A colorful, diverting paranormal tale and first-rate follow-up to the live-action TV show.
A mysterious entity threatens fairies and their magical school in Cuartero-Briggs’ YA graphic novel and fantasy series launch.
This graphic novel picks up where the two-season Netflix series of the same name left off. Bloom Peters, who wields powerful Dragon Flame, has disappeared by choice. Now the school she left—Alfea College, where fairies and non-magical Specialists hone their skills—is without clear leadership. When seemingly possessed animals suddenly attack the campus, students Aisha, Terra, Musa, and others fight them off. That’s all it takes for Luna, Queen of Solaria (one of the realms of the magical Otherworld), to put the school under military control and protection. To prove they’re united and to get Luna to “stand down,” the friends decide they need to find Bloom. Stella, a fairy, uses her powers to make everyone see Bloom in her place while Musa searches the Realm of Darkness, where the dead usually go and where Bloom is hiding out. The clock is ticking as the animal attacks continue; if Bloom doesn’t leave the Realm of Darkness soon, her stay will be permanent. Cuartero-Briggs here deftly reestablishes the streaming series’ cast of characters, including romantic couple Terra and Specialist Kat. There’s an even blend of melodrama and magic throughout; in between battles with snarling, red-eyed beasts, Stella frets over her mother, the queen, choosing someone else as her successor (“I know I said I didn’t want the responsibility…but I was scared, mother!”). This smartly simple tale bounces back and forth between chaos at the school and Bloom’s dilemma in the Realm of Darkness (will her potent Dragon Flame inadvertently hurt her loved ones in the Otherworld?). It all culminates in a stellar, twisty final act that will leave readers itching for the next installment. Gillenardo-Goudreau’s illustrations superbly depict the diverse characters’ assorted facial expressions along with their keen fashion sense.
A colorful, diverting paranormal tale and first-rate follow-up to the live-action TV show.Pub Date: July 30, 2024
ISBN: 9781960578938
Page Count: 102
Publisher: Maverick
Review Posted Online: July 10, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Flipping awesome.
After a wish goes wrong, a girl and her crush must figure out how to break a body-switching curse.
Chi-Chi Ekeh feels invisible. Like her previous crushes, hot varsity swimmer Flip Henderson—yet another rich white boy at her Texas boarding school—seems unaware of her existence. With only weeks until graduation, Nigerian American Chi-Chi’s friends Esther and Yesenia dare her to ask Flip to Senior Festival. But Flip accidentally shows her promposal video to the whole class—and immediately turns her down. Embarrassed, Chi-Chi flees, but her innocent remark—“I just wish Flip Henderson liked me”—has unexpected consequences. After falling and hitting her head, Chi-Chi wakes up in Flip’s body, and he in hers. Freaked out beyond belief and regularly switching bodies, Chi-Chi and Flip work with Esther and Yesenia to break the curse. Meanwhile, forced to see herself through someone else’s eyes, Chi-Chi must confront uncomfortable feelings. There’s much to love about this book. The fully realized and sympathetic characters, sincere and humorous development of friendships, and protagonist’s relatable and bittersweet emotional journey will keep readers engaged, eager to reach the resolution. Ukazu carefully balances tough topics like self-hatred, depression, and suicidal ideation with funny feel-good moments, deftly rendered in her characteristically expressive style. The dynamic and engaging illustrations bring to life a heartwarming story of self-love, acceptance, and true connection.
Flipping awesome. (author’s note) (Graphic fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9781250179517
Page Count: 320
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
Hinds adds another magnificent adaptation to his oeuvre (King Lear, 2009, etc.) with this stunning graphic retelling of Homer’s epic. Following Odysseus’s journey to return home to his beloved wife, Penelope, readers are transported into a world that easily combines the realistic and the fantastic. Gods mingle with the mortals, and not heeding their warnings could lead to quick danger; being mere men, Odysseus and his crew often make hasty errors in judgment and must face challenging consequences. Lush watercolors move with fluid lines throughout this reimagining. The artist’s use of color is especially striking: His battle scenes are ample, bloodily scarlet affairs, and Polyphemus’s cave is a stifling orange; he depicts the underworld as a colorless, mirthless void, domestic spaces in warm tans, the all-encircling sea in a light Mediterranean blue and some of the far-away islands in almost tangibly growing greens. Don’t confuse this hefty, respectful adaptation with some of the other recent ones; this one holds nothing back and is proudly, grittily realistic rather than cheerfully cartoonish. Big, bold, beautiful. (notes) (Graphic classic. YA)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4266-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2010
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
