3.5 ⭐️

What drew me to this graphic novel in the first place was the beautiful cover! The story follows a young girl named Sorceline who gets an intership to study cryptozoology with a renouned mentor. Once she arrives at the school there's a mystery that unfolds, all the while surrounded by magical creatures.

I think the story itself is good, although some of the tropes are a bit outdate. (ie: the mean girl trope), the world and the magical animals are absolutely the most magical part of this story. I felt the characters were a little one dimensional but its still a really fun and enjopyable whimsical story.

Sorceline’s apprenticeship with Professor Balzar is just a teensy bit more interesting than anything you’ve got planned for summer. She’s on the Isle of Vorn to study cryptozoology.

“It’s the study of cryptids: amazing creatures that most humans don’t think exist.”

She and her fellow students will be learning how to heal magical creatures and one of them, the best one (nothing like some healthy competition), will become the Professor’s assistant. And, boy, does he need one.

In a world where unicorns, vampires, gorgons and zombie pixies all exist, there’s plenty of healing to be done. There’s also time for some mysterious goings on. Students are disappearing and Sorceline, who somehow has the ability to identify creatures simply by looking at them, thinks it’s all her fault.

“Don’t ever doubt your incredible gifts, Sorceline!”

Translated from French, this graphic novel combines the first three volumes of Sorceline’s story. I really enjoyed the world building. The story itself felt disjointed at times but, because I was so busy drooling over the pictures, I didn’t really mind. Paola Antista’s illustrations are absolutely incredible, particularly those that showcase the scenery.

Beware the cliffhanger. I have so many questions that are demanding answers so will be travelling back to the Isle of Vorn as soon as possible.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this graphic novel. I’m rounding up from 4.5 stars.

A boarding school full of competitive students, fantastical creatures, and unconventional teaching methods combine for a magical reading experience! Sorceline is beautifully illustrated and full of intricate details that keep you glued to the pages. Be prepared! This book ends on a major cliffhanger!
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

Sorceline by Sylvia Douye is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel with vivid, imaginative art. The story follows Sorceline to the mystical Island of Vorn where she intends to study magical creatures. She is thrown into a mysterious quest when a fellow student disappears and she sets out to find them. The art was gorgeous but I found the story a bit hard to follow. It is a nice book but I would like to see more development in the storytelling with other books in the series.

Netgalley provided a copy of this ARC in return for an honest review.

Magic, mystery, and magical creatures--what more could I ask? This was a very fun, interesting graphic novel about a group of kids apprenticing to be cryptozoologists aka treating magical creatures. The art is also engaging and nice and the colors are also very pretty. A visual treat for the eyes indeed. This was an equal balance of whimsy and intrigue and this would be a perfect read for its target audience (middle-grade) and to those who want to read a graphic novel for the first time.

“Sorceline” has gorgeous illustrations. I really got the sense of that Vorn was a magical place. The story, however, feels disjointed, and the characters lack depth. Also, the mystery of who was transforming the kids was not particularly interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Andrews McMeel Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review.

A beautiful tale of magic and discovery. The fast pace kept you on your toes and the illustrations were absolutely stunning. Recommend to all!

5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for presenting me with an ARC of this book in exchange of a honest review.

Okay. I never expected to love this as much as I just did.

SORCELINE is the story about a girl of the same name, studying cryptozoology—the study of mythical creatures. This book really delves into magical creatures, friends and family. I honestly did not expect any of this, but god, I loved it.

It's a perfect blend of mystery, magic and love. I'm very sure the target audience would enjoy this book, since it's a complete win-win. I really loved the mysterious aspects of the story, the plot twists (though I saw the end coming) and overall, enjoyed it!

Definitely would recommend this to everyone.

I received a copy of this graphic novel through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The art is extremely gorgeous and magical. For only the magnificent pictures I would give it maximum points, just superb!😍
The premise was tempting as well, an isolated school for learning to take care of magical creatures. What’s not to like? Sadly, the story wasn’t executed the best way possible. It was twisting and turning, full of plot twists and revelations, some of which made sense and some were just taken from air…At times the characters seemed not to care much about their peers going missing and turning up as glass statues. There were so many different subplots that they didn’t converge well and made the whole mess a bit confusing…🧐
But still, such a beautiful art and hopefully the next books are not so overflowing with subplots…😊

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

Sylvia Douye presents Sorceline Volume 1, an upper middle grade fantasy graphic novel following the titular Sorceline. Sorceline finds herself in a magical school for cryptozoology where she and her fellow students aim to learn about magical creatures and their care. Students and creatures are turned to glass by an unknown cause and Sorceline and friends must resolve the mystery.

I love the art style and color choices for this graphic novel. The colors are bold and whimsical and match the vibe of the plot as well. I would be motivated to continue this series based on the art style alone.

I also very much enjoy the story overall. I really enjoy the various magical creatures and I tend to be a sucker for the magical school trope. The story stays light-hearted and relatively surface level despite having a lot of space to grow. Douye sufficiently introduces all of the various characters and multiple plot lines for future books to follow. I can see where this story might have been too busy or underdeveloped for some readers, but I did not personally have any issues with that.

I am happy to have had the opportunity to read this book early and would recommend this graphic novel to fans of Mooncakes, Moonstruck, or Hex Vet. I look forward to future installments in this series.

