Wow!!! What an enjoyable and unexpected read.
Watersnakes had the feel of a dark haunting fairytale with the right amount of dark undertones with a touch of whimsy and wonder.
The artwork was magical and whimsical with a gothic vibe with so much vibrancy I need prints for my book shelves.
At tines I found the story confusing with constantly changing plot points yet overall the pacing was good and the writing well rounded.
A well paced narrative with exceptional world building and Mila and Agnes were well developed, fun and relatable characters and I need to see more adventures of these two heroines.
A really fantastic graphic novel. 4 star read.

Many thanks to Tony Sandoval, Netgalley & Diamond Book Distributors for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
(All my opinions are my own and unbiased)

Page 1 reaction – dayum! This is gonna be good.
The artwork is gorgeous. It’s like an ethereal watercolor anime.
Mila is the hero in all of us. The weird hero but still the hero.
I really hope we get to see more adventure of Mila and Agnes.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

OMG! Did I love this?! Yes. The art is just magical. The story may have needed just a bit more work, as some aspects of it fall short or are too confusing, but the overall idea is fun and amazing. This is a great graphic novel to sink your teeth into.

This dark fairy tale is so haunting, I know it will stay with me for years to come. The simple obsession Mila has with Agnes's teeth was an incredible trick in the story. The art is beautiful and luminous. I was stunned to the last page. Fans of Neil Gaiman and Shaun Tan will find a great deal to love here.

Well, that was gloriously fucked up & beautiful at the same time. Stunning artwork, WTF storyline with a little bit of girl on girl curiosity.

*Digital review copy provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

The artwork in this book is AMAZING! It was both dark and whimsical at the same time. That said, the story left me confused for the most part, and it seemed like the book was just leaping to the different plot points without having much to connect them. Also, what was up with explaining away the romance between the two female characters with something as lame as the prince being inside Agnes?? Come on!

I loved the artwork in this graphic novel, it’s what made me interested in reviewing it. Unfortunately I don’t think the story was on par with the illustrations. I’d say about 70% of the book leaves the reader pretty much in the dark about what’s going on and when you do get to the back story it’s so rushed and crammed into such a small portion of the book that you’re left feeling like it didn’t really explain anything at all. If it weren’t for the beautiful imagery I’d think it was a waste of the half hour or so I spent reading it which is a shame because I do feel like the story has potential but in the end it feels unfinished. Unfortunately this one was not for me.

Wow what a crazy ride that was! So strange, definitely never read anything like that! Read it all in one go. To be honest I didn't even realise I'd requested a graphic novel until I started reading it, but I gave it a go. The illustrations were incredible, I love the style of them!
The story was really far-fetched, and some of the gory strange illustrations weirded me out, but I'm pleased I finally read a graphic novel.

Are you looking for an incredibly dark and gothic lesbian graphic novel? Well here you go!

This is one of the hardest reviews to write. It's so hard to put into words what this graphic novel is about because the story is mostly told through the beautiful gothic and macabre art style. Let's try... We are following a young girl named Mila who one Summer has a run in with a pretty girl named Agnes and the reader is immediately aware that something isn't right. I'll be honest, I WAS CONFUSED AS FORK probably %60 of the way through but then we encounter a plot twist and the puzzle pieces started coming together and you know what I did after finishing? I re-read it. Immediately. With my new found knowledge, I began to understand the things that were happening. Is this a cute love story? NOOO! This is dark and bloody and verging on the edge of horror. Some panels were absolutely bone chilling!

Is there world building? No. Are there backstories for characters? Not really.

but as a whole, this graphic novel is its own genre. A standalone unfortunately which I find hard accepting so I'll be keeping my fingers crosses for another volume.

I love the artwork! The story is surreal, disturbing and poignant. The artwork is beautiful, delicate, surreal and extremely competent. My only quibble is with the large heads on the protagonists, something that initially made my reluctant to even look.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
Mila’s boring, lonely summer is broken up by meeting Agnes who turns out to not only be a ghost but also has a mouthful of teeth that are actually guardian warriors. Bizarre I know, I feel this is one of those stories you’re either going to like... or you just won’t. I was strangely intrigued but overall felt the story was rushed and it just felt really unbalanced to me.

Watersnakes has a gritty, dark twisted fairytale feel in both story and art which I really liked. The story is quite graphic, so if that’s not your thing I’d say give the story a miss but if you like weird bizarro myth stories involving sea creatures, ancient warriors and teeth give it a go.

Watersnakes is a standalone graphic novel about Mila who meets Agnes on a summer holiday. Mila gets tangled up in Agnes' fantastical and paranormal troubles.

I love beautifully illustrated, magical graphic novels and I was certain that this one would steal my heart. Unfortunately, that was not the case this time.

