Dream of the Butterfly is a story of a little girl named Tutu, who becomes lost and ends up trapped in a town where being a little girl - or being an inhabitant of another town - is a crime worthy of imprisonment. The story feels incredibly reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland, in one sense; in another, however, it felt like a blatant nod to many of the Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki films I grew up loving. With that in mind, I thought I'd really enjoy this graphic novel, but unfortunately, it felt very much like an info-dump at times, and I had a hard time getting attached to the story or caring very much about the outcome.

Thank you to Lion Forge and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

*thank you to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.
This cover is what first attracted me to this Graphic novel and I was very pleased to find that the images inside are simply beautiful! They are so colourful and the images have a certain softness to them. I think I spent the same amount of time actually taking in the illustrations as I did of reading the words. I could easily see this as an anime cartoon. At the beginning, I started thinking that this was similar to an Alice in Wonderland type book but after a few more pages, it was clear that it's more similar and more fitting to say it's like something the fabulous Hayao Miyazaki would do. Which also made me zone in on one of my favourite movies from him, 'Spirited Away'. So if you are a fan of that, you are sure to enjoy this!

I vacillated between a 3 and 4 star rating before settling on 3 due to the abrupt ending and very little story maturation by the end of this first volume. The illustration work is absolutely stunning and greatly reminded me of the Avatar: The Last Airbender series of graphic novels (not just for an pseudo Asian setting and young protagonists, rather for the very colorful and intricate layouts). But the story was frustrating - nothing happens, our heroine is petulant for most of the storry. When we might finally get some answers, the book ends suddenly.

Story: Tutu is separated from her colleagues and trapped on the mountainside by a severe snow storm. Afraid and cold, she takes refuge in a cave - only to find herself suddenly in a land of talking anthropomorphic animals. Alone, cold, and afraid, she is despised in the land as a 'dirty little girl'. Sent to work at a factory that produces heat by running hamsters through wheels, Tutu is frustrated by the dislike toward her, by a capricious emperor, and by the cat who hints that there might be a rebellion interested in her. All Tutu wants is to get back home and the key is to find the magical butterfly that appears and disappears in her dreams.

Most of the book is Tutu being despised by the local folk, followed around by rabbit 'spies', talking back and yelling at the animals, and pretty much doing whatever she's told to do. This first volume takes a long time to set up the story and so much is repeated that it is hard to maintain interest. I had a distinct "Alice in Wonderland" feeling but without a lot of the social commentary that added the layers of meaning to Carrol's work. Dream of the Butterfly never seemed to go anywhere and wandered aimlessly and rather resentfully in this fantastical world. Tutu herself was hard to like - she spends most of the story annoyed, disgusted, miffed, or being rude to the animals.

The artwork is superb and almost makes up for the stagnant story. From beautiful and bright visuals to inventive ways of creating/drawing the anthropomorphic animals. Inexplicably, not all of the animals walk/talk and there isn't much in the way of rhyme or reason in the art or story to explain that anomaly. But each page was a feast and the art on the cover is an excellent representation of what you will find within.

I never got into the Tutu character; she is very much like Alice, though, frustrated with the absurdity of the situation in which she finds herself and wanting very much to return home to the familiar. The author sets up many mysteries here, however, that will likely reward in future volumes. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.