Such a fun and beautiful read! I loved the art style. It was absolutely stunning!! This book is essentially about treasure hunters that are looking for Aweto which is a magical root! The youngest brother accidentally encounters a baby Aweto (Think baby Yoda cuteness!) and has to hide him because his brother would kill it on site! This book was super fun to read and highly recommend it.

This charming and whimsical little tale tells the story of three seekers of a magical “aweto” plant, and the lengths that they go to achieve it. The story is rooted (pun intended) in Chinese mythology and folklore, and the tone of the graphic novel captures that air of both the mystical and the fantastical, while at the same time feeling real for the characters that populate its world.  

The visuals are beautiful and breathtaking - an alluring style that  mixes watercolor with  Ghibli-inspired characters and backdrops. The art style adds to the worldbuilding, which feels fresh and “folk-tailey”,  familiar settings that add just a hint of magical realism, and then just a hint more. This is a world that is begging to be explored, and it is bursting with interesting stories and adorable characters. 

The pacing of the story felt off. The first act overstayed its welcome a bit, and it would have been nice to spend more time with some of the minor characters who weren’t given enough breathing room. Also, it started off with a frame story narrative, but never returned to it. Granted, the story is likely to continue in the second volume.

Overall, this is a fantastical little tale, and  I will be looking forward to reading the sequel

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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*I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The artstyle is amazing, right up my alley, I love the watercolour panels, they look so dream-like and magial! It really makes this read whimsical and worth reading :)

The story is based upon Chinese folklore, which is really interesting. I find it fascinating to read about myths of different cultures. I thought this was well done, especially in regard of the illustrations.

Storywise it was a bit confusing at times, and the ending felt rushed, but overall an interesting read.

This is excellent, pure and simple. The search for treasures, a loving family, fast-paced action and adventure, wrapped up inside an exciting & riveting story. I easily read in one setting and could not stop. Highly recommended.

What a stunning book!! Our students love My Beijing. So, when I saw Nie Jun had a new book, I quickly added it to my next book order. I haven’t read My Beijing, but noticing Aweto on Netgalley; I thought I would give it a read. 

Aweto is a rare plantlike creature that brothers Xinyue and Qiliu hunt, along with their mother. Qiliu’s life's mission is to find the rare celestial aweto. Xinyue admires his brother and wants to help him locate the sacred aweto. But when Xinyue stumbles across a baby chadolo (some ancient deity), he is mistaken for its Pa… and now it will not leave him alone. He must keep it hidden for fear of what his family would do if they find it, as well as the village warrior after him for taking it.  

Overall, the illustrations in this book are wonderful... I would say breathtaking! I work at an international school in China and I like the use of traditional names and giving translations for words. There was one part where a lot happened all at once and was almost confusing (wait.. their mother is what?) With it being a series though, they might explain more later, so I won’t let it ruin the book for me. I think the story is very engaging and I am very excited for the next installment! 

Thanks Lerner Publishing Group and Netgalley for giving the opportunity to access this ARC. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to its release, so our students can enjoy it too!

✨ 4 Stars ✨
This book was really adorable!! I enjoyed the storyline and the artwork was beautiful! I am excited to read more of the story of Xinyue because that cliffhanger at the end made me want more! I do have the say that the storyline progressed a lot faster than I expected and that’s why I didn’t give it 5 stars, but I enjoyed it overall!

This was amazing. I want more, the story was beautiful and colorful. It was a little sad at the end but it was almost perfect. I definitely want to read more, I want to see the characters grow and know what happens next it ended on a cliffhanger. Absolutely astounding

Nie Jun brings to life a whimsical and unique story that people of all ages would enjoy. The story follows two brothers and their mother on a quest to hunt down a rare plant called aweto. It has amazing healing properties and catches quite a profit on the markets. Obtaining aweto is no easy task and to do so, they often find themselves at odds with villages who prize the plant and the deities that produce it.

The art style is absolutely stunning. Awe-inspiring watercolor panels and beautiful illustrations definitely made this graphic novel worth reading. It’s not often we see Chinese-inspired folktales brought to the western market and I loved seeing the story brought to life.

