When main characters Mercy and Jonah come together to find what killed Mercy's father, they find themselves in the presence of a monster. After an attack, Mercy ends up in over her head, and needs Jonah's help to become herself again.
This beautiful and slightly dark graphic novel makes you beg for the next book in the series. You can tell that every encounter that these two face will end with a creative solution but still brings the intensity and tension needed to create a wonderful storyline. You will easily get attached to the characters and the beginning of their budding, sweet romance. Well illustrated, beautiful storytelling, and great characters.

Thank you First Second Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

The artwork drew my attention then I saw it described as "Lore Olympus meeting The Witcher" and I was sold. The cover doesn't do justice to how beautiful the art was throughout the book; which is one of the most important books of a graphic novel. The story is really intriguing, fun and different than some of the things you always see. I can't wait to see where the story goes. I will probably invest in a physical copy for my shelf.

*Thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for early copy for review*

Hello romantsy Witcher! This was such a fantastic start to a graphic novel series. The ending makes me want the second volume now!

Thank you so much to Netgalley for early access!!

Mercy has hired a monster hunter, Jonah, to hunt the down the monster that killed her father. But it quickly turns around when the monster attacks Mercy and possesses her. Now, Jonah and Mercy need to work quickly to get the beast out before it takes over her mind and body completely.

I love the art style so much and the color schemes perfectly sets the mood of each scene. This was my first time reading it as I’m not on Webtoon too much, but I’m really happy I could review an early copy of it! I’m so excited to see what happens in volume two and read more of Mercy and Jonah’s relationship an how it develops. I already adore the two!!

This book flew by way too quickly!

With action on almost every page and endearing characters, the end came way too fast and left me wanting more. Plus, with The Witcher vibes, I was so there for it.

Needless to say, I wait eagerly for the next installment.

Love the art and the story starting here! Boulton has created a steampunk-esque world in which magic mingles with humans, and her characters Mercy and Jonah must confront the dangerous magic all around them. While the names and the set-up were a little obvious, I enjoyed the story. I found myself rooting for Mercy and intrigued by Jonah. The art is clean and stylized, giving enough information without overwhelming the reader. I'm looking forward to further volumes!

Mercy has a monster problem, and Jonah is the kind of man you want when those problems arise. But when things go sideways will Jonah be able to save Mercy, and fix his mistakes?

Of Swamp and Sea is one of those Webtoons I would've found eventually, but I'm thankful for the introduction through an ARC read. The first volume sets the stage for our heroes, throwing in a good dose of action, slow burn romance, humor, and awkwardness between the two main characters to keep the reader intrigued. The artwork was lovely; from the straight lines to accentuate Jonah's hard outer appearance to the roundness of Mercy which her soft, gentle, sweet demeanor. I also thoroughly enjoyed the creativity of the "monsters" Mia and Laurel brought to life. (The Brancher was my favorite.)

Of Swamp and Sea was a fun read with Witcher and Harry Dresden vibes, and I cannot wait to read the next volume. Until then I'll have to add it to my already quite lengthy Webtoon TBR. I'm looking forward to seeing where this one goes.

This was so much fun! The banter was incredible and I absolutely loved it! I tend to have super high hopes for illustration! I wanted a bit more adventure, but I would highly recommend this still!

Not feeling super invested but feels like a decent start. Hopefully as the story continues we'll dive a little deeper into each characters backstory and also get to see some flirtation.

There is a monster out there, and so Mercy has hired a monster hunter, Jonah, to take care of it. The monster killed her father. The monster hunter makes a mistake, and instead of chasing the monster away for good, it decides to inhabit Mercy.

And to get it out, they have to travel to someone who knows about this things. So, since this is the first volume of the graphic novel series, of course they have not gotten to their destination.

So, along the way, the meet other monsters. Monsters that eat any flesh they encounter. And monsters that don’t eat flesh at all, and are herbivores. They just look scary.

And Mercy is trying to learn to control the beast within her. But when she gets angry, it comes out. Sometimes that is good. Sometimes not.

Good beginning for the series. I look forward to reading the next book, to see where it goes. It is billed as a romance, but so far, we are not seeing too much of that, seeing as they are sort of at each other’s throats.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out on the 4th of November 2025.

Thank you to Netgalley and First Second Books for the opportunity to read and review this graphic novel. This is a fascinating story with a premise that can either be pretty basic or amazing. I will say that at the start, it is amazing with the art and the romantic tension, but at the start, I felt like I was missing something. I will be curious to see what happens next and I want to continue on. 4 out of 5 stars.