Watersnakes is beautifully drawn but somehow the style wasn't for me. It was a bit too creepy and graphic and it didn't immerse me into the story. Also the plot itself was really weak in my opinion. The story was rushed through and most of it was odd rather than whimsical. I disliked the characters, especially Mila, who thinks about random things like being disgusted by an octopus while swords swing around her. She was shallow and annoyed me so much that I ended up rolling my eyes while reading Watersnakes.

I wasn't a big fan, but my disinterest towards it was very personal, I felt like I just happened to not fit together with this novel and it could work better for someone else.

Book Review
Title WaterSnakes
Author: Tony Sandoval
Genre: Graphic Novel
Rating: *****
Review: So, all I know about WaterSnakes comes from the synopsis: Mila is a solitary teenager ready to put another boring summer vacation behind her until she meets Agnes, an adventurous girl who turns out to be a ghost. And not just a regular ghost, but one carrying the essence of an ancient fallen king and a mouth full of teeth that used to be his guardian warriors.
Straight away the art work has a dark and gritty feel to it and the opening page has an image that really reminded of the style of Japanese horror films like the Ring (リング Ringu). So we are introduced to Mila when she firsts meets Agnes who see thinks is just a normal girl living in a fantasy world, just a little crazy and it is one of the things she loves about Agnes and the main thing as well as her beauty that leads Mila to develop romantic feelings for her. However, after kissing Agnes she basically vomits out a monster scaring Mila off. When Agnes’ brother Julian tries to return her purse, she learns that Agnes died when she was 5 and Julian can hear her voice while Mila can see her.
While Mila has seen Agnes since the incident, she decides to go looking for her in all their favourite places and she comes across a girl that looks like Agnes but isn’t and she realizes that Agnes was telling the truth about her teeth as she is now face to face with them and she learns that someone is coming to kill the King whoever that is. In the second half of this graphic novel we are given a more in-depth story on the teeth and what their role is and how dreams and reality of overlapping and the role Mila is going to play in the wider story.
The action sequences in the story are gory and beautifully drawn while the other dream sequences are almost hypnotic in the dark yet sensual style they are drawn in and I can’t wait to read more from Tony Sandoval as soon as I can.

So much buzz around this title I really expected it to be so much... BETTER.
I absolutely hate this art style, that sadly has become so popular lately - it's like Kawaii Edward Gorey or something, too cutesy to be appealing to adults and too ugly to be appealing to kids.
The story is confusing as well, since it doesn't actually explain what the heck is happening until AFTER it has all happened.
Also, total cop-out on what could have been a great little LGBT awakening when......

SPOILER AHEAD


the author invalidates the fact that Mila was falling in love with Agnes by stating that there was a man inside Agnes the whole time so of COURSE Mila MUST have been falling for HIM the whole time, since he was "so hot." BARF.

My full review appears on Weekend Notes. Thanks to the publisher for sharing this title. The art is beautiful.

Many Thanks to Net-Galley and the publisher for an advanced e-copy. This did not affect my rating.

*4/5*

This was a haunting and intriguing little graphic novel. I was drawn in by the cover, because the art is absolutely stunning. The story was intriguing as well - but I wanted more.

What starts out as a normal summer vacation quickly takes a turn for the darker side, when Mila meets Agnis and they spent more time together. It's an experience I would recommend.

From the get-go, you can tell there is more going on than meets the eye. The story draws you in, taking twists and turns that lead you deeper into the mystery. I was entranced by Agnis and her weirdness, Mila's bold choices and the enchanted landscapes.

The drawing style, in my opinion, is quite unique but very fitting. Colours are limited to pastels with otherwise mostly greyscale with black standing out the boldest; making it seem almost old, like a faded book or an ancient fairy tale.
The dialogue is scarce, keeping your focus on the drawings and letting them tell the story.
I did not expect it to go as dark and bloody but it did fit the tone very well.
Some of the panelling felt restricted, I would have wished for a few more pages to give the story more flow.

This is really good and I want more!
It was a bit confusing to start off, and at the end of chapter 1 it suddenly got reaaally freaky, but I still loved it!

This was really unique and imaginative - but I found it rushed and underdeveloped. The story just barrels from one plot point to the next; I wanted more information, more backstory and world building, more character development, a fuller resolution. I kept thinking I missed some frames or dialog or a page because I wasn’t able to follow the story; and the ending is SO abrupt.

I did enjoy the artwork very much - whimsical and macabre at the same time.

*Review is based on eARC provided by Lion Forge via NetGalley

Watersnakes is a modern fairy tale that is highly recommended.

An eerie fable about a ghost who carries the soul of an ancient king, and whose teeth are the king’s warriors. She kisses a living girl and vomits an octopus, who begs to be taken to the sea.

Best for fans of the surreal like Coraline. The mesmerizing story lingers like a remembered dream long after the last page is read. The dreamlike art perfectly matches the ethereal plot. 4 stars!

Thanks to Lion Forge and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.