Cover Image: The Court Charade

The Court Charade

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Member Reviews

I'm glad I picked this up! It's cute (the art) and funny (Serine's personality). With Serine's wit and charm, she was able to help her family and kingdom, going from being a poor countess to a future queen! 

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Europe Comics, for this wonderful ebook. ✨

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This graphic novel is chaos—and that's exactly how Countess Seraphine Marie-Geneviève Alexandrina de Notre-Dame Chancies du Jousselinier Senestre lez Castiche de l'Auberivière sié l'Ostel de la Colline would have it.

Call her Serine—she may not know how to read, but she knows that her name is a mouthful, and she has better ways to spend her time...like turning the palace upside-down in her quest for adventure (and a better life), befriending chambermaids and executioners, and riddle-and-rhyming her way in and out of scrape after scrape. (Serine though she may be, serene she is not.)

Tidy, sharp illustrations add to the lively feel of "The Court Charade," while the pastel color scheme (done with watercolors, I think?) make this just a pleasure to look at. The plot requires a bit of suspension of disbelief, but then...it's a graphic novel. I'm also not entirely sure what age range is intended for the audience here—I suspect it would be considered an all-ages comic in France (and: my non-American parents wouldn't have taken issue with it when I was a kid), but more conservative American audiences might occasionally find it a bit, ah, French. (The adults, anyway. The kids would just find it funny.)

At about a hundred pages, this is long for a comic book but relatively slim for a graphic novel, and I'm a little bit sorry that it isn't in comic form. It's fun enough as a book that I'd love to see it as an adventure series—Serine's scrapes and adventures continuing on and on.

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Thank you Netgalley for approving me to read this book.

The court charade is a about a jolly, cheerful girl Serine who used to live a dusky mansion. There she had to forcefully needed to learn Girly manners whereas she wanted to learn and read. But after her father's dead she managed to escape from her house and coincidentally found a job in the Royal palace. She become the second Queens servant. But Queen was more than a queen, A vicious lady. However in many attempt Serine managed to save her King and bonded a lovely relation. Then she mets a Young boy as well.

The ending was cute though. It was a cheerful comic. Loved the art style.

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This was a cute and funny comic about a very spunky girl who wants to become a lady in waiting for the queen as a way to help her family. Unfortunately, she doesn't have the clothes or the manners to impress the queen so she needs to use her imagination. She explores the castle and makes friends with all kinds of people. In the end, she helps make a lot of changes in the palace.

The artwork is wonderful. So colorful and fun. And the characters are so expressive and cute.

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Beautiful art and wonderfully quirky story. I didn’t know what to expect going into this graphic novel but was pleasantly surprised. The art work was perfect for this piece and I loved the rhymes throughout. The moral of the story was cute but not as strong of a story as some of the older lore standard fairytales. Definitely not a kids book, even though I feel it kind of presents itself that way, as there is nudity. Great quick read.

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*Thank you to Kerascoet & Flore Vesco and Europe Comics for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book was soo funny and cute. I really loved the illustrations. It was a really good book. I didn't care for the rhymes in this but the drawings were excellent

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What a fun quirky read, most of it was in rhymes but it had a good plot to it aswell, quite comical in places.

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This book was just not for me. I enjoyed the illustrations, but not the story. It was clunky and not very enthralling. If it would have been a bit more concise I think that it would have been better. I do think that anyone who enjoys a good fairytale will love this and I can see the appeal in that aspect. Overall, I didn't love this, but think that it definitely has space with the correct audience.

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A big thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for gifting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Schemes? Court charades? And a master of supposed disguises? Sigh me up!

The Court Charade by Kerascoët and Flore Vesco is a graphic novel that follows Serine as she tried to achieve her dream of becoming a lady in waiting for the glamourous court. Mostly so she can keep her family afloat. But everything isn't quite as it seems as she comes to face to face with a thoughtless Queen, vicious members of the court, and palace fauna that has a worse bite than bark. To survive, Serine must use her wit and charm.

