Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the eARC!

I love the idea of the story in Indigo, but everything happens too quickly. Every time I thought I understood the plot, what Ella was thinking, and where the overarching story was taking us, we were immediately thrust into another jarring plot line, with either new characters, or a new, sudden, and intense supernatural element.

The books opens with Ella being told that she must soon make a choice. I still don’t really understand why she was the chosen one, why she was or wasn’t special. I think this story would have been better delivered as a number of volumes instead of in just one volume. The art is beautiful, and I think the story was interesting, but everything just happened too quickly. It felt more like the pitch of a story than the fleshed out story itself. Perhaps part of the reason the story felt so fast and at times disjointed was due to it being a translated text from Cantonese, but I don’t know that for certain. I’d be interested to read more of Chi-Ho Kwong’s writing in the future!

Thank you for Netgalley for a copy of this ARC!

Indigo hooked me with the cover and the idea of the story. The illustrations were nice, especially the ones about animals (so I give the sole star for the illustrations), but they started out colourful and suddenly switched over to black and white - without any reason I could discover.

Sadly the concept hasn't delivered for me either.

I still say that the idea of the story was great, but it was rushed too much. We barely scraped the surfice of the characters. We got to know something about them and BAM we were speeding somewhere else on a motocycle, meeting up with other characters or BAM getting a flashback and just... overall bouncing around in this universe.

This story had everything, but only on a shallow level. I think it would have been best to choose just a few for a first issue and develop the rest slowly, over time.

Another story that inevitably shows there’s no point in life. And yet, at the same time there is, if you want one. A never-ending wonder of: Why? And then what?

Which is not an insult to the author(s). Their idea is good and interesting, and could be totally plausible. (Even though very ironic.)

It’s fast-paced and tackles some things only superficially, but that’s not an issue. There was enough answered for the reader to make up their own minds. It’s relatively self-explanatory. I have my theories. And I get their perspective, it makes sense, even though I partially disagree with their views – too cliche. But that’s alright, kinda the point.

Beautiful art, especially the colored prologue.
Reflective.
Not very deep characters and heavy with dialogues, but that’s pretty much the point of this book. I didn’t mind it.
Recommended.

4.5/5 stars, because even though a melancholic emptiness encompassed me after finishing, and the indigo vibe has been captured relatively perfectly, 5 stars feel too much. Not a masterpiece, but worth consuming.

~

Thank you to Mad Cave Studios for an e-ARC.

-12.03.25

Beautiful, strange, and poorly paced. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this in advance!

'Indigo' is a beautifully illustrated and interesting story let down by poor pacing and dialogue. Whether the dialogue is just a problem with the English translation I'm not sure, but the final acts of the book were the most engrossing. The art creates an ethereal and spacey experience, really cementing the narrative and capturing the reader. I think if the graphic novel had another 100-200 pages it could be a personal favourite but, as is, I was let down. There was very little build up and the progression felt forced and rushed. Sadly this made the illustrations feel a lot more clunky in combination with the dialogue and made the entire plot feel disjointed.

I wasn't the biggest fan of this one. It felt so slow and info dumpy and I struggled to keep my attention on the characters and the situations that they were finding themselves in.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Beautifully Crafted and Intriguing Story

Indigo by Chi-Ho Kwong is a fascinating and visually striking graphic novel that offers an immersive experience from start to finish. The artwork is beautifully done, and while I initially wished it had been in color, I understand that black-and-white is a common stylistic choice in manga. Even in monochrome, the illustrations were captivating and added depth to the story’s atmosphere.

The story itself was engaging and creative, offering a unique blend of mystery, occult themes, and self-discovery. I found it easy to follow, though I did have a few lingering questions—such as the significance of the strip across Ella’s nose. Additionally, I believe some nuances may have been lost in translation from the original Cantonese to English, which is no fault of the author but simply something that happens in the process of localization. Despite this, the storytelling remained compelling, and I appreciated how well the narrative unfolded.

Overall, Indigo is a solid four-star read for me. It’s a creative and intriguing graphic novel with stunning artwork, an engaging plot, and a well-executed setup. I would love to explore more of Chi-Ho Kwong’s work in the future!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Mad Cave Studios, Nakama Press, and Chi-Ho Kwong for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I have chosen not to rate this book because I do not feel my rating would properly reflect the story, as I don't think I'm the target audience for this work. The artwork throughout this graphic novel is beautiful and compelling, but the story itself is reminiscent of the short stories I'd sometimes read in random old SciFi anthologies as a teen, where it felt like I only got a glimpse of the full story through the couple dozen pages provided.

The plot of this novel swirls around Ella, the central character, in a way that evokes many questions while answering very few. Though she herself tries to seek out some of those answers, Ella mostly finds herself dragged along by various supporting characters, her questions largely unanswered, until she is given an impossible choice by beings she can't even be sure she can trust.

Readers who enjoy open-ended stories inspired by conspiracy theories and the unknown may enjoy this graphic novel.

Thank you to Netgalley, Mad Cave Studios and Nakama Press for this ARC.

2,5 stars

The concept of the story was very interesting, but I don't think I fully understood the storyline. It all felt too rushed. I'm not sure if I read it too quickly or if the book lacked explanations. I do believe the story had potential, and maybe a second book could expand on it. The art was amazing, though. I didn't dislike it, but I think it could have been better.

