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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
So much love. This is exactly the sort of story I've always devoured--fairy tales turned on their head with princesses breaking out of the allotted mold. I knew this was off to a promising start when young heroine/protagonist Adrienne begins arguing with her mother's bedtime story about a princess locked in a tower, setting the stage for her own eventual imprisonment. But Adrienne's story takes on a different trajectory as she befriends the dragon guarding her ("Sparky"), and they take off to rescue her sisters, trapped in their own far-away towers.
I have an unabashed love for anything that takes on fantasy tropes like boob armor, and this one delivered with its spoof on popular, impractical "warrior women" armor (one make is known as the Sonya, and another the Diana, and the latter only comes with a rope and bangles, no weapons or shields--hysterical). There were other delightful allusions to pop culture (watch for the Skyrim nod!), rounding out an altogether snarky, delightful read.
Reminded me of a cleaner version of [b:Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery|20299683|Rat Queens, Vol. 1 Sass & Sorcery|Kurtis J. Wiebe|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391292341s/20299683.jpg|28133255], one that I could happily hand to a middle-grade reader looking for a story with kickass girls.
I have an unabashed love for anything that takes on fantasy tropes like boob armor, and this one delivered with its spoof on popular, impractical "warrior women" armor (one make is known as the Sonya, and another the Diana, and the latter only comes with a rope and bangles, no weapons or shields--hysterical). There were other delightful allusions to pop culture (watch for the Skyrim nod!), rounding out an altogether snarky, delightful read.
Reminded me of a cleaner version of [b:Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery|20299683|Rat Queens, Vol. 1 Sass & Sorcery|Kurtis J. Wiebe|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391292341s/20299683.jpg|28133255], one that I could happily hand to a middle-grade reader looking for a story with kickass girls.
Awesome GN for MS-aged kiddos (even upper elementary; there's swordfighting but not a ton of gore, cruelty but nothing unconscionable, and scary-looking monsters who aren't ALL scary #notallmonsters) that combats the Disney princess tropes our society puts so much stock in. Good to start a conversation about in conjunction with reading some original fairy tales by Andersen, Perrault, & the Brothers Grimm to show that not all fairy tales got a gender stereotype makeover by Walt Disney in the 20th century.
The comic opens with a classic princess story, being read to Princess Adrienne by her mother. But Adrienne is not meant to follow the classic path. Her father locks up all of his daughters in towers around the kingdom, hoping for a gallant and talented knight to prove his worth by rescuing one of them and earn her hand in marriage to become heir to the throne. He refuses to consider his own children as heirs because he believes girls shouldn't rule and his one son prefers theater and poetry over fighting.
But you know who does like to fight? Adrienne. One day she gets sick of waiting in her tower and decides to rescue herself and her sisters. She has befriended her dragon and finds a sword under her bed, and sets off on an adventure.
An entertaining story with lots of action, witty comebacks, nerdy allusions, and pushing back against society's sexist constraints. There's even a scene where Adrienne points out to the blacksmith that women's armor should focus on actually protecting the body rather than being sexy. She also deals with being catcalled.
I am definitely interested in reading the rest of the series.
But you know who does like to fight? Adrienne. One day she gets sick of waiting in her tower and decides to rescue herself and her sisters. She has befriended her dragon and finds a sword under her bed, and sets off on an adventure.
An entertaining story with lots of action, witty comebacks, nerdy allusions, and pushing back against society's sexist constraints. There's even a scene where Adrienne points out to the blacksmith that women's armor should focus on actually protecting the body rather than being sexy. She also deals with being catcalled.
I am definitely interested in reading the rest of the series.
Loved this. It basically is all about being able to rescue yourself and breaking traditional gender roles. I would recommend this to any tween. Good stuff for the most part.
3.5/5 stars
This is a really fun, funny, feminist, fantasy graphic novel that young readers are sure to love. (Enough f-words for you?) Jeremy Whitely set out to write a story about a strong, young black woman for his daughter to look up to, and for the most part he's done a great job. This book isn't without problems, however.
Pros first:
-It's super funny. The political jokes are especially spot-on, although younger kids might not get them.
-The commentary on female armor was definitely the best part. Because it's SO TRUE, female superhero costumes are super impractical. And when women wear male armor, where the hell do the boobs go?
