Gorgeous artwork - the colour palette is insanely beautiful and helps get you immersed in the world! However the story was a bit confusing at times, and I wonder if the translation didn't help to it. I also wished the romance between Ania and Elisa was explored more!

The illustration is so beautiful and the fantasy world/narrative easy to get into/immerse myself in! I love the fact that it is a translated graphic novel, I would love to see more of these books.

This graphic novel is a visual delight. The art style is dreamy and striking, with a vivid color palette and beautifully crafted settings that immediately draw you in. There's something almost mythological about the atmosphere—it feels like stepping into a fable where women take center stage.

I really appreciated the sapphic undertones, and the fact that all the main characters are women who grapple with power, responsibility, and legacy was refreshing. The themes—colonialism, heroism, and who gets access to magic (or knowledge)—are genuinely thought-provoking.

That said, the story left me wanting more. It touches on some big ideas but doesn’t quite dig deep enough. I kept waiting for an emotional payoff that never fully arrived, and the lack of expression in the characters’ faces made it harder to connect with them. A bit more narrative depth and emotional nuance would’ve taken it to the next level.

Still, I enjoyed the reading experience overall, and I’d absolutely check out more work from this author. It’s one of those books that stays with you—not because it’s perfect, but because it dares to be different.

Such an odd graphic novel we have been given here.
Both a naive fantasy, and a classic fable about the cost of yearning for power.
The graphic style is an acquired taste. I can't say I really appreciated it. While I really enjoyed the creativity and organic feel of the settings and backgrounds, the vivid pink and purple palette, the expressionless faces of the characters was underwhelming and bothered me a lot. It's funny, I have read another Spanish artist that chose to make his characters completely faceless, but the expressivity of their body language really made up for it. Here it felt clumsy and inexpressive, which is disappointing because I think this story could have been quite emotionally impactful with a different support, like I said, there is classic feel to it - like those medieval heroic tales.
I would recommend to people who like fables and want to read more about women heroes. There is a bit of graphic violence in those pages so I wouldn't recommend to someone under 13.

The artwork inside is just stunning, and a major reason why I read this. Combining both sci-fi and fantasy elements, we're thrust to a planet where magic is only wielded by the elite few. As the young princess is sent on a coming of age journey, she discovers the hero of the stories she's longed for. But her planet is just a grain of sand in the ocean--this doesn't stop her from doing what she thinks is right for the kingdom.

At times tender and visceral, this graphic novel is sure to enchant readers, especially those drawn to vibrant artwork.

A hidden gem.

Didn’t expect the inside to be in the same beautiful colorful art as the cover! Surely is a very unique artstyle and quite mesmerizing to look at. The color palette as well as the designs are just hypnotic and fit the vibe of the world so well! Even though it plays around the Middle Ages, there’s something modern about it (not taking about the sci-fi aspect, just the way they dress, talk and all), and the art enhances that well. 5/5 stars for that alone.

While there’s no romance as the main plot, there’s a lot of queer casualty & subtext. For example, it was kind of implied that two women can have biological kids (because magic?). Or that adoption is just as normal. The queen at least is bi/pan/poly, completely open about it, and no one cares about Ania’s little romance with her best friend Elisa either. They were so cute together (and I’m proud of my gaydar for having shipped them since the first page XP). No labels, completely normal.

The characters are all really interesting and serve their purpose, but sometimes fell a little flat. Most have only one goal, and while they also have flaws, it’s all stereotypical, not in-depth. Although the main characters had some development, they too don’t feel that whole.
I suppose that also has a lot to do with the length and pacing. It starts very slow, takes its time with slice of life and spends many pages following Ania’s daily idle life (which I didn’t mind, I love that trope!). But then in the 2nd half suddenly realizes that the end is nigh, that maybe the publisher doesn’t want more than 200 pages or so, that it needs to be rounded up now. While the ending is quite self-explainable, I found it a bit too rushed, a bit too open in some cases.

I genuinely hope there’ll be a sequel, because there is so much potential for more. (Especially regarding the cute sapphics. I mean, let me quote them: “And the end of the world with you doesn’t sound like a bad plan.” <3)

What I also found interesting was the Spain ‘versus’ Ireland. It wasn’t labeled as such, but the southern queendom looks a lot inspired by Spanish culture (and the artist is Spanish), whereas the northern kingdom seems Irish. Plus some asian-like cultures mixed in both lands. Not a combination I’ve seen before, especially cause northern kingdoms are usually always Vikings. A cool world-building aspect I would’ve wished to dive in more...

