If you've never read the webcomic Cucumber Quest, now's your chance to dive in. The seven kingdoms of Dreamside are in trouble when the evil queen Cordelia plans to unleash some serious havoc. Cucumber - who's all packed and ready to start his studies at Puffington's Academy for the Magically Gifted - gets a letter from his dad, telling him that it's up to him to save the kingdoms. His brave and way-more-heroic sister, Almond, offers to go in his place, but their mother and father seem to have some pretty outdated ideas about gender, and tells her it's too dangerous for her. Almond joins Cucumber's Quest, regardless, and the two head out in search of the Dream Sword: the only weapon powerful enough to defeat Cordelia's supernatural thug, the Nightmare Knight. On the way, Cucumber and Almond meet a batty Dream Oracle, a trio of hare-brained guards, and a host of other wacky characters.

Beginning life as a webcomic (that you can still read online), Cucumber Quest: The Doughnut Kingdom collects the first 137 pages of Cucumber Quest (the Prologue and chapter 0); Cucumber Quest 2: The Ripple Kingdom will continue collecting stories from the online archive. Forty pages of additional comics, including Reader Q&A for various characters, and short bios for each character, complete with ability ratings in trading card format, concept art, and a tour of the world of Dreamside, home to the seven kingdoms.
The story is light and fun; the artwork is cute and Chibi-inspired. Manga fans will love it, as will adventure fans. Give this to your Adventure Time and Steven Universe readers; for your fantasy fans that want some lighter summer reading (or aren't really passionate readers... YET), this will be a welcome addition to shelves.

Want to learn more? Check out the Cucumber Quest wiki and Cucumber Quest page, where you can access the complete comic archive and learn more about the characters.

I loved this volume! The artwork is pretty and cute, but the funny, sardonic writing saves it from being twee. Highly recommended - very enjoyable. :)

A cute children's story for that all can enjoy. Recommended.

Doughnut Kingdom is a funny, super cute, and appetite inducing read!
The illustrations were adorable and simple leaving a lot of the focus on the dialogue between the characters. There were so many little quips and one-liners that I laughed out loud a few times. The food themed world and character names were a bit silly but I can see a middle grade student loving them. I wasn't overly fond of all the additional information at the end, particularly the interviews with the characters. However, the concept art section was great and I can see students really enjoying that, especially those that like to draw!
The plot line was simple and easy to follow, and even though the little sister stepping up to be the hero was predictable it still makes for a good story.
While this is not a life changing or thought provoking read it is a funny and cute book that may help draw in a reluctant reader or two!

This is an adorable book! Cucumber and his sister Almond have to save the kingdom when an evil queen tries to usurp the thrown. This title is full of humor and heroics. I highly recommend it!

Not just your typical cutesy characters, this book is funny without trying too hard. Appropriate for young readers to adults, this book tells the story of a world populated by bunnies with varying ear shapes/sizes all named after food or colors. Cucumber is the reluctant hero who is tasked to fight with the evil Queen Cordelia by his father Lord Cabbage. His sister Almond is eager to fight and has the skills to do it. Part of the fun is discovering the names of the characters and their cutesy but not cloying personalities. Visually, the comic is very appealing and just like any baking recipe, the whole story comes together in a precise and balanced amalgam. This is a fun and wholesome start to a promising series.

I've actually read this comic a while ago at the "Cucumber Quest" website. It was really nice to be able to go back and re-read it. I cannot wait to go and buy this comic. It's one of my favorites!

The story is well done- keeping in mind it's supposed to be silly. (The story starts to get a little more serious as it progresses, but that's past this book.) It covers the very lighthearted and snarky beginning to your typical hero's quest. The Kingdom is in danger and it's up to the hesitant Cucumber, and his friends, to save them all.

(Almost all of the world's inhabitants are rabbits, which is adorable.)

Cucumber does not want to be a hero, at all. All he wants to do is attend Puffington's Academy for the Magically Gifted and/or Incredibly Wealthy, but his jerk of a dad and seemingly the rest of the kingdom has other plans for him.

Our heroes make their way through the Doughnut Kingdom while meeting more and more characters and picking up items along the way. By the end of the book they're just getting into the Ripple Kingdom.

Did I mention I'm generally horrible at summaries? Yeah, sorry...

One thing I'm a huge sucker for is detail... This includes maps and worldbuilding. I feel Cucumber Quest does a good job with this. I love the detail and the cuteness of everything.

I also enjoy the fact that you can tell where a character comes from by the shape of their ears. (Which a guide is included in this book, but I cannot seem to find it on the website.)

If you're looking for a fun, adventure story with slightly snarky rabbits then this is your comic.

To be honest I thought this was a little silly. Very silly. That's not to say kids won't like it but compared to other luscious wonderful graphic novels I've read recently I'm hard stretched to recommend this one. Some groaning puns. Over-vivid illustrations and not very clever or amusing plot.