The premise itself was super interesting, but the pacing felt off. The story tended to transition rather suddenly from one point of time to another, and it could sometimes get confusing. The lore wasn’t explained as well as I would have hoped so I found myself lost for a good portion of the book. I wanted to get more emotionally invested with the world and characters, but because we had so little time and so few explanations, I found it hard to form an attachment. For me, the ending felt rushed because there was little build-up for the major plot twists.

However, I loved the air of mystery and adventure the book gave. There was a hint of Avatar the Last Airbender vibes and I’m curious to see more of this world in future installments.

Rating: 3.5

Secrets of the Aweto Book 1: The Hunt Is On is really interesting since it's a Chinese comic and set in China. Xinyue and Qiliu are brothers that seek mysterious aweto that are plants of sorts and that are the base of lustrous environment because of the deities. These two and their mom travel the Silk Road and the older brother wants to find the mythical celestial aweto. Xinyue finds a deity that can create aweto and wants to keep it safe only to find out that nothing is what it seems. The story is a journey and we get to learn secrets and so many things change. The maps where a great add-on and the deities look great and the whole thing is very fairy-like in a sense. The rhythm isn't the best though and the panels don't follow one another seamlessly.  Sometimes it was hard to keep track what is happening and the beginning is slow until suddenly everything happens too fast even.

The art looks wonky and very traditionally Chinese, which is nice. The paint brush like work with rich and hollow colors is beautiful and fits very well with the story. Secrets of Aweto is like a picture book actually and an art piece by itself. The plot is interesting so I surely want to know what happens!

Aweto, a plant in summer and a worm in winter, can heal any ailment.  It is so rare that a profession was created to hunt for it: the seeker.  This graphic novel is a playful and fun book to read as well as look at with its creative illustrations.  The story follows a seeker who suddenly was chosen to protect a baby chadolo.  Unbeknowst to the seeker, he really has a celestial aweto, rarer than rare and sought after by everyone.  Graphic novel lovers will adore this beginning in a series to come.

A dreamlike, folkloric, atmospheric, colorful fantasy told through simple words and enchanting watercolors.

I’m a school librarian and my students study the Silk Road where this story takes place, so I thought it could be a fun fictional read to pair with their historical study. The watercolor illustrations are beautifully done and the story kept me interested throughout, especially after meeting the baby cholo. My middle school students love graphic novels and I think they will enjoy this book.

4.3 colorful satrs

omigosh the colors!
but ends in cliffhanger (i'll read the next one)

In a fantastical Silk Road, a little family of three (mom and two brothers) are hunters excuse me seekers of 'Aweto' ( a plant-thingie that grow over earth deidities called 'chadolo'). I must confess that 90% of the book I was deeply mad with the MCs because they cause endless pain with their work, robing villages of aweto (very valuable because healing properties) and destroying their way of life at times.

Xinyue is the younger brother who with his drums directs insects that are like hounds looking for aweto. Qiliu is the older brother, has wings like a dragonfly, flies , and is a fierce fighter (and no doubt has his own motivations in search of the royal aweto, a cure-all that is said to give immortality). Bu Ren Niang is the mother who cares and feeds them. We will soon see how the whole family is put to the test.

The story is embedded, according to the author, in western Chinese traditions. And, as several comment, it feels like watching a movie, rather than reading a story. The setting full of fantastic beings in like one of Miyazaki's works. The colors are amazing in their diversity with what appear to be watercolor. Pretty.

---------------
{Esta vez en castellano:}

En una antigua y fantástica Ruta de la Seda, una pequeña familia de tres (mamá y dos hermanos) son cazadores, perdón, buscadores de 'Aweto' (una planta-cosita que crece sobre deidades de la tierra llamada 'chadolo'). Debo confesar que el 90% del libro estaba profundamente enojada con los protagonistas buscadores porque causan un dolor sin fin con su trabajo, robando a los pueblos de aweto (muy valioso por sus propiedades curativas) y destruyendo su forma de vida en ocasiones.

Xinyue es el hermano menor que con sus tambores dirige insectos que son como sabuesos en busca de aweto. Qiliu es el hermano mayor, tiene alas como una libélula, vuela, y es un luchador feroz (y sin duda tiene sus propias motivaciones en busca del aweto real, una panacea que se dice que da inmortalidad). Bu Ren Niang es la madre que los cuida y los alimenta. Pronto veremos cómo se pone a prueba a toda la familia.