Bueno, el dibujo era abastante bueno, me hizo acordar a los animes de los 90s/2000, pero no se entendia la trama. Me daba dolor de cabeza de tan solo intentar conectar los hilos.

Thank you netgalley for an ARC of this beautiful graphic novel. This graphic novel is very pretty. I can tell a lot of care went into this. The art is gorgeous. The plot may be just a tad too metaphysical for me. Within 200 pages, the author covering the unveiling of a mystery that results in the renewal of an intergalactic peace treaty. The author in a post script asks readers to enjoy the adventure and not dwell too much on the finer details. And that's what I decided to do. If you enjoy fast paced story telling that allows for a little interpretation and doesn't spoon feed you, then you may love this. I definitely enjoyed my time with this graphic novel. Thanks again netgalley!!

It was an interesting one, very artsy. The art style was also very interesting. It wasn't a normal comic or manga style but I was nice. I guess it was very confusing at times because of how fast-pace it was but not in an entirely bad way. It reminded me of "Children of the Sea" a bit but with conspiracy theories twist?

I'd like to send my thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free pdf version of this illustration book in exchange for an honest review.

Kwong is a very talented artist, but this book felt too rushed and jumbled. I think the concept could be a very interesting series, but throwing everything in one quick story just made it feel confusing. I never felt connected to any characters or particularly interested in what was happening.

Ouf, I don’t even know where to start. Halfway through this, I was so confused by the plot that I thought this must be a volume 2 or 3 in the story and that is why I was confused, but it was not. A quote from the main character perfectly summarizes my reading experience: "I have so many questions! I don't know who to ask, everything is happening so fast."

I feel like I know nothing more about the story after reading it than before I started. The only thing that made this readable was the great art.

"I have so many questions! I don't know who to ask, everything is happening so fast."

The above quote pretty much summarises my thoughts on this manhua. It just feels like a whole lot of nothing.

We follow Ella Summers, a "indigo child", who works for a newspaper who looks into the occult and conspiracy theories. Her old professor is murdered and she gets drawn into a plot where she needs to sign a galactic treaty.

I have read this book and if you are reading this review and haven't read the book you know exactly the same that I do about the plot. What's an indigo child, you ask? Good question.

The plot lacks the basics and that is structure and satisfactory development. This was a bunch of ideas mashed together unsuccessfully.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave studios for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

2.5
First thing, I realized the copy that I was sent was formatted backward. You have to start at the "last" page and swipe backward, but you're actually starting at the beginning and going "forwards". This story had some potential, but it was overall a confusing mess. Ella apparently has the ability to hear others' thoughts, but you only see her use this power maybe once or twice and for non-persons. This story focuses on making several urban legends be true but handles it in such a harebrained way. I also REALLY didn't like that they made Indigo children an actual thing. The story even mentioned in a single line, that Indigo children could just be Autistic. In reality, a lot of "Indigo Child" and "Starseed" kids are just neurodivergent children whose parents would rather think their children are aliens than admit they're Autistic, ADHD, or AuDHD. It's honestly a stupid conspiracy theory that has led to a lot of harm to neurodivergent children. The rest of the story is alright? It goes so quickly, you're left spinning and never fully understanding. I did actually like the art, the art style is very pretty.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

all I gathered from this is the main character's name is Ella Summers because it was said 46 times in 200 pages and that there is a treaty renewal because that was mentioned 24 times in the last 80 pages. Also the cover gave me way too high of expectations for the art style

What if all the occult conspiracies you’ve ever known were real? Ella Summer works for a magazine that reports an all things revolved around the occult. When she learns that her old professor dies, it leads her on a path of self-discovery and danger. It’s worth the read.

#ThxNetGalley #Chi-HoKwong #Indigo

"Indigo" follows the story of Ella Summer, a reporter at a magazine that chases urban legends and conspiracy theories; with the suspicious death of her university professor, Ella's life is suddenly turned upside down, as things she thought were outlandish turn out to be very real after all.

If you're interested in conspiracy theories, this graphic novel is perfect for you. The story is very fast-paced and action-packed, occasionally bordering on being a bit confusing. There is some build-up towards the big reveal, however I think it would have been better if we had been kept in suspense a little while longer. Ultimately, the plot felt rushed, and it's because of that that I can't give "Indigo" a higher rating. That, and the fact that it leans quite heavily into a particularly outlandish conspiracy theory that I personally don't buy.

On the flip side, the art is magnificent. The first few pages are in full color, and the artwork is simply dreamy, and the art style translates really well into the black-and-white pages of the story proper.

Thank you netGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the eARC!

Indigo is a sci-fi manhua about Ella, a seemingly normal girl interested in the paranormal that unravels to a larger truth when she investigates the mysterious death of one of her professors.
For a single volume, the pacing of this is pretty fast and I think you need to read between the lines a bit otherwise this book will go over your head pretty quickly.
I appreciate Kwong not wasting time to do any handholding in this graphic novel, and the theme of personal choice making or breaking the entire world was honestly pretty breathtaking. The visuals were gorgeous, and although we don’t spend a lot of time watching Ella change, we can come to understand her and her destiny in this world that brings her to her most pivotal moment.