This was an interesting graphic novel. I liked the coloring style with the illustration. The story itself was a trip - I didn't expect it to go how it did. I was confused for a little but not necessarily in a bad way. I can think of some friends who may enjoy something like this. For me, I wanted more story background - where the mom went, is grandpa hiding something, etc.

When Antoine gets dropped off at his grandparents, he knows he's not in for a fun time. They're in the middle of nowhere and don't have much that's fun for kids. Oh, and his grandfather hates him. When Antoine and his grandfather are in the woods, he stumbles upon a mushroom which turns him into a beautiful white stag--a stag that his grandfather has been hunting for years. In his new animal form, he's not sure whether he's ever been a human. Maybe he's always been a stag, or some sort of animal. He explores the woods with new eyes and escapes the clutches of a scouting troop while his grandparents struggle to find him.

This entrancing graphic novel tells a coming-of-age story about a young boy who learns how to stick up to his grandfather. It's introspective and while it's subtle, it also packs a punch. The colors are beautiful and show us the most important parts of the story without muddying up the other bits. Certainly a graphic novel to add to your library collection.

This is a graphic novel about a young boy who is dropped off at his grandparents’ house after his mother goes missing. Great for that feeling of being in the woods and if you seek out books with mushrooms this is a must read.

The artwork is lovely, but the coloration is striking and it absolutely outshines the story instead of complimenting it. Where I see any glimmers of love, fear, loneliness, or poignancy, it misses due to the minimalistic dialogue and text that I found to be cold and distant. I wish I had my heartstrings pulled with this one.

In Trumpets of Death, we follow Antoine, a young boy who is left to live with his grandparents in rural France. His mother is missing, and his father has too much on his plate to take care of Antoine. His grandmother is sweet if strict, and his grandfather for some reason aggressively dislikes him. Left to forage with his grandfather one afternoon, Antoine eats a strange mushroom and goes on a strange odyssey.

Now, the synopsis for the book says "mysterious forces of nature culminate in a fearsome hunt through the forest that will resolve their differences once and for all." I have to ask, what fearsome hunt? What resolution? After this journey for Antoine begins, he's pretty much alone. There is NO resolution with his grandfather. We have no idea why his grandfather even dislikes him so much - and that's the main issue I have with this graphic novel. While it's great at showing Antoine's situation, it doesn't really delve deep into character work. I have no idea why his grandfather is the way he is. I have no idea what the journey Antoine went on meant beyond him having some sort of growing up moment - which was not even that clear in the book until we're told he felt that he grew up in the forest. Character growth doesn't seem to be something the author is interested in showing on page.

Writing aside, I do have to give the author credit for doing some really interesting work with the art and color direction. Every section of story has its own color scheme, working in an almost monochromatic way but with different color choices. The art works well to show Antoine's boredom and loneliness, and the passage of time.

I wish this did more with the character work, or that it gave us more focus on Antoine's grandparents vs all the time spent showing various pages of panels showing time passing. I just came away from the end of this asking what was even the point?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for the ARC. Trumpets of Death will be available August 5th, 2025.

This beautiful cover drew me in! I stayed for the exquisite, two toned pops of color along with the deer, mushrooms, and delicious forest scenes. I love a transformative narrative, both literal and figurative. My favorite parts were the forest explorations of deer-Antoine and through those actions his discovery of freedom and the generosity of nature. He’s also forced to face the hierarchy of human presence. It’s funny that humans never think anyone else is watching them, “But the forest has thousands of eyes…It sees everything…Hears everything.” A wonderful reminder that we are not the center of the world. We must slow down and observe who we are sharing space with.
The grandfather character does not seem to hold this belief. He takes and collects. I’m not sure that I was able to understand all of the nuances within the generations of Antoine’s family, but I think all he wants is for everyone to be happy together.
When the grandfather tries to kill deer-Antoine, Antoine, by facing his grandfather head on (literally charging him) transforms back into a boy. Classic grandfather then greedily finds the magic mushroom and pulls it out of the earth. I guess he gets what he was dishing out in the end.
The deer and other creatures of the forest were so cute. I’d read a whole graphic novel just about those guys 🍄

Antoine’s family life is complicated. His father has dropped him off at his grandparents to stay there for the time being. He enjoys his time with his grandmother but is constantly at odds with his somewhat crotchety grandfather. As he tags along with his grandfather on a hunting trip, he becomes lost and eats a mushroom. His grandmother had told him previously that these were edible, instead he finds himself on a life-changing journey as part of the wildlife.