La historia está inmersa, según el autor, en las tradiciones de China occidental. Y, como comentan varios, se siente como ver una película, en lugar de leer una historia. El escenario esta lleno de seres fantásticos como en una de las obras de Miyazaki. Los colores son asombrosos en su diversidad con lo que parece ser acuarela. Hermoso.

Termina en cliff-hanger, y espero ver el siguiente volumen pronto.

The artwork in Nie Jun's graphic novel "The Hunt Is On" is simply awe-inspiring, perfectly matching the tone of the story and giving the feel of a story forgotten by time. I found myself a bit lost in a couple moments, not sure how the story took that turn, but I really enjoyed the twists and I'm looking forward to the sequel and following Xinyue to this adventure. Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for providing an ARC.

Really fantastic and immersive world. The translation was a bit rough at the beginning but it’s very nice overall. The world reminds me of Avatar the Last Airbender in a very good way, but meeting a more plant world than elements. I look forward to seeing what else the world has in store

The Hunt Is On by Nie Jun is a Chinese comic book modernising some traditional folktales. The illustrations are charmingly ancient looking, the colours are in those warm reds we associate with Chinese opera and the story is not as simple as might first be thought. While this is only a first volume that ends with a cliff-hanger we are given enough to hope for the classic epics featuring many twists, betrayals and complicated love triangles in this chase for fortune, land fertility and eternal life.

The art was soso beautiful and really captured my attention! I really loved the beginning and the cultural aspects of this book, its great at pulling you in emotionally for the first part.
However, right near the end a lot of plot twists occur which are a surprise but they felt rushed and confusing. The art was still beautiful and captured these moments well however the pacing felt a little odd. As the beginning was quite slow (but nicely paced) but the end felt rushed. However, this might be all down to it being the first book in a series.
Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a free copy to review.

Beautiful art work and interesting story. Only criticism is that some plot points seem rather sudden.

3.5 stars *may change 
Haha. What? 
I’d like to start off by saying that the art in this is gorgeous. Nie Jun is a cartoonist inspired by Japanese, Chinese, and European cartoons and it really shows in his style. It’s a very colorful graphic novel that goes along with its fantastical Beijing-esq world. I really did think the culture aspects of it were quite lovely. From the costuming, all of the market people, and the myths, it was a wonderful thing to see being illustrated. 
That being said, I have no idea what happened in that story. We have characters at the beginning but then they don’t show up again or they show up and have a purpose but then they don’t follow through on that purpose. And then some weird plot twists I still don’t quite get. I mean, this is a first book in a series, so who am I to say that it makes no sense if there’s gonna be a follow up? Still, the plot was a bit weird. 
I mean, it was a pretty book. A bit forgettable. 
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an arc.

Nie Jun’s evocative invocation at the start of the book powerfully parallels the deeper themes that run through the story. Though he has travelled far from his homeland in the western region of China, Jun says that his home has always stayed with him. Connection and longing for home is a strong, yet unnamed theme in the book. Tribes express an almost primeval urge to not lose their connection with their earthen home, dreading the possibility of being forced into a nomadic life. They fight to preserve a harmonious and spiritual way of life, rooted in the connection to their physical homeland.
The key theme of the plot is the conflict between that gentle way of life and the strong forces that seek to sever the connection between the people and their land. The life-force of the earth and nature is personified in the form of powerful, ancient and vulnerable ‘chadolo’s. When the chadolo is destroyed, the link between humans and the forces of nature is lost, and a deep sorrow follows. The story, aided by the dreamy, ethereal imagery, flits easily between the physical world and the spiritual world.
Qiliu, the central character, feels the pull of both forces - that of harmonious paganism, and that of loyalty toward the capitalistic each-man-to-himself world of his family. The conflict between these forces is reflected in the history of China that Nie Jun alludes to in the invocation, and promises to be the theme that drives the series in the volumes to come. Jun expertly meets his aim of evoking a desire in the reader to learn more about the disappearing native culture of his homeland.