With several fun nods to a couple different fantasy worlds, this comic feels wholly original. Girl Haven is an immensely positive journey. Sturges understands the power of the representation, how to demonstrate thoughtful dialogue around gender identity/questions, and as always knows how to dole out a decent helping of fantastical adventures. The world building felt a little rushed at times, but it has all the right ingredients. This story is sure to delight readers and spark some meaningful conversations and introspection. I look forward to the next adventure, and will definitely be reading whatever comes next.

Lumberjanes has long been on my list of things to read, as I'd heard nothing but great things about it, but trying to find time to get caught up on a series that has been going on for a while can be a bit of a challenge, so when I saw that this book was coming out I jumped at the chance to read some of Lilah Sturges' work.

Girl Haven tells the story of four teens who go to the Marsha P. Johnson Middle School (which should tell you a little bit about the type of subject matter the book will be dealing with). There's Ash, Eleanor, Chloe, and Junebug. Eleanor, Chloe, and Junebug are all friends, and part of the schools Pride Club, and after attracting the attention of Ash one lunchtime they invite him to come along and see what the club is all about.

Ash doesn't seem to have many friends, and jumps at the opportunity to make three new ones, especially as they have a bit of a crush on Eleanor. After the club Ash invites the three of them to their house, where he shows them the shed where their mother used to pain pictures and write books about the fantasy land of Koretris before she left several years before. The girls love the things that Ash's mother left behind, and instantly want to dress up as adventurers and pretend that they're in Koretris. But there's a problem, Ash doesn't think that he can play, because only girls can go to Koretris. Eleanor tells him it's only make believe, and that he can put on one of the dresses and just pretend if he wants.

It's then that Chloe reads one of the spells from a book of magic that's supposed to take you to Koretris, and the four of them find themselves in this amazing fantasy world. Not only is it real, but this world might hold the secret as to what happened to Ash's mother. However, it also presents an important question, if only girls can be in Koretris, how was Ash allowed in. Not only is Ash having to grapple with the idea that this fantasy world is real, and that his mother might still be alive, but he's also forced to take a look at his own gender identity, and what ultimately makes him happiest.

I have to be honest, I had no idea that Lilah Sturges was trans before reading this book, and didn't even realise until after I was done reading it and looked her up online. I was worried at the start of the book that perhaps this was going to be a book about the trans experience that was going to be written by a cis person, someone who sympathised with the difficulty of having to examine your own gender identity and wanted to make a story about it, but had never experienced it themselves. But because Sturges herself has been through that, has had to look at their own gender and how they fit into the world she's able to pour a lot of that emotional journey into the pages of Girl Haven.

There are a few early scenes where Ash seems uncomfortable with who they are, like when they're given the dress to wear that touch upon this. You can see the look on their face and you could hand wave that away as 'a boy's been told to wear a dress and doesn't really want to', but it's more than that, that hesitation Ash shows is a longing, its them wanting to do that, but being afraid to. This is something that I'm sure a lot of trans women will be familiar with, that closely held desire to be like other girls, the want you feel to just be like them and to be treated like a girl, but the fear that if you tried you'd face ridicule or disgust; or even knowing that if you were surrounded by friends like Eleanor, who accepted it and didn't make you feel bad you know that you'd still have to take the dress off and go back to being a boy, and knowing that it's not forever hurts.

The moments where Ash is encouraged to just be herself, to put on the dress and be the person she wants to be are weighed down by these fears, these self doubts, and you can see the character struggling with this. For readers who have never been through this themselves they might feel frustrated that Ash isn't jumping at the chance to just be a girl, but that struggle, the fear of taking that step is something so real and so genuinely debilitating that it can be a hard choice to make.

Sturges gives these moments the weight and time that they need, she makes it so that readers have to follow Ash on a journey not just to adventure and fantasy realms, but of self acceptance too. Ash has to learn to accept herself for who she is, even if others already do, even if the reader does. This is a story that anyone could write, but its a story that I think only really works this well if the person writing it knows how hard it is, if they're able to channel some of that emotion into the work.