Overall I enjoyed the read a lot though, and definitely recommend it to fantasy and sci-fi fans alike! And especially if you love slice of life with a bit of action!
(Some other reviewers have said that it’s not suitable for teens, but I disagree. There may be bits of blood, but nothing worse than Disney’s 20th Century animation movies. I’d set the suitable age to 12 or even younger.)

~

Thank you to Oni Press on Netgalley for an eARC.

-07.04.25

I would actually give it 3.5 ⭐ It had one of the most unique art styles I've EVER seen in graphic novels and that immediately hooked me in. I was a huge fan of the vibrant color palette used! The characters were intriguing and the story has depth. However, I would have liked it to be a bit longer. Also, I have to mention that there are a couple of graphic scenes which kind of caught me off guard because I thought this book was mostly targeted towards teens. So I'm just giving a heads up here.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this free copy.

Espada: The Will of the Blade is a charming graphic novel about fighting evil even if it means becoming our enemy. Although the story may not be entirely original, it conveys a powerful message to remind people that with every great power comes a greater responsibility.

I enjoy this graphic novel because of its creepy, bright atmosphere. It's vibrant and combines modern and Eastern/Mediterranean styles to depict the story's setting, but it also conveys the sense that something is off—and has been for a very long time. To avoid missing it, you simply need to pay serious attention to this type of visual storytelling.

The characters, however, seem a little flat and have one-note characterization, which irritates me because I think more might be done to explore their histories, motivations, and personalities. Nevertheless, for a light reading and fans of fantasy graphic novels, Espada is definitely for you.

The highlight of this intriguing graphic novel is the beautiful, stand-out art style. Each page glitters and gleams with saturation. The unique and gorgeous art makes this book worth the read. The plot and dialogue itself is interesting but meanders a bit. There is a lot of plot narration that relies of “telling” instead of “showing” the reader what is going on. The ending came up quickly as well, and I was left still curious about the fantasy world within the story. Character development is also scant. Overall, this was a treat moreso for the eyes while the plot left me wanting more. Fantasy genre-loving teens will still get a level of enjoyment from this. At my library I would recommend this novel to artistic types who are eager to see unique art styles.

Espada is a translation from Spanish of a gorgeous graphic novel, following a young princess, heir to the throne. She is the only one of the queen's descendants who is able to use magic -- but, instead of bending to the will of her family when sent on a quest, she rebels against her society's norms.

I'm.... mixed on this one. I really liked the art. The colors lent themselves so well to the fantastical setting, and I think the drawings helped really immerse you in the world -- which I appreciated, because otherwise I honestly didn't find too much about this one to draw me in. The relationship between the princess and the healer was the other part I wanted to hear more on. Their ending was sweet but I wished for more closure.

As far as the story goes, I found it intriguing, but at times quite flat. I honestly think I'll be seeking out the original Spanish because the tone of this translation didn't really help pull me in... I'm curious whether that was an effect of the translation process. I find often translation can smooth out the more compelling "vibes" of the story if not done extremely well, so I'd love to read the original and see if the same tone is present there too. It wouldn't surprise me: I would be 100% unsurprised to find out the tone is intentionally literary and aloof. It came off almost archaic to me. I think it works with the setting, but it's not for me.

I'd recommend to fantasy fans, folks looking for a subtle WLW story in an unfamiliar but fun setting, and fans of beautiful, fresh art who can let that carry them through a less compelling story.

2.5 rounded down.

A magical fantasy tale in graphic novel form.
The positives for me were the background/ landscape artwork was gorgeous, with the most fabulous colour choices.
The negatives were that I didn't really understand what was happening a lot of the time, and for a short book I was often bored.

Unfortunately I just got bored. I wasn’t really sure what was going on or why. I liked the art style a lot but it didn’t carry the story.

this felt like an Adventure Time episode featuring Prism where like they're speaking facts even if you can't totally connect where the story is trying to go and the art style was so funky which I thought worked really well for the setting but not for the character designs. I also felt this moved suuuuuuper slowly which didn't help with trying to understand the story