#ThxNetGalley #SimonBournel-Bosson #TrumpetsofDeath

Strong linework and a limited color palette make this a bittersweet dream to read, both beautiful and heartbreaking. I have complicated feelings about this one, and an overall feeling of sadness. Trumpets of Death is a brilliant book.

Trumpets of Death has vividly contrasting colors that really help tell a cohesive story. I love how much thought was put into the color theory, and how different moments have completely different palettes.

An emotional journey featuring Antoine being at their grandparent's house, and feeling out of place, and finding courage to grow.

After our main character is sent to live with his grandparents ,we watch through young eyes as he navigates a grandmother slightly removed and a grandfather who is overbearing and emotionally abusive. The novel uses brilliant color and illustrations to show the readers the story.

This was a moving read, minimalist in the right ways, definitely curious to know more about the father/ mother dynamic. Other wise, quite enjoyable.

Thank you for the opportunity.

Honestly stunning, the art style was beautiful, the color choices were enchanting, and the story was engaging the whole way through. When this is released I would heavily consider picking up a copy just to see all of the art in person.

What a graphically beautiful book! The use of color within this graphic novel is unmatched, and it truly shows that the author is a graphic designer. This book deserves awards for the manipulation of art to match the storytelling: every couple of pages there is an emphasis on 3-4 colors to evoke specific emotions and moods within the story that adjusts the overall tone.

This graphic novel focuses on Antoine, a child who is dropped off at his grandparents' house by his father. Antoine's relationship with his grandma is loving and she does what she can to be a positive influence in his life, but he lacks that same affection with his grandfather, despite multiple attempts on Antoine's part to connect with him. What follows is a twist to the plot that turns this coming-of-age story into one of magical realism that dives deeper into Antoine's understanding of the world around him.

I do think that this story could have been longer, and could have developed the relationship between Antoine and his grandfather more, or at least dived deeper into the grandfather's character and his choices in regards to Antoine. Overall, though, this is still a book that I will buy and discuss with my students--the art and graphic design is a selling point for me and I know many students who will connect with the visual aspect of this graphic novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Graphic Universe for the early advanced digital copy of this book, and the chance to read and review it! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Antoine’s family is falling apart, so he temporarily gets sent to live with his grandparents. His grandmother is well-intentioned but cold, his grandfather stern and harsh. Antoine is left feeling lonely and misunderstood and, through a bit of magical realism, is forced to see the world through a new perspective.

The art is undoubtedly gorgeous. I enjoyed the book’s quiet, reflective tone and brevity, but I do wish we’d delved deeper into all of the characters, especially Antoine. By the end, I felt like I’d only just started diving into the story.

3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, Graphic Universe, for the advanced copy!

I recieved a digital ARC of this from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for review.

The art of this graphic novel is really beautiful. It’s a limited color palette but it has a lot of movement and depth to it. The metaphor of the story perhaps is a bit over my head, but I enjoyed it overall and thought it was interesting.

The art in this was gorgeous—the colors were so vivid and strange in the best way, creating this eerie, psychedelic vibe that really pulls you in. The story left me a little unsure in terms of character motivations and deeper meaning, but I think that might be part of the experience—it felt more like a surreal journey than a straightforward narrative. If you’re into atmospheric, slightly trippy standalone graphic novels with a unique style, this one might be worth checking out.

Antoine’s mother has disappeared, and his father can’t watch him, so he is left with his grandparents. His grandmother is kind, but a little strict. His grandfather is grumpy and a bit on the sadistic side.


Antoine loves cartoons, and imagination. His grandfather really loves to hunt. One day Antoine has to go fetch wild mushrooms with his grandfather. He is supposed to find “trumpets of death” which are not poisonous, despite the name. However, he find a white mushroom that turns him into a wild deer.


And though people are looking for him, as a boy, they are also looking for the white deer so they can shoot it, his grandfather included.


It is one of those French stories that does not have a happy ending, unlike American stories, and is a bit ambiguous..


Beautiful illustrations. A bit on the odd side, but it is always good to see stories from a different angle.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is being published on the 5th of August 2025.

Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This is a graphic novel that follows a young boy who gets dropped off at his grandparents house. His grandma is nice to him but his grandpa is not. When he goes out mushroom hunting, things get very weird.

I thought this graphic novel was beautiful! The colors and pictures were lovely and I really enjoyed it.

The story itself was pretty good too. I do feel like a few things were left unexplained and I would’ve liked a more thorough explanation.

Overall, I would recommend this one!

This was a cute little read that made me giggle. The characters were quirky, the art was fun and there were mushrooms! Will be buying this to have around for my niblings to read.