I love this book for the story, but the art is awesome! I really enjoy the style of lettering used throughout this book as well.

(Thanks, NetGalley!)

I loved this - it's a very clever, cute and amusingly snarky graphic novel. Loved the pastel color schemes and all the food-based puns. Love it! It's a great parody of the hero's journey, featuring bunny-people. Poor Cucumber just wants to go to Magic School, but literally the day before he's supposed to go, he's strong-armed into going on an epic quest, something he'd really rather not be doing. His sister, Almond, is the up-and-coming hero type, not Cucumber. I really like the universe Gigi D.G. created here. Absolutely cannot wait for the second book - in fact, I need the whole series in an omnibus right now, please. If you like cute and funny with gorgeous illustrations, definitely read this.

I know this book was meant for a juvenile audience, but I just couldn't get into it. I really appreciate the feminist messages that are woven through the tale, but this just simple isn't on the same level as The Lumberjanes or Princeless.

This was an interesting graphic novel. I say interesting because the main character is named Cucumber and his sister is Almond. They are bunnies. Cuco wants to go to school and Almond wants a life of adventure. But Cuco is the boy so he must go out to save his father and their lands from evil doers. But Almond...she persisted...and is a heroine and daredevil for all to enjoy. The illustrations are fun and entertaining. Lots of colors and a softer style of art, but book 1 leaves off on a cliff hanger. Overall an enjoyable read, and now I need to read #2.

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What. A. Fun. Book. WHAT A FUN BOOK! I enjoyed the heck out of Cucumber Quest like whoa. It’s delightful, sweet, and as mentioned, a LOT of fun. Cucumber Quest is being adapted from its original web comic form into a four book series for publisher First Second.

The official synopsis that came from the publisher is this: 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?

Adapted from the popular webcomic series, Cucumber Quest: The Doughnut Kingdom is the first graphic novel of a clever, adorable, and hilarious four-volume heroic adventure that is sure to make you hungry for sweets and action.

I was enamored by the art and colours within this story. The creator of the book took a sort of conventional “legendary hero” story and did something quirky and fun with it by turning it on its head. It’s part Lumberjanes, part Star vs the Forces of Evil and Nimona, but ultimately the story is original and great for readers of all-ages.

My only little bit of dismay was that I thought I had close to 200 pages of story but was cut off quite a bit earlier than that as the first chapter wrapped up. Instead, the rest of the pages were bonus content, which is obviously wonderful but I wanted more story instead. Four volumes seems like an odd choice, given that a lot of book series tend to be more like three volumes, but I guess that’s the best way they thought they should release it given the content pulled from the web comic.

Verdict:
Buy this book! Seriously, it’s such a delight (as I’ve mentioned like 5 times already). I love all-ages books, especially when they just embrace their silliness, and this book definitely does that.

Cucumber Quest Book One: The Doughnut Kingdom will be out later this year on October 10 2017.

Cucumber Quest 1: The Doughnut Kingdom was extremely funny and cute up to a point of being annoying! A weird combination, really. In this dream-filled candyland called Dreamside, the seven kingdoms need a savior, since the evil queen of sorts has decided to revive the dark night and Cucumber "Cuco" needs to save the day. Except he's a young nerd boy, who needs constant saving and his bodyguard is his sister Almond. The adventure is like a magical road-trip filled with odd humor. The most I enjoyed about this comic is that it has everything for everyone. It's like a Disney movie, the basic plot is kid-friendly, and then you have the weird hidden stuff for adults. We need more comics like this! This first part is just a glimpse into the real plot and I'm quite interested in what will happen and I do hope Gigi will keep this awesome approach filled with weirdness the size of an asteroid.

The art is awesome and cute at the same time. The rich and deep colors fit well with the candy and sweetness theme and at the same time there's even humor in the colors. The colors are a good counterpart to the oddness, so that this works for kids too. The naivety is awesome. Somehow this reminded me of Powerpuff Girls and Steven Universe. The comic combines retro well with everything and the panels are clear but with a twist. Especially the expressions on the faces of the characters are perfect! The written and drawn humor together mend an interesting piece surely.

The artwork reminded me of a cross between old school comics and Japanese manga. That's actually what drew me to the book initially. I wish I could say that it was a great book and that everything from the illustrations to the story was fantastic, but that wouldn't be so. Not for me anyhow. From the very first pages I could tell I was not going to click with this graphic novel. The drawings were only able to carry it so far, and I just didn't feel the writing brought anything to the table. There wasn't much truly original about this story. Plus the way the characters communicated and the storyline developed seemed hokey, not to mention awkward. It felt to me like the author was trying too hard to be cute or funny, yet it just wasn't working out.

I apologize to the author, publisher, and NetGalley who gave me this ARC. I wish I could have offered better feedback; however, I thank you for the review opportunity all the same.