Scan barcode
liralen's review
4.0
This graphic novel is chaos—and that's exactly how Countess Seraphine Marie-Geneviève Alexandrina de Notre-Dame Chancies du Jousselinier Senestre lez Castiche de l'Auberivière sié l'Ostel de la Colline would have it.
Call her Serine—she may not know how to read, but she knows that her name is a mouthful, and she has better ways to spend her time...like turning the palace upside-down in her quest for adventure (and a better life), befriending chambermaids and executioners, and riddle-and-rhyming her way in and out of scrape after scrape. (Serine though she may be, serene she is not.)
Tidy, sharp illustrations add to the lively feel of The Court Charade, while the pastel colour scheme (done with watercolours, I think?) make this just a pleasure to look at. The plot requires a bit of suspension of disbelief, but then...it's a graphic novel. I'm also not entirely sure what age range is intended for the audience here—I suspect it would be considered an all-ages comic in France (and: my non-American parents wouldn't have taken issue with it when I was a kid), but more conservative American audiences might occasionally find it a bit, ah, French. (The adults, anyway. The kids would just find it funny.)
At about a hundred pages, this is long for a comic book but relatively slim for a graphic novel, and I'm a little bit sorry that it isn't in comic form. It's fun enough as a book that I'd love to see it as an adventure series—Serine's scrapes and adventures continuing on and on.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a free review copy through NetGalley.
Call her Serine—she may not know how to read, but she knows that her name is a mouthful, and she has better ways to spend her time...like turning the palace upside-down in her quest for adventure (and a better life), befriending chambermaids and executioners, and riddle-and-rhyming her way in and out of scrape after scrape. (Serine though she may be, serene she is not.)
Tidy, sharp illustrations add to the lively feel of The Court Charade, while the pastel colour scheme (done with watercolours, I think?) make this just a pleasure to look at. The plot requires a bit of suspension of disbelief, but then...it's a graphic novel. I'm also not entirely sure what age range is intended for the audience here—I suspect it would be considered an all-ages comic in France (and: my non-American parents wouldn't have taken issue with it when I was a kid), but more conservative American audiences might occasionally find it a bit, ah, French. (The adults, anyway. The kids would just find it funny.)
At about a hundred pages, this is long for a comic book but relatively slim for a graphic novel, and I'm a little bit sorry that it isn't in comic form. It's fun enough as a book that I'd love to see it as an adventure series—Serine's scrapes and adventures continuing on and on.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a free review copy through NetGalley.
jessicah95's review
3.0
This was an entertaining enough story but neither the artwork or font used were really to my tastes.
I thought at first this might be aimed at children, but quite early on there’s some wordplay around the phrase ‘cocky stunt’, and then some bare breasts literally pop out of a corset, so it decidedly is not... It’s a bit strange tone wise though as the protagonist Serine is introduced as a ‘young girl’ and I had the feeling she was a preteen, so maybe this is intended as YA or perhaps it’s just an odd comic for adults.
Either way, the ending was pretty cute and there’s a few twists and turns along the way, so would recommend checking out to those who are more a fan of this art style.
Thanks to Europe Comics for providing an ebook of this via Netgalley for review!
I thought at first this might be aimed at children, but quite early on there’s some wordplay around the phrase ‘cocky stunt’, and then some bare breasts literally pop out of a corset, so it decidedly is not... It’s a bit strange tone wise though as the protagonist Serine is introduced as a ‘young girl’ and I had the feeling she was a preteen, so maybe this is intended as YA or perhaps it’s just an odd comic for adults.
Either way, the ending was pretty cute and there’s a few twists and turns along the way, so would recommend checking out to those who are more a fan of this art style.
Thanks to Europe Comics for providing an ebook of this via Netgalley for review!
twivea's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
this comic was great! i loved the drawing style and all the little details made me fall in love with it even more. the colors were really nice and went well with the story.
i liked the plot, it was funny and lighthearted. the main character, a young girl named serine was brilliant: i liked her personality, her determination, her humor and her ability to adapt to different situations.
i definitely recommend this book, i'm sure it will be enjoyed by all fans of historical comics!
thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
i liked the plot, it was funny and lighthearted. the main character, a young girl named serine was brilliant: i liked her personality, her determination, her humor and her ability to adapt to different situations.
i definitely recommend this book, i'm sure it will be enjoyed by all fans of historical comics!
thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
quietnyx's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review. This is a very sweet story about Serine a down on her luck duchess. First off the art is beautiful and is what drew me to this story to begin with; the soft, watercolor style just really worked for this book. Serine is a charming, witty protagonist who just seems to stumble into things both good and bad. The story is a little convoluted, which I think works for what the author was going for, but there was a point towards the beginning where I was thinking "What is happening? This isn't making sense." And I can see that turning off some readers.
saccalai's review
4.0
Serine decides to restore her family name by becoming a lady in waiting for the queen, but after being ridiculed and teased, she cleverly finds a new way to survive at court.