I think I might have painted too dour a picture of this book, because it's not all about Ash and her gender, or her pain, there's a lot more to the book too. The world of Koretris is bright and colourful, and has some really awesome stuff in it, some which only makes brief appearances but makes a big impact. The Rabbits of the Reeds are a group of warrior bunnies who I instantly fell in love with. Okay, this might have had a little bit to do with the fact that I've got four bunnies running around my house, but they're so cool. I would have been happy for a book all about them because fantasy adventures with rabbit people is something that I didn't even realise I wanted until I read this book, and now it's something that I'm going to be hoping for in everything I read.

There's so much about Koretris that is only touched upon briefly here that I want to know more about, there's the slightly creepy Scarionettes, which are giant living marionettes that look like Dracula, the wolf-man, a mummy, and the Bride of Frankenstein. I don't know what these things are, but I really want to because they're one of the most unique fantasy creations I've ever seen. Then there's also the moral implications of the Sweet Deliveries, little baby like creatures made of candy, who eat candy. Chloe tries to talk to them about this, asking if that makes them cannibals, but this isn't really put to bed and I feel a more in depth discussion on that subject is in order.

Koretris is a strange world, one that has some cool and interesting inhabitants, and one that I want to spend more time in. Whilst the book ends with the idea that Ash and her friends aren't finished with this magical world I don't know if there's more planned for the series, but I certainly hope so.

Girl Haven is a fun and engaging adventure story that has some important things to say about gender identity and the journey to accepting and embracing who you are. It will appeal to readers of all ages, and I think that because of that it's going to be a hell of a popular book.

*Received via NetGalley for review*

I am familiar with Lilah Sturges from the Lumberjanes series, and I see a lot of commonalities in Girl Haven (the art style, the interactions between characters, the annoyingly cheerful and naïve small character).

I really appreciated the note at the beginning that this is only one story of gender identity and struggle, and not everyone's will be the same.

Unfortunately, this graphic novel is slight on plot. Ash and her friends are transported into her mother's magical world, and spend a lot of time asking questions and traveling and talking, and then the ending is very quick and pretty trite. It's much more an exploration of gender identity than a fantasy adventure.

Pros:
Interesting story with loveable animal characters
Pronoun awareness!
Junebug!

Cons:
Inconsistent proportions, especially in faces
The only Black character is a stereotypical angry butch

This is a wonderful story about Ash discovering their gender identity by visiting Girl Haven, a magical world created by their missing mother. The issue, Ash was born a boy, but Girl Haven is only for girls. The story is fast-paced. As an adult, it's too fast, but it's perfect for a middle school student.

The biggest issue for me is how inconsistent the artwork is. There are some beautifully drawn backgrounds and the animals are cute, but the sloppiness of the human faces is jarring, especially the Queen and Ash's father.

This is a great read for your LGBTQIA+ middle school students to read and discuss.

I absolutely loved this. It has an amazing, diverse cast of characters, and honestly every single one of them is lovable. I personally especially love Junebug, but they are all amazing. I loved the way this graphic novel casually discussed gender, and it showed in an honest way how hard it can be to figure your gender out if it's something you have been questioning.

I definitely recommend this one.

Girl Haven is Ash's story. Ash's mother is gone and Ash never found out what happened to her. It's now just Ash and her father. After making new friends at school, Ash shows them the shed her mom used to work in and they all end up in a parallel world where people are in grave danger.
It's a story of adventure but also a story of self discovery.

I really liked this story, the characters were all on point, it's queer as f*** and the adventure was all around captivating. I also really liked the art but most of all, it really was all about the characters. They were layered and all so different, which isn't easy to do in a 150 page comic.
Basically, I had a great time reading this and I will be looking for more books by this author.

Girl Haven is a sweet, but slightly heavy-handed exploration of gender and gender identity. When Ash and his friends are magically transported to the land of Koretris, he doesn’t understand how he fits in. Koretris is a place only for girls. When faced with some fantastical challenges and a bit of toxic masculinity, Ash comes to terms with his true gender identity. The plot moves quickly, too quickly at times, and certain subjects are almost glossed over (e.g. Ash discovering his mother’s death). However, I think this will be an accessible volume for middle grade and teen readers to learn more about gender and gender identity.

