The second cute graphic novel in the Cucumber Quest series! The adventures of Cucumber and his gang take them into the Ripple Kingdom where they have to defeat the Nightmare Knight's first henchman Splashmaster! The story is simple to follow and is starting to build up into something deeper and more interesting. I look forward to reading the next one!

If you have read the first volume you know that Cucumber does not want to live up to his family's expectations to become a hero. Thankfully, his sister Almond provides the brawn to her brother's brain. Unfortunately, Almond is being held prisoner and it is up to her brother--with a little help from his friends--to save her.

I must admit I enjoyed this volume more than the first and am now looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

Fun series continues! I'm looking forward to seeing where this story goes!

Cucumber Quest: The Ripple Kingdom is a good elementary/middle grade read. Cucumber is back at it again trying to save the kingdom of Dreamside. When he is suddenly attacked at sea he ends up in Ripple Kingdom. Can he help them put an end to an age old curse and get back to Dreamside? The story has adventure and excitement, without adult language and situations. Elementary students love graphic novels and continually want more. Often I find it difficult to find new ones that are age appropriate. Cucumber Quest seems to be a good fit in the elementary library.

I love love love love love Cucumber Quest! If you're a fan of the webcomic, or a fan of hilarious fantasy graphic novels, then you will love this. Also: they're bunnies. They're bunnies! How can you not want to read a snarky fantasy webcomic/graphic novel starring anthropomorphic bunnies?!?

Volume two of this story isn't any less weird than volume one. It's more focused, though, more cohesive. Because it's focusing on advancing plot instead of introducing characters the weirdness becomes a bit more endearing.

I tried only many occasions to get into this book - but something about it was just not vibing; couldn't finish it.

Cucmber, Almond, and their friends are back again in the latest volume of Cucumber Quest! Originally published as a webcomic (that's still on-going today) the second volume sees the group continue their journey to defeat the Nightmare Knight. This time, though, they're tackling monsters, crabs, and limbo aficionados in the Ripple Kingdom!

But they're not necessarily doing it together.

Our "heroes" are divided for most of this book. Almond is captured by a giant octopus-esque monster along with Sir Carrot. While she'd like to think Cucumber is going to come their rescue Almond knows her brother a little too well to rely solely on him. So she and the others try to figure out a way to escape on their own. Meanwhile Cucumber teams up with the Ripple Kingdom's princess, Nautilus, who is weirdly destined to help him (or something). She just can't always remember what it is that she's supposed to do exactly.

I love Princess Nautilus because she's such a fun, quirky character (like basically all of them). She's got a good sense of humor and she's ready for adventure. While she's certainly not quite as ready as Almond she's probably a lot more ready than Cucumber and I think she's going to be an excellent member of their little team. Because #TeamCuco is split up for the majority of the book she doesn't get a whole lot of opportunities to play off the rest of the characters (though she meets up with Saturday!) so I'm really looking forward to seeing how she changes the group dynamics moving forward!

Cucumber Quest: The Ripple Kingdom actually does a lot to expand not just our cast of quirky characters but upon the series' mythology as well. Princess Nautilus is one of seven princesses all of whom have a key role to play in Cucumber's adventure. And the octopus monster, Splashmaster, it turns out is just one of seven 'Disaster Masters' that will plague the kingdoms of Dreamside. And, to make Cucumber's quest even more difficult, he must defeat all of them before can take on the Nightmare Knight. 

After being uncertain about the humor in the first book I have to say it's really grown on me. I loved the ridiculousness - especially when the characters themselves realized just how ridiculous things were getting. From King Kelp's hilarious gashapon machine of useless spells to the somehow ubiquitous limbo fanatics that washed up in the kingdom, there are tons of great, hilarious moments. And Cucumber is there to point out just how crazy it all is while everyone else treats it all like it's normal.

The artwork is on point once again and I loved the design for Splashmaster. He's supposed to be this massive, deadly minion of the Nightmare Knight but really he's just a goofy, giant octopus dude. He fits right into the world that Gigi D.G. has created with all it's zaniness, bright colors, and kooky designs. One of the cool things about this book, too, is that like the other one it comes with a significant amount of bonuses at the end. There's concept art, character cards, and jokes galore.

Cucumber Quest: The Ripple Kingdom is an awesome follow up to the first book in the collected series. The second volume is even better than the first if I'm being honest. The Ripple Kingdom does a lot to expand both the world building and mythology that creator Gigi D.G. has created. It introduces new characters and new complications for our heroes to tackle -- and we can't wait to see what comes next!

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A REVIEW COPY WAS PROVIDED FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW

Ha! Ripple Kingdom might be my favorite (of course this is only the second installment so we shall see!) From Bubblebeard to Splashmaster to Crabbro: "Crabbro...bro's call me bro" is such a hilarious line that I crack up just thinking about it (and it pops into my head at the most random times!) And I love Nautilus though she reminds me a bit of Dory with her forgetfulness - but I'm glad to see she'll be continuing on the adventure with Cucumber, Almond and Sir Carrot! Can't wait to see what's in store next!

