This was a super cute story with a lot of heart. I liked the messages within and feel bad for the characters. I want to see more and hope a true romance forms between the two.

Original setting (love that it is not just basic mermaids, but many types of human-fish hybrid), charming main characters and cute artwork that pops on the page. This 1st volume is more of a setup for the main story that seems to be coming and I already can’t wait for the next one to release.

This little story is original, interesting, and sweet. I enjoyed the art, and I'm definitely looking forward to continuing with the story! 4.5 Stars. Who doesn't love gay mermaids?

I will scream from the tallest mountain about my love for Castle Swimmer and no one can stop me!

I have followed this webtoon since its original start and when I say this story is SO good in every way. The art style is fun and playful and I can only imagine how hard it must be to constantly be thinking about how hair and things would move and react in water with every new update. Additionally the CHARACTERS!!!! Siren and Kappa have my entire heart but they are not the only ones. Wendy has woven a one of a kind world that is wonderful in plot and heart and everyone needs to buy this and join me in my love of these merfolk.

I love the art and detail of the series, especially the many species of aquatic animals as mer-folk instead of it all just being the basic half-fish half-human. One thing I do wish was that it was longer. I read this originally on Webtoon, and the part of the comic in this book is basically just the exposition, a setup for the rest of the series and even for the first plotline (we don't get it resolved by the end), so I wish that we got to see a bit more of the book. Other than that I loved it, and so did my little cousin, who's been begging to read more.

I remember reading Castle Swimmer on WebToon when it originally released and I was MUCH younger. I don't remember much of it, so I'm so glad I was able to get the e-ARC! Reading it now as an adult made me super nostalgic. I love this story, the plot is so creative and the artwork made me giggle HAHA. The author/artist is so talented and I'm excited to see more of their work.

Overall, Castle Swimmer is so cute and I can't wait for volume 2 to see what happens!! 4/5 stars!

This was a cute story and a bit sad. The artwork was nicely done. I liked the idea of one creature supposedly being the crux of fulfilling all these differing prophecies and different factions fighting over them. It was different. I look forward to reading more.

**Thank you Netgalley / Ten Speed Press for providing me with this e-arc**


My love for graphic novels will never cease to exist, but castle swimmer surely exceeded my expectations.

It’s a queer graphic novel about merpeople, but what makes the designs and characters extra special to me is that they are based of all kinds of different fish species, makes each one of them unique.

I won’t spoil too much, but our two main characters siren (the prince of the shark kingdom) and kappa (the beacon, a creature that is destined to fulfill everyone’s prophecies) as they navigate through a heartbreaking fate in this first volume of castle swimmer.

This graphic novel truly managed to reach my heart, and i can’t wait to read the other volumes (though, i can’t lie, im very tempted to read it on webtoon.)

5/5 stars for this masterpiece from me!

As someone who has been reading Castle Swimmer on Webtoon for several years, I am do excited to see it getting published.

The art is crisp and the character designs are creative and fun. The story has lots of layers and as time goes on you can start to see how things begin to intersect. Siren and Kappa make for a super cute duo and they grow so much throughout the series.

Congrats Wendy!

This is a cute LGBTQIA+ graphic novel with merpeople faced with following destinies not chosen by the characters. I love the art style, the characters are fun, and the world building is so interesting! I’m really excited to read the next instalment and I 100% recommend to anyone who likes merpeople!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was so cute!! I am obsessed. I was hooked right away. I think the story is so clever.

The art style is so cute, I loved it.

It was very funny too. I laughed at a lot of parts. I thought Siren was such a sweet and cute main character, and I loved Kappa.

I liked that there was a hint of seriousness as well, like Kappa’s struggle with being a Beacon and Siren’s worries about being a Prince and how his people are cursed. It was a good mix of happiness and slight angst.

I liked the dynamic between Siren and his mom too. It’s very complex, but you can tell how much she cares for him. The grandma is hilarious as well, I love all her reactions to everything.

I already love their relationship. I can’t wait to see more and to see them actually get together. They are so supportive of each other, it’s great to see.

I am scared to see how things will progress though and how we can get Kappa out of this mess and out of harms way!

I will definitely read the rest of this webtoon and I highly recommend everyone pick this up!

So happy to see Castle Swimmer getting its print debut! I have LOVED following this story on Webtoon and I’m so proud of Wendy for making all this possible.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy!

