Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
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Mila’s boring, lonely summer is broken up by meeting Agnes who turns out to not only be a ghost but also has a mouthful of teeth that are actually guardian warriors. Bizarre I know, I feel this is one of those stories you’re either going to like... or you just won’t. I was strangely intrigued but overall felt the story was rushed and it just felt really unbalanced to me.

Watersnakes has a gritty, dark twisted fairytale feel in both story and art which I really liked. The story is quite graphic, so if that’s not your thing I’d say give the story a miss but if you like weird bizarro myth stories involving sea creatures, ancient warriors and teeth give it a go.

Watersnakes is a standalone graphic novel about Mila who meets Agnes on a summer holiday. Mila gets tangled up in Agnes' fantastical and paranormal troubles.

I love beautifully illustrated, magical graphic novels and I was certain that this one would steal my heart. Unfortunately, that was not the case this time.

Watersnakes is beautifully drawn but somehow the style wasn't for me. It was a bit too creepy and graphic and it didn't immerse me into the story. Also the plot itself was really weak in my opinion. The story was rushed through and most of it was odd rather than whimsical. I disliked the characters, especially Mila, who thinks about random things like being disgusted by an octopus while swords swing around her. She was shallow and annoyed me so much that I ended up rolling my eyes while reading Watersnakes.

I wasn't a big fan, but my disinterest towards it was very personal, I felt like I just happened to not fit together with this novel and it could work better for someone else.

Book Review
Title WaterSnakes
Author: Tony Sandoval
Genre: Graphic Novel
Rating: *****
Review: So, all I know about WaterSnakes comes from the synopsis: Mila is a solitary teenager ready to put another boring summer vacation behind her until she meets Agnes, an adventurous girl who turns out to be a ghost. And not just a regular ghost, but one carrying the essence of an ancient fallen king and a mouth full of teeth that used to be his guardian warriors.
Straight away the art work has a dark and gritty feel to it and the opening page has an image that really reminded of the style of Japanese horror films like the Ring (リング Ringu). So we are introduced to Mila when she firsts meets Agnes who see thinks is just a normal girl living in a fantasy world, just a little crazy and it is one of the things she loves about Agnes and the main thing as well as her beauty that leads Mila to develop romantic feelings for her. However, after kissing Agnes she basically vomits out a monster scaring Mila off. When Agnes’ brother Julian tries to return her purse, she learns that Agnes died when she was 5 and Julian can hear her voice while Mila can see her.
While Mila has seen Agnes since the incident, she decides to go looking for her in all their favourite places and she comes across a girl that looks like Agnes but isn’t and she realizes that Agnes was telling the truth about her teeth as she is now face to face with them and she learns that someone is coming to kill the King whoever that is. In the second half of this graphic novel we are given a more in-depth story on the teeth and what their role is and how dreams and reality of overlapping and the role Mila is going to play in the wider story.
The action sequences in the story are gory and beautifully drawn while the other dream sequences are almost hypnotic in the dark yet sensual style they are drawn in and I can’t wait to read more from Tony Sandoval as soon as I can.

So much buzz around this title I really expected it to be so much... BETTER.
I absolutely hate this art style, that sadly has become so popular lately - it's like Kawaii Edward Gorey or something, too cutesy to be appealing to adults and too ugly to be appealing to kids.
The story is confusing as well, since it doesn't actually explain what the heck is happening until AFTER it has all happened.
Also, total cop-out on what could have been a great little LGBT awakening when......

SPOILER AHEAD


the author invalidates the fact that Mila was falling in love with Agnes by stating that there was a man inside Agnes the whole time so of COURSE Mila MUST have been falling for HIM the whole time, since he was "so hot." BARF.

My full review appears on Weekend Notes. Thanks to the publisher for sharing this title. The art is beautiful.

Many Thanks to Net-Galley and the publisher for an advanced e-copy. This did not affect my rating.

*4/5*

This was a haunting and intriguing little graphic novel. I was drawn in by the cover, because the art is absolutely stunning. The story was intriguing as well - but I wanted more.

What starts out as a normal summer vacation quickly takes a turn for the darker side, when Mila meets Agnis and they spent more time together. It's an experience I would recommend.

