Reviews

This is an absolutely lovely story about two people making their way through the woods together, getting to know each other better, stumbling, picking themselves and each other up, and very slowly but inevitably falling for each other. It's heartwarming and optimistic in the best possible way; the message isn't, "Look, all is sunny and no bad things happen, ever, as long as we have each other!" but rather, "Bad things have happened; some of the world we live in sucks; but it's still sunny, and we can heal, and we can move forward." It's very hopepunk, I would say.

The art is impossibly gorgeous. I have literally no words to express how beautiful and moving it is—just go see for yourself. I can't believe this started life as a webcomic and is still available online completely for free! I very much appreciated the fat rep: one of the main characters is unopologetically big and that doesn't stand in the way of him just... being himself. Living his life. Tracking through the woods and climbing rocks and being part naked when appropriate (no NSFW content here, btw, at least not in this volume—I'm talking about some washing up in a stream :)).

Speaking of rep, I loved the honest, sensitive depiction of being an abuse survivor and the struggles with opening up to other people and, in a way, to yourself after an experience like that. I can say the same about the depiction of nightmares and panic attacks. I recognized a lot of my own experiences in Chepi's, and some details actually hit home so hard that they had the potential to be triggering—except in every such scene, there was Janek, providing such excellent support and comfort that the scenes turned out soothing instead.

I must also note all the bits of big-scale worldbuilding gradually inserted into the small, private plot with just two characters. I can't wait to get to know more about the setting! Like, what did those dark creatures mean about the Elder? How will Janek's homeland prove different from the Empire in regards to how the fae are treated, and will it? And can I get even more details about the magic system, and the academic parts, and Chepi's family's hierarchy? So intrigued by so much of this.

Content Warnings

thelostvoid's review against another edition

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4.0

Have been meaning to pick this up for a couple of months now, and decided why not inflate the shit out of my 2022 number of books read so I can see the insane skydive that statistic will likely take in the new year. Huzzah.

In terms of the actual graphic novel, I am greatly enjoying it. Some really beautiful artwork and intriguing worldbuilding and characters and top notch conversations/discussions/inclusions of themes of belonging and love etc. Some really good stuff that I am looking forward to continuing to read online via tapas.io

corvoid's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Sometimes I was confused whether scenes belonged together or switched. But I really love the drawing style!!

lackyducks's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective slow-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

5.0

I picked this series up on impulse and I certainly don't regret it so far. A beautiful start to a slow burn with gorgeous artwork. I loved the worldbuilding throughout the book, seeing the different cultures and clothing.

I also loved the way the perspectives are told. Having the one central perspective was really nice to centre the story, whilst we learnt about the other character through a variety of different mediums. I also enjoyed the floral storytelling and the ease with which worldbuilding took place.

The relationship building over time was really well done. It felt natural. Very excited to start the next book in the series.

paulaguz's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

zizffa's review against another edition

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4.0

Literally in love with how beautiful the art is, how much thought is behind the plot, concepts and back stories. But mostly can’t get enough of the art.

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