-The dragon, Sparky, is so adorable. I like that Adrienne is partially fighting for animal rights.
-Almost all of the main characters are black.
-Adrienne isn't only a black female, she's also SHORT! As a short woman myself, I love love love this. In a lot of action and fantasy stories, the message is, "Yah women can kick ass, as long as they're as tall as the men. Otherwise, no way."
-Small hints of LGBT characters. (Both male and female.)
Now the cons:
-One of the characters is a "dwarf"... but he's not a Tyrion Lannister kind of person who was born with dwarfism. He's a completely different species, like the dwarfs in Lord of the Rings. I don't like these kinds of "dwarfs" in fantasy stories. I think it's offensive. There are people with dwarfism in real life, and they are just as human as the rest of us.
-I haven't read the other volumes in the series, but I can see them going over the line between "awesome feminism" to "lazy gender reversal." It's not enough to dress your female characters in armor and have them kick ass. You have to make them believable characters with quirks and weaknesses. Otherwise, they're just stock-male characters with tits. So far, I think Adrienne has personality, but I'd have to see how she behaves in more situations to know for sure if she's a good character.
-It's kind of choppy, and at the times the subplots are confusing.
-Biggest issue: It's not clear who this series is intended for. The age of the characters, the jokes, and some of the themes seem to suggest that it's meant to be YA. But because it's not very long and so far lacks violence, and well... because it's in my hands and not with the young adult librarians... it sort of also wants to be middle grade. I think it's okay for some books to cross-over, but I feel like if this story committed to being YA it could be awesome. If it holds back on teenage themes it could end up being super corny or full of plot-holes. And if it wanted to commit to being middle grade, I think Adrienne would have to be a little younger.
So yah, I'm excited to read the next one, but prepared to be disappointed.
This is a really fun, funny, feminist, fantasy graphic novel that young readers are sure to love. (Enough f-words for you?) Jeremy Whitely set out to write a story about a strong, young black woman for his daughter to look up to, and for the most part he's done a great job. This book isn't without problems, however.
Pros first:
-It's super funny. The political jokes are especially spot-on, although younger kids might not get them.
-The commentary on female armor was definitely the best part. Because it's SO TRUE, female superhero costumes are super impractical. And when women wear male armor, where the hell do the boobs go?
-The dragon, Sparky, is so adorable. I like that Adrienne is partially fighting for animal rights.
-Almost all of the main characters are black.
-Adrienne isn't only a black female, she's also SHORT! As a short woman myself, I love love love this. In a lot of action and fantasy stories, the message is, "Yah women can kick ass, as long as they're as tall as the men. Otherwise, no way."
-Small hints of LGBT characters. (Both male and female.)
Now the cons:
-One of the characters is a "dwarf"... but he's not a Tyrion Lannister kind of person who was born with dwarfism. He's a completely different species, like the dwarfs in Lord of the Rings. I don't like these kinds of "dwarfs" in fantasy stories. I think it's offensive. There are people with dwarfism in real life, and they are just as human as the rest of us.
-I haven't read the other volumes in the series, but I can see them going over the line between "awesome feminism" to "lazy gender reversal." It's not enough to dress your female characters in armor and have them kick ass. You have to make them believable characters with quirks and weaknesses. Otherwise, they're just stock-male characters with tits. So far, I think Adrienne has personality, but I'd have to see how she behaves in more situations to know for sure if she's a good character.
-It's kind of choppy, and at the times the subplots are confusing.
-Biggest issue: It's not clear who this series is intended for. The age of the characters, the jokes, and some of the themes seem to suggest that it's meant to be YA. But because it's not very long and so far lacks violence, and well... because it's in my hands and not with the young adult librarians... it sort of also wants to be middle grade. I think it's okay for some books to cross-over, but I feel like if this story committed to being YA it could be awesome. If it holds back on teenage themes it could end up being super corny or full of plot-holes. And if it wanted to commit to being middle grade, I think Adrienne would have to be a little younger.
So yah, I'm excited to read the next one, but prepared to be disappointed.
SO MANY HEART EYES. uhhhh a kids comic book where the princess takes her freedom into her own hands and then goes on to kick ass and join forces with other women??? Love it!
Humorous and uplifting read! Eagerly awaiting the next volume.