I really enjoyed this, I’m new to GNs but I will definitely continue this series and watch their journey , this was cute, fun, and perfect amount of silly.

Of Swamp & Sea Vol. 1
By: Mia Jay Boulton, Laurel Boulton

~ Synopsis ~
Mercy Harding hires a monster hunter, Jonah, to slay the mist wolf that killed her father at the outskirts of town. But when the plan backfires, Mercy becomes possessed by the very same beast she set out to destroy. Now sharing a body with the creature, she and Jonah set off on a perilous journey to break the bond before it consumes her entirely.


~ Thoughts ~
I absolutely love seeing talented webtoon creators getting published in print! I hadn’t read this series on webtoon before getting my hands on it, but I’d heard lots of great things about the series. And it didn’t disappoint.

If you’re into The Witcher, but want more romance, charming banter, and cute fantasy vibes, then you’ll adore this. Mercy is basically a bookworm thrown into an adventure - awkward, curious, and slowly falling for Jonah. The pacing is perfect, with a reveal about Jonah at the end that has me excited for book two. There’s also something more (imo) going on with the Mercy and mist wolf dynamic.

The hardcover and print versions are available starting on November 4, 2025.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and First Second Books for my first ARC!


~ Tags ~
The Witcher | Monster Hunters | Banter | Slow-Burn Romance

An intriguing and beautifully drawn comic set in a world with supernatural creatures, both dangerous and wild. Mercy’s father was killed by a mist wolf, an incorporeal being that still kills and eats living prey. She hires a mysterious monster hunter, Jonah, to take down the wolf, but an accident happens and somehow the wolf possesses Mercy. Now she and Jonah must travel to find someone who can help exorcise the wolf from Mercy — but while they travel, they both get to know Mercy’s wolfish side more, and see that the dangerous creature does give them protection. The illustrations are bright and beautifully colored, and the world is an intriguing one. I look forward to reading more from the series!

An enjoyable horror/supernatural romance. I liked the protagonists and enjoyed the setting and worldbuilding. I found the story compelling--enough that I sought out the webcomic to continue reading. A solid, interesting graphic novel with appeal for romance and supernatural lovers.

I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did, but it grabbed me right from the start. The art is absolutely gorgeous; expressive, atmospheric, and perfectly suited to the eerie, supernatural tone of the story. Mercy’s dynamic with Jonah has sparks of both tension and warmth, and I’m already invested in seeing how their partnership (and maybe something more?) develops. The pacing works well for a Volume 1: it gives you enough action and character moments to hook you, while teasing bigger mysteries to come.

A very solid and visually stunning read, I’m definitely recommending this and can’t wait for Volume 2.

This graphic novel was so good! The art style was gorgeous, the story was intriguing and different, it was action packed, and had just a sprinkling of romance. I loved that both characters are on the outskirts of society and don't really fit in. I the midst of the journey trying to find a cure for Mercy's possession you slowly see them warming up to each other and starting to care about one another.

If you are a romantic fantasy reader wanting to dip your toes into graphic novels, or someone who enjoys graphic novels and are looking for their next fix then I would highly recommend!

I cannot wait for the next volume!

4.5 stars

When Mercy Gray Harding hired a monster hunter, she thought he’d hunt down the monster that brutally murdered her father. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned, and now she’s possessed by a mist wolf! Now Mercy and the wolf seem to be merging into one, and Jonah is determined to do his best to fix things since it was his hunt that went wrong.

When I picked this up, I didn’t know just how much I was going to love it! We follow Mercy, a young woman who is mourning her late father. Once she gets possessed by the wolf, we see her and Jonah become a team of sorts as the story continues. I really liked how much we began to get to know the two of them while also confirming that Jonah has a lot of layers just waiting to slowly be revealed.

I really like Mercy, so it’ll be interesting to see if she and the wolf possessing her eventually happily merge… or if it’ll go how Jonah fears. I also really liked seeing one of the judgmental folks from town get to discover that Mercy isn’t one to mess with. The budding romance looks promising and I really liked the style of humor as well as the artwork. I’m looking forward to checking out the next volume!

Edelweiss review, 8/10 (Indie Next nom):
The first installment of this series had a hefty job: introduce two complicated characters, build lore about the monsters (and people) of the book's world, and develop enough of the plot to make the reader what more. While the ending felt a little abrupt and left more questions than answers, overall this was a very enjoyable graphic novel that fans of Webtoons and other serial-comic-to-book titles will likely enjoy. I'm hopeful that the second book will complement the first and continue with the (so far) intriguing story.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this graphic novel. I was drawn to it because of the art style, but I ended up only getting about 10% through the story before giving up.