Sorceline is lucky enough to have arrived at a school of cryptozoology, where mythical creatures and magical mysteries are a daily occurrence. Through these four books/chapters we meet a a handful of students, a Professor, a vampire, and many a cryptid! Though, it's not all bookwork in classrooms; things get hairy when one of their classmates turns up missing...

This was a fun story that I do think kids who enjoy fantasy will like. I had a fun time with it, really enjoyed the art, and the creatures were of course lovely (I especially like the fairies). With that said, there were a fair amount of more technical issues. The stories were a bit convoluted, ending abruptly and some things just didn't quite add up. Sometimes you'll get to the end of a page and it will read as though there's more to be said on the subject, only to turn the page to a different plot point never to get that resolution or explanation/expansion that was needed. Also, the kids were all quite selfish and annoying at one time or another, which bothered me personally, but I don't think kids will notice or care.

Despite the flaws, I enjoyed this enough to keep an eye out for the next addition! Just will be hoping for some improvements in on the technical side of things.

*I was given a copy of this title via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I thought this book was super cute. The mythological creatures were interesting, and I really liked the art style. I thought the whole concept was very interesting, and I would definitely consider continuing the series when the next installment is available.

The art in this middle grade graphic novel is beautiful.

However, the story is confusing and the twists just don't really make sense. Also, the adult figures in this book just really don't seem to care about the children in their care. Maybe actual middle graders will just see this as an adventure story, but for me the plot had too many holes and not enough answers. And to see something terrible happen, and then the next everyone just keeps going was wierd and didn't make any sense.

So this was a hard pass for me, but again the art was very beautiful, and if the story doesn't bother you, then go for it?

It has lovely illustrations and a lovely story to go with. I think it good for middle grade readers.

Sorceline by Sylvia Douyė ends with the most satisfying cliffhanger I have ever read! Sorceline's story arrives with her at a school for the study of mythical creatures. As she learns about her subjects she learns just as much about herself. The artwork by Paola Antista portrays the creatures (and the students!) as both beautiful and terrifying; the perfect balance for a middle grade/YA Graphic Novel.

Cryptids are the latest popular monster genre and mixing them into a magical school theme works perfectly. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves monster and magical creature stories with a little bit of growing-up politics mixed in.

The art was gorgeous and there were some interesting worldbuilding threads but <spoiler> the plot was way too disjointed, the characters were somewhat cardboard cutouts, the twists were unconvincing, and there was a bit to much reliance on "let]s just not talk to each other." the author is lampshading the "it was all a dream" trope a bit too hard and it will be very disappointing if this goes that direction in the next volume.</spoiler>

This was a lovely graphic novel for the middle grade age range. The illustrations are beautiful with creative creatures depicted. The world building and plot is unique and the plot twists were fun and unpredictable. I really enjoyed this although at times it was almost too fast paced and skipped from one scene to the next a bit abruptly.

Imagination runs free as an exciting adventure unfolds from one page to the next.

Sorceline spends most of her time in the forest, learning and exploring. So, when she attends a school for cryptozoology, it's more than right down her line. The toughest problem she faces is the competition with the other students to become the best, which would mean a spot as one of the professor's apprentices. If that wasn't enough, a the other students are disappearing and several mythical creatures are suffering from weird diseases. Worse yet, Sorceline fears it might be her fault.

There's a reason this one has already doing well in French. It's a fantastical tale with amazing creatures, a determined heroine, and enough familiarity to make it still easy to connect to. The illustrations are a treat, especially the forest and nature seasons, where the mythical creatures are woven in. Fantasy fans will enjoy gazing at these pictures and find themselves dreaming. Of course, these are illustrations to follow the tale, and they do a wonderful job at that. The characters are presented with emotions and individual traits to deepen the text and expand on every moment.

The text flows very well and balances nicely with the illustrations. Some of the text is done in a type of italic font, which did make it a little more difficult to read, but it also slides right in with the atmosphere. The vocabulary and wording are well placed for the middle grade audience and keep the tension high.

It's a fun story with adventure, secrets, tons of mythical beasts, friendship, and mystery too. In other words, this one is worth taking a glance at and more.

This is a cute middle grade level graphic novel /beginning of a series. I liked the fantasy elements, the illustrations, and the setting of a group of kids living on an island whilst learning how to heal magical creatures. The plot is pretty twisty but I guess if this is going to be a serial that makes sense. I wouldn't come back for more but I didn't mind it, and I think a younger me would've really liked it.

3* - pretty enjoyable for what it is

Thank you to the the publisher and NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for review. I found the text a bit small, even reading on a tablet device but apart from that it's looking good.

This was such a fun and strange story! I enjoyed it immensely and I'm left wanting more...

We follow Sorceline, a young girl and gifted cryptozoologist-in-training sent to the Island of Vorn to study the magical creatures living there. But things begin to go awry when some of her fellow classmates (and rivals) inexplicably end up turned into glass statues! From there on, mystery ensues...

The gorgeous art style and gripping story will transport you into a magical world filled with strange creatures, fun adventurous & plenty of drama! If you're a fan of graphic novels, magical beings and weird plotlines with a dash of mystery, this is the story for you! I would love to read more about these interesting characters and the enchanting world, so I hope the rest of the books will be translated as well!

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing and Netgalley for providing a digital copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.