Great artwork and a story filled with amazing twists. I like how the creators developed a story with so many references to faery folklore and myths!

Full review (July 22): https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2019/07/comic-sparrowhawk.html

This collection of comics tells a story about a misfit longing for acceptance and dare I suggest love ? Artemisia doesn't quite fit in as she's a young woman of colour brought home by her naval father and obviously an embarrassment for her stepmother, not to mention a thorn in her side ! Artemisia finds herself pulled through the mirror and replaced in her own world by the fiercely ambitious Unseelie Queen. The place she finds herself in is both beautiful and inhospitable and to survive and find her way home Artemesia embraces a path of self destruction that was always bound to end in tragedy.
This dark tale is at odds with its colourful and sharply drawn images which strangely works as a distraction. The artwork on the covers within is absolutely stunning yet the graphics themselves are perhaps more simplistic, even garish.
Having seen the authors name I knew I had to read this and it doesn't disappoint. Ms Dawson paints a picture of truly cunning and manipulative Fae which is exactly how I imagine they would be. Yes there's beauty and throughout Artemisia reminded me of Dorothy in her quest to return home. Blinded by hate and so susceptible to persuasion this heroine turns her back on love only to fall prey to an evil that is pernicious and downright sneaky ! Fast paced and gory as Artemisia goes through a transformation that leaves her and indeed the reader with the reality that life doesn't always have a happy ending.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Disclaimer: I was given an advance reading copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to BOOM! Studios for the opportunity.

An adventure-filled plot with magical twists and turns that you won't see coming.

Sparrowhawk gave me the vibe of a vintage fantasy comic books that I loved when I was still a kid. The art style was given much importance as well as the plot. The world building was great, and it included magical creatures and beasts.

Ultimately, the fast-paced plot gave me the rush. I just wished it wasn't that fast-paced as it was so I could enjoy the story more. I would still recommend this to anyone who likes (a) comics, (b) fantasy, and (c) just pure fun and adventure!

Hmm... I'm not quite sure how to rate this. It's a fast paced, well drawn comic. The artwork is full of bold colors although the style itself is not one that I'm usually drawn to or prefer. That said, I thought it suited the strangeness of this story. I liked the artwork on the chapter/title pages more than I did the artwork throughout the comic, but I loved the contrast of the colorful against the brutal, gruesome and dark faerie world story. The plot itself reminded me of elements of Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland, which the author also mentioned as her inspiration in the afterword.

I found the story interesting. Artemesia is the daughter of a colonizer and a slave woman who grew up in a family that was cruel and didn't want her. After being forced into a situation she doesn't want to be in, Art finds herself being pulled into the faerie realm, having been replaced by the Faerie Queen in her world. In faerie, Art meets a demonic bunny (reminiscent of the cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland) who makes a pact to help her get back home, in exchange for one of Art's memories. Art must go through faerie slaying monstrosities in order to get back home, and along the way she encounters both the good and evil creatures of faerie, including the gentle faerie prince, whom she falls in love with. How far will she go to get back home?

Art was a strong willed character who was fiercely determined to go home. Her transformation from a thoughtful human, to a monster who enjoys killing as much as any unseelie, was disturbing. It begs the question: how far would you go to do what you think is right, even if it turns you into someone who you don't like. The side characters were all very interesting as well and although he was an evil, twisted thing I really enjoyed the demonic bunny's character.

I liked the sinister vibes of the ending and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next and how Art will deal with the repercussions of her actions. A review for Sparrowhawk will be posted on my blog closer to the release date.

Thanks to Netgalley and BOOM! Studios for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book but it was really rushed. Now I will say that Dawson did a good job of telling a story that doesn't leave anything related to said plot out leaving a short and well- rounded story. reading I got what Dawson was trying to do and what they were trying to make me feel. I understood that Artemesia was scared but hiding it, had very few people she could trust, and above al also was desperate to get back home. The only problem was that it was I didn't have time to get attached to anything or anyone in the story.