I liked how clever Serine was, using her wits to get through tasks and questions set to her. She seems to have much more fun after being fired by the queen. the friendships she makes on the way are so sweet and the way they support her is touching.
The artwork is lovely too, full of movement. I think it really showed the people's true characters.
I liked how clever Serine was, using her wits to get through tasks and questions set to her. She seems to have much more fun after being fired by the queen. the friendships she makes on the way are so sweet and the way they support her is touching.
The artwork is lovely too, full of movement. I think it really showed the people's true characters.
mimiathereader's review
4.0
Ridiculously funny and funilly ridiculous.
A young girl goes to court but she does not fit in. Not at all - she's not sophisticated and prim and proper, and she knows how to defend herself in a court bent on sending her away and has a particular way with words. She ends up on all sorts of scrapes that, weirdly, she can always turn in her favour. And we get to see it all of it. What's more, see it in great and funny drawings, although I'd say some are not for kids.
This is an over the top, ridiculous book and I enjoyed it a lot for that.
I opened the book to see how long it was and, when I noticed, I had finished the whole thing!
I received a digital copy of this book via NetGalley and I'm, voluntarily, leaving a review.
A young girl goes to court but she does not fit in. Not at all - she's not sophisticated and prim and proper, and she knows how to defend herself in a court bent on sending her away and has a particular way with words. She ends up on all sorts of scrapes that, weirdly, she can always turn in her favour. And we get to see it all of it. What's more, see it in great and funny drawings, although I'd say some are not for kids.
This is an over the top, ridiculous book and I enjoyed it a lot for that.
I opened the book to see how long it was and, when I noticed, I had finished the whole thing!
I received a digital copy of this book via NetGalley and I'm, voluntarily, leaving a review.
halfbloodprincess_hogwarts's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Serine is a sweet character who adored her brothers and wanted to be taught to read. But, her mother did not care and wanted her tutored into being a proper lady.
She was horribly harassed and mistreated as the queens possible lady in waiting. I felt it was far too much dialogue...I became impatient and focused on then illustrations instead. It was quite beautiful.
She was horribly harassed and mistreated as the queens possible lady in waiting. I felt it was far too much dialogue...I became impatient and focused on then illustrations instead. It was quite beautiful.
katie_in_creativeland_'s review
mysterious
slow-paced
2.0
What did I even just read? This was not good. The art was the best thing about this book, it was entertaining, but the story made absolutely zero sense.
claires_loveofbooks2020's review
fast-paced
4.0
What a fun quirky read, most of it was in rhymes but it had a good plot to it aswell, quite comical in places.
lubleu's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
The best protagonists are the ones that feel that they fit perfectly into the story. There isn't a world morphing to incorporate them, and events are happening to the other characters as well as them, giving a fuller plot with higher stakes. Thus, Serine.
She is a spritely young woman, much to her mother's chagrin, who only has plans for her daughter's betrothal for the betterment of the family. Serine adores her younger brothers but has her own plans for her life; she will become one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting. Everyone either doubts her or is irritated by her, but Serine has a knack for getting into places and trouble.
Put simply, this is a thoroughly fun story. There are great moments of wit and silliness balanced alongside true dangers and harsh realities. The book plays with the graphic format, including full page spreads and varying panel layouts that keep each page interesting.
For the most part, the art style is nice; it conveys the story well and is consistent with the character details so they are easily recognisable, even after major changes. Periodically, the style lacks finer detail, which for the most part doesn't impact the narrative, but occasionally it would have benefitted to see more of, or a clearer view, of a character's expression.
She is a spritely young woman, much to her mother's chagrin, who only has plans for her daughter's betrothal for the betterment of the family. Serine adores her younger brothers but has her own plans for her life; she will become one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting. Everyone either doubts her or is irritated by her, but Serine has a knack for getting into places and trouble.
Put simply, this is a thoroughly fun story. There are great moments of wit and silliness balanced alongside true dangers and harsh realities. The book plays with the graphic format, including full page spreads and varying panel layouts that keep each page interesting.
For the most part, the art style is nice; it conveys the story well and is consistent with the character details so they are easily recognisable, even after major changes. Periodically, the style lacks finer detail, which for the most part doesn't impact the narrative, but occasionally it would have benefitted to see more of, or a clearer view, of a character's expression.