reading a prologue rather than a fully developed novel.
Technically speaking, I also need to criticize the choice of font for the speech bubbles. It was incredibly difficult to read, especially on a screen. (Granted, I did read an ARC, so maybe this has been changed since publishing?)
Lastly, (I always have to say something about the art), the art was a major positive. Very well-drawn and appealing to look at. I especially applaud the use of color to emphasize mood and setting.
Overall, this story showed promise, even though I felt a bit unfulfilled. I'm intrigued enough to probably pick up volume two.
litwtchreads's review
3.0
Not a bad book, not too great either. I enjoyed the artwork but the plot felt almost rushed and it was hard to read the text at times which didn't make it easy to understand as well.
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