This book was a unique take on stories passed down through generations. All three stories in this book were ones I was unfamiliar with. I appreciated that the author didn't tame them at all. Even Disney stories are sometimes dark and I liked that these weren't sugar coated and perhaps a little scary.

The art style is unique and the colors were pleasing to the eye. I also loved that the author included a more concise story for each tale at the back of the book so we could see where the inspiration came from. Overall, I really enjoyed this title and I believe it would be popular in a middle school or in a middle grade section in a library.

Received from NetGalley
This book is a beautifully written and illustrated graphic novel featuring retellings of various island tales with feminist themes! Each of the three stories were written in combination with the author’s appreciation of strong women. Additionally, the original stories at the end of the book makes it an excellent addition to a reader’s collection. This book is a wonderful read for anyone who enjoys folk tales, retellings, fantasy, and feminist themes.

This is my first time reading Indonesian folktales. I really enjoyed the art style in this collection and the use of color! I do think some fo the stories had unsettling endings, but I attribute that to the function of the genre itself. The characters were super interesting. The author's note is phenomenal and I really enjoyed reading the original tales. You can tell how much thought the author put into these re-tellings.

thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for letting me read an arc of this sweet-but-short graphic novel! i really loved reading these short stories and i really loved that at the end we got to read the original stories to see how the author adapted them to make those in the book. i loved that they were all flipped to show themes of female empowerment and women supporting women! i think fairytales like this are crucial for young people, and especially girls, to read as it teaches them the important life lessons in an empathetic and empowering way! i definitely recommend reading this book and would suggest that anyone with children read it with them as well!

Thanks to NetGalley and Holiday House for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How much I adore graphic novels and comics! When I saw the cover and synopsis of 'Stories of the Islands' by Clar Angkasa, I could not wait to start reading it. Girls who rescue themselves? Girls who think that sisterhood is the most important thing for them? Girls supporting girls? Count me in!


-what is it about-
Tales are usually the same - some girls dream of more, some want to reach the stars, and some are in great danger. But then there comes the brave and handsome prince to rescue the situation. These tales are different. Girls do not need boys. They need themselves. They are ready to forget about the past and understand their mistakes. They are prepared to change their plans. They are willing to show emotions and love. But will they be happy?


-what I loved?-

→ the art. THE ART. It was like travelling back in time to become a kid again. Using a pastel colour palette helped with creating a cosy, dreamy vibe!
→ females and their perspective made this graphic novel a beautiful journey through dreams, sisterhood and motherhood. I loved how stories included different aims - not every character wanted the same fate for themselves.
→ Indonesian folklore created an enchanting vibe. All stories by Clar Angkasa are based on original tales with different tropes. Clar Angkasa changed some elements so readers could see a different version of the original stories (which are later also presented in the graphic novel - it was so helpful to read the original tales!). However, I preferred the retellings created by Clar Angkasa as I felt a more emotional connection with how the adventures of the characters ended.
→ The retellings of all stories were creative yet simple. I think young readers will not have any issues appreciating the storyline and art presented by Clar Angkasa. 'Golden Snail' deals with the sisterhood theme, while 'Timun Mas' covers motherhood and its significance. However, the darkest tale was 'Bawang Merah Bawang Putih' - remember that it shows the violent relationship between father and daughters (delicately).


-what did I not love?-

→ All stories could be a bit longer as some just ended abruptly. I hoped Clar Angkasa would focus more on emotions and relationships between characters because sometimes I could not feel the exact growth and development of the storyline.

rating: 4/5 ✮✮✮✮
genre: middle-grade, graphic novel
themes: retellings, female perspective, sisterhood & motherhood, Indonesian folklore

This book holds three Indonesia folktales retelling. The first story 'Keong Mas' is about a princess who is turned into a snail by her sister . If she wants to return to a human , she needs to save others . The second book 'Bawang Merah Bawang Putih' follows two sisters whose lives are turned upside down . Her father who loved them and was a hero suddenly took a role of villain in his daughter 's life . This happened because of a reason. To know the reason , you need to read the book . The third book 'Timun Mas' is about a mother and daughter who fight their way from a monster who claim to take the daughter on her seventeenth birthday .
The second story was my favourite. This book hold such magical themes . The illustrations are gorgeous .
Recommended to everyone

