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saramarie08's review
4.0
Aella is an adventure-loving girl stuck on a tiny island where nothing interesting ever happens. Her mother often leaves her behind to go on grand voyages, and Aella dreams of the day she can join her mother on one of her adventures. When a band of Knights comes to the island claiming to be seeking the destruction of demons, Aella's inner monster is awoken. She has the spirit of a fierce demon, Xir, inside of her, which has the destructive capabilities to wipe out life as they know it. Aella and a young knight steal away to find the seer who first told of Xir's rebirth, hoping there might be a way to expel the demon from Aella. But Aella isn't the only member of the family harboring a big secret - her mother turns out to be one of the most fearsome pirates on the known seas, and she's not giving up her powerful daughter so easily.
Read the full review, and find more graphic novel reviews, at The Graphic Library.
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher.
Read the full review, and find more graphic novel reviews, at The Graphic Library.
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher.
jabirch's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
tabby2920's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.25
Just loved the dynamic story combined with eye catching and beautiful artwork makes this to be one compelling fantasy story. I can't wait to read the second volume!
amberunmasked's review
5.0
Aella begins as the young, innocent hero without any knowledge of who she truly is other than the daughter of a Pirate Queen, Ryanna. A zealot church's army of knights is destroying all the people like her mother and magical pirate family. As the knights chase down the girl who appeared in a prophecy as the one who contains the demon Xir, the girl must make difficult decisions between the love for her family, her original good nature to avoid killing, and her first romantic love.
Aella moves from feeling powerless to being like a god. In her attempt to save everyone, she sees that violence is the only way out and death is the only way to stop people from fighting. If Kylo Ren's story was about a girl and the sea rather than a boy in space, it would be this beautifully rendered book filled with detailed panels and a select muted palette of greens, blues, and reds.
That's the basic gist of volume one. Volume two is slated for September 2023.
Here's a little more about why Sea Serpent's Heir is breathtaking: the cast is diverse and drawn with such care. Readers will get to know enough about the secondary cast members who make up Aella's family of pirates and sorcerers. This is a gang that is clearly "ride or die" for each other.
Opposing the energy of the pirates and the quiet life on Kinamen Isle, the Church of the First Light is on a quest to spread their religion like real world missionaries: first by asking; then by force. Their army is led by Captain Oren and guided by a seer named Mirena. This prophet Mirena knows about the destruction and all the many deaths that will happen, but insists it is fate and can't be changed.
Free will versus fate is an age-old plot device in any hero's journey. Aella's relatability to modern girls is that she feels cooped up under the watchful eyes of her aunts and uncle. She doesn't have any understanding or knowledge about why her mother needs her to be kept secluded and safe. As Aella discovers the truth about being sired by the powerful sea demon, Xir, she begins to see that she can make her own choices. She doesn't have to obey her mother or Xir. She can accept the powers and take her own course of action. The pain and trauma is shown in every panel of Aella through her eyes and body language. The tones of her face change when Xir is puppeting her. Even young readers are unlikely to be confused to because of the actions in the panels and the change in the lines from a soft gentle girl to a rigid monster to be feared still inside the body of the girl.
Naturally, each side—the pirates and the church—feel they are the heroes. Young knight Bashir is naïve and believes he can fix all that's wrong with the church. He thinks the violence can end if only Aella joined the church alongside him and spread a message of peace. Historically IRL, that doesn't go well. Aella takes Bashir's actions as a betrayal. She had always been obedient to her mother, her family, and then Bashir wanted her to follow his way too. She may be making enormous mistakes, but the freedom of having choices to make is more compelling to Aella than shifting her obedience to another master.
Content Note: though it's in a fantasy setting, there is a lot of human death and violence.
Skybound has a teaching guide on their site for Sea Serpent's Heir which includes Common Core pre-reading tips.
Rating: 5 stars
Aella moves from feeling powerless to being like a god. In her attempt to save everyone, she sees that violence is the only way out and death is the only way to stop people from fighting. If Kylo Ren's story was about a girl and the sea rather than a boy in space, it would be this beautifully rendered book filled with detailed panels and a select muted palette of greens, blues, and reds.
That's the basic gist of volume one. Volume two is slated for September 2023.
Here's a little more about why Sea Serpent's Heir is breathtaking: the cast is diverse and drawn with such care. Readers will get to know enough about the secondary cast members who make up Aella's family of pirates and sorcerers. This is a gang that is clearly "ride or die" for each other.
Opposing the energy of the pirates and the quiet life on Kinamen Isle, the Church of the First Light is on a quest to spread their religion like real world missionaries: first by asking; then by force. Their army is led by Captain Oren and guided by a seer named Mirena. This prophet Mirena knows about the destruction and all the many deaths that will happen, but insists it is fate and can't be changed.
Free will versus fate is an age-old plot device in any hero's journey. Aella's relatability to modern girls is that she feels cooped up under the watchful eyes of her aunts and uncle. She doesn't have any understanding or knowledge about why her mother needs her to be kept secluded and safe. As Aella discovers the truth about being sired by the powerful sea demon, Xir, she begins to see that she can make her own choices. She doesn't have to obey her mother or Xir. She can accept the powers and take her own course of action. The pain and trauma is shown in every panel of Aella through her eyes and body language. The tones of her face change when Xir is puppeting her. Even young readers are unlikely to be confused to because of the actions in the panels and the change in the lines from a soft gentle girl to a rigid monster to be feared still inside the body of the girl.
Naturally, each side—the pirates and the church—feel they are the heroes. Young knight Bashir is naïve and believes he can fix all that's wrong with the church. He thinks the violence can end if only Aella joined the church alongside him and spread a message of peace. Historically IRL, that doesn't go well. Aella takes Bashir's actions as a betrayal. She had always been obedient to her mother, her family, and then Bashir wanted her to follow his way too. She may be making enormous mistakes, but the freedom of having choices to make is more compelling to Aella than shifting her obedience to another master.
Content Note: though it's in a fantasy setting, there is a lot of human death and violence.
Skybound has a teaching guide on their site for Sea Serpent's Heir which includes Common Core pre-reading tips.
Rating: 5 stars
wizardingwisteria's review against another edition
I was not vibing with this. I genuinely cannot tell if this is a poor translation or if the dialogue is really just that stiff and lifeless
The magic didn't make much sense, although I guess I didn't stick around to see if it got fleshed out more. Also had trouble keeping track of who was a good guy and who was meant to be a bad guy. There seemed to be a lot of flipping of sides in the beginning which made for a pretty shakey introduction
The art style was great, but that was pretty much it
The magic didn't make much sense, although I guess I didn't stick around to see if it got fleshed out more. Also had trouble keeping track of who was a good guy and who was meant to be a bad guy. There seemed to be a lot of flipping of sides in the beginning which made for a pretty shakey introduction
The art style was great, but that was pretty much it
emilydoty's review
5.0
I usually don’t read graphic novels, but I loved this one! The illustrations were beautifully done and the story was captivating. The plot was a compelling story about a young woman finding herself in the midst of lies and betrayals. The story kept me enthralled due to all the plot twists. I look forward to seeing what will happen to Aella in the next book.
indeedithappens's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Pregnancy, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Cursing, Death, Gore, Abortion, Sexism, Torture, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Rape, Stalking, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Gaslighting, Genocide, Physical abuse, and Police brutality