Empress Charlotte was a very interesting graphic novel that I will definitely be reading more from in the near future.

"Empress Charlotte" is just not my cup of tea. I didn't really care much for the art style or the story so it was a bit difficult to get through.

Trigger Warnings: domestic abuse, violence, themes of war and colonialism.
Unfortunately this one wasn't for me. I really enjoyed Charlotte as a main chraracter but the story and Max's character annoyed the heck out of me. He was toxic, creepy. disgusting. And it really ruined the story for me. I definitely won't keep reading this series but i'm still glad NetGalley and the publisher gave me the possibility - as usual - to read books.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an earc copy of this book.

I really like the art style and the story line too. I liked the main character Charlotte and at the beginning I liked Maximilian but as the story progressed I didn’t. If he wasn’t in the story i might have continued. If you are a history-buff than I would suggest this graphic novel to you.

I ran out of time to finish this one before the copy expired, but what I did get through was interesting and well illustrated.  I did try to find a library copy to finish, but it doesn't appear to be widely distributed at this time.

What can I say, I'm always tempted by twisted Habsburg content. The first time I heard of Carlota of Mexico was actually during my visit to the empirial crypt in Vienna (a compulsory sight to see for historians and goths alike), where some previous visitor had lain down flowers at her grave, and I was intrigued enough to look her up. This BD masterly (if a bit conventionally) conveys the historical events that led her to the Mexican throne, but I was mostly delighted by the old-fashioned drawing style and colours. The cover gives a great example of the artists' skill and usage of shading, and I want more!

It was an entertaining read and I liked the artwork. I didn't know the story about Maximillion of Mexico and Princess Charlotte, so it was interesting to read. Looking forward to the next installment.

What greatly reminds me of when I'm reading this graphic novel? The movie, "The Duchess," because of both the protagonists endured their husband's infidelity. However, I like how Charlotte in this book has taken her revenge slowly to her husband. Also, the illustrations, coloring and even the font types used gives the huge impression of reading a 19th-century story. I'm not familiar with the real Charlotte or Carlota of Mexico but reading this had made me want to search more about her life story and the history of Mexico.

Overall, this was an entertaining read. I don't know that I would have picked this up off of a shelf, or that I will be picking this up again. It was decent, but not excellent. It was difficult to read on my phone screen due to the fonts used, which at times made me want to throw the phone down and not pick this up again. I am glad that I was able to push through the difficult fonts so that I could finish this.

I must admit that I am biased as to the subject matter of Empress Charlotte. My latest "love interest" is nineteenth-century European royalty, and I am not unique in this preoccupation--films and television--especially about the British monarchy are quite en vogue. For this reason, this lovely graphic novel will hit with fans of “The Crown,” Elizabeth, and all the Victoria-esque projects currently on the market. In fact, the real Empress Charlotte was a first cousin to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Empress Charlotte, as written by Nury, is an underdog narrative. Charlotte is a free-spirited, educated, but naïve young woman who believes a princess can also be a dreamer, a tough act if one is not Queen Victoria. Charlotte must learn the intrigues of Austrian court life on her own--a daunting task--especially when Charlotte’s sister-in-law, Sissie, has Charlotte’s dog killed. (Yep, no brainer. You are supposed to hate Sissie from the point forward.) Charlotte then starts to “play the game,” but if you know a bit about Mexican history, you know what is coming. The pressure is, thus, on Nury to pace the tragedy. The danger I see here is in completelylosing Charlotte’s naivety.

Bonhomme’s art is beautiful and has a 1980s feel, which works quite well for creating atmosphere, and I look forward to how this team will render revolution. 

I recommend Empress Charlotte to adult history and royalty buffs. Nury and Bonhomme create lovely foreshadowing, but I don’t recommend for a high school classroom as the violence and sexuality are unsettling.

The artwork is stunning, but the story itself was hard to get into and I struggled with reading the text in some panels - sadly, this is not a graphic novel that translated well to an e-galley form for me. I might try it again some day in a physical format to see if my frustration with the e-galley got the best of me, but I won't be in any rush to pick it up.

The art is beautiful, and the story - while familiar in being about European royalty - was not one I was familiar with. I look forward to the next installment. Is it strange to say I don't want to spoil myself with wikipedia, even though this is real history about real people?

*I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

My knowledge on royal families outside of the UK Is awful, so it was pleasing to find a comic based on Maximillion of Mexico and Princess Charlotte. I'm definitely intrigued to read more though there were times I found the cursive text hard to read - especially on screen in the format I had. The artwork is great though, but ooft - some of the scenes I didn't expect.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a free e-book to review.

