The perfect beach read for shōjo manga fans who like a little fantasy magic with their love triangles.
Aquatic adolescence meets magical girl intrigue in this surfside romantic comedy.
Sea sprite Coral works as a surf instructor for a hotel. She has a little stepsister, Maki, who is a kappa. Maki’s father, Taki, runs a boba shop and is married to Coral’s mom, Leora, who is a fashion designer. Coral’s friends include siren Anemone, whose legs turn into twin fish tails when wet, and dryad Lillyana, who has plant powers and a penchant for nudity. Maki teases Coral about her huge crush on Nick Inferno, a fire ifrit. In fact, there are plenty of crushes to go around in this story. Coral also finds Lance Riptide, the hotel owner’s privileged son, irresistibly cute, and Lillyana subjugates a boys’ volleyball team with giant plants in order to flirt with them. On top of that, the student body at Littoral High School is gaga for Nick and Ember, his “smoking hot” billboard model twin sister. The romantic comedy and drama that ensue take center stage along with a touch of mystery around Coral’s secret powers and missing father. The full-color artwork gives each anthropomorphic species its own palette (for example, kappas are green, while ifrits are yellow and orange) and frequently shows off the cast’s buff and curvaceous swimsuit bodies.
The perfect beach read for shōjo manga fans who like a little fantasy magic with their love triangles. (bonus comics) (Graphic fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781645059790
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Seven Seas
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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