I was ridiculously happy to learn that one of my favorite artists, Sara Richard, had a comic/graphic novel coming out this year!  After hearing this exciting news, I found that NetGalley had digital arcs for people to review.  When I downloaded it the first time, I honestly just went through and looked at all the gorgeous art without "reading" the story.  Owls are a favorite for Sara Richard to make into art, and she's gotten really good at them.  Ghosts also lend themselves well to her art nouveau styling, and the match makes this book absolutely fabulous!



While at C2E2, you might remember that I was able to pick up a physical copy and get it signed by both the artist and the author!  Now that I have the physical book in hand, I've loved reading the story and examining every page and panel.  The story is so short that I don't want to spoil anything, so definitely check out the summary from Goodreads down below.  And put this book on your TBR ASAP!

This graphic novel is absolutely stunning. I kept staring at the drawings for many minutes: their author is a master, she perfectly knows how to make the colors and the expressions communicate emotions just with a couple of traits. The pencils are just WOW.
The story too is a lovely one. I missed reading something like a fairytale, a paranormal book which both cured the plot and the setting with lightness and attention.
Since I loved it, I have nothing more to say. Great compliments to both the writer and the cartoonist for this work. (And many thanks to NetGalley and the authors for giving me a free copy of this.)

The only animal willing to help is the owl. By doing so, the owl gets to reconnect with a bit of its own past and stop evil. Short but lovely story, simple and a quick read. Lovely graphics too!

This is a short graphic novel that really packs a punch. It is about the unlikely friendship between an owl and a ghost. After seeing a ghost wandering in the woods, an owl decides to befriend her. The ghost is lost and confused so the owl tries to help her remember. Things progress from here.

The plot is simple but what completely blew me away was the beautiful artwork. The blue-green undertones give an ethereal and eerie beauty to the pages which help bring the story to life.

I will say that there are some dark, creepy bits that may not be suitable for some younger readers.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is a short story that's a classic fable in the making , it's a simple but moving story with powerful illustrations. This is the kind of graphic novel I'd gift to people who think that 'graphic novels' are all about superheroes and KAPOW. This is classic story-telling at its finest, with a restless spirit and a collection of helpful woodland creatures.

Let's start with the art. It is amazingly beautiful and engaging. It's haunting and something I could easily see hanging on my wall.
The story is not bad. The problem I had with this particular graphic novel is that it doesn't really give you a feel for the desired audience. The language in the beginning of the story made me think this is for children - it's very basic and not overly engaging (more slow and telling than I expect for an adult graphic novel). However, the story gets dark and violent - I wouldn't think it would be easily appropriate for the age of the audience I thought the book was for at the beginning.
It's not a terrible book. I think the story is interesting but I think it needs work. There are parts that should be flushed out and the dialogue made a little less juvenile.

A quick and beautiful read - the illustrations are stunning!

Beautiful illustrations but underwhelming and underdeveloped story. It was short which was a nice change but overall I don't think the author really rounded out his story.

A short, but sweet, semi-creepy story about an owl helping a ghost. Very beautiful artwork and an intriguing story.

This is a beautiful book both in content and illustrations. The story of the unselfish compassionate owl, and the lost little girl really touched me. It is a quick and amazing read. Highly recommend even to those who don't normally read graphic novels.

A nice quick read with gorgeous art work. Definitely pick this up!

A dancing girl ghost appears in a swamp, to the consternation of the animals. The owl is the only one who talks to her, asking why she suddenly appeared. She’s confused as to why the owl wants to help her, only to find he’s a pay-it-forward type. A mystery revolves around a house in the woods and the free spirit who lives there.
Owl breaks the animal Prime Directive for a good cause, and must go before the “Parliament of Owls.” Funny. And it’s so cute that she calls the animals “Mr. Owl” and “Mr. Crow.” But it feels like there’s a missing part to this: what’s the bad guy’s motivation for wanting the land to such an extent?
The artwork is “heavy,” for lack of a better term, in that it fills the page and doesn’t allow your eyes any rest, but at the same time it looks light and fluffy.
3.5 pushed up to 4/5

Gorgeously detailed yet dreamy art rescues this title from its stilted dialogue and predictable plot. An owl who learned to be kind to others after being rescued by a human takes pity on the ghost of a young girl. The two set off to discover where she came from only to face an evil man preying on a woman at the edge of the woods. Swirling colors marry a magical world with the realistic depiction of the natural world and the forest’s many creatures, depicted in detailed pencil sketches. But disconnected plot details and weak dialogue detract from what could have been a wonderful tale of courage, kindness and doing what’s right in the face of danger and society’s rules.

The art in this graphic novel is absolutely gorgeous and almost makes up for the thin storyline. The book features full panel, full color artwork on each page and begins somewhat dreamily, with a satisfying tug of suspense. The conclusion, though, falls completely flat and the story probably needed an extra 20 pages or so to unfold. This is still a worthwhile choice for a middle grade collection, catering to students who like full color artwork with more minimal dialogue, and who are into ghosts - I could see this working as a reasonable read-alike for Nightlights, though without the clever conclusion.

I received an ARC via NetGalley.

This is already one of my Graphic Novel highlights of 2018. Gorgeous, wonderful artwork with vivid colors and a sometimes surreal feel to it. An adorable protagonist (I love owls!) and a sweet, heartwarming story. It's rather short (53 pages) but I was absolutely amazed by it. Beautiful.

This is a really cool story about a ghost suddenly appearing in a swamp.
The only animal willing to help is the owl. By doing so, the owl gets to reconnect with a bit of its own past and stop evil.

Without spoilers, it's hard to say more about this short but lovely story. Suffice it to say that it's about helping others and not accepting artificial boundaries (the typical "them vs us").

Astonishing about this book is not the story though. The story was solid althought the reason for the ghost to appear was a bit far-fetched. No, what makes me love this story so much is the setting (the swamp and forest with all the animals) as well as the gorgeous art!
I'm not an expert but since I'm an owl lover, I know that not many artists always get owls right, especially when portraying them in motion, but this artist did and it's fantastic!
Not to mention that Southern White-Faced Owls are one of my favourite breeds so the book got automatic bonus points. ;)

This is a short book but it teaches about compassion and staying true to who you are.

This was a short read, but a powerful ghost story with a beautiful message about kindness, and a bit of darkness too for a great contrast.

The story is quite simple, but it leaves room for the art which adds complexity to it. The art is exquisite, with whimsical colors and beautifully drawn creatures. The lack of panels creates a fluidity that allows the story to burst to life and to captivate the reader.

3/5stars

This is a really, REALLY short little graphic novel that I got off NetGalley. It was honestly absolutely beautiful - the art really blew me away. But, I was confused as to what the audience was. It seemed extremely young and cheesey with the whole "oh I have my friends to help me" and stuff, but then it also had some very dark elements to it also. It was also just a little too short in my opinion, which pulled it down a bit. But overall it was a very cute, short, beautiful little book

One day, an owl and the other animals that live in and around the swamp notice the ghost of a girl dancing on the water. She seems to be lost, and owl helps her, even though there are rules about getting involved with humans–of course, she’s a ghost now, not a human, and owl knows the importance of helping people. After all, his life was saved when he was just a chick, and now the person who helped him then needs help herself–but what is her connection to the ghost? And can she be saved from the cruel man who seems determined to destroy everything in his path? Beautiful art and a heartfelt tale of the connections between living things make this a wonderfully unique ghost story.