Member Reviews
I so enjoyed the art style and story in this one. Bright, hopeful, choose your own destiny stuff! The side characters were especially dear to me. Honestly, it felt more like a proper ensemble cast than side characters! And I love that.
Fantastic artwork and greatly important messages, all in just a few pages!
Another Castle: Grimoire is a stand-alone graphic novel about a princess who isn't a damsel in distress, she's someone willing to fight and make all the hard choices for her people.
In reality, this is an anti-fairytale, with a fierce heroine, a ridiculous prince <i>charming/dashing/stunning</i> and the value of making our own choices.
Another Castle is just plain fun. Paulina Ganucheau's art absolutely sings. Was easily one of my favorite collections of 2017!
'Another Castle: Grimoire' by Andrew Wheeler with art by Paulina Ganucheau collects all 5 issues from the series and tells a great story about a self-rescuing princess.
Princess Misty of Beldora has her life all planned out for her by those around her. When she gets captured by Lord Badlug, he threatens her kingdom unless she marries him. Her own kingdom sends the prince that Misty is supposed to marry after her to rescue her. This is where the story becomes less typical. Misty wants to forge her own path. She wants to get the magical sword and take matters into her own hands. Along the way, she meets a cast of characters who have been stereotyped into their own stories. With Misty's help, they discover new paths of their own.
I liked it. The art and character design feels pretty fresh. The story has an unconventional approach. The characters are all pretty interesting.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Oni Press and Diamond Book Distributors in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Misty, Princess of Beldora, doesn't want to spend her days pondering marriage or what to wear to a ball. Instead, she wants to avenge her mother who was abducted by Badlug, tyrant of Grimoire. As history repeats itself and Misty is captured to be the next queen of Grimoire, Misty vows to save herself and protect her kingdom and newfound friends.
Another Castle is rich with a colorful cast and stunning illustrations. Misty is one princess I wouldn't want to cross, and she serves as an inspiration to young girls who want to be their own person. Into the Dark Lands meets classic fairy tale in this adventurous collection where the princess saves herself and makes lasting friends along the way!
*ARC provided in consideration for review*
I really liked this book. It was so fun to read. The artwork reminded me of Disney movies, but they were still unique. The story and the plot were great. I didn't get frustrated at any point with the story, and the plot had no holes in it. I would recommend this to others who enjoy graphic novels and fantasy.
I was drawn to Another Castle because the style reminded me of 80s Saturday morning adventure cartoons. The vibrant color and layout design made this graphic novel really nice to look at. While the interior design is beautifully put together, I occasionally had difficulty following what was happening from panel to panel, more transition would have made the flow less jarring at times.
I loved the character design, the diversity made this novel very interesting. Misty is a great main character who just wants to have the right to choose her future. I liked that she actively makes things happen, often with consequences when she doesn't think things through. While Another Castle explores many important themes, the short format didn't support a lot of depth. It would have been nice to see more character development and exploration.
I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Also read a physical copy via library.
As a huge fan of princess stories, I was excited to read Another Castle. And the fact that it's about a princess who takes fate into her own hands and sets out to save the day made it even better. The female characters are strong, intelligent, and just all around amazing. The plot moves quickly, keeping you interested the whole way through. The artwork is fantastic, though the bad guy is somewhat reminiscent of Skeletor (not that that's a bad thing, of course).
A bright and poppy comic book, arguably for all ages that delivers a very open and welcoming message, not through simply the storyline itself, but also through its commentary-less representation of characters.
The art here is absolutely amazing! And the story is exactly what I've always wanted from a "princess saves herself" series, but never really got. This is absolutely a purchase for my library!
I liked the artwork and the colors on this volume a lot. The story was an interesting, modern twist on the classic 'save-the-princess' storyline, without feeling overly forced. A fun read for kids and grown-ups, as there are enough winks to things kids won't get. (I particularly chuckled at the 'bestiary atenborgia').
A fun story about a princess who doesn't like being told what to do, and who doesn't believe that "this is the way it's always been done" is good enough of a reason.
Probably one of the most adorable Gorgons I have ever encountered, loved her design.
I love this book. The princess has to be saved or try to save herself and it is a fantastic adventure.
Life is full of choices. Some choices are good, some are bad, and some seem to land somewhere in between. Another Castle is a story that is full of characters that deal with so many different choices that really bring each individual character to life. The flow of the book from chapter to chapter seems to build upon each message that is presented which helps bring about the point in the end. I like how you are able to see the growth of each character and how they step into new responsibilities. It’s better when everyone has a choice and everyone has a voice. This is a good lesson of today set in a world of fantasy.
This is the kind of book that I would want young girls to grow up reading. It has a spectacular plot that disses many stereotypes and keeps the reader hooked. Absolutely loved reading it.
Reading through the first two issues I was a little concerned this series would remove the stereotyped passive princess with a new, stereotype "strong" female protagonist and at the expense of other characters. However, I was very impressed how they gave Princess Misty a unique character arc, made me care about other characters (though not the villain, no shades of grey there) and dealt with the ramifications of unequal power structures and constructions of 'monstrosity'. The 'your princess is in another castle' and the ultimate power sword being called 'leveler' also initially confused me because I thought there would be some Super Mario references, but this is a solid enough comic on its own merits to recommend to fantasy comic fans.
Take your typical fantasy setting. Nasty, almost unkillable villain, princess in need of rescue, monsters, handsome prince, etc. Now add some twists. The princess is affecting her own rescue with the aid of the nice monsters, the prince is a bit of an incompetent twit who writes awful poetry, gorgeous scenery with vibrant colors and you have Another Castle! In all a fun read with a twisted ending that may see the end of princes and princesses in the local kingdoms!
Funny, smart, and well worth the read! (5 stars)
I absolutely LOVE the artwork of Pailine Ganucheau so this was an easy pick for me. Fortunately, the story is also great. If you like your princesses less-damsel-more-capable you're sure to enjoy Princess Misty's adventures. Perfect for fans of the Legend of Zelda franchise who want to dabble in the graphic novel shelves a bit.
A fun take on the helpless princess trapped in the castle. Draws on Super Mario and Legend of Zelda with an art style reminiscent of the old Dungeons and Dragons cartoon from the 80's. An independent princess is captured and sees how inept her prince is so she decides to overthrow the tyrant who captured her himself. Lots of fun.