From the get-go, you can tell there is more going on than meets the eye. The story draws you in, taking twists and turns that lead you deeper into the mystery. I was entranced by Agnis and her weirdness, Mila's bold choices and the enchanted landscapes.

The drawing style, in my opinion, is quite unique but very fitting. Colours are limited to pastels with otherwise mostly greyscale with black standing out the boldest; making it seem almost old, like a faded book or an ancient fairy tale.
The dialogue is scarce, keeping your focus on the drawings and letting them tell the story.
I did not expect it to go as dark and bloody but it did fit the tone very well.
Some of the panelling felt restricted, I would have wished for a few more pages to give the story more flow.

This is really good and I want more!
It was a bit confusing to start off, and at the end of chapter 1 it suddenly got reaaally freaky, but I still loved it!

This was really unique and imaginative - but I found it rushed and underdeveloped. The story just barrels from one plot point to the next; I wanted more information, more backstory and world building, more character development, a fuller resolution. I kept thinking I missed some frames or dialog or a page because I wasn’t able to follow the story; and the ending is SO abrupt.

I did enjoy the artwork very much - whimsical and macabre at the same time.

*Review is based on eARC provided by Lion Forge via NetGalley

Watersnakes is a modern fairy tale that is highly recommended.

An eerie fable about a ghost who carries the soul of an ancient king, and whose teeth are the king’s warriors. She kisses a living girl and vomits an octopus, who begs to be taken to the sea.

Best for fans of the surreal like Coraline. The mesmerizing story lingers like a remembered dream long after the last page is read. The dreamlike art perfectly matches the ethereal plot. 4 stars!

Thanks to Lion Forge and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Girls who come from the sea, queer love, and gorgeous goth-cute artwork – of course I was going to like this. But it's not a cute love story, it's dark as hell – weird tooth myths, octopus-vomiting, skeleton wolves, oh and also the girls from the sea are actually teeth who have to fight the skeleton wolves in a dream. It's batshit and I guess the story doesn't really make 'sense' (if we want to be boring and have things make sense all the time), and usually quirkiness for the sake of it is annoying, but here it feels earned and genuine.

I'm tempted to dock a point as there's a suggestion that when the two girls kiss, Mila is 'really' kissing a guy (he's a god but also an octopus and also trapped behind Agnes's teeth, it's complicated). But Mila doesn't end up with him, and when she kisses Agnes she desires/loves her as a woman, so it's a minor quibble.

In short, this book is super-weird and super-gorgeous and I loved it.

First off the cover is stunning and is very representative of what you will find inside in terms of artwork. It's one of the most gorgeous graphic novel I've seen. The colour palette is very minimalistic but sets the tone for the story in this kind of dream like way.
The story itself is this trippy journey that you have to embark on. It has fairytale qualities to it, very lyrical, sprinkled with magic.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own*

This is such a trippy graphic novel. Incredibly beautiful, but trippy.

Now, usually when things get funky and weird, I find them hard to follow-- but that is totally not the case here! For the most part, everything.. well, didn't make sense per say, but I knew what was going on and somewhat the reason why.

I do like that it seems the whole story is complete in this one novel. This isn't usually the case with graphic novels, so it was a nice surprise.

There is also some LGBTQA rep here. Mila, the main character, isn't heterosexual. She also isn't totally sure of her preference which I think is always a cool thing to showcase. It is okay to be unsure and we all have to figure it out. On the other hand, all the characters are white and totally skinny -- this might be an artistic choice, but I still didn't understand why everyone was so pale... is the teeth can have black and read hair, why can't they have various skin colors as well?

This book has an interesting (albeit unsettling) story, beautiful artwork, and is decently easy to follow along with yet still has depth. I would totally recommend this one to graphic novel lovers and those who like the strange.

Watersnakes is a beautiful graphic novel.
I'd heard of Sandoval before, but I'd never checked his work until now, and I'll be sure to see what else he has to offer.

In Watersnakes, Milla is a girl on summer vacation who, on one of her wanderings, meets Agnes and falls in love with her. Her fascination with Agnes' teeth and their role in the story, as independent entities, as warriors, is surrealistically fetishistic but fits into the world of dreams and magic where nothing has to be logic as long as it propels the story forward. Agnes turns out to be a ghost who lingers in this world because an ancient octopus king resides inside her. And with Milla's help, perhaps Agnes' octopus king and his warriors can wage war on their enemies.