This is lovely and adorable graphic novel that instantly stole my heart from the cover alone. But I soon found myself falling for the characters and plot. Though I do wish we got to spend more time with them.

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This was a cute, funny, and fast graphic novel! I really loved the watercolour art style, and the storyline was not quite what I was expecting, it was better! The small romance unfolding in the background was cute to see, too. I really enjoyed this!

Thanks NetGalley and Europe Comics for the beautiful arc!

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A lovely story with great artwork. The Court Charade overflows with humour, adventure and entertainment. This graphic novel follows the story of Serine who leaves home when her father dies, to become a lady-in-waiting at court. Unfortunately serving the Queen is not as easy as she thought it would be and she is soon embroiled in conspiracy, scheming lords and ladies, and adventure.

Fortunately Serine is indomitable and she manages to ‘save the day’ and save herself and others a number of times. This is a lovely story of survival and wit, with plenty of twists and turns and I really enjoyed reading it.

Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

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I just adore that type of light historical YA, both novels and comics and this one totally enchanted me. This isn't really happening in any known area or country, but you can imagine a 1700s France look-alike. The main teen character was witty, fun, full of energy and unexpected. The whole story is very fable like, charming, humourous and very far from reality in the cutest way.
The illustrations are soft and lovely too, with fun expressions, pastel colours and lots of movement.
This is the type of tale that gets everyone smiling, a real comfort read for those days when you feel down and need a book blanket.

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Thank you to netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review!

Pretty good! Very entertaining i didnt expect this to have an actual plot but it did it was very whimsical and entertaining and even funny at times i also liked the art style it suited the story well my only gripe is sometimes the dialogue and progression of events were choppy and hard to understand but i would definitely recommend this for a fast light hearted read when you are in the mood for a graphic novel

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Cute illustrations!! Love seeing all the facial expressions and details on the clothing and in the palace. Would have rated this higher if there weren't a scene of Serine kicking a dog. Urgh.

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A madcap adventure of a court jester and a king, set in a vaguely pre-Revolution French court. Loved the bouncy and fun drawings that pull the reader along on this fast-paced story.

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This is a really fun and engaging graphic novel which follows crazy adventures of Serine, a young and witty girl, at the French royal court. I breezed through it, the artwork was lovely too. Thanks to Netgalley and EuropeComics for the e-arc.

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Thank you to Europe Comics and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

🌟🌟🌟
📚 - Graphic Novel / Historical Fiction
📖 - 112 pages

This made me laugh and chuckle all the way through. A quick, easy read that ends on a heartwarming note. There were lots of silly antics. The art style wasn't my favorite, but it was well done.

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I enjoyed the meticulous style and active pages in The Court Charade. An enjoyable visual story with moments of humor.

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I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
After her father dies, young Serine is left with her mother and many younger brothers. Wanting a life as her own and that of a lady in waiting, Serine ventures to the castle of the king and queen. Backstabbing courtiers, gossiping ladies, and one troublesome secretary, Serine wants to change. Thus, she transforms into the royal jester, making the king laugh and the queen green with envy. Hijinks and surprises come, letting Serine live the life she always wanted.
This graphic novel was simply hilarious. The art design was in little boxes of illustrations and a day to day life of a court jester. I applaud Serine for her ability to make things better in court life. Some of the character designs were odd, but the relationships Serine makes are endearing. In a fast-paced style, The Court Charade, with its obnoxious dogs and one unruly pig, drew me in laughing all the way to the end.

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4.5 stars! This graphic novel swept me off my feet, took me by surprise, and led me on the sweetest adventure! I was so delighted by Serine and her shenanigans- she is such a fun, plucky, clever character to follow. I just adored seeing her make friends (and enemies) at court and use those relationships to outfox those with ill will. The art was lovely, I loved the color palette. This will definitely be a comfort read I return to again and again!

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