This graphic novel was okay but not great. It was a straightforward fantasy that is definitely more focused on plot than on characters. A regular teen slips into another world where magic is possible but has been banned and he has to save the day. Of course, he falls for the handsome prince but the romance still comes across as surprising since they just haven't spent enough time bonding after starting off as enemies and there wasn't enough chemistry to pull it off. I almost was hoping for a romance with the prince's best friend instead. I was surprised Jordan dives into the adventure so easily but it works for plot, just not character. I'd recommend it to someone who was voraciously looking for fantasy graphic novels and wouldn't mind the tropes, but it isn't something I'd offer to someone who didn't already love this genre.

❤️ I first want to say that I love the art, may it be with the lines, characters, background and colors, everything was really well done (and I'm particularly picky even if I'm getting used to different styles). As for the story, I really loved how Jordan came into the world of Lymeira, it was really original! I would have loved Ysengrim's story to be more developed, but the one we got was really interesting already. It's a pretty simple story and there's nothing bad with this, I enjoyed it in a time I just wanted to dive into a beautiful world and a story of a prince, wolf, and knights!

💔 As it's a graphic novels, it goes fast, but a little too fast in my opinion. I'd have prefered to see a "Few days later" instead of "The next day" when it comes to the knight's training, or perhaps a little story about Jordan's blood/genes that makes him powerful. I also didn't feel a chemistry between Astel and Jordan, I wish we could have seen it during the whole story.

Overall it was a very short graphic novel perfect for those who want to escape to a beautiful world and a quick and easy story about a gay knight and prince, and an evil creature to fight !

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. I really enjoyed the art in the book. Really beautiful. The plot, on the other hand was weak, the characters not very well developed, and it was hard to make an emotional connection to the story. I really wanted to like this book, but the text let me down.

Would like to review but unable to access approved pdf. Since this seems like an issue with other reviewers it’s not just me. Will come back to give proper review if and when this issue is fixed.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

When Jordan is visiting a museum with his family (and not enjoying himself, as his parents expect him to watch his younger brothers), he sees a cool painting and steps into a magical world. He saves the prince and decides to become a knight, meanwhile discovering some buried secrets of the kingdom.

This sounds amazing, right? But alas, this graphic novel is a prime example of a good idea, good potential but poor execution. This story is absolutely way too short to be able to achieve what it is trying to. This feels more like a draft, or just simply a rundown of what happens in a much longer story. The pacing is really fast, but we don't actually learn anything throughout the story.

This novel is only about 16o pages long, and because it's trying to cram a whole fantasy world in those 160 pages, many things are left to the imagination. There is simply not enough time to either form a connection with the characters - as we don't really get to know them; or even get engrossed in the world - as we don't get to see a lot of it. There are too many things happening, and too fast. There is simply no time to connect to the story. There are too many action scenes, and too few explanations and world-building. After finishing this book you are left with more questions than answers.

Even Jordan, who is the main character, doesn't feel fleshed out. He seems to think of this as a fun little adventure, but his reactions just strike me as unrealistic. There is violence and assassins, but he never seems to realize the gravity of the situations he finds himself in. All of his decisions are spur of the moment, impulsive ones, and he doesn't seem to consider them at all. I do not think this was intentional, I think this is due to the shortness of the novel.
His relationships with other characters are also underdeveloped. Things are implied, and we are able to guess what the book intended to do, but I wish we had gotten more. Especially Jordan's relationship with the prince - I thought it was cute, but I didn't really grow attached to it. It seemed simply like a beginning to something and not like an already developed relationship.

However, I do think the story had potential, and I liked the idea of it. Had the story been longer I would've enjoyed it much more. I love the art style, it's absolutely beautiful. The color palette is also amazing, and I did very much enjoy that aspect of this novel.

Unfortunately, this book was simply too rushed and therefore quite underwhelming for me. I wish I could say I enjoyed it more, but sadly I didn't. Reading it felt more like reading a work in progress, a draft rather than a finished graphic novel.

Jordan Rivera is a 16 y.o. teen on vacation with his family , he is frustrated with his parents for made him take care of his younger twin brothers, when a painting in a museum attracts his attention , pullng him into another world.
2.5 stars

This is a kind of typical portal fantasy with a D&D flavor, in fact some nonchalant aspects of Jordan's behaviour in that situation give thought to him thinking somehow similar, no of a moment of 'wait - i'm-going-to-die, no more phones , internet or friends' instead is more like 'yay -no more babysitting , i'm going to be a knight'.

The drawing is not much to my liking in general, but the colors are okay.

-Stand-alone.

-Some others reviewers find the ending rushed <spoiler>but , to me, the kiss of goodbye is atone with the teen behaviour, is not an endless love, but more 'I like you and wish it will become more'. Although the truth is that I saw Jordan more chemistry with Gryff.</spoiler>

-POC protagonist. Gay.

Beautiful art and a compelling premise that ended up falling short for me. The plot was rushed into way too quickly and the pacing was janky, making the relationships and plot development seem under formed and lacking in dimension. It didn’t feel like we truly understood the motivations of the characters, they just did things with no reasoning. Overall , not worth my time, just didn’t do it for me

I absolutely adored this graphic novel! It was a really good quick read that didn't feel too short. The story is fleshed out really well and the relationship between Jordan (our MC) and Prince Astel (our LI) feels very natural. The art is beautiful and I enjoyed reading about Jordan's journey in this new world full of swordplay and magic. I really hope we get to see a sequel, but if not, it's okay since the author wrapped everything up so well. I also really loved and appreciated the Filipino representation in this graphic novel, like younger characters using Tagalog in conversation or the dad wearing the flag, it made me very happy to see!

Thanks so much to Netgalley for this arc!

