The illustrations of ”Girl Haven” were fine, but I didn’t love the story itself. I guess I’ll skip out on potential sequels.

<i>arc provided to me by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I loved this story so so much!!! I rarely read the synopsis to stories so I had no idea that this was about our main character Ash as they figured out their own identity throughout the story.

This graphic novel made me feel so many different things and I loved every second of it. I felt the loss that Ash felt losing her mother, to the joy everyone felt at their pride club and journey to this fantasy world, to how important love really is and how it can defeat any evil. I really appreciated that we got to see Ash’s struggle with figuring out that she was a girl and that that decision was hers to make, not anyone else’s. That she didn’t need anyone’s permission to be a girl, that it was up to her and her only. I think this story will be something a lot of younger kids will be able to relate to and see themselves in and maybe help them realize earlier that it is okay to be who they are in their hearts.

The way the fantasy world, Koretris was built up was also super fun and I loved hearing the stories about the world!

I just reallly enjoyed every aspect of this story and I desperately hope that we get more instalments because I would love to see more of these characters and their journey!

4/5 🌟

TW: loss of a parent, some violence

Girl Haven has potential, but I don't think it was realized in this book. For a book that speaks to gender, I find it curious that the title even decides to use the word "girl." Why couldn't it be the name of the world that they visit? the art felt a little too simplistic -- there aren't many details in any given image, and the characters are just specific personality traits rather than fully fleshed out characters. While I think it tells an important story of gender identity, the rest of the story was not compelling enough to make me feel connected at the end of the novel.

This book is one part suddenly discovering you're in a fantasy world, one part a search for mom, one part discovering who you really are. Ash has been told his entire life that he is a boy and, he was expected to do boy things and hang out with boys, but Ash is unsure. He makes friends with 3 girls who are the school's Pride Club. He invites them over to his house one day to see his mom's shed where she made art and wrote stories about her made up world of Koretris, a haven for girls. When one of the girls reads a spell that is supposed to transport them to Koretris, they discover that it isn't as made up as Ash thought and that Ash maybe isn't a boy after all.

Ash is a kid who is just getting to know some peers at school and winds up inviting them over and showing them Ash's mother's studio. Ash's mother has been gone for a few years, but this is where she'd written and painted, creating this whole awesome fantasy world, Koretris, where only girls are welcome. When all four friends get transported into Koretris, this raises some questions. Most obviously, how do they get back, but for Ash, this poses a greater identity question. Ash was born a boy and, at the time of being transported, Ash identifies as one. So was Ash included in the transport because they're actually a girl, and the magic knew it? Or was it just some glitch in the system? Since they need to locate Queen Cassandra to help save Koretris and get themselves back home, Ash can't really dwell on gender identity at the moment.

This was a pretty cute book. I like that the girls-only world didn't shy away from touching on non-binary identities, and the book has a fully-developed fantasy plot that exists alongside, but not dependent on, the gender storyline. It's a good book, definitely worth reading. There isn't really any objective area where it felt short for me...More background into the worldbuilding would help some, but it stands up on its own. It's a good book, but I guess it just didn't leave me feeling excited for more.