Stories of the Islands is an illustrated rendition of three Indonesian folktales by Clar Angkasa. This is a quick read; all of the stories are short and to the point. Although short, the illustrations do not lack magic or adventure. The images help bring Indonesian folklore to life! My only criticism is the plot holes in the first story. I was a little confused at first and would have liked a bit more context & storytelling as someone who was completely unfamiliar with Indonesian folklore. I do think think it could have been longer. Overall, I did enjoy reading Stories of the Islands and would definitely read more from this author!

This was a great graphic novel and I loved the feminist message behind it.
The stories were also interesting and great fairytales, the kind I want to read my kids one day.
The art style was very cute and while relatively simple, the characters always were very expressive through body language and facial expressions.
Some plot points remained unresolved though, in my opinion they could have been tied up while keeping the moral/message of the story.
All in all a great read!

Stories of the Islands by Clar Angkasa is a middle grade graphic novel which reimagines three Indonesian fairy tales, focusing on the stories of the women in the stories “Keong Mas”, “Bawang Merah Bawang Putih”, and “Timun Mas"

For the most part, these stories can be read without knowing the original tales but it was indeed a lovely surprise to finish the book and have the original stories told at the end as well. These stories branch away from the original versions, highlighting the women in these stories and giving them life beyond the confines of the original tales which glossed over their importance and roles.

I absolutely loved the art - the pastel hues and beautiful drawings were so impressive. Each story had its own cool scheme that really leant for a unique ambiance and reading experience.

I felt differently for each of the stories. And implore a significant warning for one of them.

In Keong Mas, Angkasa tells the story of a princess who turns into a snail. It took me so long to figure out what was going on because of the time shifts between the past and present as well as the lack of dialogue, comparatively. One not overly familiar with the original story will, like me find a little trouble understanding what's going on as I for the most part, was a little confused. Middle graders will most likely miss the nuance of all that is happening, and just look at the pretty pictures. I therefore gave this one a 2/5.

In Bawang Merah, Bawang Putih, Angkasa portrays two sisters and their father - who not only turns neglectful but horribly abusive after the death of their mother. I absolutely fell in love with this story and it was the best of the three for me. I implore parents to speak with their child about the heavier topics here as even reading this story was quite heavy for me. I took a break or two just cause of the imagery that the graphic novel was able to portray - the juxtaposition of the happiness the sisters had before the loss of their mother and the spiraling of their father. I gave this 5/5 but I do believe it might be quite too heavy for middle graders.

Finally, in Timun Mas, the most middle-grade friendly of the three tells the tale of a woman who finds child born from a plant seed and their journey in defeating a giant. I enjoyed this one quite a bit - two beautiful souls finding each other. However, for most of the narrative, we follow the elder woman and so we empathize the most with her and her experiences - then suddenly in the last handful of pages, we end up with the child just narrating points of the story back. The swap in POV left me apathetic for the most part and I wish the entire story was told from the elder woman's POV, or a balance between the two, rather than the abrupt shift since we didn't grow to love both characters equally. Nonetheless this is the story that would cater perfectly to middlegraders and so I gave it a 4/5.

Overall, a pretty solid graphic novel and I had a pretty good time. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

An enchanting collection of short stories based on Indonesian folklore. The author included both the original tales alongside the reimagined, gorgeously illustrated versions that place the heroines front and center. A lovely opportunity to explore Indonesian culture.

||✨Disclaimer✨||
I've received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

REIMAGINING OF INDONESIAN FAMOUS FOLKTALES OMG!!! AND IT'S SOOO GOOD!!