I had a pleasant time reading this book. I felt like it was unique and yet very similar in terms of topics and themes. Regardless, I had a good time and I would recommend! Thanks for allowing me to read a copy!

Story: 2/5 Stars
Art: 5/5 Stars
Overall Rating 2.5/5 Stars

When his family becomes too much to bear while on vacation, Jordan tries to get some space. But instead of wandering around the local museum, Jordan finds himself dropped into a fantasy world where he can finally have fun - but there might be more problems than he originally thoughts.

The story was lacking too much for me to really enjoy this one. Between the pacing being way too fast (especially in the beginning) and the characters making illogical choices I was left with wanting more. It felt more like a good first draft than a finished story. I wasn't impressed with any of the twists and mostly was just taking in by the beautiful artwork.

I found the is artwork absolutely amazing. Some of my favorite that I has ever seen. The colorist did such an amazing job throughout the entre story and each page was a total masterpiece. This is definitely in my top five favorite artworks for graphic novels.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Diamond Book Distributors for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

honestly, i didn’t go into this with any high expectations but i was still let down. the story felt rushed and didn’t make a lot of sense. the character development wasn’t well written and the characters had no personality. there was little to no chemistry between the main love interests which i found heavily disappointing. i wish things had been explained better and honestly i wish this story could have been a span of several volumes instead of one. the potential for this story is overwhelming but the author couldn’t seem to deliver upon it! :/ however, the art was beautiful and i’m always a fan of queer rep, even if it’s disappointing!

First of all, this is beautifully illustrated. I really love the art style.
The story was really cute. A perfect hero’s journey! I really loved the moments between Jordan and his love. Overall great! It did feel a little rushed, but I'd defiantly buy this.

I can't access the protected pdf no matter how many times I downloaded it so sadly I can't write this review. I really wanted to read this. I really loved the book cover and the art style. :(

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book.
This graphic novel was very engaging and entertaining. This was my first experience with a graphic novel and I greatly enjoyed it. I look forward to trying out more like this.

I was super excited to read this graphic novel. It was pitched as perfect for fans of Carry On, which is one of my favourite book series. I've also read and enjoyed the Shadow and Bone series, so had high expectations for this. I love stories featuring hidden words beyond view, so this was right up my street. Jordan, an ordinary guy, is gazing an art museum in New York City, before he is mysteriously transported to a fantasy world.

The art did a great job depicting the vividness and intricacies of the world. I loved how we immediately jumped into the action, showing the fast pace and wonder of the new world. Jordan saves an Elf prince, and starts to feel important. It was clear from the outset that Jordan struggles with his parents, and does not like to be babied. It was interesting to see Jordan navigate a new world where he started to gain the things he wanted from his birth world.

Jordan was a fun protagonist, but could be a bit superficial and hyperbolic at times. I do think he needed a bit of a reality check. He was in serious danger and could have died numerous times. This didn't ever really happen though.

With that being said, I love fantasies with LGBT+ representation, and this graphic novel did a great job of providing it. I loved the cast of characters, and had so much fun reading their adventure. I wish it had ended differently though. There was a lot of drama and action going on, so the ending could have really matched that and pulled everything together. However, I would love to read more if this ever continued, and look forward to whatever the author publishes next.

A perfect graphic novel for readers who are looking for an escape from the real world. Filled with action, adventure, and secrets, this novel will take you on a journey of discovery to what matters most in your life.

I could not download this PDF. The file says it is protected but I was not provided a way to open the file. When I download this on my phone or computer it is a blank file and nothing pops open in my netgalley app. I cannot find another way to request assistance other than writing this review and if I do not write a review my review ratio is impacted. Please help me obtain a copy of the file and I will be happy to read and review.

Jordan is in NYC on a family vacation, and supremely fed up at being the babysitter for his younger brothers. He wanders away inside a museum and enters a doorway into a fantastical world. He emerges right in time to help Prince Astel and his knight Ser Griffith fend off hungry wolves. Jordan witnesses Prince Astel defending himself with magic, and accompanies them to the capitol where he asks as a boon to be trained as a knight.
The story follows familiar fantasy tropes and the artwork is beautiful. I think anyone who enjoys stories with alternate worlds, forbidden magic, mystery and intrigue, and M/M romance. There is some violence and light romance, would probably be appropriate for preteen and up.

I did not like this. Not because I thought there was anything wrong with it, I just never really felt like I got into it. There was nothing that managed to make me want to pay attention to what was happening. Things just happened, and I didn't care, about the story or any of the characters.

It didn't make sense to me how fast the main character, and the other characters, just accepted things that happened. It was as if the story was there just to make a point, and for the main character to realise something, and learn and change. And maybe that was the whole point, it was just a little boring. The points that were being made were obvious, but again, maybe that was the point?

So, all in all, this was not for me.

I did however like the art style.

[eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review]

As I was reading this book, I felt as if it was the first issue in a series. It wasn't until nearly a hundred pages in that it hit me that this is a standalone piece. It's a one-and-done adventure that has a somewhat satisfying resolution in that there was concrete gay representation, but overall the conclusion felt rushed.

We only see a sliver of this world. I would have liked to know more about it and spend some more time building up the land of Lymeira, rather than rushing in to save it after perhaps a day. It could have easily been another hundred pages and worked as a standalone. On that note, I would have liked a bit more time to focus on Jordan's reaction to entering a new world. He seems to accept it immediately. His shirt has a D-20 on it, so he's clearly genre-savvy. He must know how dangerous fantasy worlds can be.

The art fits the story well. The characters feel grounded in each scene, and there is some gorgeous background work. There are a few panels that look a bit off-model, though that may be a stylistic choice from the artist.

Overall it was fine. Not the best graphic novel I've read, but far from the worst.
(2.5, rounded up to 3).