The art was pretty good. Saying it's is not well versed in the art. I can't really ever draw a stick figure. However, the backgrounds did a good job of staying familiar but still unworldly and you can easily understand what actions are going on in each frame. I think the only thing about Basla's art in this is that the character's expressions sometimes seemed wonky or just derpy. but I also think that this might just be a problem a lot of illustrators may have. Again not well versed in the art

Sparrowhawk holds the ticket to an expertly drawn fantasy world complete with fantastic creatures, terrifying beasts, and an alternate reality with whiffs of Wonderland. The art style is a perfect match with the surreal storytelling, giving us a colorful, somewhat blurred look at the beauty and peril of this strange world. With every panel, our protagonist finds herself descending deeper and deeper into this action-packed story, never backing down from the challenges that arise. She’s powerful beyond measure, and a fitting hero for this epic tale.

Review to be published 8/20: http://reviewsandrobots.com/2019/08/20/quick-review-sparrowhawk

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've been thinking about this for awhile as I am very unsure how to rate this.

The bright art style does contradict the very dark tones to this story. This is the lengths that someone will go to for what they want even if it's wrong. This also shows how our own personality and beliefs can be hinged on the people in our lives and how the loss of someone can create ripples throughout you.

This was good, the art style was good. It was all just good and nothing really jumped out at me throughout. I think if the synopsis intrigues you give it a go.

this is a fast - and well - paced comic, which makes sense. the main character did not have time to slow down and take a breather as she was making her way through the faerie realm. i read the whole collection in one sitting, because there was just always something happening that made me continue reading. there’s action and adventure throughout the whole series, so it never gets boring.

i really enjoyed artemisia’s character. she is adventurous and headstrong, and does not like compromising her morals. as the story goes on, though, her actions in faerie influence her more and more, and she becomes an interesting look at what one would do to save the ones they love. her transformation throughout the story is very gradual - both physically and mentally - and it’s one of my favourite aspects of the comic.

the art was also something i really liked. it doesn’t look anything like the cover, but it’s somehow simple and detailed at the same time. it’s really well coloured, making it fit perfectly with the moods of different settings. but my favourite visual part of the comic is the lettering. it uses different fonts, and sometimes colours, depending on what kind of creature from faerie is speaking. it really helped make the world seem even more alien than it already is, and it emphasised how different the monsters’ voices are from out human ones.

the one big complaint i have is an aspect of how artemisia’s physical transformation throughout the comic was portrayed. she is a light skinned black character, but as she journeys through faerie and becomes more and more ruthless, more and more like one of the unseelie, her skin gets darker and darker. now, her appearance changes in many other ways as well, so it’s very possible that she’s not even supposed to have “normal” skin like a human anymore, and that they didn’t make that connection. i don’t think that the colourist, or whoever else was involved in the decision, consciously wanted to equate darker skin with being inhuman. actual impact trumps intent, though, and this isn’t a good look.

so, as a whole i did enjoy sparrowhawk. it was haunting, engaging, and atmospheric. it takes a look at how far someone is willing to go, and how someone’s surroundings can impact their ethical thinking and decision making. it’s full of really cool visulas of the world of faerie, and i love how the unseelie were designed.

This was a whimsical and dark fairy story. It was an enjoyable read. I liked the color scheme and the ending was really good.

This horror-tinged read is great for teens and up who little a taste of the macabre in their fantasy.

No happy ending here, the question of what you will do to get what you want (and what you may lose when you get it) is an eternal question that subtly resonates in this beautifully drawn story. There is plenty of fantastical beast killing, but it is light on the extreme gore.

I'd feel comfortable recommending this to grade 6+ with a taste for suspenseful fantasy horror.

