A really fun and interesting graphic novel.
Thank you to the publisher for letting me read and review!

Magic, swords, epic adventure, and bunnies!
Geeky magical bunny youth Cucumber is reluctantly sent on a quest to save the world from an evil queen and her Nightmare Knight (his much more zealous sister Almond comes along too).
This is an adorable, hilarious, addicting series with a variety of interesting characters. The cover art and titles alone for each volume suck me in. Cucumber Quest is so much fun and fans of the humor of Adventure Time, Bravest Warriors, My Little Pony, Donut the Destroyer, or the adventure of the 5 Worlds series will enjoy this too!

The art style to this book was so cute, that I had to pick it up to read. I recommend this series to those that have them or even order them for the patron from time to time.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

The Doughnut Kingdom is the first book in the Cucumber Quest series. This graphic novel was a fun read. The thrust of the story is that Cucumber (Cuco), a studious magician, must save Dreamside from total annihilation by Queen Cordelia and her Nightmare Knight.

I found many chuckle worthy moments throughout reading this book. At the outset, Cucumber suggested many times that his younger sister Almond would be more suited for this quest, but he got rebuked by both the Dream Oracle (protector of the world) and his father for this idea.

“When’s the last time you ever heard of a little sister becoming a legendary hero? Absolutely not, son.”

When Cucumber, Almond, and Lady Baguette met up with Grizzly Gum I really enjoyed Almond’s point a view (she is certainly looking for a fight!) with respect to just talking with the bear (who by the way turned out to be a real teddy bear actually):

“…Forget that! We haven’t had a decent fight this whole chapter! Put up your dukes, Grandpa!”

A knight called Carrot and a king with the name of King Croissant. Where do authors come up with names like this? Seems like everyone in the whole kingdom is named after food.

I certainly found it humourous when the BLT Trio accidently introduced themselves as the TLB Squad J. There are many instances such as this where I imagine the jokes are for the benefit of the older reader.

Overall, an enjoyable graphic novel with nice graphics and an entertaining storyline, which I would anticipate being a big hit with the younger reader crowd.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

Cucumber Quest is a great series. I had previously read a few strips online. I am so glad to see that the strip is getting published in book form to reach a wider audience.

While heavy on humor, the series also touches on important themes at the same time and works to break several stereotypes from classic stories that had similar beginnings.

Watching Almond and Cucumber work together is heartwarming. It's also great to see how they come to each others defense with the strengths that vary from what outsiders assume they should be.

Meh. I wasn't super into this one. There was a lot of build up, but no pay off. I know it's a cliffhanger but I'm not feeling the need to keep going.

Originally published as a webcomic, Cucumber Quest is an incredibly cute fantasy adventure set in a rich, colorful world full of quirky characters. It’s a humorous take on the genre that’s perfect for older readers who are familiar with fantasy tropes as well as younger readers who may take it more at face value. Besides, the main characters are adorable bunnies, what’s not to love?
Cucumber Quest takes its name from one of the two main characters, a young bunny named Cucumber who dreams of going to school to learn magic. Unfortunately his father (and, I guess, fate) have different plans and he’s forced to embark on a quest to save the Doughnut Kingdom against his will. He is lucky that his younger sister, Almond, is more than ready to undertake this kind of adventure.

Together the two begin a journey to find the powerful Dream Sword in hopes of taking down the forces of evil that threaten their kingdom.

Along the way, Cucumber and Almond find themselves crossing paths with a diverse cast of silly characters. And like any good fantasy story they find themselves derailed a few times on little ‘side quests,’ which help flesh out the story and the characters’ personalities. Plus a nerdy, helpless kid like Cucumber needs to start gathering allies. His sister can only do so much.

I really enjoyed the story in Cucumber Quest and, for the most part, the humor. There are some seriously ridiculous moments throughout and I loved how Cucumber seemed to be the only one calling them out. Almond is hardcore into this whole idea of being a bad-ass hero and her gung-ho enthusiasm is great in contrast to Cucumber’s determination to just get this whole adventure done and over with as quickly as possible.

Sometimes, the humor and gags were a little to over the top for me. I concede that this was the point and I expect the rest of the series to be much the same, but a few times I had to step back and say, “Really?” That said, I’m looking forward to the rest of the series. The humor works far more than it doesn’t and Gigi D.G. balances it well for the most part.

The thing I loved the most about this series was Gigi D.G.’s artwork. This is a really great looking book and I’m surprised that it never popped up on my radar when it first started as a webcomic. The detail, color, and style are all work together to make this book look awesome. The character designs are perfect and Gigi D.G. really captures each of the characters’ personalities. Cucumber Quest is such a fun, colorful adventure and a lot of its draw and charm owes itself to Gigi D.G.’s artwork.