Watersnakes' plot and artwork really manage to convey a dreamy, somewhat disjointed atmosphere which is what really sells the book.

Hope to see more from Sandoval!

I’m giving this book a mixed review, not because it was not good, but because the mythology confused me quite a bit. The art was sensational, and loved the minimal use of colors, because it made the blood shed seem that much more graphic by comparison, but I must confess, I do not understand the main character’s obsession with the other main character’s teeth. I don’t mean to post any spoilers, but the fact that she was so obsessed to the point her spirit was willing to abandon her friend to be slaughtered so she could keep her “teeth” was a bit bizarre and difficult for me to grasp. Also, the demonic undead wolves hunting the king were never fully explained..or really, to me, explained at all. What is it they gain from killing the king and his warriors? The entire graphic novel is enthralling and very fast paced, it’s done with a great deal of style and emotion, but I must admit the motivation and much of the dialogue threw me off, which is why I can’t give it a five star rating.

I loved this book - it's feminist, surreal, bizarre and full of so many fun things. It's like a dream that you remember until it feels like it really happened.
This is not a book for young readers but I think there are a number of teenage girls who will love this one.
I loved the art - it's colorful and artsy.
This is definitely one I would pour over again and again.

"Watersnakes" is a beautifully illustrated dark twisted fantasy! Fans of Neil Gaiman's "Coraline" and "Sandman" series will enjoy this graphic novel by Tony Sandoval. The story's reality is inside of a dream, or is it?

Mila, a loner, meets Agnes. Agnes is a young girl who loves the sea and the masks her brother makes. However, Agnes has a secret, and when Mila learns that secret, she isn't frightened off. Instead, she decides to help her friend accomplish her task. Dream and reality meld together in this haunting tale that makes you wonder where one ends and the other begins.

The artwork is beautiful. All of the illustrations match the tone and the plot of the story. The tones are dark, but the psychedelics match Mila's story appropriately. If the story doesn't keep your attention, then the graphic art definitely will!

The only issue I have with this story is the ambivalent ending. In most cases, ambivalent endings allow the reader to determine what could happen after the story ends for the audience. However, I found that I really, really wanted to know what happened to the characters after the ending. "Watersnakes" is short, but poignant and embellished.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While Mila is out playing, she meets a strange but beautiful girl named Agnes who believes ghosts live in her teeth. As they spend more time together, Mila realizes Agnes is far from a normal girl as otherworldly forces spill into Mila's life.

This is what I was expecting from Likely Stories; a trippy, thrilling, scary, bloody, fantastic fantasy story that's beautiful to look at. The art takes some getting used to but if you can appreciate the likes of Roman Dirge or Dave McKean, this will be a treat to read through. If you like dark fantasy where fairy tale nightmares bleed into real life, this is a cool book to read and I'd like to see more from this creator. 4.7 out of 5.

The artwork in this book is absolutely stunning. Every drawing felt just slightly off which added even more creepiness to the story.
Mila is a loner whose summer is about to take a dramatic turn when she meets Agnes, a beautiful girl who claims her teeth are ghosts who travel the world and have adventures. Thinking her slightly crazy, Mila agrees to meet up with her next day to hear the full story of Agnes’ teeth. What she finds instead is a wild adventure starting with a kiss gone weird, a sea king, and an amazing female army ready to battle. But Agnes still has one major secret-she’s a ghost. And not just any ghost, she holds the spirit of a sea king and her teeth are the king’s soldiers. Mila has to help the warriors save the sea king and return him to his people.
This book is wild-absolutely bonkers wild and I really enjoyed it. The artwork is incredible and the story is great. Mila is such a teenager-all emotions and confused feelings-but she steps in when it counts. The female warriors are completely badass and the fight scenes are amazing with all the swords and flying blood.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Watersnakes by Tony Sandoval is available November 20, 2018 from Lion Forge.

The story was... fine, touching, all the things you'd expect from a bit darker and nastier middle grade novel - though it had gotten complex near the end, which I appreciated. But the artwork - oh, my. I'd give all the stars in the universe to the wonderful figures and the color palettes and the position of things in frames. So unique and utterly brilliant.

Definitely recommended.