This has the added bonus of being by a black author and centering a black and female and fabulously flawed protagonist.

brief summary
A misfit because she is not only illegitimate but biracial, Artemesia cannot resist the urge to seek greatness when she is drawn through a portal into the world of faerie, no matter the cost.

full review
Sparrowhawk begins with an interesting main character whose lot in life has, through no fault of her own, been pretty awful. Being the mixed-race natural daughter of a captain in the British Navy when he already has a wife is certainly an unenviable position, and although Artemesia is clearly a good person and loves her half-sisters, her father's husband sees her as an affront whose only value lies in the work she can do or, unexpectedly, the connections she might forge for the family by her marriage. Nevertheless, when the faerie queen steals her body to begin a conquest of the world, trapping Artemesia in the world of faerie, Artemesia is eager to get home. In order to do so, she makes a binding deal with a dark fey creature who goads her into ever more extreme acts of violence, assuring her that only through the destruction of powerful fey creatures can she become strong enough to return home. Along the way Artemesia meets and often murders several characters who possess hidden depths, becoming nigh unrecognizable in her pursuit of power, which eventually becomes its own end.

The worldbuilding in this comic could use some work, or else it assumes the readers have a passing knowledge of faerie lore. Anything that might be unfamiliar, Crispin can helpfully explain to the reader while he explains it to Artemesia over the course of their blood-soaked journey. Despite the lack of actual information about the world, it is easy enough to absorb the basic structure and rules there, and illustrator Matias Basla does a fine job creating scenery which can best be described as a toxic idyll, where the trees are poisonous shades and even the most carefully curated gardens look like they bite. Similarly, as Artemesia's story progresses and her travels change her, Basla's depiction of her alters.

The story is refreshing in its darkness. Artemesia starts as the typical downtrodden heroine, and she does acquire fighting skills at an unreal pace, but otherwise hers is not the typical heroine's journey. Her wise guide has a lot more to him than first appears, and his motives are never wholly revealed. The love interest does soften her, but not enough, and in the end she makes other choices. I loved that she made other choices, and that her actions hardened her heart somewhat, although not to the point where she moved beyond feeling the need to justify herself. It was great to watch her becoming less sympathetic as the story progressed, right up until the final showdown, when readers are reminded that there are other baddies in the world, and they're worse.

The comic leaves off on a cliffhanger, and it's good enough that I would seek out the second volume implied by the number 1 in this one's title to find out what happens next.

I was delightfully surprised with how much I enjoyed Sparrowhawk. Artemisia has had a difficult time (mostly with her stepmother and one of her half sisters) growing up as an illegitimate child. Set in mid-nineteenth century England, Artemisia has spent her time as a lady’s maid for her sister Elizabeth, who has just died. Fortunately the sister she is close with, Caroline, is still alive. Elizabeth was set to marry someone who would help their family’s financial situation, but now that she is dead the stepmother has decided it is Artemisia’s duty to marry for the sake of the family. As she is looking in a mirror and thinking about how she just wants a simple life, the Faerie Queen reaches through to enter Artemisia’s world and pull her into to Faerie. She must quickly decide who can be trusted in Faerie when she starts on the long and gruesome road to get back to her world and the person who means the most to her.

The artwork by Matias Basla is whimsical and the color by Basla and Rebecca Nalty does a great job of making Faerie really feel like a different world. The combination of great art and story have made this my most-enjoyed comic in quite a long time.

Sparrowhawk will be released on August 20, 2019.

I was given a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The artwork could have been better, however, the story full of fantasy and treachery really carried the story as a whole. It reads like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but with more gore and horror. The artwork, rather pedestrian, will grow on the reader. The clever remarks on the themes of racism, colonization, and feminism are clearly rampant throughout the story. The ending was just so twisted...I'm still thinking about it.

loved this.


Sparrowhawk is the perfect balance of a dark story told with love and feeling.


Think Alice Through The Looking Glass, but with monstrous Fae versus feelings of tragic bereavement. Deals gone awry and the need to do good - even at the risk of becoming evil.


The author and art team have worked really well together to tell the story of Artemisia (Art), an unwelcome daughter of a financially struggling of British high society who suddenly finds herself thrust into a terrible struggle between two worlds.


The art is wonderful and the bright colours are a great contrast to the dark tones and themes of the story. The use of variable lettering styles throughout the story to highlight the differences between characters and their own changes is brilliant.