Cucumber Quest is a fun read and I’m glad that First Second Books has taken to publishing the webcomic in its entirety. Cucumber and Almond are great heroes despite the fact that Cucumber has no desire to be one and Almond probably wants to be one just a little too much.

Readers will love joining them on their adventure and meeting all the kooky characters — and seeing the even kookier situations these heroes find themselves in. If you’re looking for a good, humorous fantasy adventure (with talking bunnies) you’ll love Cucumber Quest!

---

A REVIEW COPY WAS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW

I was hooked from the description on the inside cover flap, and this did not disappoint. Things I loved: the varied personalities of each of the characters (sometimes in graphic novels I find myself forgetting who is who because they all blur together, but each character here is a true individual - it's great!); the attention to detail (I don't always bother to read everything tucked at the end - concept art, and the like - but in this one you MUST read everything! I loved the character cards, and the map, and it definitely made me go back and look at everyone's ears ;-) ); the eye-catching bold colors; the rapid pace (it was nearly impossible to put down!); the overall adorableness.

And that cliffhanger ending! Good thing I've already got the next installment from NetGalley...brb...

This is a book that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's a little bit snarky, a little bit silly. The author takes traditional themes from novels and graphic novels alike and points out their foibles, their inherent foolishness. It's not laugh out loud funny, just clever and quirky. It has a lot of potential, though. I don't love it right now but a second volume could easily tip it into the category of "must reads'.

This story was too cutesy for my taste: While bookworm Cucumber is expected to become a hero, it is his sister Almond who is ready to save the day. Its audience is supposed to be for middle schoolers, but I think it is better suited for elementary.

My favorite part came at the end when readers get a better view of the entire world created by D.G. I was inspired to go back to the story to look at each character's ears and determine where they hail from.

Cucumber Quest Volume 1: The Doughnut Kingdom is the beginning of a fun but dangerous adventure to save the seven kingdoms of the world from an evil plot.

Cucumber is kind and quiet, ready to head off to school to learn as much as he can. But then he gets dragged into a plan to save the land from an evil queen. Why? Just because he's a boy? Why can't his sister Almond, who's desperate to become a knight righting wrongs and defeating evil, do it? Because she's a girl? Unfortunately, they're surrounded by adults who don't listen, and so both of them end up on a mission to save the world from an evil queen and her dreams of destruction.

The artwork is rather cute and fun, lots of bright colours. And lots of food puns with everyone's colouring and clothing being related to the food that makes up their name. Cucumber in green, Almond in brown, Sir Carrot in orange, and so forth. With everyone being some kind of bunny person, it makes it all rather fun and sweet to look at.

This certainly feels like the beginning of a journey for Cucumber and Almond, the start of a standard epic quest. And there are also jabs made at standard epic quests, like Cucumber being told to 'be a man' and him questioning why and Almond being told she has to be protected because she's the little sister, to show how those standard epic quests were often sexist and utterly ridiculous. It takes those clichés and flips them, tosses them aside. Little sisters can be knights. Knights can be afraid and run when they're desperately needed. It asks questions about why things are done in certain ways, why it has to be older brothers that protect, and goes about in different directions. But it feels very much like a beginning. There's a lot of establishing going on. I would definitely recommend this to middle grade readers, to kids looking for a new epic quest graphic novel with fun characters and without a lot of violence.

Cucumber is all excited about finally going to the wizarding school of his dreams when his father sends him a note to come to the castle. It seems the Queen has gone off the deep end, turned the King to stone, and is now working to bring back the Nightmare Knight and take over the kingdom. Despite his protests that he isn’t hero material, Cucumber is tasked with going to find the Dream Sword, the only thing that can defeat this horrific foe. Lucky for Cucumber, his little sister Almond is taking knight lessons and decides she can’t leave all the fun to Cucumber. She shows up to take over help him on his quest. Along the way they also gain another part to their quest when they accidentally ruin a cake and the two baker ladies need more sugar from Gumdrop Forest to make a replacement. The fearful forest is where they just happened to be headed. It’s also a place not many people go into and return from.