I really love this little story :) gay mermen, the "I'm supposed to kill you" trope, and beautiful underwater art are a killer combination. It's like this was written for me. Can't wait to see it in print.

This was such a fun read! The art, storyline, characters, and world building is incredible. This has so much potential for the next volume and I can't wait to see where it goes.

This book was beautiful! The artwork is amazing and I loved the story. The blue, green, and grey color way used in the art was calming and made the story even more relaxing to get lost in. The bright golden color of the Beacon really pops on the subdued background.

Kappa is an adorable character that you almost want to scoop up and give a big hug to. Everyone wants something from him to make their prophesies come true, but they don’t really care about Kappa himself.

Siren is a prince that has been sheltered his whole life due to the prophecy of his people. When the time comes for him to complete his part of the prophecy he discovers Kappa isn’t what he expected.

If you love graphic novels, this is definitely one that you should add to your collection.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

A cute and sweet begin to what could be a great series. The art work was nice and the story was intriguing. However, the start is a bit to slow for my likely which did drop it half a star for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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First of all, gay mermaids... now that that's been said 😂, this is very promising start to a story about two mermaid boys falling in love. The blurb sounded really great and I'm happy to say that the actual story hasn't disappointed me so far. Despite not being packed with action and only showing us the basics of the mer world (the prophecies, different species of mer folks, how do they live ect.) there was still enough plot for it to be interesting enough ✨.
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I hope that in the next books we'll get to know both of the boys little bit more because I feel like right now I'm closer to Siren than to Kappa (the main character)... Not that I don't like him, but I feel kinda indifferent about him.
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Last but not least... The graphic side of graphic novels does a lot for the story... and this one was very nicely done. I love the color scheme! ❤️

I originally read this on Webtoon and absolutely adored it! The art-style is cute and the characters are charming. Definitely recommend.

Kappa is the Beacon. A being who is the hope for all sea creatures in the sea and who must fulfill many prophecies in order to help them. The prophecies pull him place to place without much choice from him. And the place he is currently pulled to may be the most dangerous prophecy to fulfill. Prince Siren has been told since he was a child that he was the hope for their people. His people are cursed and the scars that linger on their skins bring them closer and closer to death every day. So many of his people have died from the curse. Their only hope is to fulfill their prophecy. Prince Siren must kill the Beacon. But when the day finally arrives… killing the Beacon may be harder than he expected. Especially when he gets to know Kappa more each day and they have a lot more in common than they realized. And deep down, Siren knows it is the not the right thing to do. So what can he do? Castle Swimmer is such a fun story on Webtoon and I’m so glad to see that it is finally getting printed! I get to reread the story all over again. This is just the beginning of Siren and Kappa’s journey but it is one that will have you longing for more!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know about you but for me, there are precious few stories as exceptional as Wendy Lian Martin's <i>Castle Swimmer</i>. I decided to read this LGBTQ webcomic on a whim one day, just happening across it on the WebToon app and I fell in love faster than I ever would have imagined with the characters and their story. With a thoroughly engaging plot and some of the best artwork I've ever seen, <i>Castle Swimmer</i> quite easily found a place in my list of favorite reads. As it recently returned for season two, I figured now would be a great time to review the first one.

I'm honestly in love with this story.

Kappa is a young merman, born to be what all those living in the ocean call the Beacon. For every group of fish folk that lives beneath the sea, each has a prophecy that involves the Beacon. Kappa's entire life has been spent fulfilling the prophecies, sometimes to the pleasure and sometimes to the disappointment of the people obsessed with what their prophecy says he will do for them. Whenever he swims near something that pertains to a prophecy, Kappa is pulled, somewhat against his will, toward it until the prophecy is complete.

Though he knows this as his life's purpose, it has also led Kappa to feel very alone in the world.

Enter Siren, the young Prince of the sharks. They have a prophecy of their own.

According to the prophecy Siren has spent <i>his</i> entire life waiting for, it is his destiny to kill the Beacon and save his people from a horrible curse that leaves them all perpetually at risk of injury or death. But when the time comes that the sharks have captured Kappa, Siren finds himself unable to strike the final blow that will break the curse upon his people forever.

Castle Swimmer is a must-read. Believe me when I say that you are sorely missing out if you've not read this comic series. One of only three that I am desperately wishing to have a book at some point, <i>Castle Swimmer</i> is an exceptional tale with exciting twists and turns that you won't want to miss!