Growing up here of course I'm familiar with these tales, and I always love retelling or reimagining stories because they have surprises. Clar has done a beautiful depiction of Keong Mas, Bawang Merah Bawang Putih, and Timun Mas with her arts. I love it.

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
In this powerful and feminist retelling of Indonesian folklore, these three stories are intricate and weave together in this fantastic graphic novel of family, love, and heartache. From a princess cursed to live as a snail to two half-sisters whose bond is closer and more profound than ever, and a mother and daughter relationship against a scary giant of shadows.
I found these stories profound and magical in many ways. The art of twirling darkness meets dancing pastels as they come together to form characters who are unique in their own personal tales. "Stories of the Islands" drew me in, with the strange and whimsical and how I was immersed in one sitting. I highly enjoyed this one.

I really enjoyed these 3 beautifully illustrated retellings of classic Indonesian folklore!!

This wasn't a topic I was hugely familiar with so I was really excited when I got accepted for this ARC! I love learning about new cultures and this was a great way to do so! I really appreciated having the original versions of the stories at the end of the book too!

the art is stunning! I love the color pallet a lot in this one!

As always thank you so much to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for a copy of the graphic novel in exchange for an honest review!!

I adored this for so many reasons! My only complaint is I wish there were more!

This graphic novel is really cool, because it takes traditional folklore that doesn't put women in a very flattering light, and instead of following the original story (which is also provided, so you can see the difference and know the original if you didn't before hand) and make them really uplifting and promoting woman power and togetherness. All three stories are so heartwarming, and I really wish more folklore and fairy tales were like this. 10/10 I would get every folk tale from every part of the world made like these ones are, they're fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for the E-arc!

Rating: 3.5

I was very intrigued by the premise of this graphic novel since its a retelling of Indonesian folktales. The stories are short and focus on themes of friendship, family and love. I especially liked the first story because of the friendship formed by the two girls. The stories are short which can be a pro and a con but I think each story wraps up well. The author added the original story of the folklores which was good to compare from. If you want a short read with the aforementioned elements this will be for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Holiday House for providing this ARC.

This book is beautiful and shows humanely strong female characters. Such an extraordinary alternative for the original versions. I enjoyed reading all the pages. And now I am excited to read the author’s next book.

I love reinterpretations of fairy tales, and this collection of stories from the folklore of Indonesia is fantastic. So well done. The author has chosen three stories that she felt should have a different outcome, and rewrote them.

In one story, a bossy woman is turned into a snail. In another, a woman gets a child from a cucumber seed, but has to give the child up after 17 years, and in a third two children find a pumpkin to make pumpkin soup for their father, but it ends up containing wealth.

If you are at all familiar with folktales, you will recognize elements of Western folktales, and even if we are not familiar with these tales, the author tells the original story each is based on, at the end of the book, so you can see how she changed them.

Lovely pictures, with great movement and colors. I love how she took some elements and pulled them in a different direction. There was redemption, and happy endings.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 31st of October 2023.

3.75 stars. The art in this book is gorgeous- soft dreamy hues. This graphic novel features three retellings of Indonesian folktales that feature women. The first is a story of a selfish, manipulative princess turned into a snail by her jealous younger sister. As a snail, she befriends a fisherwoman and becomes a more selfless, compassionate person. The second tale features two stepsisters whose powerful bond of friendship gets them through difficult times in the face of death, abuse and greed. The third and final tale features a woman who becomes a mother after a giant gives her an enchanted seed that grows a baby from a golden cucumber. The woman must find a way to protect her daughter from the giant’s promised return in 17 years. Overall, the stories feel very much like fables or parables. The author intentionally features stories that do not highlight a central heteronormative romance. I appreciate the overall idea of these tales but wanted a bit more depth and impactful takeaway/endings.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this eARC to review.

This was a really nice quick read where the art is great and the stories were nice to read. The three stories that Clar Angkasa are a bit different to the original stories but at the very end the original stories are there which is nice. I would recommend this to all age groups.

Beautiful stories of how women can do anything they need to or put their minds to. Truly empowering and the artwork was stunning.