Hmmm, I can’t decide how I feel about this one. I like the art style. Gigi doesn’t do lines the traditional way with black, she uses white space as lines (which I'm sure is challenging to do). It’s also a very cutesy which seems fitting for a place populated by bunny people and with lands that looked like they were mistakenly left off of the CandyLand board. What I can’t decide if I like or not are the characters. At this point, the only character I really like is the Grizzly Gum, a toothless bear who seems fearsome but is actually sweet. The two bakers both have really annoying speech patterns. Poor Cucumber needs to stand up for himself. His parents and sister walk all over him. Almond could be kind, but she is obviously putting glory and adventure ahead of being smart, and she doesn’t really care if she’s hurting Cucumber’s feelings in the process. I have a sneaking suspicion that the author is doing this non-likable character thing on purpose to poke fun at typical quest participants. I can get behind that if it is the case (I totally get tongue-in-cheek humor), but I won't know for sure till I get some more of the story. This book doesn’t get very far at all in terms of progress of the quest, so you may want to hold off on reading it till more books are out if long waits bother you. If you are all about cute art in graphic novels, go run to your local bookstore or library.

Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. So far the biggest booboos are crushed spirits, and a ship claimed by a giant squid.

This is quirky, fun, funny, and totally adorable! The artwork is very bright and appealing- I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a middle grade reader. As an adult reader I found myself getting a bit annoyed by the stuttering ("w-what?", etc.), which does give the effect the author's going for but felt a bit overused. I don't think kids will be annoyed by it, though, so it's a moot point!

The Doughnut Kingdom is the first book in the Cucumber Quest series by Gigi D.G. This graphic novel is currently scheduled for release on October 10 2017. What happens when an evil queen gets her hands on an ancient force of destruction? World domination, obviously. The seven kingdoms of Dreamside need a legendary hero. Instead, they'll have to settle for Cucumber, a nerdy magician who just wants to go to school. As destiny would have it, he and his way more heroic sister, Almond, must now seek the Dream Sword, the only weapon powerful enough to defeat Queen Cordelia’s Nightmare Knight. Can these bunny siblings really save the world in its darkest hour? Sure, why not?

The Doughnut Kingdom is a fun adventure about bunny siblings taking on a quest. I liked that the main characters are set on being themselves and are tired of others trying to force them into the expected roles. The little sister as the grand warrior and the big brother as a scholar made me happy. I enjoyed the artwork, it reminded me a bit of the drawings of Cece Bell, but some of that could have been because of the shared use of bunnies. I found the colors and the detail work to be a perfect pairing to the story. I liked the quest and adventure, and the young characters finding their way despite everyone trying to get them to change. I was annoyed that most, if not all, of the adults were so, um, well unsupportive, of the young bunnies being true to their own strengths. However, since we all come up against people like that in our lives, the encouraging theme of perseverance is important and very well executed.

The Doughnut Kingdom is a fun and fast read. I liked the artwork, the story, and the defying of gender roles all wrapped up in a story about cute bunnies on a quest. I greatly enjoyed the read, and I think many young readers will as well.

A little choppy/abrupt at the outset but ultimately a fun story filled with super cute art. I look forward to seeing where the story goes.

Doughnut Kingdom follows two bunny siblings: the timid, nerdy Cumber and the swashbuckling Almond. When Cucumber is reluctantly set upon a magical quest to save the kingdom, Almond decides to hop in and "help".
This is one of the most beautiful and adorably illustrated graphic novels I've read this year! Doughnut Kingdom is more than just eye candy, however. It delights in introducing, then overturning, classic fantasy troupes, while simultaneously addressing gender role expectations and sexism. At times these themes may come across a bit heavy-handed, but overall its a delightful romp, and I'm eagerly awaiting the continuation of Cucumber & Almond's adventures (what trouble will Almond get them into next?!)

I absolutely loved this graphic novel! It was such a cute and funny romp in the land of Cucumber and his little sister Almond. Cucumber doesn't want to be a legendary hero nor have to go on an epic quest. All he wants to do is go to school to learn magic. But with the interference of his father Lord Cabbage, he has no other choice!

What I loved most about this story was its humor. While I am an adult and felt it was simplistic, it would be a great introduction to graphic novels for later elementary or middle school students. Such a fun and awesome ride and I can't wait for the second one!

First, it has to be said: I'm startled to see such a cliffhanger in a child's graphic novel! I'm used to story arcs wrapping up in one volume. Hoping the kids don't mind...

That said, the artwork is phenomenal, the storyline is thrilling, the dialogue snappy. Fans of Lumberjanes will want to pick this one up.

This was adorable and actually very compelling. A nice twist on the chosen-one big quest storyline with a great strong female lead.

This book is really flippin' adorable. The art is just absolutely gorgeous! I love the colors. Cucumber & Almond have a really fun brother-sister dynamic. I can't wait to see where the story goes!