This was such a cute graphic novel! The art work was amazing and the story really touched my heart. The found family aspect of it was beautiful and the world was so unique. The discussions of gender and identity were so sweet amd well worded while also being easily accessible to children who may be questioning their identity. I honestly don't have much else to say beyond I adored this and I am eagerly awaiting the next one. I also can't wait to get a physical copy once it becomes available!

This outstanding graphic novel is at its core a story of gender.
Ash's struggles with gender are brought to light when Ash and his new friends are teleported to a fantasy land his mother used to tell him about, a place only accessible to girls. Ash must decide whether to reject or accept the feelings inside.
This story is powerfully told and I am so excited for all of the people of any age that will be able to relate to this story in one way or another. I loved Lilah Sturges' preface and post note about identity.
The art is wonderfully done and draws the reader into the story.
This story is sweet and contains so much depth. On the surface it is a story of good versus evil but it is so much more. It is heartbreaking at times and full or both internal and external conflict but is ultimately an inspiring and uplifting story. This story shines with hope and gave me all the feels.
Ash, Eleanor, Chloe, and Junebug make up this stupendous cast of characters and I love them all to pieces.
This story is beautiful and perfectly told.

What a novel. This book took off from the very start and I was right there with it. As someone who struggles with gender I really related to Ash. Seeing the journey through the book was so nice. The support she had and the love from everyone around was what everyone should have. This is the perfect novel for someone questioning and just people in general. Who doesn’t love a good fantasy with gender identity mixed in?

This was so lovely.
This comic did such a good job of explaining gender identity in a way for children (and adults) to understand and connect with.
The story was full of adventure and heart as well as some laughs.
I think this well help a lot of people feel seen and help others to understand an experience different from their own.

Such a fun read! I absolutely love graphic novels and comic books I wish more people could see how enjoyable these are

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Lilah Sturges returns with her newest work, Girl Haven. Ash's mother wrote about a fantasy world called Koretris where only female creatures live and only female travelers can pass through. When Ash and his friends (Eleanor, Junebug, and Chloe) are transported to Koretris, it brings into light a lot of questions about how Ash considers himself and whether he really identifies with his birth gender at all.

This is decidedly a story about gender identity and the importance of the journey to discovering oneself and writing one's own story. In addition to Ash providing transbinary representation, Junebug communicates (without a label) genderfluidity and changes pronoun use between she and they as they figure out what they feel is best for them in terms of identity. Eleanor also states that she "likes girls". There is a fantasy plot as well, but that was absolutely secondary compared to the journey of self-discovery for Ash.

This graphic novel presents concepts of gender in a way that is accessible to a middle grade or young adult audience and I absolutely wish I had books like this when I was growing up.

I found this to be such a lovely story, it opens a great narrative about gender as well as being a great adventure between four new friends. You immediately know what the themes of the story is about if you read the author's preface, which I felt was wonderfully written.

I really enjoyed how different the characters were and how Eleanor especially worked towards being supportive and really buoy her friends up as they go on a fantasy adventure to not only answer questions but to save a special world. I can't speak to representation or accuracy, but I really loved this story and it's exploration of gender.

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley.)

-- 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 where necessary --

Seventh-grader Ash ("like the tree") misses his mom Kristin terribly.* Three years ago, she left the house, and just ... never came back. (Weirdly, her dad hasn't done much to find her, even though she's clearly a missing person. Fictional parents are a mystery, yo.)

When Ash is adopted into a tight-knit group of friends - Eleanor ("like the Roosevelt"), Chloe, and Junebug - that also happens to represent the entirety of the LGBTQIA+ club at Marsha P. Johnson Middle School, he's eager to show off Kirstin's studio to his new besties. Ash's mom was a talented writer and artist; she created an entire fantasy world called Koretris, dedicating twelve years of her life to a 'verse populated entirely with girls. The shed out back is a testament to her creativity and imagination.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/50511577467/in/dateposted-public/

Things go sideways (or maybe just right) when a fortuitous spell transports the quartet into the heart of Koretris itself; here, they're drafted by the anthropomorphous warrior bunnies to rescue Queen Cassandra and defeat the scourge that threatens to poison all of Koretris. Of course, Ash has his own agenda as well: find Kirstin, and maybe himself too.