This Sparrowhawk graphic novel combines the individual issues from Boom! Studios Sparrowhawk comic run with story by Delilah S. Dawson. Edited by Chris Rosa. Illustrated by Matias Basla. Colour by Rebecca Nalty. Lettering by Jim Campbell. Series designer Michelle Ankley and collection design by Scott Newman. The amazing cover art is by Miguel Mercado.


5 out of 5 stars.

Definitely intriguing but perhaps too fast paced. The set up for Artemisia’s journey works well on all sides. Her Cinderella-esque background, being the bastard child of a Naval Captain and a slave, ensures she never fits in at home. Her stepmother is cruel and shows her no affection.

Then Artemisia is pulled into Faerie, the land of the fae. She meets Crispin, a Cheshire cat type, who convinces Art to kill the Unseelies she meets along the road. Her first kill transforms her and gives her wings.

This dark, twisted magic kept my interest for much of the story. Each time she killed, she became more and more Fae, and we were given a little flash of memory.

But great art and great story can’t cover up the speed that we blew through emotions. Artemisia readily accepts that she will have to kill to get home and doesn’t seem to acknowledge what a big change that it. The only time that she seems hesitant is when she has to kill her last Unseelie, before continuing back home to seek revenge on the Unseelie queen.

The lack of character development definitely holds this work back. I hope that, in future installments, this is addressed.

My Rating: ★★★☆☆

First, I'd like to thank NetGalley for an awesome ARC, in exchange for an honest review. This was so cool! The plot twist was not not one I saw coming, but once revealed, it was a no- brainer. The character development was quick but thorough, the artwork was simply amazing, I appreciate the expressiveness of even the smallest characters. I can't wait to read more and I can't wait for our copy!

Sparrowhawk is a graphic novel that focuses on Artemisia "Art" Grey, the illegitimate daughter of a naval captain, who is faced with a situation full of dangers when the Unseelie Queen attacks her and enters our world, at the same time Art is dragged to Faerie and is forced to make a deal with unreliable and surely treacherous beings to return home.

It was a novel that I really enjoy because of the dark and gloomy story that narrates through wonderful illustrations a plot full of changes, death and destruction, which also reflect the true nature of Faerie, a land inhabited by a large number of beasts and terrifying and evil creatures.

I also emphasize that the author touches issues such as colonialism, slavery and identity, as well as the fact that the character of Artemisia is based on the figure of Dido Elizabeth Belle, who was the daughter of a British naval officer and an enslaved African woman in the eighteenth century.

Finally, I recommend this graphic novel if you enjoy mysterious and dark stories that do not have a happy ending. Personally, I adore Art, the protagonist, who is a strong and courageous girl who undergoes a great change throughout the plot, as well as the other characters, but especially Crispin, who is very similar to The Cheshire Cat, but manipulative and treacherous.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ebook to review!
All opinions expressed are my own.

Review was also posted on Goodreads.

Sparrowhawk is Alice in Wonderland meets Wizard of Oz meets Dorian Gray, inasmuch as our protagonist is whisked away into a curious world, becomes companion to a Cheshire Cat-like narrator of sorts, and engages in a hasty descent.

What I love most about this story is how Artemesia changes visually as her adventure continues.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the artwork, the character concepts, and many of the themes that were introduced, the story ultimately felt flat for me. Where the action was exciting to look at, it felt purposeless within the story, driven by a protagonist who didn’t quite come alive enough to warrant sympathy. The exposition felt careful and forced, as if an afterthought to justify the premise of a character lopping heads in the faerie realm. In a nutshell: tons of great beginnings without many middles or endings.

That being said, I think teens will LOVE this story and I’m sure it will fuel the imaginations of many readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy.

The art in this graphic novel is by far one of my favorites this year. I was captivated by both the art and the story. It showed the evil of the human world and the fairy world in such detail. I hope that it continues.

I loved this!! It was so fun to read honestly.

I loved the dark Alice and Wonderland (darker than it is) vibe it has.

Obviously I don't want to post spoiler but I love the characters and the progression of the story and how it all comes full circle in the end of this one.

The art is of course pretty awesome and I can't wait to read the next issue!