Review that will be posted on social media closer to release date:

First Cucumber, Princess Nautilus, Almond and gang must defeat the Splashmaster to save the Ripple Kingdom. They also discover in this time the power of limbo and that the this vanquishing of the Nightmare Knight thing has happened a few times before. So not only do they have to defeat seven monsters and him, they also have to figure out a way to do so that will permanently solve the problem or they’re just prolonging the suffering. Then they’re on to the Melody Kingdom to seek and destroy monster number two.

I wasn’t super impressed by number #1 in the Cucumber Quest, but I enjoyed this one quite a bit more. I can get behind the sarcasm now that I’ve had it confirmed it is sarcasm. This quest likes to poke fun at all the fantasy quest tropes but it is still managing to provide entertainment along the way, plenty of imaginative locales, and some interesting characters (the newly introduced Princess Nautilus is my favorite…she’s upbeat, intense, forgetful, and yet surprising…she helps balance out Cucumber’s ennui/doubts and Almond’s frightening overachiever attitude). I’m now looking forward to #3 and actually will look into buying the series for our library.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. A fight with a monster (who we know can regenerate, so even if he gets his tentacles hacked off it seems ok and isn’t gory). A bomb threat that results in someone getting smoked, but this is more cartoon-like in that no one seems permanently or severly injured by even things like bombs going off or a boat landing on them.

Electronic ARC provided by NetGalley.

I have been following this comic online for a long time and was very pleased to see the creator get a commercial publishing deal. Cucumber Quest is a well written, well drawn, and entirely delightful graphic novel series. The story ostensibly follows Cucumber, a young and very reluctant hero who is supposed to be the chosen one in a battle against the Nightmare Knight. The problem is that Cucumber has no interest in being a hero, or a leader. His sister Almond on the other hand is desperate for adventure, and continually pushes him forward on his rather dubious quest.

Cucumber Quest is suitable for young children, but also very entertaining for adult readers. The writing is clever, and while full of humor it also has a fun plot to follow and several likable characters (including some of the supposed villains). The aesthetic reminds me a lot of some of the Nintendo properties (think Mario's Mushroom Kingdom or Kirby's Dreamland), and the art is always colorful and compelling. I recommend this comic to anyone who is looking for a new fun comic, especially if you want one that you can read with your children.

The second volume of Cucumber Quest takes place right where the first left off. Our heroes have split up due to an unfortunate encounter with one of the Nightmare Knight’s evil minions. Cucumber must team up with Princess Nautilus of the Ripple Kingdom to reunite everyone and move forward in his reluctant quest to save the day.

It. Is. Delightful.

If you’ve read the first volume of Cucumber Quest, you’ll absolutely adore the second volume which is filled once again with stunning artistry (character designs, landscapes and backgrounds) that is SCREAMING to be adapted into a delightful kids series along the lines of Steven Universe or Star vs. the Forces of Evil.

Each character within the story has a very distinct personality and their own agency from Cucumber who has been told he’s the Legendary Hero but wants nothing to do with it to Almond who is everything the Legendary Hero should be but no one wants anything to do with her. All of them have something to prove in their own way and something that helps make them compelling and interesting to read about within the story.

Not to mention that the overall story is just a boatload of fun and absolutely hilarious to boot. Comedy can be so hard to do well and amidst a story that has a lot of great layers, it makes me smile and laugh along the way. I love the little jokes, the puns, and the silliness that transpires.

Cucumber Quest is an honest to goodness joy to read from start to finish.

Verdict:
Buy it! I’m guessing there’s going to be 5-6 books in this series based on what they’ve been hinting so far and despite the fact that I’m the kind of person who usually caps out at a trilogy, I’m super on board to read more of these stories and find out what happens to Cucumber, Almond and the whole gang along the way.

Definitely make sure that you’re picking up Cucumber Quest whether it’s for you, a young person in your life or whatever. The series is great for readers of all-ages and the art, story, and characters will be engaging for all.

I love love love Gigi's books! The adventure is like no other and it just keeps continuing and more wonderful plots and characters to come. Can't wait to read the rest of the series from this author

This series is enormously cute. I really love the sibling dynamics between Cucumber and Almond. There's a tendency in a lot of kid's books for the story to be somewhat simplistic, but this series has a lot of great twists and turns that don't feel forced at all. I would give this to any child in a heartbeat!

This one is quite nice. I would recommend it to others.

Although the first volume installment was better, this book centers around a little guy who wants to go to school and is a reluctant warrior. Cucumber's sister is the one who really wants to be a knight, but Cucumber is the chosen one. Their goal is to defeat those who wish to summon the dark magic. Great fun and the artwork is very appealing. Definite purchase for our library.

This series is really fun. It’s an all ages graphic novel with cuteness off the charts. Cucumber is supposed to be the hero of the story, but the real hero is his sister Almond. I should probably mention that they are bunnies. That are on a quest to save the seven kingdoms. In book two they battle the squid monster, how is as dumb as he looks. Even though in this book, she doesn’t get much action I like seeing a girl who is the hero not be acknowledged. It points out that “hey that is not right” and makes it easier to see and teach to look for in the real world.