I really enjoyed this and at the beginning I had my doubts, I didn't know much about the history of Charlotte or Carlotta of Mexico as she became known, but I found this really interesting and wanting to learn more about her life. It begins with her meeting and marrying Maximilian as a young woman and through her marriage we watch her mature and have to grow up quickly. I found the art work a little reminiscent of the style of the 70s or early 80s but it was still very pretty and I will be reading the next volume.

Empress Charlotte possesses the perfect balance between art and story that you want in a graphic novel. I can't say I know very much about the historical events and figures in this story, but regardless of your knowledge of history Empress Charlotte draws you in and makes you root for the heroine. I would recommend this graphic novel for anyone (it does have a small amount of adult content so you are forewarned) as it's great reading and very pleasing to the eye.

The art is wonderful! 
The story is gripping. 
Starting off with the childhood back story and such a smooth transition in time was great. I enjoyed this very much and hope to read more

Mit 16 Jahren verliebt sich die belgische Prinzessin in den Habsburger Maximilan, Bruder von Franz Joseph dem I. Was anfangs wie eine glückliche Eheschließung erscheint, stürzt Charlotte bald in einen Albtraum. Diplomatien, Kriege und die ständige Unsicherheit machen ihr ebenso sehr zu schaffen wie die unerfüllte Hoffnung auf einen Erben. In der komplizierten Welt der Herrscher und Beherrschten muss Charlotte ihre Naivität ablegen und ihre Pläne schmieden – denn schon bald soll Mexico ihr gehören …

Historische Persönlichkeiten wie Charlotte von Belgien beziehungsweise später Carlota von Mexiko haben mich schon lange fasziniert, weshalb ich es sehr spannend fand, eine Graphic Novel über ihr Leben zu lesen. Das Werk von Fabien Nury und Matthieu Bonhomme hat mich vor allem durch die düsteren Farben und den opulenten Zeichenstil angezogen, der gut in die damalige Zeit hineinpasst.

Die Geschichte beginnt beim Kennenlernen Charlottes und Maximilians und der erste Part endet bei ihrer Krönung in Mexiko. Ihre Beziehung wird im Lauf der Zeit immer toxischer und artet in einen regelrechten Machtkampf im eigenen Heim aus, weshalb ich die Graphic Novel nur bedingt empfehlen würde, wenn man solche Themen nicht gut verträgt. Allerdings fand ich den Spannungsbogen gut gesetzt, auch wenn durch die vielen diplomatischen Themen manchmal gewisse Längen durch ausschweifende Erzählungen drin sind.

Charlotte als Charakter hat mir auch sehr gut gefallen und man hat auch einen neuen Blick auf Franz Joseph und Elisabeth erhalten, deren Beziehung nicht ins positive Licht gerückt wird. Für mich war auf jeden Fall viel Lernpotenzial in der Graphic Novel enthalten, und ich bin gespannt, wie Charlotte sich in weiteren Teilen entwickeln wird. Ihre zunehmende Stärke und die Intrigen und Pläne, die sie schmiedet, haben mich zumindest überzeugen können.

Was mir an manchen Stellen nicht unbedingt gefallen hat, war der Zeichenstil. Er ist zwar passend und schön gestaltet, aber vor allem die Schriften, wenn es an Briefkonversationen geht, sind wirklich schwer zu entziffern und haben einige Probleme bereitet. Da hätte man zugunsten der Lesbarkeit doch an Opulenz zurückschrauben sollen. Außerdem waren manche Panels sehr überladen und nicht wirklich angenehm anzusehen. Trotzdem war es eine interessante Lektüre, deren nächste Teile ich weiter verfolgen werde.

My knowledge of Mexican history is vague at best, and this novel did much to pique my interest! The artwork is very lovely--though it doesn't shy away from graphic scenes. The only problem I had was that it was rather hard to read the cursive font used for the letters.

Not quite my type of graphic novel. But I know some patrons that will thoroughly enjoy it all the same.

Empress Charlotte: The Princess and the Archduke by Fabien Nury & Matthieu Bonhomme is a free NetGalley e-comicbook that I read in late October.

Charlotte ascends into German royalty while her courtships closely monitored, particularly with that of Maximillian, who she later marries. Her free spirit and love of laughter is tempered by piousness, expectations, and scrutiny on her life. A reader really sides with her, despite her naivete, and wants to protect her from being slighted by the royal family and to cheer her on as she gains knowledge & comeupance, especially in matters of ruling over Mexico.