Even though everyone keeps telling Ash that he's a boy, he doesn't feel like one. If the magic of Koretris welcomed him through its gates, what does this say about Ash's gender identity?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/50511577417/in/dateposted-public/

GIRL HAVEN is a really sweet (and sometimes silly - in a good way!) middle grade graphic novel. It's a coming of age story that addresses LGBTQ issues in a gentle, compassionate way. Ash is a compelling character, and I was rooting for her (and, more specifically her and Eleanor!) the whole time. Chloe - she of feminist killjoy fame - and the ever-cute Junebug deserve honorary mentions too, as does dad, who loves and supports his daughter fiercely. All trans kids deserve one or two parents like this.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/50510700653/in/dateposted-public/

In short: this story is brimming with humor, heart, inclusion - and talking horses!

* I wasn't sure of the best pronouns to use in this review, so I decided to refer to Ash as he/him up until the point in the story that the character comes out as a trans girl.

**I was given a free digital copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

I absolutely adored this book! Fantasy books are nearly always a hit with me, so as soon as I read the description I knew this was going to be a great read. This tackles difficult topics like gender and sexuality in a way that is approachable and relatable for young adults or teens. I loved all the characters, and I really really hope there will be more books in this particular world. The Rabbits of the Reeds were absolutely adorable, and so were Ash and her friends. The art style is gorgeous, and it fits the tone of the story. Seriously, fantastic job!

Think middle grade fantasy book. Now add graphic novel to the mix. Finally, spice it with gender identity and real but simple talks about all things LGBTQ+.
Does that sound amazing? Well, that's because it is.
Ash is magically transported with some friends into a magical world that allegedly only allows girls. But everyone thinks Ash is a boy... But is it what Ash feels?
We follow Ash and Ash's friends in an adventure to save the magical world of Koriantris and maybe find Ash's long lost mother. We meet bunny-people, horse-people, candy-people and all kinds of anything-people. It's fantastic and whimsical, and Ash's identity journey is wonderfully written and explained.
I really enjoyed reading this, and it's existence makes me sincerely happy. The world's needs books for children that aren't afraid of being real and beautiful and magical and inclusive.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute, queer little graphic novel that focuses on gay and nb characters as well as coming to terms with gender dysphoria and being trans.

Ash's mother has disappeared sometime prior to the story. Ash is struggling to come to terms with this whilst also struggling with gender identity, and joins three school friends in a LGBTQIA+ school club. When Ash invites them over they stumble across a book in the missing mothers art studio and are transported to a magical world that favours women.

I felt that the story lacked a bit of depth and was resolved very quickly, however I think this book is geared more towards middle grade so makes total sense. A quick soft read that showcases queer, trans and nb characters and authors.

From the author of Lumberjanes comes a story of belonging, gender identity, finding yourself and overcoming fears. It is beautifully told, the art is decent.
The world of Koretris is interesting and I really hope there will be more adventures in the future.

This graphic novel tells a beautiful story. Ash has no idea what gender really suits them. They know that they love nail polish, and that they've never felt quite right being called a boy, but there are so many expectations on them that they don't know how to deal with all of them.

Ash and their friends from Pride Club at school find their way into a magical land that Ash's mom (who left one day and hasn't come back) made up, called Koretris, which she made to be a haven for girls. The magic of the land is said to not allow boys to come through. But Ash HAS come through, which just makes them more confused. What does that mean? Ash wants to figure it out, but first there are things to be done. Queen Cassandra is missing, there's a scourge on the land, and the reed warren is under attack.

The story is about discovering who you are, and learning to accept yourself. It's about learning to believe that love is stronger than fear. It is about gender identity (which Ash has chosen by the end, but I don't want to spoil you on it, thus my continued use of they/them pronouns in this review) at the heart, and it tells its story in a gentle way that is easy to understand for a younger audience, but still subtle enough to be appreciated by an older audience. Both will find lessons here, and they are lessons of love.